We also throw down a gauntlet to the audience. By sharing Flynn’s story in 2025 we document the circumstances in which he ends up resorting to violence, and we invite them to reflect on how little has really changed between then and now.
Flight Path Theatre
Shadow Boxing
7 – 11 October 2025
Shadow Boxing first premiered in Sydney in 1994. What feels newly relevant about presenting it to audiences in 2025?
We’ve been working on this show since 2023 and have found the relevance of it increasing as we continued our journey. James Gaddas wrote us a programme note for our 2025 production and I think I will defer to him on this as he expresses it so beautifully:
“I never imagined that 40 years on, I’d be living in a world where politicians across the globe, are giving permission to society to once again ostracise, marginalise and even erase, the very essence of what makes us who we are.
James Gaddas, 2025
Where titans of the internet can spread falsehoods, where anyone with a podcast can stir up hatred and bile, and where the simple act of being who we are, can become an invitation to discrimination and violence.
In Shadow Boxing, Flynn makes a choice. A stand. A moment that defines him.
In what is becoming a regressive world, we can all make that same stand”
What drew you to this work as a director, and what did you want to bring forward in this new staging?
When picking a work, I always look for a challenge and Shadow Boxing is no exception. Our vocal performance coach Donald Woodburn, who has also been pivotal to our LGBTQIA+ research, brought the play to me. He believed Shadow Boxing would be an excellent vehicle for both us as artists and for the message that for queer agendas to be supported by the majority, allies need to be involved. Sam and I embraced this in deciding to take on this work. We also throw down a gauntlet to the audience. By sharing Flynn’s story in 2025 we document the circumstances in which he ends up resorting to violence, and we invite them to reflect on how little has really changed between then and now.
The play confronts themes of masculinity, shame, and identity. How did you approach guiding Samuel Addison through such emotionally demanding material?
Sam and I engaged in a lot of research together, we talked to a range of LGBTIA+ advisors and have engaged with several boxers along the way, as well as James Gaddas himself. My approach is to always offer him space and time to process everything practically in rehearsals, following my intuition as to whether he needs to be supported or challenged. We have talked a lot along the way. All of this has all become valuable compost for his performance.
How do you balance the raw physicality of the piece with its quieter, more vulnerable moments?
This has been one of the things Sam and I have continued to explore over the time we’ve spent with this work. We are continually playing with what we can make clearer and stronger each time we revisit it and different strategies to help us achieve this. At the moment we’re working with breath and exhaustion to see if the rebound from that can help make these polarities tauter.
In your view, what makes Shadow Boxing such a powerful solo work, and what challenges come with directing a one-actor performance of this scale?
Shadow Boxing is a physical and psychological rollercoaster ride! Sam literally doesn’t stop boxing for 55 minutes, while exposing the vulnerable inner workings of a man grappling with his identity, his masculinity and his evolving queer identity. My challenge as a director is to make sure he has enough support physically and emotionally to get through it every night.
The father–son relationship is central to Flynn’s story. How did you approach shaping that dynamic on stage through a single performer?
We work with a range of physical techniques in the show, so that Sam can portray more than one character at a time… Specifically with the father-son dynamic, we approached it through a clear spatial staging of the action married with Sam’s embodiment choices. These enable him to move between different bodily and emotional experiences whilst telling the overall story.
You’ve spoken about the play being about more than boxing, about what happens when society “boxes people in.” How does that idea drive your vision for this production.
I need a personal buy to direct a piece. If I can’t connect to the story, I can’t direct it. So, for me, the connection is about walking a path in life that isn’t the dominant or mainstream one, and how incredibly isolating that can be. Visually, the set doubles down on this. Flynn is trapped, on stage and in his life, and he is alone. We witness the devastating result of that isolation.
What do you hope audiences carry with them after experiencing Shadow Boxing?
The call to action is about inclusion, however you relate to it, and building the kind of world together in which Flynn might have felt supported or like he had choices.
SHADOW BOXING Raw, Riveting and Unmissable: Shadow Boxing is a fierce solo performance exploring masculinity, violence, sexuality, and vulnerability. Return Limited Season: 7 – 11 October 2025 Flight Path Theatre Marrickville Sydney https://www.flightpaththeatre.org/shadow-boxing |
