Bullet Heart Club (BHC) is a theatre company established in 2013 by writer Ro Bright (they/them) and director Kitan Petkovski (he/him). Based in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand) and Naarm (Melbourne, Australia), the duo come together to create ever-evolving passion projects that are emotionally “dark, beautiful and complex” (Pantograph Punch). Inspired by cinema, pop culture and queer aesthetics, BHC collaborates with like-minded independent multidisciplinary and recording artists from Aotearoa New Zealand, England, Scotland, Sweden, Australia and the US. BHC’s projects are often inspired by true stories, and more recently created in collaboration with transgender and gender-non-conforming artists, activists and survivors. 

 

In 2023, BHC will present two works at the Midsumma Festival: An Hour with Queen Jesus - Jo Clifford and the Australasian premiere of Burgerz by Travis Alabanza. BHC will also co-present with Theatre Works the Victorian premiere of In the Club by one of Australia's most renowned playwrights Patricia Cornelius. 

 

BHC’s debut work Daffodils (a play with songs) received the Auckland Theatre Award (2014), Best Debut (Metro, 2014), Top 10 Shows at the Edinburgh Festivals (Irish Times, 2016) and the prestigious Scotsman Fringe First Award (2016) during its season at the Traverse Theatre. Daffodils was adapted into a feature film in 2019, screening at Busan International Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival, Melbourne Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival & Naples International Film Festival Florida. 

 

"Packs a serious punch, wrapped in a bubblegum glove."
★ ★ ★ ★ (The Scotsman)

 

BHC’s other works are Jack Hartnett (2015), Elizabeth (2017-2018), A Strange Nostalgia (2020) and The Hall (2021) at the Festival of Colour in Wanaka, NZ. 

BHC collaborators include: designers Bethany J Fellows (AU), Katie Sfetkidis (AU), Jane and Emily Hakaraia (NZ), Garth Badger and Erin Geurts (Thievery Studio, NZ), Nils Melchert (NZ), Dan Williams (NZ) and Tom Anderson (NZ);  recording artists/composers Lips (Steph Brown & Fen Ikner, NZ), Pat Irwin (SUSS, Raybeats, The B-52’s, US), LHĒON (AU), Abraham Kunin (NZ), Lisa Crawley (NZ/US), Pär Hagström and Next Stop: Horizon (Sweden), Rachel Lewindon (AU) and dramaturg Caitlin Skinner (Scotland).