Bangarra Dance Theatre 'Page 8' Theatre Program 2014

“A beautifully crafted and wonderfully performed piece of autobiographical theatre… David Page is EXTRAORDINARY” SMH

21 NOV - 14 DEC 2014 Bangarra Studio Theatre, Walsh Bay

BANGARRA DANCE THEATRE PARTNERS

GOVERNMENT PARTNERS

PRODUCTION PARTNERS

Bangarra Dance Theatre is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

OFFCIAL AIRLINE

MEDIA PARTNER

COMMUNITY PARTNERS Bangarra Dance Theatre is assisted by the NSW Government through Arts NSW.

PHILANTHROPIC PARTNERS

CORROBOREE SYDNEY

Annamila Foundation Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation Tim Fairfax Family Foundation

BANGARRA DANCE THEATRE AUSTRALIA ABN 96 003 814 006 Pier 4, 15 Hickson Road Walsh Bay NSW 2000

t (02) 9251 5333 f (02) 9251 5266 e bangarra@bangarra.com.au w bangarra.com.au GET SOCIAL www.facebook.com.au/bangarra www.youtube.com/bangarradancetheatre www.twitter.com/bangarradance www.instagram.com/bangarradancetheatre

CORROBOREE SYDNEY PARTNERS

To stay up to date with all the latest Bangarra news, touring information and special offers subscribe to our Songlines e-newsletter at www.bangarra.com.au/songlines Bangarra pays respect to and acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation and the traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples whose customs and cultures inspire our work.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this performance and the printed program contain footage, images and the names of people who have passed away.

Designed by MAXCO / www.maxco.com.au Š Bangarra 2014

THE INSPIRING LIFE STORY OF AUSTRALIAN PERFORMING ARTIST DAVID PAGE. 80 MINUTES – NO INTERVAL Page 8 is a poignant one-man show about Munaldjali and Nunukal man, David Page – one of Australia’s most regarded, witty and endearing performer.

As the eighth child of a family of twelve, David grew up in a suburban Brisbane housing commission estate. Nicknamed Little Davey Page, he was groomed to become Australia’s answer to Michael Jackson.

Davey became Australia’s first and only performer signed to the American record label Atlantic in 1975 and had two top ten hits on Countdown – then his voice broke… As an accomplished and award-winning performer, composer, musician and singer, David has experienced great highs and devastating lows.

First performed in 2004, following sell out seasons across Australia and a seven-week tour in the UK, Page 8 is brought back to the stage by Bangarra in their 25th anniversary year as part of Corroboree Sydney 2014.

DAVID PAGE CO-WRITER & PERFORMER When Stephen my brother approached me in 2003 about the idea of doing a one-man show, I said ‘No way! How can my life, so far, be exciting enough to share with an audience?’

This was a big ask.

After looking back on the time I’ve spent working in theatre I realised that I stopped believing in myself as a performer. I love performing and I hadn’t worked in theatre for years. I was primarily focused on composing music for Bangarra and so the more I thought about it the more I concluded that I should do it, but the show couldn’t be just bout me. I thought about the many people who are part of my life; family, relatives, friends and even strangers. The events and happenings that changed my life. All of this that has helped me accept and believe in who I am.

Once I started the writing process with Louis Nowra, I became more excited about the project, and more thoughtful about telling a true and entertaining story of my journey so far. Stephen has always been an inspiration in all of my work and as a director he knows how to spark the performance fire within me.

Collaborating with Louis has allowed me to be honest and free in my storytelling and has taught me the craft of script structure. There have been a few obstacles on the way, but that is part of the process in putting together a story.

I would especially like to thank Louis, Stephen, the crew, Bangarra, Darren Dale, friends, and all my family for their ongoing support. I would also like to thank Belvoir St Theatre for enabling us to first realise this show on stage back in 2004.

“Page 8 is enormously enjoyable theatre, a personal triumph shared with humour and flair.”

LOUIS NOWRA CO-WRITER

THE AGE

From the first time David told me some stories about his past I was hooked. The process of collaboration was long, because first of all we had to get to know one another and be comfortable with each other. He had to trust me in order to be as open as possible about his life. By the end we could both say anything to each other, some of it of an extremely personal nature.

At first I just wrote down the central points of his life and then began to fill it out with more detailed information. After I had a large mass of written material we then went over everything again, only this time I filmed him for hours in order to understand his verbal rhythms and body language. Once we did have a rough script David went away and edited it and then I did the same to his edit, until we had a strong structure.

Once we had that, David began to improvise from the script in his own words and images. In other words the finished product is his own story, told in his own voice. The collaboration was a marvellous experience for me and I learnt much from him.

STEPHEN PAGE DIRECTOR I truly believe David was born to perform his own one-man show. He is a natural storyteller, has amazing musical talent and a beautiful energy and warmth about him, pretty much all the prerequisites for a great performer.

We’ve collaborated for years on Bangarra projects, but during my time as Adelaide Festival Director I became convinced that the stories of his life, and the way he tells them, would make a great show. However, trying to convince David turned out to be the biggest challenge of all, because he’s my eldest brother I couldn’t pull rank!

Once we’d sat down and talked about growing up with our 10 other brothers and sisters, mum and dad and an assortment of wild and wonderful relatives, the show really started to take shape.

The scariest aspect has been delving into David’s life, reflecting on our crazy family and how those early days can shape a person.

Page 8 is love letter to our family, our history and our culture. It’s about courage, vulnerability, love, pain and loss. Above all, it’s about keeping happy and sane, respecting yourself, your family and following your dreaming.

Our deepest gratitude goes to our Bangarra family, Louis Nowra for his invaluable input all those years ago and to everyone who has contributed to the realisation of this show over the past decade. In Bangarra’s 25th anniversary year in 2014, it is particularly special to be reviving Page 8 and sharing this story with you in the intimate space of our Sydney home, Bangarra’s Studio Theatre.

Read Stephen’s biography online at www.bangarra.com.au/people

CREDIT LIST

THE LIFE OF PAGE 8

PAGE 8 CREATIVE ARTISTS

September 2004 – Company B Belvoir presents Page 8 in association with ENERGEX Brisbane Festival

Written by . . . . . . Louis Nowra & David Page Original Concept by . . . . . . . . . David Page Directed by . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephen Page Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Cousins Costume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jodie Fried Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Howett Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steve Francis Video Designer . . . . . . . . . . . Darren Baker

PRODUCTION Production Stage Manager . . Peter Sutherland Assistant Stage Manager . . .

Emjay Matthews

BANGARRA EXECUTIVES Artistic Director . . . . . . . . . . Stephen Page Executive Director . . . . . . . . Philippe Magid

May to June 2005 – Page 8 premieres in Europe with a seven-week UK Tour to Eastleigh, Newbery, Glasgow, Salisbury and Newcastle as part of the Undergrowth – Australian Arts UK program March 2006 – Canberra Theatre Centre season of Page 8 at The Playhouse May 2006 – Page 8 is performed at Manchester Library Theatre, UK as part of Queer Up North International Festival October 2009 – Belvoir St Theatre encore of Page 8 November 2014 – Bangarra Dance Theatre presents Page 8 at its intimate home in Walsh Bay on the occasion of Corroboree Sydney 2014

THE CLAN THAT CAN Bangarra brothers David and Stephen have created a show in honour of their sibling Russell – An excerpt from the Sydney Morning Herald, Spectrum article, 4 September 2004

by Catherine Keenan.

When the 12 Page kids were growing up in their four-bedroom housing commission home in the Brisbane suburb of Mt Gravatt, dad worked in construction and, when she could, mum worked in a pineapple canning factory.

Sometimes there wasn’t enough money for shoes and there was never enough to go out, so the kids made their own fun by staging the Olymics in their backyard (“I wanna be USA!”) or putting on shows on the laundry roof.

They’d call in the neighbours to watch David sing into a mop, Stephen play a slab of wood painted to look like a keyboard and Russell, the youngest, play guitar on a straw broom. The boys were natural performers, but even so it’s unlikely anyone watching them imagined how far they would go.

The three boys became stars of the arts world… Russell was the muse and dancer, David the composer and actor; Stephen started out dancing then became a

choreographer and impresario. “It’s been like an extension of our upbringing,” Stephen says.

As if everyone moved from the laundry roof to the Sydney Opera House…

Read the full article online at www.bangarra.com.au/performance/page-8

BANGARRA DANCE THEATRE Bangarra is Australia’s leading Indigenous performing arts company producing contemporary Indigenous dance theatre live performances. Weaving seamlessly the modern and ancient stories of Indigenous Australia, Bangarra celebrates the world’s oldest living culture with audiences across Australia and internationally.

Under the leadership of Stephen Page as Artistic Director since 1991, Bangarra invests in building and maintaining relationships with traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island elders and communities across Australia. Their ancient and contemporary stories, songs and dances influence Bangarra’s work in process of rekindling and honouring language and customs.

Based at Sydney’s Walsh Bay, the 14-member dance ensemble originates from across Australia reflecting many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clans.

BANGARRA’S DANCE THEATRE AUSTRALIA’S VISION IS TO:

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF DYNAMIC, INSPIRATIONAL STORYTELLING

RESPECT AND REKINDLE THE LINKS BETWEEN TRADITIONAL INDIGENOUS CULTURES OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW FORMS OF CONTEMPORARY ARTISTIC EXPRESSION;

Since inception in1989, Bangarra has supported the development of over 100 artists, created 28 new dance theatre productions, and toured to 26 different countries. In the last 10 years alone, Bangarra has performed for over half-a-million people.

CREATE INSPIRING DANCE THEATRE PRODUCTIONS OF INTEGRITY AND EXCELLENCE THAT RESONATE WITH PEOPLE THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA AND THE WORLD.

Yet there is more work to be done to ensure that Bangarra has a place in the hearts of all Australians. We invite you to be part of our journey and help us ensure a vibrant and sustainable future for the company.

If you’d like to discuss how you can support Bangarra please contact Rebecca MacFarling, Development Director, at belonging@bangarra.com.au or visit: www.bangarra.com.au/donate-now

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PRESENTING TWO BRAND NEW DANCE WORKS IN 2015 CURATED BY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR STEPHEN PAGE, BANGARRA DANCE THEATRE TAKES A FRESH LOOK ON INDIGENOUS STORIES TRACING THE SILHOUETTE OF HISTORY AND DRAWING ON A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR ITS PEOPLE.

Sydney Opera House – 11 June to 4 July Canberra Theatre Centre – 9 July to 11 July IPAC Wollongong – 24 July to 25 July QPAC Brisbane – 7 August to 15 August Arts Centre Melbourne – 27 August to 5 September

“Bangarra is the JOY of the present and the hope of the future” ARTS HUB

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www.bangarra.com.au