A Salvador Dinosaur & Critical Stages production
Created and Performed by Daniel Tobias
Composed by Daniel Tobias and Clare Bartholomew with John Thorn, Casey Bennetto and Jherek Bischoff
Directed by Christian Leavesley
Lighting Design by Lisa Mibus
Script Consultant David Quirk
A comedy about an atheist surviving cancer by finding God in Lance Armstrong – with songs!
Reflecting on Daniel’s real life (and almost death) experiences, The Orchid and the Crow is a solo performance, part-storytelling and part-theatre, that features original songs from the award-winning writers of Otto & Astrid (Die Roten Punkte).
WINNER Best Writing Cabaret – 2016 Green Room Awards
WINNER Outstanding Individual Performance – Ottawa Fringe 2015
WINNER Outstanding Individual Performance – London Free Press 2015
Available to Tour
2017-2018
Artform
Cabaret, Comedy, Drama
Audience
Upper secondary students, adults
Duration
70mins (no interval)
Minimum Stage
4m x 4m
Technical Specifications
2018 Tour Dates
27 April Burrinja Cultural Centre, Upwey
28 April Arts Centre, Warburton
2 May Montrose Town Centre
4-5 May Wagga Art Gallery
11-12 May Newcastle Civic Theatre
16 May TAS Hoskins Centre, Armidale
18 May Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Penrith
31 August – 1 September Subiaco Arts Centre
6 September Arts Margaret River
8 September Red Earth Arts Precinct, Karratha
12 September Burra Town Hall
14 September Cowell Town Hall
15 September Ceduna Memorial Hall
17 September Streaky Bay Institute
19 September Port Lincoln Hotel
22 September Tintinara War Memorial Hall
23 September Lameroo Memorial Hall
25 September Mt Compass War Memorial Hall
10-13 October Merrigong Theatre Company, Wollongong
What people are saying
Big beautiful, ugly, crazy life-changing moments. They mostly arrive without warning, uprooting the peace, order and logic of our everyday lives. The Orchid and the Crow is a show about such a life event. In sharing it with us, artist Daniel Tobias shows us quite a lot about how to handle such a moment with strength, creativity and a lot of good humour.
I loved this show when I first saw it, because it’s so hard to pin a label to it. It’s a story about family, faith and survival, it feels a bit like a cabaret, or a pocket-sized musical drawn from many genres – but in the end, it all makes perfect sense because it’s very personal and loving. I hope that you enjoy this little gem of a production, and that you’ll remember and draw on its generosity when you find yourself having one of those ‘moments’. Lyn Wallis, Hothouse Theatre
What people are saying
Daniel Tobias has condensed his entire life into a smart and scintillating 75-minute variety show…wise, generous, and blackly funny …If we gave stars – this would have a fistful. The Australian
★★★★ Turns divine vengeance into comedy gold. Sydney Morning Herald
Tobias is an intelligent, dynamic and honest performer who is highly entertaining to watch. This show will renew your faith in love, life, and possibly even Lance Armstrong. CBC Canada
Resources
The Orchid and the Crow reflects on the real-life experiences of Daniel Tobias, in particular dealing with his cancer experience. In the past, Daniel has answered numerous questions relating to this theme, even including cancer experts in his Q&A to help answer these questions.
Over the course of the tour, this space will be expanded to include community resources relating to this theme.
Education
Orchid and the Crow Student Resource Kit for Stage 6 Drama
Videos
Why Audiences are Loving the Orchid and the Crow
Behind the Scenes with The Orchid and the Crow Part II
Behind the Scenes with The Orchid and the Crow Part I
Articles
(A small selection of articles and sites about Testicular Cancer health and well-being, and how to talk about it)
Symptoms of Testicular Cancer (Betterhealth VIC)
Check Your Tackle
When Cancer Strikes, How to Be a Friend (Article by Dr Ranjana Srivastava)
Five Ways to Talk about Testicular Health, From a Testicular Cancer Survivor (Article by Justin Birckbichler)
Stephen’s Story a Timely Reminder for NT Blokes (NT News)
Raising Testicular Cancer Awareness (U.S.A)
The Importance of April: Testicular Cancer Awareness Month (Article by Justin Birckbichler)
