OBSERVER: Darebin Arts Speakeasy
Darebin Arts Speakeasy presents the new trans thriller Djuna from March 12-23 at the Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre.
Produced by the Bullet Heart Club, written by Australian playwright Eva Rees and performed by Jay Gold and Dion Mills, the physiological thriller has been directed by Bullet Heart Club’s Kitan Petkovski, and explores identity, power, and the complexities of human connection.
Set within the charged intimacy of a hotel room, Djuna follows the two-year affair between a young trans woman Djuna (Jay Gold) and Marcus (Dion Mills), an older and purportedly heterosexual man.
Both characters in this play are queer in their own ways, from different generations, brought together in this hotel room to explore themselves in ways they can’t anywhere else.
Their initial encounter, driven by mutual fantasy, evolves into a fraught and transformative connection, marked by power dynamics, vulnerability, and the characters’ attempts to navigate their identities. She’s lying about her age, and he’s in denial about who he is and what he wants.
The play’s tension is heightened with themes of body horror, exploring the corporeality of medically transitioning. By literalising societal taboos around body modification, Djuna reclaims and confronts notions of trans identity, creating a bold narrative space that is both unsettling and compelling. Djuna offers a scintillating perspective on queer exploration, from a ground-breaking local company.
Performance Dates: March 12 – 23. Wed. – Sat. 7.30pm. Sun. 5pm (90 minutes duration, no Venue: Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre, 189 High St., Northcote
For details of special performance times and bookings, visit: bulletheartclub.com/djuna