The Mentor
November 2021, Theatre Works · Bravo Arts
PLAYWRIGHT: JOSHUA WHITE
DIRECTOR: CHRISTIAN CAVALLO
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR & DRAMATURGY: CAMERON STEENS
DRAMATURG: IAIN SINCLAIR
STAGE MANAGER: ASHLEIGH WALWYN
SET & COSTUME DESIGN: CASEY HARPER-WOOD
LIGHTING DESIGN: JASON BOVAIRD
SOUND DESIGN: JUSTIN GARDAM
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: CHARLOTTE CROWLEY
Produced by Bravo Arts
A one-time Hollywood star, Amanda Redfern has spiraled in her later years. When twenty-something actor, Jordan Ridley, turns up at her doorstep to be coached by the veteran, the up-and-comer gets more than he bargained for. The unlikely pair discover a vastly different set of perceptions across themes of sexism, ageism, respect, consent and mental health. They find their methodologies as actors are fueled by vastly different lived experience.
Does Jordan have the resolution to endure Amanda’s eccentric methods? This play is for the students who have had teachers push them too far and for teachers who continue to give everything they have.
ABOUT THE MENTOR
This play is driven by a mature female voice, juxtaposed against a young male perspective. It highlights that equality and equity are still values that haven’t been achieved, socially. It demands that we consider – in 2021 – how we treat the most vulnerable, and how we examine our own privilege.
A two-hander, set in a messy apartment flat, The Mentor uniquely puts 70-year-old Amanda Redfern in the driver’s seat and pairs her with a character that embodies everything she isn’t. This play features a series of intimate encounters, and although the characters are actors exploring their craft, it is very much about the highs and lows of the human experience.