HOW TO VOTE!
by JULIAN LARNACH
Canberra Youth Theatre
Canberra Theatre Centre 2022
Director Luke Rogers
Lighting Designer Antony Hateley
Costume Designer Helen Wojtas
Sound Designer & Composer Patrick Haesler
Video Designer Ethan Hamill
Assistant Director Sophie Tallis
Stage Manager Rhiley Winnett
Assistant Stage Managers Kate McDonald, Rowena Mcphee, Ashley Pope
Costume Assistant Rhiannon Roberts
Cast
Rahel Alemseged
Jasmine Atkins
Caitlin Baker
Maxine Beaumont
Nicholas Bermingham
Ella Buckley
Ashleigh Butler
Tim Cusack
Callum Doherty
Jessica Gooding
Quinn Goodwin
Blue Hyslop
Claire Imlach
Thea Jade
Breanna Kelly
Yvette Mpinga
Tracy Noble
Ben O’Loughlin
Joanna Richards
Mischa Rippon
Cameron Rose
Martha Russell
Jack Shanahan
Emily Smith
Tommy Warburton
Saar Weston
Matt White
Photography Dayna Ransley
World Premiere
Election season is upon us! When the incumbent President of the University Student Council mysteriously steps down, new players must enter the arena. But behind the three-word slogans and noncore promises lies an underbelly of secret deals and divided loyalties, corruption and ambition; all designed to win the hearts and minds of the student body.
Following an entire election cycle within a prestigious university, How To Vote! explores the treacherous political landscape of campus life, and what happens when you put the word ‘student’ before journalism, politics and theatre.
Commissioned by Canberra Youth Theatre, this world premiere whip-smart political comedy is set in an election year (topical!) in a city that’s definitely not Canberra (it’s totally Canberra!).
Featuring a massive ensemble cast of university-aged artists, How To Vote! smashes together Secret City and Sex Education in an epic exploration of power and what it takes to wrestle it from your enemies’ cold, dead hands – all while scraping through your end-of semester exams.
How To Vote! was a Canberra Youth Theatre commission and world premiere production.
Winner of Best Production of a Play and Nominated for Best Original Work at the 2022 Ovation Awards
"Witty, ironic and highly entertaining insight into the wild world of university life… Rogers’ fluid and precise direction… a slick and engaging production. Under Rogers’ artistic direction, Canberra Youth Theatre has entered a new era of theatrical sophistication. How To Vote is the proof and the promise, worthy of a youth theatre that has stood the test of time and gives voice to the young people of today and the citizens of tomorrow"
– Canberra Critics Circle
