Writer/Performers – Jeffrey Jay Fowler and Sarah Reuben
Director – Adam Mitchell
Producer – Libby Klysz
Choreographer – Laura Boynes
Production Dramaturg – Chris Isaacs
Sound Designers – Louis Frere-Harvey
Set & Costume Design – Mathew McVeigh
Lighting Design – Peter Young
Hero Image – David James Grant
To breed or not to breed? That's a thousand questions!
Potential parenthood in a burning world. Brace yourselves.
Meet two best friends in their mid 30’s – a single straight woman and a partnered gay man – who are deciding whether to have a baby. Together.
They ask: What happens if a woman never meets the right partner? If a man is gay, isn’t that evolution’s way of telling him to step out of the gene pool? What does it mean to bring a child into a world that’s burning? Is it right? Is it right for them? And…what happens if you have a kid and end up getting a really annoying one?
The Hypotheticals is both a deeply personal story and a work of imagination for the writer-performers Jeffrey Jay Fowler and Sarah Reuben, as they contemplate their futures and the future of their (yet to exist) children.
After a sell-out 2021 World Premiere at Darwin Festival and Brown’s Mart, the creators are now joined by award winning director Adam Mitchell, and an all-new Western Australian team of designers to explore family, fantasy, and fear.
Available to Tour
2024/2025
Artform
Comedy, Drama, Theatre
Audience
16+
Strong language. Adult Themes.
Duration
70 minutes
No interval
Venue Format
Civic/Cultural Centre, Black Box, Studio, Thrust, Town Hall
Touring Party
2 Performers
1 Stage Manager
1 Production Manager
Previous Seasons
Darwin Festival (2021)
NT Regeional Tour (2022)
State Theatre Centre of WA (2023)
What people are saying
★ ★ ★ ★ .5 “Effortless comic timing… it just brims with humour… The genius of the play lies in its use of hypotheticals to talk about parenthood – from every disaster to every sublime moment hypothesised by the characters, we glimpse visions of what we might ourselves consider if we were in their position” – Arts Hub
“Sarah Reuben (‘The Woman’) and Jeffrey Jay Fowler (‘The Man’) positively sparkle as best friends navigating the idea of having a child together … what brings this work home is the candid honesty that Fowler and Reuben bring to not only their script but to their powerhouse performances.” – Stage Whispers
“Joyously familiar… The Hypotheticals has a mesmerising quality that makes for easy viewing. Its characters are charismatic, its story contemporary. It’s great.” – See Saw Magazine
“A whatif as sly and astute as the best whodunit”- David Zampati
“Thoughtful, refreshing, and pleasingly subversive”- Business News
Key Audiences
- 20-45 – fans of comedy, dramedy, and contemporary storytelling.
- Socially engaged individuals, LGBTQIA+ audiences, and friendship groups in their 30s and 40s.
- Fringe and new work fans looking for an experience that is polished, thought-provoking, and conversational.
Selling Points
- Quality Production History – the piece has had two critically-acclaimed runs with past venues keen for return seasons.
- Outstanding Creative Team – a proven touring and production house that produces some of the best contemporary storytelling in Australia.
- Fun, Funny, and Fresh – Sarah and Jeffrey Jay are not only hilarious and totally en pointe, the choreography keeps these two energetic performers constantly moving – audiences are loving the stage experience. Never a dull moment!
- Conversation Starter – the show is like a great D&M with your bestie over a bottle of wine, and those post-show foyer discussions about what it is to become a parent (and the families we choose to make) will be hilarious, heartfelt, and last for days.
- Cultural Diversity – the cheeky blend and comparison of Jewish and contemporary Christian family life, there are opportunities to engage communities in your region with the work.
About Jeffrey Jay Fowler
Jeffrey Jay Fowler is a playwright, dramaturg, director and actor. He wrote and acted in award winning shows A History of Drinking and Elephants. He has performed in and co-created Fag/Stag (winner Scotsman Fringe First 2017), Perpetual, Bali, The Advisors, All That Glitters and LÉ NØR [THE RAIN] with The Last Great Hunt, of which he is a founding artist. Among the shows he has directed are Girl Shut Your Mouth, Blithe Spirit, The Eisteddfod (winner 2017 PAWA Best Director and Best Mainstage Play), and In The Next Room, or The Vibrator Play for Black Swan State Theatre Company.
Jeffrey Jay was Associate Director of Black Swan from 2014 to 2017, and then he was their Director of New Writing for 2018 and 19.
About Sarah Reuben
Sarah Reuben is a Darwin-based writer, theatre maker, performer and producer. For her own Theatre Company, Ruby Gaytime Productions, Reuben co-wrote and performed: Best, Short Change, Death Party and This Jew Sits. Sarah co-wrote and performed I’ll Tell you in Person, which had seasons at both Darwin Festival 2020 and Perth Festival 2021 and Lower The Bar for a season at Darwin Entertainment Centre 2020 and a regional tour with ArtBack 2021. Most recently Sarah has been funded to co-write a web series, Reformed, an site-specific all ages theatre work, NYE1999 and an immersive sensory work for babies, Above.
Sarah is a co-creator of the nationally touring show Shania Choir, creator of the web series ‘Deadly Tales’, regular panel host on NT Recap: Season 2, mentor for ATYP’s Fresh Ink program.
About The Last Great Hunt
The Last Great Hunt is an internationally renowned collective of six theatre makers: Gita Bezard, Adriane Daff, Arielle Gray, Chris Isaacs, Jeffrey Jay Fowler and Tim Watts. Created in Perth, WA, our work features an eclectic variety of forms, styles and experiences. JEFFREY JAY FOWLER is a playwright, dramaturg, director and actor. He has performed in and co-created FAG/STAG (winner Scotsman Fringe First 2017), BALI, THE ADVISORS, PERPETUAL WAKE and LÉ NØR [THE RAIN] with The Last Great Hunt. Among the shows he has directed are Girl Shut Your Mouth, Blithe Spirit, The Eisteddfod (winner 2017 PAWA Best Director and Best Mainstage Play), and In The Next Room, or The Vibrator Play for Black Swan State Theatre Company. He was Associate Director of Black Swan from 2014 to 2017, and then their Director of New Writing for 2018 and 19.
