The Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) presents
CONVERTED!
Book and Lyrics by Vic Zerbst (they/she)
Additional Lyrics by Oliver John Cameron (he/they)
Music by Vic Zerbst and Oliver John Cameron
Supported by Sydney Festival
A BRAND NEW COMEDY DISCO MUSICAL
Maya Wolfe is 17, lonely, and desperate to be liked. When her school counsellor, Ms. Newsome suggests the ‘Fix Yourself!’ camp for low self-esteem teens, she soon realises things aren’t as they seem. There she meets Bone, a rebellious returning camper with a mission, who says why fit in when you can tear the mould apart? Eager to please Ms Newsome, but feeling unexpected feelings for Bone, Maya must decide whether it’s better to fit in or join forces to take down the system. And will Bone be able to rally the troops to carry out their ambitious plan before the Love Ceremony in three days’ time?
Written by award-winning comedy writer Vic Zerbst with acclaimed composer Oliver John Cameron, Converted! is a brand new work featuring a cast of nine young people bursting to the stage with queer disco anthems. The show is a joyous call to action to affirm and celebrate the lives of trans, gender-diverse, and non-binary teenagers who just want to be themselves, and who maybe want to take down the system of rigid thinking at the same time!
Following the success of ATYP’s production Saplings at the Sydney Festival 2024, Converted! continues the tradition of hits like Fangirls by Yve Blake and The Deb by Hannah Reilly and Megan Washington (adapted into a feature film directed by Rebel Wilson). Iconic works commissioned and developed by ATYP, such as Fangirls and The Deb, were listed by The Guardian in 2022 as amongst “The 15 Greatest Australian Musicals of Stage and Screen”. ATYP’s Associate Director, Hayden Tonazzi, directs this wildly funny show, celebrating queer teenagers as they learn to trust who they are while dancing to the irresistible call of the disco ball.
WARNINGS: Please note Converted! uses laughter to diffuse the very real and harmful prejudices that impact queer and gender-diverse people around the world. The performance also contains mild coarse language, flashing lights, loud music and theatrical haze.
