The Pill Box is the latest play from critically-acclaimed playwright Ben Hutchison. Set in a pharmacy in early 1900s, it is a dark and seething comedy about a entrepreneurial pharmacist who sees the opportunity to capitalise on the sale of addictive over-the-counter medicine as a thinly-veiled substitute for alcohol.
Chlorodyne was notorious patent medicine of the 19th century. Advertised widely as a treatment for cholera, diarrhea, insomnia, neuralgia and migraines, its principal ingredients included laudanum, cannabis and chloroform. At the heart of The Bill Box is the paradox that such a powerful drug was readily available over the counter in the midst of the fiercely contested Prohibition debates regarding the production and sale of alcohol in early 20th-century New Zealand. As alcohol and drug debates wage today, the play affords us a historic lens to reflect on such issues.
Great theatre evolves through investing in the development of a script. The workshop will test audience response and gather feedback for the playwright to complete a new draft of the play and work towards a professional production.
Directed by Andrew McKenzie.
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$16 includes admission, one drink and light refreshments.