World Premiere Of KING UBU Announced At MONA FOMA In 2020

In a spectacular world premiere, Mona Foma is collaborating with Tasmania's award-winning Terrapin Puppet Theatre to present King Ubu, a wild satire of power and greed, adapted from 19th-century France to Launceston in 2020.

A modern reimagining of the absurdist play Ubu Roi by Alfred Jarry, King Ubu will be staged in the natural amphitheatre of Launceston's Cataract Gorge. A unique theatre and music experience on a massive scale, the free, family-friendly performance will unfold as night falls in one of the world's most stunning urban nature sites.

King Ubu tells the tale of raging buffoon and would-be dictator, Pa Ubu, who kills the royal family of Poland in order to take the throne. Willing to sacrifice anybody to accomplish his ends, Ubu ultimately shows his true colours when he is forced to do battle with the king of Poland's surviving son.

Three-metre-high puppets created by Bryony Anderson will be brought to life by a cast that includes voice actors Kris McQuade (from televisions' Rosehaven, Wentworth) and John Xintavelonis (known for his performance as Pumbaa the warthog in Australia's stage musical The Lion King), alongside a cast of over 60 local performers. King Ubu has been adapted by Willoh S. Weiland, and is directed by Sam Routledge, Artistic Director of Terrapin Puppet Theatre, with a core team of Tasmanian creatives. An original score has been created by sound artist Dylan Sheridan, with songs by Dean Stevenson and Willoh S. Weiland, and musical direction by Brian Ritchie.