Theatre in Preview

Ever wondered what it’s like in the afterlife? ‘So You Die A Little’ takes that curiosity and presents a quirky, humorous and oddly recognisable answer.

The director Gregory Rowbotham provides the details of the play that he fell in love with over a decade ago. “‘So You Die A Little’ is about a man who dies and ends up in limbo and he discovers things in the afterlife are a little bit too familiar, ” Rowbotham says. “There’s admin, people pushing paper around and the whole universe is run through a very elaborate bureaucracy. “It’s a dark comedy and this play offers the chance for the audience to see a reflection of their daily lives in an odd situation. The audience will be able to recognise a lot of the events that happen to them everyday but twisted in such a way that it’s quite funny and odd.”

The play, written by Brisbane playwrights Tony Brockman and Matthew Ryan, has had a long journey to make it to the stage of the Brisbane Arts Theatre. “I saw a version of this play back in 1999 at the University of Queensland when the writers were still at university. I watched their play and loved it and for years it sat in my mind,” he says.

“I was given the opportunity to pick my play that I wanted to do at the Arts Theatre and I remembered this weird little play I’d seen more than a decade ago. So I got in contact with the writers. They rewrote it and they’ve come up with a much more streamlined story. The Brisbane Arts Theatre will be the first time this version of the play has ever been seen.” With a passion for theatre and putting on a great show, audiences are in good hands with Rowbotham.

“Things that are strange or quirky I really enjoy getting my teeth into. I like to go fantastical, a bit whimsical and I like it when things get strange,” he says. “Theatre says I can show you something that you’ve probably never seen before which requires you to think.”

‘So You Die A Little’ plays at the Brisbane Arts Theatre from Sept 3 to Oct 1.