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George Acheson. Photos - Andrée Lanthier

STO Union is a Canadian company keenly interested in new forms of theatre, bringing together artists from different mediums and presenting productions as simply as possible.

7 Important Things is the last instalment in STO Union’s “How Can we Live” trilogy and brings together STO‘s Artistic Director and founder Nadia Ross, and perennial dropout George Acheson.

This biography of an unremarkable man living an interesting life makes for a fascinating piece of live theatre as it moves through discussion, interview, re-enactment, narration and even analysis.

Written and directed by the two performers, the audience is taken on a ride covering over four decades. George was raised in a military family and as a teenager rebelled against his father (over cutting his hair), ran away from home and joined the anti-war hippy movement. Disillusioned with a consumer society he set out to be a free soul but soon got caught up in the drug culture. Ironically, at the age of 30, he started to turn his life around and became of all things, a qualified hairdresser.

7 Important Things though is more than about a man. It is also about our western world and the need to follow a direction. It is about the strength of George to “throw his hat over a fence and follow it” and the ability of virtually everyone to act similarly - and survive.

This is intimate theatre. The hour with George is often funny as we see ourselves illuminated and our fears exposed. But there are moments of sadness and tenderness, especially when Nadia makes George speak to his deceased father and when finally, George looks out and stares, almost triumphantly, at the audience.


Melbourne International Arts Festival presents
STO Union
7 Important Things
Written and Directed by Nadia Ross and George Acheson

Venue: the Arts Centre, Fairfax Studio
When: Thu 16 – Sun 19 Oct at 7.45pm
Sat 18 Oct at 2pm (Audio Description)
Duration: 1 hour no interval
Prices: Full $40 / Groups (8+) $36 / Conc $30 / Student/MF-Y $25
Bookings: Ticketmaster 1300 136 166 / www.melbournefestival.com.au