A PRODUCTION satirising celebratory feminists will be staged in Ballarat from this weekend.
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Entitled The Female of the Species, the Ballarat National Theatre production is a comedy that deftly walks the tightrope between satire and farce, proving the female of the species is not only deadlier, but funnier than the male.
Written by Australia's Joanna Murray-Smith, the comedy was inspired by feminist Germaine Greer's experience of being held captive in her country house in Essex over a decade ago.
The Female of the Species director Mary-Rose McLaren said she decided to stage this particular play because it was written by a female playwright.
"Joanna Murray-Smith is a Melbourne-based playwright and BNT haven't done a lot of Australian things in the past or things by a female playwright," she said.
"She's a very popular playwright and that's because she writes really well. The script is great, it’s rich, it's funny, and it's really clever.
"The story has the audience sympathising with the different characters at different times and you can stand back and laugh at the whole situation. It's really sharp."
Ms McLaren said the arts industry had progressed to a stage where people were embracing films and plays with strong female roles.
"It's nice to do a play that puts women at the forefront and lets them show off what they can do," she said.
"I think there's a real awareness nowadays that women aren't often given strong roles so there's an attempt to identify that when it happens."
The Female of the Species will be BNT's second production for the 2015 season with the company having staged a series of one-act plays earlier this year.
BNT president Brian McClelland said this year's season was comprised of comedy, drama and light-hearted family fun.
"This is one the first times we've been able to plan our season in advance and it will be a regular thing for the future. It gives people the time to plan their roles and the directors time to find the right people for the task," he said.
"This year's season is a combination of comedy with lots of laughs expected in The Female of the Species. Our next show will be slightly more dramatic and then we like to have something bright for Christmas time. That's how our planning goes."
The Female of the Species will be held at the SMB Courthouse Theatre from July 4 to 11. For tickets and bookings, visit hermaj.com