'Man in a Bag' by Emily Steel is a new South Australian play to be presented by Polygraph Collective.
First written in 2012, 'Man in a Bag' uses the lens of the Gareth Williams story (MI6 officer found dead in a sports bag) and the subsequent court trial and media storm, to examine topics like identity, information, perspective and truth. Award-winning writer Emily Steel presents the reactions that friends, family and experts had throughout the investigation to the astounding circumstances that were laid out before them. Each individual had a different opinion of Gareth, and an understanding of who this man was that was shaken to its foundations by what this investigation uncovered. Friends and family discovered how little they knew about Gareth, and some rejected the findings of the investigation entirely. Some of the themes we are exploring in this production include notions of how truth is presented by the media, how identity is constructed, and how loss forces those left behind to form one final image of who a person was to them. To be locked in a bag in a bath tub is a bizzare death, and the fulcrum question of the case is whether or not he could have done this to himself. The play, however, asks questions beyond that. In the words of the playwright:
"At the heart of the play there are questions about what is true, how we ever know what is true, and how we react to that truth - whether we accept it all. How much do we ever know anyone?"

The play will open at the Holden Street Theatres on July 18th, after a full rehearsal/ development period at The Mill Adelaide, with a fantastic cast of local artists.

This campaign is to help us cross the line from a good project to an excellent project by funding all those little things that make a theatre show, whether that's a prop here or a light there. Your generosity will also help us pay the insurance we need to keep all of our artists and audience members safe, and to keep them fed and happy during our rehearsal process.

We're lucky enough to already have some support for the project, so we're confident that On Creative is going to make us look great with free graphic design work for our posters. If you want to have a look at the work that has already begun to make this show a big success, the video below is timelapse footage (thanks Gilbert Kemp-Attrill) of the complicated photo shoot for our amazing poster:



Tickets are available from VenueTix at www.venuetix.com.au and then search 'Man in a Bag'.

We believe in valuing our artists and doing our utmost to accommodate their basic necessities around the creative process. This is part of the beauty of performing art, bringing together a wide span of individuals and together sharing their skills and talents with an audience through the lens of a brilliant story. To this end we have sought out fantastic performers from all stages of their careers and gathered a creative team ready to tackle the demands of the play.

Unfortunately, as excited as we all are about working on this project, putting on a show like this takes up a lot of time, and time is money! Theatre shows can't pay anyone until tickets start selling, so the bulk of the campaign money is aimed at paying honorariums to the actors involved, to help them through the rehearsal period for which they have to take time off work. Your generosity will take the stress off our performers so that they can focus on the project without worrying too much about the basic day to day costs, such as transport, child minding, or loss of work.

On top of paying honorariums the money we hope to raise from this campaign will cover other small but important things, like insurance (so everyone is safe!), props (so we have something to do), set and costume (so we look good as we do it).

Like with any new theatre production, there are risks involved with mounting this show. We have gone a long way to reduce these challenges by garnering in-kind and cash sponsorship from a few generous companies, who between them have helped cover many of the inherent overheads (e.g. venue, printing, posters, etc). We all know this show will be great, but the biggest challenge for any independent theatre show is getting bums on seats. Box office is how we pay our artists, and although we all love what we do, we all still have to pay bills! Your support will help us create a fantastic show, and do so as professionals, who are paid for the time they spend on a project. Donations to this campaign are one way in which you can support us in this venture, and apart from our thanks, check out the rewards we have to offer! Even if you can't donate today, please come along to the show, and see what is bound to be a truly exciting piece of brand new, South Australian theatre!

Tickets are available from VenueTix at www.venuetix.com.au and then search 'Man in a Bag'.