Tilly Kidd reports on the new show by Rising Arts Productions that opens at Wollongong's Side Door Theatre tonight

Since opening their doors in 2017, Rising Arts Productions have been making waves in the Wollongong arts scene. Led by co-directors, Jarrod Riesinger, Bradley Ward and Adam Armitt, the grassroots company has gained a reputation for regularly producing sold out shows to a devoted fanbase and creating highly original work. From full-length improvised plays inspired by the roleplay game, Fiasco, to cult-classic musicals such as Heathers, written by Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy, Rising Arts productions have never shied away from a creative challenge.

And when the company moved into their new venue on Crown Street in 2022, Side Door Theatre, they started to pursue even more ambitious projects. Establishing the Wollongong Comedy Festival alongside local comedian Riley Jones and raising over $5500 for Black Dog Institute during their 24-hour improv marathon, are just a couple of their accomplishments this year.

So when I sat down with Jarrod, a 30-year-old marketing consultant from Mount Annan, I knew he was serious when he introduced their upcoming musical, 35mm, written by Ryan Scott Oliver, as one of the most complex productions they have ever staged. This multi-disciplinary show blends visual art forms such as videography, photography, and painting with performance to create a powerful sensory experience for the audience.

“There is no sort of dialogue, and every story is disjointed and based on an individual photograph. So, I guess the through line is how art and photography-art can capture the whole range of human experience, from the highs-of-highs to the lows-of-lows. The things that are weird and silly. And how that can inspire imagination.” Jarrod told The Flame.

Jarrod’s vision as the director of this production is to highlight that there are “a million different ways to tell a story”. While the first half of the show remains true to the original musical, which was written based off photographs by Matthew Murphy, Rising Arts Productions have gone one step further by involving local artists, asking them to submit work, and showcasing them in a gallery setting throughout the second half of their production.

“Now it’s photographs inspiring the musical, inspiring new art, inspiring what we see on stage. So, it’s one big creative cycle where influence is influence is influence.”

From the haunting melodies of gothic-country to the upbeat rhythms of contemporary musical theatre, the diverse musical score of this show, which includes over 20 musical numbers that blend and overlap in style, has presented a unique challenge to the cast and crew. Countless hours have been poured into perfecting every note and nuance.

“We have gotten a collection of five very, very talented singers and performers that, as with most performers, they kind of all have their own specialty, and this show really asks you to do a bit of everything” Jarrod said.

Passionate about avant-garde art that challenges conventional artistic norms, Jarrod wants to encourage the community to engage with the brilliant experimental projects that are taking place in many of the local theatre companies.

“Sometimes people shy away in favour of the mainstream, but if you take a chance on things, I think you will find there is a lot of things to love beyond the popular theatre.”

This musical exhibition is running at the Side Door Theatre from April 21-29. Buy tickets here and follow Rising Arts Productions on social media