SHAKESPEARE’S
Othello ADAPTED BY JIMI BANI AND JASON KLARWEIN
Jimi Bani, Andrew Buchanan
Queensland Theatre acknowledges the Jagera and Turrbal people who are the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work, and their unique relationship with the lands, seas and waterways. We pay our respects to their Elders both past and present, and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
QUEENSLAND THEATRE IS ASSISTED BY THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE AUSTRALIA COUNCIL, ITS ARTS FUNDING AND ADVISORY BODY. QUEENSLAND THEATRE IS SUPPORTED BY THE QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT THROUGH ARTS QUEENSLAND.
How do you bring together an ancient storytelling tradition with the traditions of Shakespeare, in a country struggling to find new ways of working across cultures with respect and equality? Lee Lewis Artistic Director
You let the artists lead the way. Jimi Bani and Jason Klarwein have been forging a creative partnership over many years, and this production of Othello sees them unite again to continue their groundbreaking journey towards a new vision for Australian theatre. Both Jimi and Jason are forces in their communities, both have a deep love of language and a belief in the transformative power of storytelling. Separately, they are extremely talented artists. Together, they are the inspiration we all need as we come back to sharing stories following the dark times of COVID-19. This was the play I was most looking forward to in 2020 — it holds the biggest challenges and the greatest hopes. It is an honour to be seeing this production for the first time at Bulmba-ja as part of the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair. This is a story that should be told in Far North Queensland first, and then we hope it will be shared with the whole country as an important part of our military and storytelling heritage.
So many people have worked to bring Jimi and Jason’s vision to life: the Bani family, the veterans and families connected to the 51st Battalion and our government partners, Arts Queensland and the Australian Government through the Australia Council and the Office for the Arts’ Indigenous Languages and Arts Program. Beyond the financial support, there has been huge community support — people willing to wear masks, use buckets of sanitiser, lockdown, quarantine, isolate, use QR codes and ultimately get vaccinated, to ensure our theatres can open and we can come together to share this story. Thank you for making it possible for us all to be here today. — Lee
Special event – CIAF Conversations Jimi Bani and Jason Klarwein will be in conversation with Wesley Enoch on Friday 12 November, 11am – 12noon — live-streaming as part of CIAF 2021. Hear their inspiring journey of creating a hybrid theatrical process, embracing Torres Strait Islander history, cultural practice and stories.
SHAKESPEARE’S
Othello
Classic
First Fearless Nations
WWII TSI
ADAPTED BY JIMI BANI AND JASON KLARWEIN
Shakespeare's most intimate tragedy lands in the Torres Strait. Othello, William Shakespeare’s classic tale of jealousy, betrayal and revenge is thrillingly reimagined by Jimi Bani and Jason Klarwein for its premiere 2021 season. This tri-lingual (Kala Lagaw Ya, Yumpla Tok and English) production is set between Cairns and the Torres Strait, illuminating the vital role of the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion during World War II. More than 800 Torres Strait Islanders signed
up to protect the northern tip of Australia, including Jimi Bani’s great grandfather, the late Ephraim Bani Snr and his grandfather, the late Solomon Gela. Infusing the narrative of Othello with the historical setting of the battalion brings together two powerful artistic cultures — Shakespeare and Wagadagam — creating an utterly distinctive and electrifying theatre experience.
A QUEENSLAND THEATRE PRODUCTION PRESENTED BY CIAF 2021 PRESENTATION PARTNER
PRODUCTION SUPPORTERS
This project is supported by the Australian Government through the Indigenous Languages and Arts Program. Community engagement supported by the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation.
4
CREATIVES Playwright William Shakespeare Director Jason Klarwein Set Designer Richard Roberts Costume Designers Simona Cosentini, Simone Tesorieri Lighting Designer Ben Hughes Sound Designer Brady Watkins Stage Manager Pip Loth Assistant Stage Manager Analiese Long
LOCATION 96 Abbott St, Cairns
CAST Othello Jimi Bani Montano Richard Bani Iago Andrew Buchanan Desdemona Ellen Tuffley Brabantio Eugene Gilfedder Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Hides Cassio Benjin Maza Rodorigo Matt McInally Emilia Sarah Ogden Bianca Tia-Shonté Southwood Soldiers/Dancers Conwell Bani, Gabriel Bani
We understand the themes may be triggering for some people. If you have any concerns about the content of the play, we encourage you to contact Queensland Theatre.
12 – 13 NOV BULMBA-JA, CAIRNS
DURATION 2 hours and 45 minutes, including a 20 minute interval WARNINGS This play contains replica guns and adult themes, including depictions of domestic violence.
If you or someone you know needs information or support, please contact: 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732 The use of photographic or recording equipment is not permitted inside the theatre.
5
"Language is the thing that keeps us together. If you have language you are part of a group, part of a people. Belonging and owning.” Jimi Bani Writer
Jason Klarwein Writer and Director
The best estimates are that Othello was written in 1603 and the first recorded performance in 1604. Hamlet premieres about 18 months before Othello and two years later in 1606, Shakespeare will write Macbeth, King Lear and Antony and Cleopatra, all in one year. This is a writer in full flight. Queen Elizabeth I has died and King James VI of Scotland becomes the monarch, uniting the crowns of England and Scotland. Disquiet and simmering rebellion stalk the streets of London and assassination plots and counter plots sweep through the nobility. Bookended by the Main Plot in 1603, in which Sir Walter Raleigh and others fail to unseat James, and the 1606 Gunpowder Plot, in which Guy Fawkes tries to blow up Parliament, Othello sits in this slippery world where people are not what they seem. It’s no wonder then that the play is full of such duplicitous behaviour. Iago, our villain, spends most of the play concocting and enacting poisonous plots and schemes that he constantly changes and improvises, depending on the company he keeps. Early in the play he swears ‘by Janus’ the Roman god of duality. Janus is depicted as having two faces, hence the modern descriptor of someone being ‘two-faced’. He was also associated with the beginning and ending of conflict, particularly war. The original setting for Othello begins in Venice and travels to the island of 6
– Ephraim Bani Jnr
Cyprus. The Venetians and the Turkish are battling in the Mediterranean for strategic positions among the island bridges that join the Seas of the Adriatic, Ionian and Aegean. It was this conflict that made Jimi Bani and I think of Far Northern Australia during World War II. The land bridge between Papua New Guinea and Cape York is what is known as the Torres Strait or Zenadth Kes. My own grandfather Herbert Klarwein, a first-generation German Australian living south of Cairns in the tiny town of Gordonvale, was a Corporal in the Australian Imperial Army. While he was patrolling Cape York in a Bren Gun Carrier and later flying over the Straits as part of Air Liaison, his father Heinrich and uncle Michel were imprisoned along with other Germans and Italians from the region for the duration of the war, their places of birth now in conflict with the Allies. They were also spied on by government departments between the World Wars, especially after a visit from Count Felix Von Luckner. In 1938, Von Luckner and his entourage sailed his boat The Sea Devil to Cairns on his way to Indonesia. A famous World War I raider, he was greeted warmly by the Australian Germans and Italians. The interactions and correspondence of these new Australians were recorded by the Commonwealth Investigation Branch, “…most of the time the Count
was with H. Klarwein of Gordonvale and Dr. F. Castellano… Since Von Luckner’s departure Klarwein has purchased a £50 camera from an Italian, believed to be Auriccio of Cairns.” It’s no wonder my forebears refused to speak the German language or eat German food again. We became Anglicised changing the German ‘V’ sound in Klarwein to the English ‘W’. The Italian names of Auriccio and Castellano seemed to Jimi and I to mirror the Venetian characters in Shakespeare’s play, multi-syllable names like Brabantio and Roderigo. And while my grandfather sat sweltering in a Bren Gun Carrier in Cape York, Jimi Bani’s great grandfather Ephraim Bani Snr signs up to the Torres Strait Light Infantry. Before colonial recorded history, the people of the 274 individual islands of the Torres Strait were feared raiders and head-hunters. In 1606, the same year Shakespeare pens Macbeth and King Lear, the Spaniard Luis Vaez de
Torres, explores the islands looking for Terra Australis. Jimi Bani’s Wagadagam ancestors live on the island of Mabuyag speaking Kala Lagaw Ya, the language for the Western part of the Torres Strait, and one of the languages you will hear in this production. The London Missionary Society lands on Erub Island in 1871 convincing many warriors to now collect souls instead of heads. ‘The Coming of the Light’ marked a huge shift for the islanders, and while it brought some peace between islands, cultural language, dance and protocols were actively banned by these new visitors. There is a complex association between Christianity and the cultural belief systems of the Torres Strait and you will see these intertwined on stage. At the same time, fearful of the Missionaries’ destructive tendencies, the anthropologist Alfred Court Haddon rushes to the Torres Strait, preserving and recording language and culture
Jason Klarwein, Kevin Hides
in six volumes of the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition to the Torres Strait. Jimi Bani’s family tree is recorded in these volumes, depicting what is now eight generations of the Chiefs of Wagadagam. Wagadagam Chiefs not only have a duty to preserve culture, but to add to it. In Shakespeare’s Othello, after a violent encounter at sea with the enemy, the characters revel in a night of partying. In our adaptation you will see what is known as the ‘World War II Plane Dance’ transporting you to the time of Japanese bombings where the grandfathers of the Torres Strait would have performed this dance, including Ephraim Bani Snr. In 1944, Ephraim Bani Jnr is born. An autodidact, Ephraim’s intelligence and curiosity leads him to be one of the most influential Wagadagam Chiefs and one of the most highly respected Torres Strait Islanders of his time. Ephraim travels to Canada with his wife Petharie in the 1970s to become a linguist and they return to codify their language using what
'Muruygawmal Muykupal Pathamukmik' "From the time of our ancestors to the present day, let us continue to breathe on the embers to keep the fire burning." – Ephraim Bani Jnr (1944–2004)
is known as EPO (Ephraim’s Practical Orthography) changing the missionary spelling to a proper phonetic spelling. This heralds a massive change because it brings ownership of language and culture to the people. Our adaptation of Othello uses EPO. 8
Jimi Bani
Shakespeare’s Othello is written in the same year as Measure for Measure, another complex play where we see a writer playing with form. Othello sees Shakespeare move away from the more poetic blank verse and delve more into the straight-talking prose of the time. He writes character like no other playwright. The character Othello’s verse speeches are full of stunning imagery of "hills of Seas Olympus high", whilst all Iago can manage in prose is a metaphor about our wills being "gardens of lettuce and manure". Othello is a problem play for a modern audience. It sits in the rejected pile of post-modern, post-dramatic refuse, studied through a large magnifying glass by academics who claim there is no such thing as ‘the author’. Yes, there are characters in this play who are racist and misogynist, but these are mere levers to seek their end wishes. Instruments by which to cause chaos and stop social progress. Under a microscope, not a magnifying glass, we see a complex representation of human nature.
It seems fit that we have set our adaption in Far North Queensland. Racism is an insipid, sometimes invisible, social gene passed from one generation to another, becoming a kind of default setting in daily discourse. Instead of hiding these transgressions, we have decided to illuminate them. We have used the word ‘Moor’ as one such example.
"I am Australian, I was born and bred in this country. I do not believe in flag waving patriotism. But I have a deep love for this land on which I had the good fortune to be born. I believe all people should learn humility, cultivate tolerance and extend kindness and compassion to others." – Herbert Henry Klarwein (1917–1998)
Originally a term to describe Othello’s North African background, the Moors were a Muslim fighting force that invaded Spain and France. Here we have turned it into a racial slur, like the ones I heard growing up in the school playgrounds of Queensland and unfortunately sometimes still spoken in hushed private tones. The character of Desdemona is often misrepresented as a meek daughter and wife. On the contrary, Desdemona is a fiercely intelligent woman who stands up to her overbearing conservative father — a Country Party senator and farmer on our stage — to marry the man she loves, no matter his skin colour. This was known in Australia as 'miscegenation' and there were strict laws about interracial marriage, but not surprisingly, exceptions were made to the common law. World War II also sees increased freedoms for women and Indigenous peoples because they can suddenly serve, get paid and travel. This economic situation breeds social progress. Our play sits in that bubble of freedoms. Emilia is a Radio Technician, Cassio an up-and-coming Eastern Islander, strategically promoted to Lieutenant by Othello to unite the East and Western soldiers of the Torres Strait Light Infantry, much to the rage of Iago. Unfortunately, after the war many women and Indigenous Australians saw their freedoms evaporate and this time of social progress and transgression ended. Our show is not an accurate representation of the Torres Strait Light Infantry, but a jumping off point from which to add to the culture of Shakepeare’s magnificent play. We have respected the rules and protocols of the Shakepearean language and used the exceptional insights and techniques given to me by such masters as Cicely Berry, Michael Attenborough and Bryan Nason, who were taught these techniques by
Andrew Buchanan, Benjin Maza
9
Matt McInally
their predecessors and so forth back to the actors in Shakespeare’s company. This oral history of knowledge and craft of English literary performance is reflected back in the Kala Lagaw Ya language, which has been passed down since time immemorial and has its own structures and protocols. I saw these techniques align in a black and white Super 8 film where Ephraim Bani Jnr breaks down the structure of Wagadagam literature. Filmed by his wife Petharie, it mirrors and precedes the famous dialectic argument structure of the Shakespearean soliloquy. This short film blew my mind and started the journey to Othello. There are three types of language you will hear — Kala Lagaw Ya, Elizabethan English and Yumpla Tok (the creole of language and English together). There are no subtitles. If you have never seen a Shakespeare play, don’t worry, you are in good hands and you will follow the story. If you have never heard Yumpla Tok, don’t worry, you are in good hands, and you will follow the story.
Kevin Hides, Richard Bani
Jimi and this brilliant all-Queensland cast offer you this story reimagined in the spirit of unity by which it was made. This play, for all its dark undercurrents, is a celebration of Australian culture and represents the deep desire of ordinary Australians to reconcile our history. Our rehearsal room is full of ‘thalinga’ (deep listening) as we share language and culture equally. This is the first time in the history of Queensland Theatre that Othello has been produced, and it is the first time in the world a Torres Strait Islander has played the role of Othello. Koeyma Eso (Big thank you) — Jimi Bani and Jason Klarwein
Andrew Buchanan, Kevin Hides, Sarah Ogden
10
Jimi Bani
The Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion is the only Indigenous battalion formed in Australia’s military history. Vanessa Seekee Historian
Eight hundred and eighty men volunteered, making this number the highest rate of enlistment per population in the Commonwealth. They volunteered knowing they were not on the Commonwealth Census, they didn’t have the right to vote and they would find that they were paid half the wage of other diggers, but they still volunteered. This extraordinary rate stripped the island communities of men, leaving only 10 men of eligible age in the outer islands. The women were left to run the villages for 4–5 years without their men, fishing and raising market gardens to provide for families. In May 1941, Prime Minister Curtin gave authority for the raising of a Company of Torres Strait Islander men with the first volunteers coming from Erub and Mer Islands, enlisting in June 1941.
World War II Plane Dance (Courtesy of the Australian War Memorial)
12
In December 1941, Japan entered the war and the members of the Company were tasked with interning the Japanese divers and their families still living on Thursday Island. Sections of the Company were sent to Horn Island as part of a co-ordinated effort to defend the aerodrome and fixed installations. In the early stages of 1942, the men of the Torres Strait Company were one of only two units defending Horn Island. Horn Island is the second most attacked location in Australia, next to Darwin, however it wasn’t the only location targeted. The village of Iama was attacked from the air as the Zeros flew back from attacking Horn Island, leaving the women and children to spend the war years hiding in caves. When the vessel Melbidir made its next run to the islands, hundreds of men volunteered. Between July to November 1942, the numbers rose from a Company of men to a full-strength Battalion — the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion was established. Men served with their brothers, cousins, and sons, some families saying goodbye to all their sons. Recruits from Mer, Erub, Masig and Ugar formed A Company, recruits from Badu, Moa and Mabuiag Islands formed B Company. C Company was a blend of both A and B Companies, while D Company men were from Saibai, Dauan and Boigu Islands.
October to November 1943 saw a patrol into Dutch New Guinea, where seven soldiers had volunteered to go with Wing Commander Thompson, and then Captain Wolfe, on the vessel Rosemary to establish watching posts, and report on Japanese activity around the Oba, Wildeman and Eilanden Rivers. It was while doing a reconnaissance of the Ipoekwa River that they encountered a Japanese barge head on around a bend. Fierce fighting took place, with several being wounded before they could get back to their watching post on the Eilanden River.
Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion (Courtesy of the Australian War Memorial)
'They were loyal, disciplined soldiers and I was very proud to have served with them. At the end of the war, they were demobbed and sent home on the luggers. I recall the Murray Island soldiers departing the Thursday Island wharf….and singing farewell to us on the wharf. We could still hear them as the boat sailed off into the distance. I don’t think there was anyone there that day that wasn’t affected by their goodbye'.
Growing unrest led to a strike on 30 December 1943, where the men refused to report to duty. Strikes had been used effectively in the pearling industry; however, the army saw it as mutiny. After their officers assured the soldiers’ case would be heard, the Battalion returned to work the next day. On 1 February 1944, a Departmental Conference raised the pay to 66% of non-Indigenous soldiers.
– Sargent Cole
Today, the descendants of these men serve in all branches of the Australian Defence Force, continuing a tradition that began with the men of the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion.
This patrol saw the issue of pay disparity brought to the forefront. The soldiers of the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion were paid around half the wage of other soldiers. After the patrol, some of the men came forward to their officers to enquire about the matter of increased pay to that equal of non-Indigenous soldiers.
The expansion of the unit’s roles led to training in more specialist positions, skills and trades that were invaluable in postwar Torres Strait. The Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion had evolved into a unit that could undertake all advanced base service operations, in addition to being trained as infantry soldiers. Upon the war’s end, the men were demobilised and travelled back to their island homes.
— Vanessa Seekee
13
Jason Klarwein Director
Queensland Theatre: As Director: Death of a Salesman, The Trial, My Name is Jimi, The 7 Stages of Grieving (with Grin and Tonic Theatre Troupe – London, Los Angeles, Montreal), St Mary’s In Exile, Much Ado About Nothing, Oedipus Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, A Dream within A Dream, Orbit, This Hollow Crown. As Actor: Emerald City, Hedda, Twelfth Night, Once in Royal David’s City, Riley Valentine and the Occupation of Fort Svalbard, The Odd Couple, The Seagull, Macbeth (with Grin and Tonic Theatre Troupe), Design For Living, Elizabeth - Almost By Chance a Woman, Fractions, Faustus, An Oak Tree, Macbeth, Thom Pain, A Streetcar Named Desire, God is a DJ, Phèdre, The Fortunes of Richard Mahony, Bash, Mad Hercules, King Richard 2, Shopping and F$$$ing, The Skin of Our Teeth. Other credits: As Director: Belvoir: Cursed!; HOTA: Oh the Humanity and Other Exclamations; Grin and Tonic Theatre Troupe: April's Fool, Hoods, Edgar Allan Poe’s Hilariously Gruesome Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Romeo and Juliet, The Zoo Story. As Actor: Queensland Symphony Orchestra: Peter and the Wolf, The Happiness Box, Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, The Carnival of the Animals; Bell Shakespeare: Henry 4; Sydney Theatre Company: A Streetcar Named Desire; Belvoir: Paul, Capricornia, Maralinga; La Boite: The Glass Menagerie, Half and Half, Cosi. Film: Kat King, Celeste, The Baby Whisperer. Television: The Devil’s Playground, Illusion 5, Slide, Sea Patrol, Australia Remembers, Cybergirl. Positions: Resident Director (2014–15), Queensland Theatre; Artistic Director (2010 – current), Grin and Tonic Theatre Troupe; Federal President (2020 – current), MEAA Actors Equity. Awards: As Director: Queensland Reconciliation Award My Name Is Jimi. As Actor: Helpmann Nomination – Best Male Actor Once in Royal David’s City; Logie – Most Outstanding Miniseries The Devil’s Playground.
14
Richard Roberts Set Designer
Queensland Theatre: Death of a Salesman, Noises Off (with Melbourne Theatre Company), Much Ado About Nothing, Tartuffe, Design for Living, Managing Carmen (with Black Swan State Theatre Company), Fountains Beyond, The Sunshine Club. Other credits: Melbourne Theatre Company: Last Man Standing, Solomon And Marion, Next To Normal, The Gift, Frost/Nixon, Macbeth, Dreams In An Empty City, As You Like It, Hedda Gabler, The Sapphires, All My Sons; Melbourne Festival/Sydney Festival: The Season; Sydney Theatre Company: Australia Day (with Melbourne Theatre Company), True West, Riflemind; TML: Fiddler on the Roof; Black Swan State Theatre Company: The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Glengarry Glen Ross; Wander Productions: Scaramouche Jones; Belvoir: The Sapphires (with Black Swan State Theatre Company); Opera Australia: Rigoletto, Don Pasquale, The Magic Flute, Die Fledermaus (with West Australian Opera); Victorian Opera: Cunning Little Vixen, Nixon in China, The Magic Flute, Baroque Triple Bill, Don Giovanni, The Coronation of Poppea, The Marriage of Figaro; Opera Queensland: Ruddigore; New Zealand Opera: Rigoletto; The Australian Ballet: Requiem, Molto Vivace, Raymonda; Queensland Ballet/West Australian Ballet: La Sylphide, La Fille Mal Gardee. Television: The Battlers, Five Times Dizzy, I Own The Racecourse. Positions: Head of Design (present), Head of Production (2000–07), Victorian College of the Arts; Faculty of Fine Arts & Music, The University of Melbourne; Head of Design (2013–2015), The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts; Head of Design (1991–96), WAAPA. Awards: Greenroom Awards – Best Design for Drama Stolen, Life After George; Best Design in Dance Requiem, Molto Vivace.
Simona Cosentini Costume Designer
Queensland Theatre: As Set Designer: City of Gold. As Designer: The Longest Minute (with debase productions and JUTE Theatre Company), My Name is Jimi. Other credits: As Designer: JUTE Theatre Company: To Kill a Cassowary, Here we all are. Assembled; Grin and Tonic Theatre Troupe: Romeo & Juliet, Our Place; Veranda Theatre: Prospect Terrace; AustraNesia: Woven. As Costume Designer: JUTE Theatre Company: La Bella Figura, Get your Geek on, Bukal, Mr. Takahashi (with Brown’s Mart and Corrugated Iron), Paradise is Singing, Is My Lipstick On Straight?, Delirium, Proppa Solid, Sentinel Chickens, Propelled, Half & Half (with Lone Star Productions); Cairns Regional Council and Cultural Services: Beginnings (for GC2018 Commonwealth Games); Greg Semu/Cairns Regional Gallery: Blood Red; Teatro Comunale di Bologna: Paolo e Francesca (with Accademia di Belle Arti and Conservatorio di Bologna); OperaOvunque: La Serva Padrona, Il Barbiere di Siviglia. As Millinery Designer: Biddigal Performing Arts: Biddigal Dreaming. As Costume Mentor: Tropical Arts: Macbeth. As AV Designer: OperaOvunque: Amfiparnaso. As Part of Art Department: Teatro Bonci di Cesena and Scuola del Melodramma: Cosi’ Fan Tutte (with Accademia di Belle Arti, Bologna); Teatro Colli and Frons Scenae: Sacco e Vanzetti. As Scenic Artist: Accademia di Belle Arti Ravenna and Bologna Fiere 25th CERSAIE: Creativitiles. Film: As Costume Designer: On Stage. Training: Bachelor of Fine Arts (Scenography with honours), Accademia Belle Arti Bologna, Costume Design; School of Melodrama Cesena; Graphic Design and Communication, ILAS. Awards: Matilda Award nomination – Best Design My Name Is Jimi.
Simone Tesorieri Costume Designer
Queensland Theatre: As Set Designer: City of Gold. As Designer: The Longest Minute (with debase productions and JUTE Theatre Company), My Name is Jimi. Other credits: JUTE Theatre Company: As Set Designer: La Bella Figura, Get your Geek on, To Kill a Cassowary, Bukal, Here we all are. Assembled, Mr. Takahashi (with Brown’s Mart and Corrugated Iron), Paradise is Singing, Is My Lipstick On Straight?, Delirium, Proppa Solid, Sentinel Chickens, Propelled, Half & Half (with Lone Star Productions); AustraNesia: Woven; Cairns Regional Council and Cultural Services: Beginnings (for GC2018 Commonwealth Games); Accademia di Belle Arti-Bologna and Teatro Bonci Cesena: Madama Butterfly. As Designer: Grin & Tonic Theatre Troupe: Romeo & Juliet, Our Place, Caucasian Chalk Circle. As part of Art Department Armour and Millinery: Teatro Comunale di Bologna, TCBO: Masnadieri, La Cenerentola. As Head of Art Department and Scenic Artist: Accademia di Belle Arti-Bologna and Teatro Bonci Cesena: Traviata, Don Pasquale, Volo di Notte, Il matrimonio segreto, La Boheme, Cavalleria Rusticana, L’elisir d’amore. As Designer and Scenic Artist: Teatro Colli: Sacco e Vanzetti, E lo difendono pure. Exhibit Design: Frons Scenae and Accademia di Belle Arti Cersaie: Creativitiles. Film: As Production Designer: On Stage. Positions: Resident Artist (Art Department, 2000–2012), Teatro Comunale di Bologna, TCBO. Training: Bachelor of Fine Arts (Scenography with honours), Accademia Belle Arti Bologna (Ababo); Production Design, Scuola del Melodramma; Certificate IV Building, Cairns TAFE. Awards: Matilda Award nomination – Best Design My Name Is Jimi.
Ben Hughes Lighting Designer
Queensland Theatre: Return to the Dirt, Boy Swallows Universe, Triple X (with Sydney Theatre Company), Mouthpiece, Antigone, L’Appartement, Twelfth Night, Good Muslim Boy (with Malthouse), Scenes from a Marriage, An Octoroon, Noises Off! (with Melbourne Theatre Company), Constellations, Switzerland, Much Ado About Nothing, The Seagull, Happy Days, Grounded, HOME, The Button Event, The Effect (with Sydney Theatre Company), The Mountaintop, Black Diggers (with Sydney Festival), Design for Living, 1001 Nights, The Lost Property Rules, Orbit, Mother Courage and Her Children, The Pitch & The China Incident, Kelly, Head Full of Love, Fractions (with Hothouse Theatre), Orphans, An Oak Tree, Sacre Bleu, Let The Sunshine (with Melbourne Theatre Company), Fat Pig, The Crucible, 25 Down, Stones in His Pockets, I Am My Own Wife, John Gabriel Borkman, The Estimator, Private Fears in Public Places, Man Equals Man, Waiting for Godot, Eating Ice Cream with Your Eyes
Closed, The Exception and The Rule, Ruby Moon. As Associate Lighting Designer: Toy Symphony, Heroes. As Co-Director/Designer: Trollop. Other credits: Highlights include Adelaide Festival: Two Feet; Opera Queensland: Don Giovanni, Snow White (with La Boite and Brisbane Festival); Sydney Theatre Company: Black is the New White; The Danger Ensemble: Let Men Tremble, Caligula, The Wizard of Oz, Sons of Sin, Loco Maricon Amor, The Hamlet Apocalypse; La Boite: The Time Is Now, Naked and Screaming, From Darkness, The Mathematics of Longing, A Streetcar Named Desire, Straight White Men (with STCSA), Medea, Samson (with Belvoir), A Doll’s House, Cosi; Australasian Dance Collective: Aftermath, Converge, Mozart Airborne (with Opera Queensland), The Host, Carmen Sweet, Propel; Queensland Ballet: The Masters Series, Flourish, Giselle, A Classical Celebration, ...with Attitude; QPAC/Red Leap: The Arrival. Positions: Artist Company (current), La Boite; Affiliate Artist (2014, 2011), Resident Lighting Designer (2013), Queensland Theatre; Associate Artistic Director, The Danger Ensemble. Awards: Groundling Award for Outstanding Contribution to Lighting Design.
Benjin Maza,Tia-Shonté Southwood
15
Brady Watkins Sound Designer Queensland Theatre: As Sound Designer: Metamorphoses, Moth, Wisdom, The Trial. As Sound Consultant: White Pearl (with Sydney Theatre Company and Riverside’s National Theatre of Parramatta), Taming of The Shrew, Triple X (with Sydney Theatre Company), Our Town, The Holidays, Antigone. Other credits: As Sound Designer: La Boite: Bigger and Blacker, The Neighbourhood; Refraction Theatre: The Revisionist; Rocket Boy Ensemble: Reagan Kelly. As Sound Operator: Lynch & Paterson: Jesus Christ Superstar; Woodward Productions: Sweet Charity, Edges: A Song Cycle; Underground Broadway: Spring Awakening, Don’t Call Me Ishmael; La Boite: Neon Tiger. Training: Bachelor of Music Technology, Queensland Conservatorium of Music. Positions: Composer/Sound Designer – Artist Company (2021–22), La Boite.
Andrew Buchanan, Kevin Hides
16
Pip Loth Stage Manager
Queensland Theatre: As Stage Manager: City of Gold, My Name is Jimi, Constellations, Riley Valentine and the Occupation of Fort Svalbard, Gloria. As Deputy Stage Manager: Death of a Salesman. As Assistant Stage Manager: Return to the Dirt, Hedda, Ladies in Black (2015), Country Song. As Set Builder: Macbeth. Other credits: As Tour & Company Manager: Hi-5: Hi-5 Fairytale (Asia Tour). As Production and Stage Manager: Myths Made Here: Cinderella. As Stage Manager: World Science Festival: Dear Albert; La Boite: Bigger and Blacker, The Neighbourhood, From Darkness, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Motherboard Productions: Shimchong, Daughter Overboard!; EMS Entertainment: Barbie Live! The Musical (East Pacific Tour 2013–14); Life Like Touring: Elmo’s World Tour, Dora the Explorer’s Pirate Adventure. As Assistant Stage Manager: Gordon Frost: Driving Miss Daisy; Dreamworks & Global Creatures: How to Train your Dragon – Arena Spectacular (North American Tour). Film: As Rigging Electrics: Nim’s Island, Terra Nova. Positions: Production Coordinator (past), Queensland Theatre; Stage Management and Technical Theatre Lecturer and Production Supervisor (2016), USQ. Training: Bachelor of Fine Arts (Technical Production with honours), QUT; Certificate II – Furniture Making & Finishing; Diploma of Live Production (Theatre & Events).
Analiese Long Assistant Stage Manager
Queensland Theatre: City of Gold. Other credits: As General Stage Manager: Cirque Du Soleil: Kooza, Toruk. As Stage Manager: The Show Co: Mamma Mia; Cirque Du Soleil: Kurios, Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour, Totem, Ovo, Saltimbanco, Dralion; Strut and Fret: Limbo; Harvest Rain: Grease, The Arena Spectacular, Hairspray, The Big, Fat Arena Tour; Eire Entertainment: A Taste of Ireland (season and regional tour); Mad About Theatre: Annie; Jack Morton Worldwide: GC2018 Commonwealth Games Main Stage; Woodford Folk Festival: Closing Ceremony Fire Event (2018/19, 2019/20), New Year’s Eve (2000, 2001); Dark Lab: Dark Mofo, The Burning; Darwin Festival: Lighthouse Stage. As Director: In The Sun: I and You. As Director and Performer: Woodford Folk Festival: The Woodford XI, Junxtaposition. As Assistant Director: Woodford Folk Festival: Closing Ceremony Fire Event (2018/19, 2019/20), Opening Ceremony (2004). Film: As Designer: Hide and Seek.
Jimi Bani Othello
Queensland Theatre: Our Town, Hedda, My Name Is Jimi. Other credits: Belvoir: Title And Deed, Peter Pan, The Sapphires, Yibiyung; Barbican Theatre London: Shadow King; Sydney Theatre Company: Storm Boy, Romeo and Juliet; Malthouse Theatre: Shadow King, The Dragon; JUTE Theatre Company/Lone Star Productions: Half & Half; Black Swan State Theatre Company: The Sapphires (Korea tour), Jandamarra; Deckchair Theatre: Krakouer!; WAAPA: UnAustralia, Love & Human Remains, The Country Remains, The Winter’s Tale, Stories From The Suburban Road, Three Sisters, Dream Pay. Film: A Thin Black Line. Television: Black Comedy, Blue Water Empire, Ready for This, The People Speak, Redfern Now, Mabo, The Straits, R.A.N (Remote Area Nurse). Awards: Equity Ensemble Awards – Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Television or Miniseries Mabo; BOFA Awards – Best Actor Mabo, The Straits; Deadly Awards – Male Actor of the Year Mabo, The Straits. Training: WAAPA.
Richard Bani, Benjin Maza
Richard Bani Montano
Queensland Theatre: My Name is Jimi.
I am the fourth son of the late Chief of the Tribe Wagadagam. I live in Injinoo, it’s a remote area at the top of Australia. This is the place where my father grew up and my great grandmother lived, my Grandma’s mum. I love traditional island dancing and my culture is my identity. My totem is the saltwater crocodile (Koedal). I love my seafood, sports, going out hunting on the sea and on land, and mostly my culture and my family.
Andrew Buchanan Iago
Queensland Theatre: Boy Swallows Universe, Our Town, L’Appartement, No Man’s Land (with Sydney Theatre Company), Macbeth, Water Falling Down, The Crucible, God of Carnage (with Black Swan State Theatre Company), The Female of the Species, Christmas at Turkey Beach, Antigone, The Marriage of Figaro, Composing Venus, Peter Pan, Romeo & Juliet, The Beaux Stratagem, Essington Lewis: I Am Work, The Cherry Orchard. Other credits: Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway New York / Sydney Theatre Company: The Present; La Boite: The Wishing Well (with Matrix Theatre), Secret Bridesmaids Business, Clark in Sarajevo, Sex Diary Of An Infidel, Cosi, Bouncers, Hamlet, The Taming Of The Shrew; Metaluna Theatre Company: Summer of the Aliens; QPAC: Armistice, Over the Top with Jim; Harvest Rain: Love’s Labour Lost, As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing; Grin and Tonic Theatre Troupe: Hamlet, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice, King Lear; ACT Industrial Theatre: Cry Wolf,
Deepwater. Film: Love and Monsters, Don’t Tell, Australia Day, Fatal Honeymoon, Iron Sky, The Condemned, The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, Scooby Doo, Hildegard, Paperback Hero. Television: Young Rock, The End, Rosehaven, Grace Beside Me, Safe Harbour, The End, The Family Law, Harrow, Hoges, Wanted, Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door, The Gods of Wheat Street, Reef Doctors, Sisters of War, SLIDE, Sea Patrol, Monarch Cove, RAN (Remote Area Nurse), Mortified, Farmkids, Answered By Fire, Through My Eyes, Chameleon II, Beastmaster, Murder Call, Flipper, Big Sky, Medivac, Roar, Pacific Drive. Awards: Matilda Awards – Best Actor The Female of the Species, Christmas at Turkey Beach, Hamlet, Cymbeline, The Taming of the Shrew, Summer of the Aliens, Best Director Love’s Labour Lost, Caucasian Chalk Circle.
Matt McInally
17
Ellen Tuffley Desdemona
Eugene Gilfedder Brabantio
Kevin Hides Lieutenant Colonel
Queensland Theatre: As Directorial Observation: Death of a Salesman. Other credits: Grin and Tonic Theatre Troupe: Romeo & Juliet Reimagined, Macbeth Reimagined, April's Fool, Edgar Allan Poe’s Hilariously Gruesome Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Seven Billion Friends; Harvest Rain: We Will Rock You, The Wizard of Oz: National Arena Tour, Grease: The National Arena Tour, Hairspray: Arena Spectacular, Legally Blonde, Urinetown, Little Women; The Show Co: Mamma Mia; SK Entertainment: Alice in Wonderland; THAT Production Company: School of Rock; WRIGHTWORKS: AFL Grand Final Half Time Show; Magic Theatre: Words & Music, Women in Shakespeare II; Old Fashioned Productions: A Little Princess; Adelaide Fringe Festival: Flaws and All — the Musical. Positions: Theatre Residency Week Teaching Artist (2019–21), Queensland Theatre. Training: Maggie Noonan & John Peak (Voice); Diploma of Musical Theatre, Davidia Lind Dance Centre; Certificate IV in Musical Theatre, Brisbane Academy of Musical Theatre (BAMT).
Queensland Theatre: The Effect, Macbeth, Elizabeth - Almost By Chance A Woman, Sacré Bleu!, Fractions, Grimm Tales, Waiting for Godot, That Face, Rabbit Hole, The Tempest, Vertigo and the Virginia, The Beaux’ Strategem, Romeo and Juliet, Essington Lewis, The Cherry Orchard, The Shaughraun, Twelfth Night, Moby Dick, Seasons Greetings, The Recruiting Officer, Camille, Ghosts, Major Barbara, Henry V. Other credits: La Boite: Romeo and Juliet, Holding The Man, Hamlet, The Chairs, The Wishing Well, Cosi, Emma’s Nose, My Love Had a Black Speed Stripe, Kafka Dances, Speaking in Tongues, Road, Amigos, A Beautiful Life; shake & stir theatre co/QPAC: A Christmas Carol; Zen Zen Zo: Macbeth: As Told By The Weird Sisters; Fractal Theatre: Secret Love Life of Ophelia, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Coriolanus, The Oresteia, Metamorphosis, Peer Gynt, Decadence, The Fall of the House of Usher, Richard III; Opera Queensland: The Mikado; Queensland Ballet: Fonteyn Remembered; Sydney Theatre Company: King Lear, The Effect, Death and the Maiden; Bell Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice, Comedy of Errors; Critical Stages: The Kursk; Melbourne Theatre Company: Death and the Maiden; La Mama: Portrait (of a Nation). Film: Babyteeth, Pop-Up, The Curse of the Gothic Symphony, In Her Skin. Julian, Traces. Television: The Doctor Blake Mysteries, Sea Patrol, H2O: Just Add Water, Fat Cow Motel, The Day of the Roses, Medivac. Positions: Co-Founder (19892000), Fractal Theatre. Awards: Green Room Award – Best Actor A Beautiful Life. Eugene is a six-time recipient of the Matilda Award for Excellence in Queensland theatre.
Queensland Theatre: Death of a Salesman, A Conversation, Sweeney Todd, Christmas at Turkey Beach, The Cavalcaders, The Threepenny Opera, Diving for Pearls, Romeo & Juliet, Money and Friends, Essington Lewis: I Am Work, On The Whipping Side, Seven Little Australians, A Month in the Country, Season’s Greetings, The Man From Muckinupin, A Chorus of Disapproval, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Loves Labour Lost, Who Cares?, Baby, Macbeth, The Three Sisters, Henry V, In Duty Bound, Much Ado About Nothing, Applause, Amadeus, Demolition Job, The Tempest, Hello Dolly, As You Like It. Other credits: 4MBS Classic Arts Shakespeare Festival: The Comedy of Errors, Cribbie, Henry V; World Theatre Festival: The Trouble With Harry; La Boite: Closer (with Genre), Cosi; Harvest Rain: Much Ado About Nothing; Twelfth Night Theatre Company: Run for your Wife; QPAC: Over the Top with Jim, A Christmas Carol; Acronym: Cyrano De Bergerac; Metaluna Theatre Company: Summer of the Aliens, The Adman; Footloose: Jugglers Three; Lyric Opera of Queensland: Carmen, The Abduction From The Seraglio, La Belle Helene, Die Fledermaus, Brigadoon, The Pirates of Penzance, The Maid of the Mountains, The White Horse Inn; Q Theatre: The Sentimental Bloke, Baby. Film: Fatal Honeymoon, A Heartbeat Away, Dartworth, Stage Fright, Through My Eyes, The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, Blurred, Mr Reliable, The Legend of Fred Paterson. Short Film: Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, Twilight Tango. Television: Mabo, Fat Cow Motel,
Sarah Ogden
Seconds to Spare, Cybergirl, Medivac, Fire II, Pacific Drive, The Last Resort, The Day of the Roses, Fire, Butterfly Island, Paradise Beach, Skippy, The Driver, Shark’s Paradise, A Country Practice. Awards: Matilda Award – Outstanding Contribution to Queensland Theatre.
Benjin Maza Cassio
Queensland Theatre: Stradbroke Dreamtime. Other credits: Brisbane Powerhouse: SILENCE; La Boite: From Darkness. Events: As Musician: Balairi: Street Serenades (Brisbane Festival), NAIDOC week, Brisbane Powerhouse’s 21st Birthday, Yonder Festival, Isol-Aid Festival, Green Jam (QPAC), Meeanjin Markets. As Performer: eXcelsior: NRL’s All Stars, Sydney Opera House’s Homeground, Woodford Folk Festival, Boomerang Festival at Bluesfest, GC2018 Commonwealth Games.
Matt McInally Rodorigo
Queensland Theatre: Debut. Other credits: shake & stir theatre co: Romeo and Juliet, The Macbeths, 1984, Bad Lads, Great Shakes, Statespeare, Smile and Be A Villain, Oversharer, Troll, Unfiltered, School Daze; The Miscreants: Late Lines, The Brewery, Putt Putt Party, Ibiza, The Hound, The Virgin Declan, The Cab Sav Book Club, Stingray; Underground Productions: NSFW, You Can’t Take It With You. Positions: Artistic Director (2014 – present), The Miscreants.
Sarah Ogden Emilia
Queensland Theatre: As Actor: Death of a Salesman, An Octoroon. As Director: Moth. Other credits: As Actor: Metro Arts/ Hive: The Bull, The Moon and The Coronet of Stars; Melbourne Theatre Company: The Crucible, Top Girls; Arena/Malthouse: Moth (national tour): The Hayloft Project: Arden V Arden; Stuck Pigs Squealing: Night Maybe; Winterfall: As You Like It; Daniel Schlusser Ensemble: Life is a Dream; Bell Shakespeare: Actors At Work; Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble: The Comedy of Errors, Coriolanus; Gordon/Frost: The Secret Garden (national tour). As Director: La Boite Assembly: Quick Fixes; Backbone Ensemble: POTLUCK; Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University: Measure for Measure. As Facilitator: The Good Room: I’ve Been Meaning To Ask You. Film: Untitled Baz Luhrmann Musical Project. Television: Stories I Want to Tell You in Person, The Wayne Manifesto. Positions: Teaching Artist, Queensland Theatre; Teaching Artist, Backbone; Teaching Artist, Bell Shakespeare. Training: VCA; QUT. Sarah is a proud member of Actor’s Equity.
Tia-Shonté Southwood Bianca
Queensland Theatre: Debut. Other credits: As Performer: Gurrumul, The Gospel Album Tour 2015, First Nations Choir of Queensland, Brisbane City Council Gathering Festival, Riverside QUT InFusion Markets. Positions: Producer, Cre8tive Nations. Training: Bachelor of Arts, University of Queensland.
Conwell Bani Soldier/Dancer
Queensland Theatre: My Name is Jimi.
I am the fifth son of the late Chief of Wagadagam. I have spent all my life in the Torres Straits living on Thursday Island. I enjoy working with the youth, helping them to go down the right path and create a successful future. Being in a cultural, respectful, sporting family, I like to use that approach to direct the youth toward that positive and bright future. My personality is full of love and positive vibes, also comedy. Dancing (Traditional Island Dancing) is one of my major skills and I teach this to the youth.
Gabriel Bani Soldier/Dancer I am the third Son of the late Adhi Dimple Bani, who was the eighth tribal chief of the major clan on Mabuyag called Wagadagam, Koey Buway. My mother, Agnes Bani, is from Erub Island where my bloodline extends to the Peudu Clan of Erub Island, the Kaurareg Aboriginal Nation, Butchulla Aboriginal Peoples, Rotuma and Solomon Island. My totems are the Koedal (Crocodile) and Waumer (Frogate Bird). I currently reside in Brisbane with my beautiful family. I am passionate about sharing and passing knowledge and culture, to my children, nieces, nephews and those who come in contact with me. I believe it is valuable to encourage and instil the importance of culture and identity to the next generation. I believe that when knowledge is passed down, it keeps the culture alive, which is something I have learnt and valued from my Athe (grandfather), the late Adhi Ephraim Bani.
19
Jimi Bani, Andrew Buchanan
Kevin Hides, Richard Bani, Andrew Buchanan, Sarah Ogden, Benjin Maza
Sarah Ogden
return to the dirt BY STEVE PIRIE DIRECTED BY LEE LEWIS
WATCH ONLINE 29 NOV – 5 DEC | $25
Thank you to our donors Queensland Theatre wishes to extend a heartfelt thanks to all our donors. Each gift, large and small, helps us make great theatre. QUEENSLAND THEATRE VISIONARIES Rainmakers Tim Fairfax AC & Gina Fairfax
Liz Pidgeon & Graeme Wikman
Ian & Cass George
Artistic Director's Circle 2 Anonymous Barbara Bedwell Doug Hall Foundation
Elizabeth Jameson AM & Abbe Anderson
The Jelley Family Foundation Bruce & Sue Shepherd Pamela Marx The Mather Foundation Cathryn Mittelheuser AM
Leaders 1 Anonymous Australian Communities Foundation - Keith & Jeannette Ince Fund
John & Lynnly Chalk David & Katrina King The Frazer Family Foundation Colin & Noela Kratzing John & Gay Hull Dr Marie Siganto AM
Trevor St. Baker AO & Judith St. Baker
Dr John H Casey Nic Christodoulou Barbara Duhig Ian & Ruth Gough Dr Anita Green
Dr Geoffrey Hirst AM & Dr Sally Wilde Dr Joan M Lawrence AM Andrew & Kate Lister Nicklin Medical Services
Greg & Wendy O'Meara Nigel & Liz Prior Stack Family Foundation Dr Peter & Mary Wilson
Andrew & Leonie Douglas Alan Galwey William Glasson AO & Claire Glasson AM Kevin & Merrilyn Goos Sue & Mike Gowan Geoff & Michele James Amanda Jolly & Peter Knights
Judith Musgrave Family Foundation Susan Learmonth & Bernard Curran Stephen & Terry Leach David & Erica Lee Lynas Family Sandra McCullagh
Charles & Catherine Miller Karl & Louise Morris Monica Muggeridge Debra & Patrick Mullins Blayne & Helen Pitts John Reid AO & Lynn Rainbow-Reid AM David Williamson AO & Kristin Williamson
Bruce & Helen Cowley Lisa Domagala Dr Sara Gollschewski Helen Gough John Graham & Craig Syphers Alexandra Grove & Peter Dawson Catherine & Nanda Gulhane Sophia Hall Herbert Smith Freehills Prof Lawrence Hirst & Mrs Jill Osborne Kevin & Joanne Holyoak Marc James Tempe Keune Karen & Peter Lane Fred & Margaret Leditschke Lee Lewis & Brett Boardman
John & Janice Logan Marina Marangos In memory of Jann McCabe Bill McCarthy Glenn McIlroy John & Julienne McKenna Mark Menhinnitt Andrea Moor Naomi Murphy R & B Murray Kartini Oei Shay O'Hara-Smith Kim Parascos Jill Paterson Joanna Peters Katharine Philp G. Pincus George & Jan Psaltis Catherine Quinn
Angela Ramsay Tim & Kym Reid John Richardson & Kirsty Taylor William Rivers Crispin Scott Dr Josephine Sundin Courtney Talbot Nick & Barbara Tate Damien Thomson & Glenise C. Berry Cornelia Van Zyl & Ian Reid Richard Whittington OAM Peter G Williams Margaret Williams Dr Catherine Yelland Ian Yeo & Sylvia Alexander Tony & Linda Young
Benefactors Roslyn Atkinson AO & Richard Fotheringham AM Christopher & Margot Blue Sue Brown & Lisa Worner Michael & Anne-Maree Byrne Collaborators 2 Anonymous Tracey Barker Andrew & Trudi Bofinger Phillip Carruthers & Sharni Cockburn Communication, Speech & Performance Teachers Inc. Rachel Crowley
PCF
Patrons 4 Anonymous Anne & Peter Allen J M Alroe Noela Bartlett Jennifer Batts Virginia Bishop Robert Bond Sarah Bradley Julian Buckley Rodd & Wendy Chignell Bob Cleland Zoë Connolly Fabienne Cooke Sheryl Cornack Kerry & Greg Cowderoy
22
PCF
PCF
PCF
PCF
LANDMARK PRODUCTIONS FUND SUPPORTING CAST 4 Anonymous Geoffrey Beames Leela Bishop bowtie man Harvey Cooper-Preston The Hon Justice Sarah Derrington Dr Genevieve Dingle Michael Farrington Sharyn Ghidella Louise M Gourlay AM Daryl & Trish Hanly Jodie Hoff Michael & Karlie Keating Barbara Lloyd Ranjeny & John Loneragan
Paul MacMahon Georgia Miles Philip & Fran Morrison Jim Murphy PSM Darryl Nisbet Denise O'Boyle Diane & Robert Parcell Lynette Parsons Don & Isobel Perry-Keene Leona Romaniuk Jodie Siganto John Smithwick Jacqui Walters John White & Judith Hoey Kevin Vedelago & Karen Renton
TRUST AND FOUNDATION PARTNERS Australian Communities Foundation - Davie Family Fund Australian Communities Foundation - Keith & Jeannette Ince Fund Copyright Agency Cultural Fund Tim Fairfax Family Foundation William Angliss (Queensland) Charitable Fund BEQUESTORS Realised Bequests Peggy Given
Notified Bequests 1 Anonymous
Thank you to the Visionaries who generously support our Landmark Productions Fund, cementing Queensland Theatre as a national leader in the development and staging of productions of significant scale.
Tim Fairfax AC & Gina Fairfax Liz Pidgeon & Graeme Wikman Ian & Cass George Elizabeth Jameson AM & Abbe Anderson Bruce & Sue Shepherd The Mather Foundation Trevor St. Baker AO & Judith St. Baker 2 Anonymous
Acknowledging Visionaries who individually support special Queensland Theatre funds: Landmark Productions Fund PCF
Play Commissioning Fund
Annual donations over $500 are acknowledged in play programs for 12 months from the date of donation. Current as at October 2021
Together we are making our ambitions a reality For more information about our giving programs, please contact Zoë Connolly, Director of Development, on 07 3010 7602 or zconnolly@queenslandtheatre.com.au
You before profits
Banking and loan products issued by Members Banking Group Limited ABN 83 087 651 054 AFSL/Australian credit licence 241195 trading as RACQ Bank.
QUEENSLAND THEATRE PARTNERS Principal Partner
Production Partners
Trust and Foundation Partners
Company Partners
Season Partners
Government Partners
Information correct as at October 2021
Program Partner
PATRON His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC, Governor of Queensland
FINANCE AND OPERATIONS
PROGRAMMING
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Christopher Blow
DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING Rod Ainsworth
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD Elizabeth Jameson AM (Chair) Rachel Crowley (Deputy Chair) Tracey Barker Mundanara Bayles Simon Gallaher Dean Gibson Susan Learmonth Dr Andrea Moor David Williamson AO
ASSISTANT ACCOUNTANT Georgia Knight
CASTING MANAGER Samantha French
FINANCE OFFICER Sarra Lamb
PRODUCER, NEW WORK Shari Irwin
FACILITIES AND OPERATIONS MANAGER Shaun Kelly
ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATOR Zena O’Shannessy
VENUE AND BAR MANAGER Kimberley Mogg
MARKETING AND TICKETING INDIGENOUS REFERENCE GROUP DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Judge Nathan Jarro (Chair), Laura Oliver Mundanara Bayles, Dr Valerie Cooms, SENIOR MARKETING COORDINATOR Isaac Drandic, Dean Gibson, Michael Tuahine Maneka Singh ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MARKETING COORDINATOR Lee Lewis (DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Amanda Jolly EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Pete Sutherland
Cinnamon Smith
HUMAN RESOURCES AND GOVERNANCE MANAGER Donna Maher
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sarah Gannon
ARTISTIC
MARKETING ASSISTANT (DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT) Thomas Manton–Williams
DATABASE SUPERVISOR Jeffrey Guiborat
ASSOCIATE ARTIST Isaac Drandic
TICKETING SUPERVISOR
ASSOCIATE ARTIST Daniel Evans
TICKETING OFFICER Rosie Hazell
DESIGN DIRECTOR Renée Mulder
SEASON TICKETING Myk Brown, Natasha Donaghy, Erin Hazell, Ngaire Lock, Alicia Poulter, Dan Sinclair
LITERARY ADVISOR Dr Julian Meyrick DEVELOPMENT
Madison Bell
PRODUCTION
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Zoë Connolly
DIRECTOR, TECHNICAL AND PRODUCTION Toni Glynn
CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER Merryn Csincsi
TECHNICAL MANAGER Daniel Maddison
PHILANTHROPY COORDINATOR Georgia Lynas
TECHNICAL COORDINATOR Lachlan Cross
DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR Jade Rodrigo
HEAD OF WORKSHOP Peter Sands COMPANY CARPENTER / HEAD MECHANIST John Pierce COSTUME SUPERVISOR Nathalie Ryner WARDROBE COORDINATOR Barbara Kerr CARPENTRY APPRENTICE Kane Ernst
EDUCATION, YOUTH AND REGIONAL ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR, EDUCATION, YOUTH AND REGIONAL ENGAGEMENT (ACTING) Emma Funnell ASSOCIATE ARTIST Steve Pirie PROJECT OFFICER Alana Dunn FOUNDING DIRECTOR AIan Edwards, AM, MBE (1925–2003) QUEENSLAND THEATRE PRODUCTION STAFF SET BUILD Aleksis Waaralinna COSTUME CUTTERS/MAKERS Kiara Bulley, Arnavaz Lindsey ART FINISHING Olga Dumova COSTUME MAKERS Joash Teo, Shannon Tonkin
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS COVER PHOTO Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion, 119169, courtesy Australian War Memorial. REHEARSAL PHOTOGRAPHY Stephen Henry The following people contributed to the creative development of this work: Jimi Bani, Kevin Hides, Jason Klarwein, Benjin Maza, Sarah Ogden, Bryan Probets, Luisa Prosser, Kevin Spink (2019). Special thanks to Emily Burton, Jon Niehaus, Eben Love and Sil Van Rinjsoever. Information correct at time of printing
ONLINE
CIAF Fashion Performance 2O21: Of Spirit & Story, Ebony Doyle by Jack Wilkie-Jans
Top: Kiju, 2O21, Lila Creek, Bana Yirriji Art & Cultural Centre Coral Trout, 2O21, Kim Norman, Pormpuraaw Art & Culture Centre
AUSTRALIA’S PREMIER INDIGENOUS O N L I N E A RT FA I R SACRED An artistic response to Queensland’s sacred sites and significant places.
1O – 19 November 2O21 For ticketed events, check out Ciaf.com.au 2O21.ciaf.com.au Artworks available online at shop.ciaf.com.au
This project is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland’s Backing Indigenous Arts initiative, which aims to build a stronger, more sustainable and ethical Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts industry in the State.
Cairns Indigenous Art Fair Limited is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, It’s arts funding and advisory body.
Supported through the Australian Government’s Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support Program and the Indigenous Contemporary Music Program
QUEENSLAND THEATRE 2022 Experience the excitement of live theatre with a Season Ticket package
8 PLAYS Save up to 28%*
6 PLAYS Save up to 19%*
5 PLAYS Save up to 17%*
3 PLAYS Save up to 13%*
Access the best seats | Flexible exchanges | Discounts for 35 & Under
BOOK NOW
QUEENSLANDTHEATRE.COM.AU 1800 355 528 *Off single ticket prices