Young love and iPhones

The beauty in the new youth-based production Leaving Elizabeth is a matter of space and human contact, according to director Sarah Cathcart.

Y-Glam Queer Youth Theatre is behind the new play, running from September 11-15 for just five shows at Melbourne Meat Market Theatre.

Leaving Elizabeth follows two storylines about losing and finding love.

A girl, based on the experiences of up-and-coming pop/acoustic singer Nicolette Forte, escapes to the Australian outback with the memory of her lost love. But it’s not enough and so she flies across the world to South America to nurse her broken heart and to forget.

Back in Australia, a Malaysian boy sits in his bedroom, scrolling through the internet, looking for love and a way out.

Cathcart told the Star Observer both tales were true stories.

“It’s amazing this boy can move to Australia and sit in his bedroom and be in this quite oppressive situation and actually find a friend who becomes his boyfriend,” she said.

“How amazing is that? He’s sitting in his bedroom and then they go and have lunch in his actual neighbourhood because the boy worked nearby, it was just a fluke.

“I think as far as our story goes, technology has been amazing for the boy.”

What Cathcart and company loved about the two stories was how spatially different they were.

“The girl kind of blasts out into the outback and still can’t get over the lost love and then went all over South America,” she said.

“Then contrast it to the boy who’s spatially very closed in and very small.”

Cathcart said the company of young people wanted to steer clear of coming out stories this year but she said it was still an important issue.

“The girl’s story, she just happens to be a lesbian,” she said.

“It’s a love story, it could be anyone’s love story.

“With the boy, it is pertinent that he’s struggling coming out.

“What I love about Y-Glam is that it creates this place where people can come who at school may have been bullied or sidelined for all different reasons and they can come to Y-Glam and it’s a safe place.”

Y-Glam is open to anyone aged 14 to 25 and same-sex attracted or gender diverse.

Leaving Elizabeth runs September 11-15 at Meat Market Theatre, North Melbourne.

INFO: Book here.