DECAMERON 2.0 has achieved the seemingly impossible. This pioneering project has brought together more than 100 collaborators from across the state; a diverse array of writers, directors, actors and crew. With First Nations, queer and culturally and linguistically diverse representation, these stories are an anthology of our time, drawing inspiration from the past to deliver 100 tales of who we are and who we want to be.

Winner of the 2021 Ruby Award for Best Work or Event Outside a Festival

DECAMERON 2.0 has been a huge leap of faith. An entirely original collaboration between two theatre companies and 98 artists producing roughly 10 hours of new Australian writing and digital performance. And possibly the largest new work from theatre-makers globally in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A work that has been watched and witnessed by an audience of thousands. Generously supported by Arts South Australia, it has provided platforms for both emerging and established artists and given voice to a multiplicity of communities trying to make sense not just of changed social, political and health paradigms but of who they are within this new world order. It has created fibres of creativity between strangers now turned friends and is already generating offshoot works that will ripple beyond this last episode and leave imprints on the South Australian and Australian theatre culture of the future. State Theatre Company South Australia is indebted to Edwin Kemp Attrill and Rhen Soggee from ActNow Theatre for reaching out and suggesting this collaboration, to our supervising writer Emily Steel for the original concept of the work, to our supervising directors Anthony Nicola and Yasmin Gurreeboo and our core directors Alexis West and Clara Solly-Slade and to our other core writers Ben Brooker, Alex Vickery-Howe, Sally Hardy with Alexis West doing triple duty as a core writer and First Nations creative consultant and mentor. The staff of both companies have worked tirelessly and brilliantly to achieve the lofty and crazy ambitions of this project, as have a host of other devoted and passionate writers, actors, directors, designers, producers and crew members (I want to list all the names but I urge you to watch those final credits in slo-mo!). 2020 is a number that may always bring a slight shudder but it will also always suggest the number 2.0 and that memory and legacy will always shine.  

Mitchell Butel
Artistic Director, State Theatre Company South Australia

I’ve learnt a huge amount from the project. It’s the first significant film project I’ve done, and so diving in as Director of Photography was a fun challenge and I’ve been pleasantly relieved by how it’s turned out. As someone who is constantly restless and impatient, it’s been surprisingly fun to be still behind the camera and just focus on listening and supporting each artists vision. Watching all the monologues in production and in the final episode, the things that have stuck out at me are the themes of post #metoo that have featured in multiple pieces, the importance of contemporary Aboriginal stories and identities, and the balance that the writers have explored between representing “self” and representing “others”. The journey of DECAMERON 2.0 as one of the creators has been almost exactly mapped onto the journey of COVID-19: from a world of complete unknown, to struggling to survive, to developing coping mechanisms, to finding great new things. And now almost exactly to the date, DECAMERON 2.0 comes to an end as live theatre comes back to Adelaide. Perfect! It’s been such a pleasure to work with State Theatre Company South Australia and every artist, director, writer and collaborator involved, to have regular conversations with viewers, and to be a part of such a monumental project! 

Edwin Kemp Attrill
Artistic Director & CEO, ActNow Theatre

We are so grateful and excited to be able to present new forms of theatrical storytelling like DECAMERON 2.0. State Theatre Company South Australia are able to share projects like this through the generous support of you, our audience. If you are able donate, it will help our artists and theatre-making family who’ve been unable to work because of venue closures. It will mean we can roll-out community and education programs for the next generation of artists and theatre-makers.

Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible and all donations, large or small, will go a long way to support our existing and planned work.

This project was created and filmed on the lands of the Kaurna People who we acknowledge as the traditional custodians of the Adelaide Plains. We recognise and respect their cultural heritage, beliefs and relationship with the land. We acknowledge that they are of continuing importance to Kaurna people living today and pay respects to Elders past, present and future.