A Tasmanian theatre company is putting young creatives centre stage, with every person involved in its latest production aged 25 or under.
Big Job Productions creative director Elise Bagorski is leading a team of around 30 young Tasmanians to stage Be More Chill, a contemporary musical running from August 5 to 15 at The Hidden Theatre at Kickstart Arts in New Town.
Bagorski said creating opportunities for emerging performers, crew and creatives was at the heart of the company’s work.
“We try really, really hard to work with the emerging young people and give them that platform to learn,” she told Pulse.
The company was founded in 2024 with a mission to give young creatives a pathway in Tasmania, without feeling they need to leave the state to pursue their careers.
“People hit 18 here and they phase out of all of the schools …. and it’s kind of either stay here and do nothing with your life or f*** off to the mainland where you can be something,” she said.
“Which I heavily disagree with.”
Be More Chill is Big Job Productions’ largest show yet and its first two-week season.
The musical follows Jeremy Heere, an awkward 17-year-old who swallows a pill that puts a supercomputer in his head, promising to make him cool and popular.
Bagorski said the story explores social media pressure and the desire to become someone else.
“We can’t have someone else telling us what to do, it’s never gonna make us happy,” she said.
The production is also part of the growth of The Hidden Theatre, which Bagorski said had been largely unused when she began working there in 2022.
She said the New Town venue is now regularly used by at least five theatre companies.
Bagorski said the company had built a strong reputation despite working with limited resources.
“We have a reputation for quite high-quality theatre despite our scrappy budget,” she said.
Tickets are available online.
