Child’s Play: A one woman-wolf tale

Once upon a Melbourne Fringe Festival, one ruthless performing artist named Jem Nicholas dared to take the audience on a fractured fairytale which drew together numerous epic archetypal characters that made us laugh, cry, and feel truly connected to ourselves. Performed at the MC Showroom, a purpose-built black box theatre in the heart of Prahran and the popular Chapel Street precinct, Jem Nicholas brings new meaning to physicality and movement in theatre with her show, Child’s Play: A one woman-wolf tale. 

Audience members were captivated from the moment Nicholas literally leapt onto the stage. The mood and tone of the performance was established immediately as she began expertly shapeshifting and transitioning her body between various animals. Having trained and performed for eleven years in the performing arts industry, as well as being the creator, facilitator and actress of the Melbourne-based theatre company, Creatures Within, Nicholas brings her pure, powerful energy and presence to the stage in her unique show. 

At the heart of this original tale, the character of a brilliant warrior, Little Red Riding Hood, slowly starts to transform into the beastly wolf. Inspired by a love of children’s fables and the exposition of their dark and underlying themes, Nicholas was also determined to write a play that had equal parts human as well as animal characters. Nicholas describes that an animal is the perfect vessel to be free, empowered, emotional and display physical expression. Referring to herself in animal form, Nicholas feels ‘sexy, alive …. [with] full permission to be wild and be wrong in all the right ways.’

Childs Play explores the themes of being true to yourself, embracing who you are, growing as a person and challenging yourself rather than always feeling safe. As an experienced performer, Nicholas states that within this show she ‘feels like it’s the most me I’ve ever been on stage.’

The energy and focus throughout the entire show is palpable and testament to her overall professionalism and passion for performing. Childs Play: A one woman-wolf tale leaves its audiences empowered, and hungry for more! 

Child’s Play: A one woman-wolf tale
Performed at Melbourne Fringe Festival
melbournefringe.com.au/event/childs-play