NATIONAL SECURITY AND
THE ART OF TAXIDERMY
Written by Mary Rachel Brown
Directed by Glynn Nicholas
Starring David Callan
"My main line of business is taxidermy… Most people don't consider what goes into making a luxury item like an embalmed animal. Most people have a real shit attack when they see what's involved…"
Neville Clements, a professional taxidermist and committed racist, fails dismally to understand the difference between being alert and alarmed. In National Security and the Art of Taxidermy, Neville tries to explain why Uzi Nine Millimetre, his military-trained German shepherd, mistakes Eddie, Neville's mother's silky terrier, for a weapon of mass destruction.
Written by Sydney-based Mary Rachel Brown (shortlisted for the 2003 Philip Parsons Young Playwright's Award), National Security and the Art of Taxidermy exposes the terrifying frontal lobe of a man who will stuff budgies but not poodles because "Their coat is made of wool, not fur, therefore they can't be classified as a dog." Neville's story gives heart to those who believe civil liberties should not be sacrificed to the spin-doctor version of 'national security'.
Warning: This show contains coarse language, stuffed animals, and references to John Howard.
"Dialogue is powerful and direct; a force of an iron-will values system that balances precariously along a line between satire and harsh commentary. Mary Rachel Brown's script is a sharp and tasty blend of an extremist's views on both humans and animals. A diatribe over the classification of poodles as non-dogs turns up a smile of logic that is most convincing albeit a little scary in its examination of the canine species. It's funny, go watch." ETHAN SWITCH. THE WAX CONSPIRACY.COM
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