Type – Coming of Age, Queer Love
If you liked – Beautiful Thing ; Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
The Interchange: A show that reminds us that growing up and first love never gets any easier.
The Interchange is a play written and directed by Alexandro Gould-Arocha, and presented with co-producer/stage manager Ro Kennedy. The play was the winner of Queensland Theatre’s 2024 Young Playwright’s Award, and this production has been through a couple of developmental iterations. It’s a strong, heartfelt first piece by a young writer, who has written about what they know. With time, experience and professional dramaturgical support, this work – and others that they will no doubt create in future – can become even better.
Gould-Arocha’s plot follows the classic coming of age arc, with the contemporary dynamic of the main character, Adi, being queer, and the love interest, Dylan, not really knowing what he is. They are trying to juggle complicated modern lives, while trying to find out who they are and where they fit in socially and emotionally. It’s The Breakfast Club meets The History Boys.
Alec Gibson in the lead role shows great potential, with natural flair and flamboyance, although Jack Fitzgerald as Dylan is somewhat constrained by his role. Some stronger direction and character development would enhance their performances. Ella Humphreys as several supporting characters is a natural actor who will go far. Meanwhile, Kennedy must the hardest working stage manager I’ve seen in a long time, overseeing all sound and lighting as well!
Gould-Arocha’s direction makes full use of the tiny performance space at the Substation, and there’s some clever and funny stage setups, such as the fast-food joint the teens work in. They need to find a way to overcome the stage trap of having characters just stand in a line whilst delivering dialogue, and I’m sure that skill will come as they are exposed to more theatre and more dramatic experience.
The plot is bubbling with so many ideas that it’s as if there are two or even three plays here, which could do with some difficult but needed editing. I know it’s hard, but every writer has to learn to ‘kill their darlings’, and even the best writers have learnt to do this. It makes the work stronger. ‘The interchange’ motif is a strong and useful shorthand for the ‘sliding doors’ angle of the plot, but it doesn’t get foregrounded enough because other ideas are offered up by the characters in place of it.
The play leans into great comedy moments, and potentially could refocus as a comedy with drama, rather than a melodrama with some comic moments. It feels as though the dialogue really wants to be funny more than anything else, and both Gibson’s and Humphreys’ comic and slapstick skills would blossom in this genre.
Is The Interchange Worth Seeing in Sydney?
The Interchange, while raw, is heartfelt and utterly sincere. Gould-Arocha and their team are hard working creatives embarking on careers in one of the most challenging sectors in this country. They are reckoning with what it means to be young, creative people in the world today, and we should support them as much as we can while they hone their craft and skills. We, as a society, will all benefit in the end.
Tickets and Practical Info for The Interchange in Sydney 🎟️
Written by Alexandro Gould-Arocha
Presented by the Third Space Collective
Qtopia Sydney Jan 13th-24th
The Substation
Tickets: https://tickets.qtopiasydney.com.au/Events/The-Interchange/Tue-Jan-20-2026-19-30
