Kate Cooper

THE VIOLENT ROMANTICS (TVR) are a Sydney/Melbourne based performance house engaged with the theatrical investigation of physicality, design, text and social commentary within contemporary performance. The house works across and between disciplines to create rich visual statements for the stage.

‘The kids are not alright, but that is most definitely a part of their charm’.
REALTIME MAGAZINE, 2011

We are a mixed bag of independent writers, actors, directors and designers. Modelled after Andy Warhol's Factory, we strive to emulate the creative atmosphere it was known for. By enabling all creative personnel an equal space to play, challenge and fight for a work, the performance house stands as a testament to collaboration.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP US? Because we have some very exciting gigs lined up and we need all the support we can get!

This September, The Violent Romantics have been invited to take two shows to the Melbourne Fringe Festival.  They are:

 ‘My Struggle: The Life and Times of an Individ (In a World Full of Hipsters)’ – Artshouse, September 19th – 26th (MELB)


It's Post World War One and times have changed. Contemplating what comes next we meet four returned servicemen: Richard, Joseph, Hans and Lionel. An eccentric artist, Lionel is coping with a rejection from famed training college, That Art School. What happens next, nobody could have predicted.

TVR blast into their Melbourne premiere with sold-out hit My Struggle. After successful seasons in Brisbane (SYC Studios) and Sydney (Tamarama Rock Surfers), we are truly bringing these hipsters home with a special remake for the Melbourne audiences. The jokes are funnier, the designs are more colourful, the ciders are stronger and moustaches are longer.

Director: Thomas Rex Evans
Writer: Jory Anast
Production Design: Pete Foley
With: Stephanie Baine, Travis Kecek, Paul Musumeci, David Breen and Diab Metry
Production Manager: Kate Cooper

‘God Save the Queen’ – The Tuxedo Cat, September 22nd – 28th (MELB)

The rules have changed but the players are the same. Four butt-trumpets blow the whistle on everything but the kitchen sink in this cheeky tragicomedy about life itself. Has the game been taken too far? Is the Pope Catholic? Probably, but only in the biblical sense.

"I'd rather laugh at a toilet." Margaret & David

"This is worse than the budget." Grandma

Chiefly concerned with expressing a sense of wonder, of incomprehension and at times of despair at the lack of cohesion and meaning they find in the world; our calvary create games, often trivial, to give their lives more significance. Under the watchful eye of the world's big game players, the group of four dance around in the ether of an empty stage - they offer no solutions but instead confront an unpleasant truth about the human experience.

Director: Sam Van Grinsven
Writer: Jory Anast
With: Simon Croker, Aaron Lucas, Hugh Morrison and Ryder Stevens
Producer: Kate Cooper

Your support of our work means the absolute world to us.  Funds raised in this campaign will go towards the many expenses associated with producing and touring the works. Most of the artists involved reside in Sydney, so as you can imagine, this is an exxy venture. If we can reach our target, your pledges will go towards :
-  Accommodation 
- Travel expenses 
- Production costs
- Marketing
- Technical staff hire

The costs involved tally well beyond $1000, but every dollar pledged takes a little bit of pressure off the budget. Even if you can't afford to help out right now, please do share our campaign with your friends, family and philanthropic acquaintances!

At present we do not receive any financial funding from outside sources and so we rely on ticket sales and our own personal income to fuel the company. We juggle part-time work as waiters, retail assistants, baristas, bartenders etc in order to be able to survive as artists- literally. The nature of independent theatre is that we don't get paid until the show is finished- Jetstar, however, is not so lenient...