Little Acorns

NEW AUSTRALIAN COMEDY SERIES -LITTLE ACORNS'

All the laughter, tears, tantrums and endless drama of a suburban childcare centre…. and then there's the kids.

A brand new Australian comedy set in the besieged suburban childcare centre Big Oak is about to bring the laughs, as the adults behave more like children than the children. Little Acorns is a bold new nine part work-­‐place comedy, written and directed by award-­‐winning duo Trudy Hellier (Low-­‐ down) and Maria Theodorakis (Walking on Water).

Funded by Screen Australia, Little Acorns will be available exclusively online from September 1 and will have you seesawing from the unflinching to the absurd with it's snack size 3-­‐5 minute episodes. Little Acorns unpacks an unlikely group of characters rarely seen on our screens: childcare workers. But with a united talent for testing the limits: pranking, fighting and relentless shit-­‐stirring, the characters in Little Acorns are like nothing you've seen before.

'We wanted to celebrate the world's unsung heroines, but ultimately we wanted to make a show about women behaving badly," says Theodorakis on what inspired them to create Little Acorns.

'These are women we all know but rarely see on our screens. They are bold, fearless, contradictory and ridiculously funny," says Hellier.

It's the adults in Little Acorns, with their flawed and at times, outrageous behaviour that drives this com-­‐ edy. We see ourselves through their mistakes and occasional triumphs. While the children, naturally go-­‐ ing about their business are a dynamic contrast to the adult antics.

'We are tired of seeing women in stereotypical roles; men are having all the fun and we're always telling them to behave." Says Hellier. 'We aim to usurp these stereotypes and challenge the whole idea of what it is to be a caring female."

Little Acorns stars a host of familiar faces including Emily Taheny (Mad As Hell, Open Slather, Chaser's War on Everything), Genevieve Morris (No Activity, Ben Elton Live, Comedy Inc.) and Rachel Griffiths (Muriel's Wedding, Rake, Brothers & Sisters), each of them at their comedic best.

'Because we both come from acting backgrounds, we were able to approach actors whose work we loved and write specifically for them, giving the characters a wonderful authenticity," Theodorakis ex-­‐ plains.

'Writing for them was a joy and it's been exciting to see what they'd bring to their roles. Rachel Griffiths joining us was a testament to the quality of the work and icing on the cake for us" Says Hellier.

Mike Cowap, Investment Manager, Screen Australia weighs in, "We're thrilled to have supported this first season of Little Acorns, the team know their audience. Binge viewers are recommended to arrange care for their children in advance to achieve maximum viewing enjoyment."

Fearless in its investigation, Little Acorns doesn't just explore narcissistic parenting, bewildered toddlers and food allergies, it also asks the big questions, such as 'Is green poo normal?" Little Acorns will have you binge-­‐watching the series whilst trying not to laugh out loud… in case you wake the baby… or alert the boss.

WATCH THE LITTLE ACORNS

TRAILER 

CAST & CREW

EMILY – Emily Taheny (Mad As Hell, Open Slather, Chaser's War on Everything)

BELINDA – Belinda McClory (The Matrix, The Dr. Blake Mysteries, Kath and Kim)

KATERINA – Katerina Kotsonis (Wentworth, Neighbours, The Secret Life of Us )

FANNY – Fanny Hanusin (The Slap. Offspring, Bogan Pride)

NIKKI -­‐ Nikki Shiels (The Eye of the Storm, Rush, The Greatest Love of All)

LESLIE – Matt McFarlane (The Dr. Blake Mysteries, Blue Heelers, Neighbours)

CHEF – Genevieve Morris (No Activity, Ben Elton Live, Comedy Inc.)

ANTHEA – Anthea Davis (Body Melt, The Jammed, Redball)

JIM – Jim Russell (Utopia, Glitch, Nowhere Boys)

ANNA – Anna Samson (Crime and Punishment, What if it Works, Winners and Losers)

PAUL -­‐ Paul Denny (Lowdown, Offspring, Wilfred)

DANIELA – Daniela Faranacci (Glitch, Lantana)

PETER -­‐ Peter Houghton (Gallipoli, Howzat! Kerry Packer's War)

HEAD OF THE PARENT COMMITTEE – Rachel Griffiths (Muriel's Wedding, Rake, Brothers & Sisters)

Written and Created by Trudy Hellier and Maria Theodorakis.

Directed by Trudy Hellier, Maria Theodorakis and Chris Benz.

Produced by Eyvonne Carfora. Associate Producer Genevieve Morris.

Executive Produced by Jason Byrne, Tait Brady and Rachel Griffiths

SYNOPSIS What if a man you had a one night stand with nine years ago was employed at your work? And what if he didn't remember you? Little Acorns -­‐ a work place comedy set in a suburban childcare centre, where the adults behave more like children than the children.

#LittleAcornsSeries