Finally, Sydney has its own queer theatre company.

Fruit Box Theatre is an exciting new non-profit that stages and develops original works by queer Australian artists. After the success of their recent Mardi Gras launch event, hosted by Etcetera Etcetera from Rupaul’s Drag Race Down Under, Fruit Box Theatre is now recruiting actors and writers for their inaugural script development program.

Five writers and ten actors who identify as LGBTQIA+ will be selected to join the Ripe Development Program. Resident artists will workshop five original scripts over a nine-month process with the goal of staging the works when Sydney hosts World Pride in 2023.

Through a creative process focused on community, collaboration and catharsis, Fruit Box Theatre seeks to build a space for like-minded creatives to collaborate and process their lived experience through storytelling.

Something magical happens when people with shared experiences are brought together to tell stories, and the Ripe Development Program aims to tap into, relish and share this magic with creatives and audiences alike.

Fruit Box Theatre asks two questions of the queer community: What stories do you want to see? What stories do you need to tell? Applications close at midnight on 17 April 2022.

The purpose of the Ripe Development Program is to “facilitate a safe and inclusive environment for LGBTQIA+ artists to heal, share and express themselves through storytelling”, says Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Fruit Box Theatre Sean Landis. Sean believes that “the arts are an incredible place to promote connection and wellbeing within Sydney’s LGBTQIA+ community as they allow for us to share what we otherwise might not know how to express. Fruit Box Theatre aims to give voice to the unexpressed and allow queer artists to have fun”.

Fruit Box Theatre’s launch event, Fruit Cocktail: A Queer Cabaret, sold out two weeks prior to opening night which is a testament to Sydney’s appetite for celebratory queer theatre. From sing-a-longs to standing ovations, Fruit Box Theatre received rave reviews from audiences and performers alike who remarked on the amazing atmosphere on the night.

The Fruit Box team sure knows how to galvanise the queer community over a good night at the theatre.

LOTL sits down with co-founder Sean and Maddie to discuss the Ripe Development Program, their vision for the theatre and plans for Sydney WorldPride 2023