Past Performance

31 July – 10 August 2024 

Presented by Daniel Cottier Productions and Dandy 

Everyone keeps telling Freddy Ambit that he has his whole life ahead of him. In two days he finishes his HSC and turns 18, but before that he needs to make a choice: turn himself in to the police to be tried as a minor or live with the guilt of a deadly secret for the rest of his life.  

The surprise return of his non-binary sibling and the constant bickering of his mother and father about schoolies, bananas and Lapland can’t distract Freddy from the fuse burning down in his mind.  

Written by Daniel Cottier (Yeah/Yes), this hilarious and heartbreaking play examines the fallout inevitable in all nuclear families. 

Developed with assistance from Riverside’s National Theatre of Parramatta. 

Creative Team 

Producer / Writer: Daniel Cottier 

Producer: Andy Johnston 

Director / Lighting Designer: Benjamin Brockman 

Costume Designer: Rita Naidu 

Set Designer: Paris Bell 

Sound Designer: Beau Esposito 

Stage Manager: Alexandria Vidler 

Cast: Nicholas Cradock, Nyx Calder, Hester van der Vyver, Richard Hilliar 

Reviews 

“This is great fun and seriously thought-provoking.” – Paul Gilchrist, Theatre Red 

“Occasional Combustible Disaster is a wonderfully ambitious debut work from talented emerging playwright Daniel Cottier” – Gavin Roach, Australian Arts Review 

“many of Cottier’s thoughts are resonant and valuable, expressed through a lead character who embodies beautifully the discontentment of our times.” – Suzy Wrong, Suzy Goes See