“…a sensational performance…if boxing were this good I’d be at every bout.” (Theatre Red)
Theatre Works’ Explosives Factory, St Kilda
Preview 14 May, Season 15-17 & 20-24 May 2025
“…a sensational performance…if boxing were this good I’d be at every bout.” (Theatre Red)
Meet Flynn: He’s strong, he’s a boxer, and… gay. As if living in the shadow of his father’s failed boxing career wasn’t tough enough, he’s then cruelly outed. Shadow Boxing by James Gaddas is a challenging solo work exploring identity; through examining masculinity, violence, sexuality and vulnerability. It follows Flynn’s journey through the challenges he encounters, both inside and outside of the ring. In a minimalistic boxing setting performer Samuel Addison embodies 15 characters, as Flynn shares his story:
“We can’t be seen to cry, to feel, to love. Be loved.”
Enter the ring and join Flynn for his ultimate battle. Self-acceptance hits hard.
Shadow Boxing dives deep into Flynn’s experience and the raw, gritty world of masculinity. It challenges us to confront what drives men to violence and address their emotional turmoil. With staggering male suicide rates and rising gender-based violence, it’s a catalyst for crucial conversations about identity, respect, and change.
James Gaddas was commissioned to write Shadow Boxing in 1989 by Australian actor David Field, whose father was a boxer. The show premiered at The Stables Theatre in Darlinghurst, Sydney in January 1994. Since then, it has been performed widely; including at Edinburgh Fringe, the Brits off Broad- way Festival and the Baxter Theatre Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2021 a streamed version produced by Room 15 Theatre was part of the United Solo Festival. This edgy, impactful production is the only Australian production since 2010. The themes and Flynn’s journey still resonate strongly and it has been thrilling audiences with its tour de force physicality.
Director Teresa Izzard said, “Shadow Boxing offers a potent experience, features a stunning performance and deals with confronting, timely subject matter. It challenges us to confront the roots of male violence and examine how we treat anyone who is different: is the only option to leave them all alone fighting for their lives?” Shadow Boxing won a Theatre and Performance award at Perth Fringe in 2024. Ultimately empowering, it is a visceral, emotional and intellectual roller coaster ride that leaves audiences breathless. Shadow Boxing punches way beyond the ring provoking conversations about tolerance, inclusion and the kind of world we can create together.
“Addison is a phenomenal performer and he acts what is essentially a 50-minute monologue with emotion
and heart …a compelling performance by an actor at the top of his game.” (Fourth Wall Media)
“… a raw, vivid and exciting piece of theatre… Addison deserves the utmost admiration for the sheer scale of his commitment; it was one of those occasions where an actor threw everything at a role.” (ArtsHub)
“Any solo, one-man show is an impressive feat. Add in boxing, skipping, push-ups, and 50 minutes of rigorous storytelling, and that’s a superhuman ability. I don’t think you’ll find another piece of theatre this polished yet gritty in this year’s Fringe program.” (Magazine 6000)
“Shadow Boxing is gripping from beginning to end. I was struck by the sheer physicality of Addison’s performance – he covers every inch of the stage as he nimbly delivers his lines while jabbing at opponents, both real and imagined.” (OUT in Perth)
Season Information
Dates:review 14 May, Season 15-17, 20-24 May, 2025.
Time: 7.30pm (55 min)
Venue: Theatre Works’ Explosives Factory, Rear Laneway 67 Inkerman Street, St Kilda.
Tickets: FULL $48, CONCESSION $38, PREVIEW $28, RUSH/MOB TIX$25
Link: https://www.theatreworks.org.au/2025/shadow-boxing
Photography and Graphic Design: Samuel Addison
Production Photography: James Dove – high resolution images here.
Facebook: FeetFirstCollective
Insta: @feetfirstcollective
Warnings:(15+) Strong language, sexual references, adult themes, simulated images / depictions of violence and sexual acts.
Accessibility: Explosives Factory is accessed via a flight of stairs and is not wheelchair accessible.
Feet First Collective is an award-winning and critically acclaimed Australian theatre company dedicated to producing uncompromising, high-quality independent theatre. Known for its larger scale works Frankenstein, S-27 and MEDUSA. Feet First Collective is committed to telling beautiful and brutal stories and engaging audiences with provocative form and content. Shadow Boxing follows in the footsteps of the finely etched miniature This Is Where We Live. Shadow Boxing distils the company’s theatrically bold and physically inventive style into a compact, intricate form. The Shadow Boxing team includes Feet First Collective creatives; Teresa Izzard, Samuel Addison, Donald Woodburn; and welcomes back Bec Price as sound designer/composer and Christian Lovelady as lighting designer from MEDUSA.
