HEART IS A WASTEL AND 29 JUN – 16 JUL
29 JUN – 16 JUL BECKETT THEATRE WRITTEN & PRODUCED BY / John Harvey DIRECTION / Margaret Harvey CAST / Aaron Pedersen Ursula Yovich Anna Liebzeit
A co-production with Brown Cabs. Script development proudly supported by Footscray Community Arts Centre and the Malcolm Robertson Foundation.
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Brown Cabs would like to thank Neil Hamilton, Selene Bateman at Auspicious Arts, Ilbijerri Theatre and Maton Guitars for their generosity.
DRAMATURGY / Mark Pritchard PRODUCTION DESIGN / Alison Ross LIGHTING DESIGN / Lisa Mibus AV DESIGN / Desmond Connellan MUSICAL DIRECTION & SOUND DESIGN / Anna Liebzeit SOUND DESIGN / Steve Stelios Adam SONGS BY / Lydia Fairhall STAGE MANAGER / Ainsley Kerr
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A NOTE FROM THE WRITER
JOHN HARVEY: LOVE LOST AND GAINED —we’re ultimately spiritual beings following what seems to be a physical journey on this earth.
The energy of this story has been sitting with me for a while, sometimes churning, sometimes sitting in the background. But it never goes away. Perhaps it’s the aftermath of broken relationships that have disintegrated through the passing of time—the thoughts of love lost and love gained and the effects of sitting with people during immense times of suffering.
Working with dramaturg Mark Pritchard has been a wonderfully illuminating experience for me, particularly as a first time writer. His passion, respect, provocation, generosity of spirit and steady hand has helped this story find its voice.
And when I think about these things they are never linear—they creep and weave through me until they settle. And my thoughts can be provoked by anything—a song; a place; a smell; a touch; a flick of an eye. Ultimately it’s the things we carry, that we don’t talk about, our buried wounds that come back to haunt us at times when we’re vulnerable and exposed. But these are also small windows or moments of truth, where we can grow and maybe begin to heal.
I’m so proud to be handing this story across to my sister and director Margaret Harvey and her brilliant cast and creative team to shape it on the stage and whose collaborative process has helped to push this story that final step.
Much of our country is carrying buried wounds and truths that have been actively suppressed. And whilst these things may not be spoken about, the energy of these acts spills into our lives without recognition and healing. How do we grow a country physically and spiritually when we can’t acknowledge or shed light on our wounds or sit with the pain?
I had the pleasure of sitting down with the late Malcolm Robertson at Footscray Community Arts Centre three years ago and spoke about Indigenous storytelling for the stage. I’m blessed to be part of his continuing legacy as the inaugural Playwright in Residence at Footscray Community Arts Centre to write Heart is a Wasteland. And a big thanks to everyone at Malthouse Theatre and Footscray Community Arts for partnering with Brown Cabs in bringing this story life.
This is ultimately a road trip, a crazy black love story set over a few nights cutting through the middle of Australia. Passion is a powerful energy
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I’m honoured to have forged my words with that of my partner in crime, love and life—Lydia Fairhall, whose beautifully arresting lyrics help bring a truth and resilience to the character of Raye.
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A N O T E SF ER A O SMO N T H2E0 1D7I R E C T O R
MARGARET HARVEY: THE LAND WE RESIDE ON Although I have been living in Melbourne for more than a decade, I am and always will be a visitor on this land. I wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we share this story on, the people of the Boon Wurrung and the Woiwurrung. I pay my respect to all our elders past and present.
Although a lot of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people don’t live on their nations lands, we have a respect, an inextricable connection— we feel the past pain of the land that we do reside on. We come from a long line of spirituality that is deep in the land.
I stepped off the mainstages because of the lack of Indigenous stories being driven by Indigenous people—specifically in the key roles of writer, director and producer. There was certainly a pull to return when my brother John asked me to direct his debut as a playwright, Heart is a Wasteland.
What sparked my interest the most is the heart of this play—the human story of loss, grief, the need to be loved, the yearning to do better with our lives—played out through Raye and Dan. At the core of the story and central to these two contemporary Indigenous characters, is the land that they traverse and live their lives on. It holds so much pain that is yet to be resolved. Themes of displacement, dispossession, poison land, loss of land, living away from homelands/country and travelling through other people’s country reverberates in the hearts and minds of these two characters.
The space we hold as Indigenous storytellers is precarious within mainstream theatre. In my 18 years of experience, the majority of stories that dealt with Indigenous content were told by non-Indigenous people. Having autonomy over our stories is the custom of cultural maintenance that Indigenous people have been practicing since before time. The focus is not just about story arc and structure and dramatic outcomes, or how many people we can get through box office. It’s also about following cultural protocols, understanding the portrayal of a people, and understanding the language and propaganda that perpetuates media stereotypes. When we are not in
As a theatremaker, when sharing Indigenous stories with predominantly non-Indigenous audiences, an important question I continually explore is: what is the audience’s role?
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the driver’s seat, telling stories about us—my experience is that this kind of focus is consistently omitted. You would hope that in 2017 this wouldn’t be a topic of a theatre director’s notes. But it is.
They have entered a constructed space that is loaded with messages and cultural referencing. As Indigenous storytellers, how do we communicate our stories so we are not always the educators, but leaders in the accurate portrayal of our people? How do I shift the privileged gaze to look deep within the hearts and minds of Raye and Dan?
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I am interested in the fusion of film and theatre, not as an expositional design element, but to convey another level of subtext in the characters: to reveal something deeper. For me this is an ongoing exploration of the live performance form that reflects how we want to tell our stories. Assembling the same incredible creative team that began the conversation in 2014 with My Lover’s Bones is also crucial to this exploration. The next time you see a show with Indigenous content at the core of its story, look within the program and find out if Indigenous people are the key creatives, the key administrators. Let us make our own failures, our own successes.
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CAST & CREATIVE BIOS
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John Harvey WRITER
Margaret Harvey DIRECTOR
Aaron Pedersen DAN
John Harvey is of Saibai Island (Torres Strait) and English descent. He is a producer, director and writer, and drives Melbourne-based Indigenous production company Brown Cab Productions. Through the Malcolm Robertson Foundation Writer’s Residency at FCAC, he makes his theatrical writing debut with Heart is a Wasteland. In 2014, he produced the acclaimed My Lover’s Bones (Brown Cabs/Melbourne Festival). In 2017, he wrote and directed his debut short film, Water, and was a producer on ABC TV series The Warriors (Arenamedia). He directed documentaries Light from the Shadows (ABC Artscape), Menny and The Bundaroos (ABC TV), and several short documentaries for NITV. He directed the music video for Mau Power’s Freedom, featuring Archie Roach. He collaborated with artist Ricardo Idagi on his awardwinning work for the Telstra Art Award 2011. He produced the acclaimed feature film Spear, (Dir. Stephen Page) which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and Adelaide Film Festival. He produced the chapter Sand for feature film The Turning. John has collaborated with some of Australia’s most exciting emerging Indigenous filmmakers; producing six short dramas through Screen Australia’s Indigenous Short Drama Initiative.
Margaret works across film and live performance, creating and re-telling stories. She is of Saibai Island (Torres Strait, Ait Koedal and Samu clans) and English heritage. Working with Desmond Connellan, she explores the fusion of film/ video with live performance. In 2014 she directed and codevised My Lover’s Bones (Brown Cabs /Melbourne Festival). For Ilbijerri Theatre she directed Tiddalik and Body Armour, which toured Australia. She has also had a prolific acting career, garnering award nominations from the Australian Film Institute, Green Room Awards, Sydney Theatre Awards, and received the 2012 Uncle Bob Maza Fellowship. Margaret’s debut into film was as director on the short film The Hunter, which was selected for the Melbourne, Adelaide & Brisbane Film Festivals and screened on the ABC. She was also selected for MIFF’s Accelerator Program for emerging directors. Alongside Desmond, she has directed and co-produced numerous documentaries for NITV, from the Torres Straits to Arnhem Land, across to Central Desert and down to Melbourne. Through Multicultural Arts Victoria she worked closely with the Burundian community of Melbourne to make Ubuzima Bushasha – New Life, seven stories of refugee life, which screened at ACMI.
Aaron is an award-winning actor with an extensive career in theatre, film and television. Theatre credits include Signs Of Life (STC), The Accidental Death Of An Anarchist (Black Swan), King Lear (MTC), Black Medea (Company B/MTC), Eating Ice Cream With Your Eyes Closed (QTC), The Club (STC) and Conversations With The Dead (Playbox Theatre). Television credits include A Place To Call Home, The Code, The Circuit, City Homicide, Jack Irish, Wildside, Water Rats, MDA, East West 101 and The Secret Life Of Us. He starred in Ivan Sen’s acclaimed feature films; Goldstone and Mystery Road. Aaron received the Australian Film Critics Association, Film Critics Circle of Australia and Rolling Stone Australia Award for Best Actor for his role in Mystery Road and a Film Critics Circle of Australia Best Actor Award for Goldstone. Other film credits include Stephen Pages’ Spear, Warwick Thornton’s The Darkside, Damien Power’s Killing Ground and Matt Nable’s upcoming 1%. His other accolades include two Deadly Awards for Male Actor of the Year (2003, 2011), a Green Room Award (2002) and the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Indigenous Individual Award. He was also the 2007 recipient of the Bob Maza Fellowship.
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CAST & CREATIVE BIOS
RAYE
A five time Helpmann Award nominee, Ursula has become one of Australia’s most celebrated performers, amazing audiences all over the world, including appearances at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Carnegie Hall in New York, and the Concert Hall at the Sydney Opera House. Ursula’s recent theatre credits include Power Plays (STC), The Golden Age (STC), Love and Information (STC/Malthouse Theatre), The Secret River, Bloodland (STC), Mother Courage (QTC), The Magic Hour (Deckchair Theatre Company) in Western Australia, The Barefoot Divas (Sydney Festival), Waltzing the Wilarra (Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company). Ursula was the recipient of the 2015 Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award and the 2016 Balnaves Foundation Indigenous Playwright’s Award. On screen, Ursula’s stand out credits include Ivan Sen’s Goldstone, Baz Luhrmann’s Australia, Ray Lawrence’s Jindabyne, The Code, Devil’s Dust, Redfern Now and The Gods of Wheat Street. Ursula is the voice of ‘Levi’ in the NITV/ SBS children’s animated TV series, Little J and Big Cuz.
Anna Liebzeit
MUSICAL DIRECTION & SOUND DESIGN Anna is a Narrm (Melbourne) based sound designer and composer working in a variety of settings. She is one half of audio design team ADAM & LIEBZEIT, with collaborator Steve Stelios Adam. She is also part of the Melbourne vis-rock/alt-punk group The Treaters. Her credits include: SHIT (Dee and Cornelius, NEON, Sydney Festival), Imperialist Invasion (Yirramboi/The Treaters), Singing Scar Tree (Monash University), The First Peoples and War, (Lake Macquarie Gallery), Outlaws, (Linden Gallery), Fugue of the Infinite Loop (Shearwater Festival), The Globe (Ohrenhoch Sound Gallery, Berlin), Light from the Shadows (Brown Cab Productions), My Lover’s Bones, (Brown Cab Productions/ Melbourne Festival), Foley (Illbijerri Theatre/Melbourne Festival), Ritual and Ceremony (Maree Clarke, NGV), The Empty Coolamon’s (R. Latham, Bunjilaka Gallery), Svila (Radio National), Svila (VideoMedeja, Serbia).
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Mark Pritchard DRAMATURGY Mark is a dramaturg, director and producer with a focus on new writing. Mark trained at the Victorian College of the Arts, PACT, and the University of Wollongong. Mark is the Resident Dramaturg for Malthouse Theatre, a producer for New Working Group, and co-director of NO SHOW. As Dramaturg for Malthouse Theatre: Little Emperors 小皇帝 by Lachlan Philpott, Turbine by Dan Giovannoni, Love & Information by Caryl Churchill and Blak Cabaret by Nakkiah Lui. As director/ co-director: Triumph by Louris van de Geer (NWG), Wael Zuaiter: Unknown by Jesse Cox (Next Wave), 4000 Miles by Amy Herzog (Red Stitch), The Séance and Shotgun Wedding (NO SHOW). As producer for New Working Group: Anti-Hamlet by Mark Wilson (Theatre Works), GROUND CONTROL by Rachel Perks, and Dream Home by Emilie Collyer (Darebin Arts). Mark is a recipient of the Mike Walsh Fellowship, and a participant in the Australia Council’s Future Leaders Program.
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Ursula Yovich
CAST & CREATIVE BIOS
Alison Ross PRODUCTION DESIGN
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Alison is an award-winning production designer working across various artforms. She has designed sets, props and costumes for over twenty years for live performance, theatre, dance, ballet, circus and musicals. She has designed site-specific works in the form of exhibitions, installations, festivals and parades and has been the Exhibition Design Manager at the Museum of Brisbane from 2013- 2017. She has also worked as a production and costume designer for film, and spent time in many film and television art departments as an art director, set dresser and maker of models, puppets and props. She was a lecturer in Design at VCA from 20072011 and has taught at QUT and Grada GoTafe. This is her sixth collaboration with Brown Cabs.
Lisa Mibus LIGHTING DESIGN
Desmond Connellan AV DESIGN
Lisa is a Melbourne based lighting designer who has worked extensively in independent and mainstage theatre. She has a strong interest in the creation of new work. She co-devised My Lover’s Bones (Brown Cabs/Melbourne Festival) for which her lighting design received a Green Room Association Award. Previously for Malthouse Theatre, Lisa designed for normal.suburban. planetary.meltdown and The Orchid and the Crow. Other credits include; Straight White Men, The Distance, Boy at the Edge of Everything, Yellow Moon, Beached, Music, The Heretic, Return to Earth (MTC), Grief and the Lullaby, Virgins and Cowboys (Theatreworks), The Nest (Hayloft Project), Member, Closed for Maintenance, Colour of Glass (La Mama), War Crimes (Real TV), Big Sky Town (St Martins), Three Dog Night (Adelaide Festival Centre/Two Blue Cherries), Noye’s Fludde (Victorian Opera), Oasis, Oasis (45 Downstairs) and Il Re Pastore (Lyric Opera).
Desmond is an independent guerrilla filmmaker who collaborates extensively with Margaret Harvey across film and theatre. He graduated from AFTRS in Motion Graphics and completed a post graduate film degree at VCA. He began his career in storytelling as an actor after completing NIDA’s acting course and performing for companies such as the STC, QTC, Company B and Black Swan. Together, his and Margaret’s digital visual work includes refugee stories from the Burundian community with Multicultural Arts Victoria, and numerous documentaries for NITV & corporate clients such as ABC TV and Circus Oz. Desmond has also worked as a director and editor for music videos (Pete Murray, Blue King Brown) and as an editor on the video for Freedom by Mau Power and Archie Roach.
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Steve Stelios Adam SOUND DESIGN As a composer and sound designer, Steve has worked on a diverse range of media, installation and live production. He is one half of audio design team ADAM & LIEBZEIT, with collaborator Anna Liebzeit. He has performed and collaborated with various instrumentalists, ensembles, choirs and interactive music systems. Steve’s ongoing interests lie in the exploration of live and real-time approaches to composition and performance. These often incorporate gesture with sound, as well as the compositional implications of spatialisation within immersive audio environments. Informed by the technical challenges of these projects, Steve also consults for artists and organisations to develop custom software for media-based projects or to provide technical advice and support in AV production environments. Recent works with ADAM & LIEBZEIT include Eel Trap, and Revealed. He recently developed a light and sound instrument for Scienceworks’ LightTime exhibition and is preparing a new work for the Astra Chamber Music Society for performance in early September.
Lydia Fairhall
Ainsley Kerr STAGE MANAGER
Lydia Fairhall (Worimi Gamipingul) is an awardwinning singer songwriter, who released her debut EP with band Tigerlilly through Impossible Odds Records and Sugarrush Records in 2014. Tigerlilly has since built a keen following with the EP Single Fractions the most requested radio track on AMRAP during 2015, with airplay on over 200 community stations. Tigerlilly has performed extensively across various festivals and venues including: Caloundra Music Festival, Woodford Folk Festival, Sydney Opera House and the Melbourne Recital Centre. Tigerlilly’s second EP is set for release in late 2017, featuring songs from Heart is a Wasteland. It is an exploration of love and rebellion, revealing nurture and connection as powerful but often forgotten acts of resistance. Lydia is an advocate for the arts as a catalyst for social justice and healing, with over 20 years of singing, songwriting, performing, producing and cultural and community development experience. She is currently the Head of Programming at Footscray Community Arts Centre.
Ainsley has been a freelance stage and production manager for over six years. This is her fourth project with Brown Cabs and she is delighted to be working with this fabulous creative team again.
SONGWRITER
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CAST & CREATIVE BIOS
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ABOUT MALTHOUSE THEATRE
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT At Malthouse Theatre we collaborate with local and international artists to create inventive performances that cut to the core of the human experience. #HEARTISAWASTELAND
Theatre has the power to interrogate, disrupt and to be an agent of change— and we think it always should. At Malthouse Theatre the work we produce explores the world personally, socially and politically. Based in a dedicated venue, The Coopers Malthouse in Melbourne, we are a home for live experiences that entertain and provoke a dialogue with and within audiences. Welcome to Malthouse Theatre.
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OUR PARTNERS
GOVERNMENT
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TRUSTS AND FOUNDATIONS
OUR SUPPORTERS
URANIA—MUSE OF THE STARS—$25,000+ Carrillo Gantner AO, Michele Levine, Mary-Ruth & Peter McLennan, Craig Reeves, Maureen Wheeler AO & Tony Wheeler AO CLIO—MUSE OF HISTORY—$10,000+ Roseanne Amarant, Annamila Fund, John & Lorraine Bates, Debbie Dadon AM, Colin Golvan QC, James Pendilis & Fiona McGauchie, Janine Tai, The Vera Moore Foundation, Anonymous (2) THALIA—MUSE OF COMEDY—$5,000+ Gjergja Family, Sue Kirkham, Richard Leonard & Gerlinde Scholz, Mary Vallentine AO, Anonymous (1) MELPOMENE—MUSE OF TRAGEDY—$2,500+ David Bardas, Rosemary Forbes & Ian Hocking, Sue Prestney, Elisabeth & John Schiller, Dr Jenny Schwarz, Fiona Sweet & Paul Newcombe, Leonard Vary & Dr Matt Collins QC, Jason Waple, Jon Webster, Jan Williams, Tom Wright, Anonymous (1) EUTERPE—MUSE OF MUSIC—$1,000+ Frankie Airey & Stephen Solly, Chryssa Anagnostou & Dr Jim Tsaltas, Marc Besen
AC & Eva Besen AO, John & Sally Bourne, Sally Browne, Beth Brown & Tom Bruce AM, Ingrid & Per Carlsen, Tim & Rachel Cecil, Min Li Chong, Prof John Daley & Dr Rebecca Coates, Jennifer Darbyshire & David Walker, Andrew Curtis, Mark & Jo Davey, Dominic & Natalie Dirupo, Roger Donazzan, Rev Fr Michael Elligate AM, Dr Sian Fairbank, Brian Goddard, Val Johnstone, Fiona Kelly, Michael Kingston, Susan Nathan, James Ostroburski, Rosemary & Roger Redston, Carol & Alan Schwartz AM, Robert Sessions & Christina Fitzgerald, Thea & Hayden Snow, Maria Solà, Gina & Paul Stuart, Toby Sullivan, Kerri Turner & Andrew White, Rosemary Walls, Pinky Watson, Henry Winters, Anonymous (1) TERPSICHORE—MUSE OF DANCE—$500+ Graham & Anita Anderson, Michael Arnold, Rowland Ball OAM, Sandra Beanham, David & Rhonda Black, Ros Casey, MaryAnne Carroll, Chris Clough, Alan Connolly, Jason Craig, Peter & Roxane Fearnside, Evelyn Firstenberg, John & Helen Gibbins, Taleen Gaidzkar, Linda Herd, Leonie Hollingworth, Brad Hooper, Dr Irene Irvine, Joan & Graeme Johnson OAM, Dr Irene Kearsey, Angela
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Kirsner & Dr Richard Kirsner, Virginia Lovett, John McCallum, Victor McConvey, Ian McRae AO, Jan Owen AM, Robert Peters, Katherine Sampson, Barbara & Neil Smart, Tim & Lynne Sherwood, Janice Taylor, Naum Tered, John Thomas, Neil Waters, Phil & Heather Wilson, Anonymous (4) ERATO—MUSE OF LOVE—$250+ Simon Abrahams, Jennifer Bourke, Fiona Brook, John & Alexandra Busselmaier, Siu Chan, Diane Clark, Georgie Coleman, Patricia Coutts,Kerryn Dickinson-Rowe, William Donaldson, Brian Doyle, Carolyn Floyd, Orla & Rachel, Damyn Gordon, Joanne Griffiths, Peggy Hayton, Ted Hocking, Russell Hooper, Arechea Hounsell, Sarah Hunt, Ann Kemeny & Graham Johnson, Mira & Dr David Kolieb, Robyn Lansdowne, Sally Lindsay, Kim Lowndes, Judith Maitland-Parr, Ian Manning & Alice De Jonge, John Millard, Dr Kersti Nogeste, Linda Notley, Tony Oliver, Kaylene O’Neill, Gerard Powell, Gavin Roach, Pauline Robert, Rae Rothfield, Dr Michael & Jenny Rozen, Viorica Samson, Dr Jill Sewell, Andrew Stocker, Chris Teh, Lee-Ann Walsh, Jan Watson, Gary Westbrook, Gayl Morrow & Gib Wettenhall, Joanne Whyte, Barbara Yuncken
MALTHOUSE THEATRE STAFF
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Fiona McGauchie (Chair), Debbie Dadon AM, Colin Golvan QC, Michael Kantor, Jan Owen AM, Sue Prestney, Pamela Rabe, Nick Schlieper, Kerri Turner & Mary Vallentine AO. ARTISTIC & PROGRAMMING Artistic Director & CO-CEO / Matthew Lutton Executive Producer & CO-CEO / Sarah Neal Resident Dramaturg / Mark Pritchard Resident Artist / Declan Greene Resident Designer / Marg Horwell Director In Residence / Sapidah Kian
TICKETING & BOX OFFICE
EDUCATION
CRM & Ticketing Manager / Prue Sutherland
Youth & Education Manager / Vanessa O’Neill
Box Office Manager / Dan Allemann
VENUE MANAGEMENT
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Box Office Team Leaders / Jo Basilios Fiona Wiseman Kate Gregory
Venue Manager / Aaron Rowlands
Box Office Staff / Abbey Barnes, Ian Michael, Lauren White, Michelle Hines, Paul Buckley
Front of House Staff / Jo Bassilios, Abi Murray, Alice Hill, Alice Dixon, Aly Grace, Amelia O’Brien, Amy Dowd, Andrew Foord, Anna Nalpantidis, Carissa Godwin, Daniel Moulds, Daniel Newell, Dirk Hoult, Emma Corbett, Fiona Moody, Gem Clarke, Ian Mitchell, James Chantner, Kate Calton, Kate Gregory, Kathryn Joy, Kirilie Blythman, Lara Kerestes, Lee Threadgold, Leon Rice-Whetton, Mark Hoffman, Mitchell Brotz, Pamela Cupit, Sam Harrison, Sanne Rodenstein, Sophia D’Urso, Syrie Payne, Tanja George
DEVELOPMENT
Producer / Toby Sullivan
Development Manger / Fiona Kelly
Associate Producer / Jason Tamiru
Philanthropy Coordinator / Belinda Locke
Company Manager / Alice Muhling
Sponsorship Coordinator / Olivia Satchell
Front of House Managers / Sean Ladhams & Anita Posterino
FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION
PRODUCTION
Finance Manager / Mario Agostinoni
Production Manager / David Miller
Finance Administrator / Liz White
Workshop Manager / Goffredo Mameli
ABORIGINAL & TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER COMMITTEE
General Manager / Amanda Macri
Head Carpenter / David Craig
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
Technical Manager / Baird Mckenna
Uncle Jack Charles, Richard Frankland, Tony Briggs, Lisa Maza, Pauline Wyman, Melodie ReynoldsDiarra & Jason Tamiru
Marketing & Communications Manager / Caraline Douglas Communications Coordinator / Alex Sadka Marketing Assistant / Jacqui Bathman Publicist / TS Publicity
Operations Manager / Dexter Varley Head Technician / Mark Anderson
Malthouse Theatre acknowledges we are on the Land of the Boon wurrung Peoples within the Kulin Nation.
Venue Head Mechanist / Ivan Smith Head Of Wardrobe / Delia Spicer Theatre Technician / Nathanael Bristow Workshop Assistant / Elizabeth Whitton
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SEASON 2017
GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES YOUR CHEATSHEET TO SEASON 2017 Know you want some Malthouse Theatre in your life but not sure what to see? We’ve prepared a cheatsheet for the remaining shows of Season 2017 to help guide your choices.
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BLACK RIDER: THE CASTING OF THE MAGIC BULLETS
THE TESTAMENT OF MARY
YOU’RE NOT ALONE
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REVOLT. SHE SAID. REVOLT AGAIN.
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BLACK RIDER: THE CASTING OF THE MAGIC BULLETS
THE REAL AND IMAGINED HISTORY OF THE ELEPHANT MAN
BLACK RIDER: THE CASTING OF THE MAGIC BULLETS
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+ REVOLT. SHE SAID. REVOLT AGAIN.
#HEARTISAWASTELAND
SEASON 2017
THE REAL AND IMAGINED HISTORY OF THE ELEPHANT MAN
REVOLT. SHE SAID. REVOLT AGAIN.
HEART IS A WASTELAND
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THE TESTAMENT OF MARY
BLACK RIDER: THE CASTING OF THE MAGIC BULLETS
YOU’RE NOT ALONE + REVOLT. SHE SAID. REVOLT AGAIN.
+ HEART IS A WASTELAND
+ REVOLT. SHE SAID. REVOLT AGAIN.
FIND OUT MORE MALTHOUSETHEATRE.COM.AU/ PAGE/GOOD-THINGS-COME-IN-THREES
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FOOTSCRAY COMMUNITY ARTS CENTRE
Footscray Community Arts Centre is proud to be associated with the development of Heart is a Wasteland, the first work developed through our SCRIBE Playwright in Residence program.
was created and a new voice in contemporary and independent theatre was established.
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In 2017, we are thrilled to announce that Pitjantjatjarra Warrigmal South Sea Islander woman Elaine Crombie as FCAC’s new SCRIBE Playwright in Residence. An actor, singer and songwriter, Elaine will be developing a new work, based on the story of a woman; a freedom fighter of the original kind.
The SCRIBE program has been designed to bring equity to the works created and developed for the main stage within the performing arts sector. SCRIBE is a recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers as the keepers of story and the custodians of country; an act of solidarity to the wonderful artists we are privileged to work with here at Footscray Community Arts Centre.
FCAC would like to thank the Malcolm Robertson Foundation for their ongoing support of SCRIBE.
In 2015 John Harvey, Director of FCAC’s Company in Residence, Brown Cabs, began the creative exploration of his first script. With dramaturgical support from Malthouse Theatre’s Mark Pritchard, Heart is a Wasteland
Footscrayarts footscrayarts.com
SCRIBE is supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation
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BROWN CABS
Brown Cabs has collaborated with some of the country’s most exciting emerging Indigenous filmmakers, producing shorts including: The Farm (dir. Romaine Moreton); The Hunter (dir. Margaret Harvey); The Oysterman (dir. Romaine Moreton); The Chuck In (dir. Jon Bell); Man Real (dir. Tracey Rigney); You Turn (dir. Ryan Griffen); and Under Skin, In Blood (dir. Larissa Behrendt).
Heart is a Wasteland is the company’s second theatre presentation. In 2014, Brown Cabs presented the highly acclaimed My Lover’s Bones (dir. Margaret Harvey) as part of Melbourne Festival.
The company has produced two half-hour documentaries for ABC, in collaboration with Tom Zubrycki’s Jotz Films: Light from the Shadows (dir. John Harvey) and Menny and the Bundaroos (dir. John Harvey) and numerous short documentaries for NITV.
On film, Brown Cabs have collaborated with Bangarra Dance Theatre and Arenamedia to produce Stephen Page’s feature film Spear, premiering at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival and Adelaide Film Festival.
BrownCabs browncabs.com
Indigenous Languages and Arts
Supported by Creative Victoria, Australia Council for the Arts and the Australian Government’s Indigenous Languages and Arts program.
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This follows the collaboration with Stephen on the chapter Sand, for The Turning (Arenamedia).
Brown Cabs is a Melbourne based independent Indigenous production company telling stories in theatre and on screen, driven by John Harvey. We love collaborating with bold and risktaking Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytellers. Maintaining a simple philosophy of story dictating form, we believe the journey (or the cab ride) of storytelling is key to our stories.
SCENE & HEARD
Brown Cab Productions gets its name from John Harvey’s 1990 Toyota Camry station wagon. Affectionately known as Brown Cabs, it’s the only taxi company guaranteed to never drive past a brown person when they’re hailing a cab.
MalthouseTheatre MalthouseMelb MalthouseTheatre malthousetheatre.com.au
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