Sam Russo is one quarter of BRODASAYSTA, a fresh-faced theatre company determined to find where they fit in the world. They’re the creators of Lonely Planet, an exciting piece of theatre debuting at Melbourne Fringe this month in which the audience is invited on their journey of discovery. According to Russo, it certainly will be a journey. “It’s not a play,” he says. “And it’s not interactive theatre, but I can tell you that you will ‘get on a plane’ when you arrive for the show.”

The show is described as “an unapologetic autopsy of Gen-Y’s aspirations, expectations and delusions”, but when asked if it’s going to be an exercise in cynicism, Russo quickly jumps to defend it. “No, definitely not,” he says. “As lame as it sounds, it’s almost more of a celebration of life. And it’s funny!” He backtracks.  “Well, we sure think it’s funny. I mean, we laughed a lot when we were making it.”

Lonely Planet will unpack what “successful” wealth, health, appearance, sex, and employment looks like – both online and in real life. Exploring these themes means dissecting the media, social media, and the images of “success” that Gen-Y has been uniquely, and excessively, exposed to. Russo asks, “If you went on a holiday and don’t post a photo of it, did you really go?” He says it will be “colourful, loud, and intimate,” and you can bet it will be authentic.

BRODASAYSTA are well equipped to tell this story: Russo and his company are the embodiment of the troubling, ongoing battle with image. Comprised of four theatre makers and performers in their mid-twenties, BRODASAYSTA works with what they know and what they’re passionate about. “Our company sat down and said ‘what do we want to make a work about and what is important to us’ and these themes just bubbled up immediately – expectations and identity.” Russo is animated and enthusiastic as he speaks, and it is clear that the line between his thoughts about the show and his thoughts about life were blurred long ago.

Lonely Planet is on at Tuxedo Cat – The Atrium, 293 – 299 La Trobe Street Melbourne from 28 September to 4 October at 8:30pm. For more information or to book tickets, please visit http://www.melbournefringe.com.au or call +61 (0)3 9660 9600.