Stories Like These and Griffin Independent present the world premiere of
MUSIC BY JANE BODIE
Stories Like These and Griffin Independent present the world premiere of
MUSIC BY JANE BODIE CAST
Adam Gavin Sarah Tom
CREATIVE TEAM
Director Producers Designer Lighting Designers Sound Designer & Composer Stage Manager Design Assistant Production Photography
Anthony Gee Tom Stokes Kate Skinner Sam O’Sullivan
Corey McMahon Peter Gahan & Luke Rogers Pip Runciman Verity Hampson Benjamin Brockman Nate Edmondson Angharad Lindley Rachel Murray Blueprint Studios
This performance runs for approximately 100 minutes with no interval Music had its world premiere at the SBW Stables Theatre as part of Griffin Independent on Friday 4 April 2014
Griffin acknowledges the generosity of the Seaborn, Broughton and Walford Foundation in allowing it the use of the SBW Stables Theatre rent free, less outgoings, since 1986.
STORIES LIKE THESE Stories Like These is dedicated to creating imaginative, challenging and compelling theatre with a commitment to the development of Australian artists and voices. We collaborate with both emerging and established professional artists to create works that engage, provoke and inspire our audiences, with an emphasis on new Australian works and the best international playwriting. Since forming in 2008, we are building an impressive record of independent performance with work ranging from new Australian plays, contemporary international drama, an offBroadway musical and solo performances, working with companies such as Griffin Theatre Company, ATYP, Tamarama Rock Surfers, Seymour Centre and Midsumma Festival. Stories Like These received a nomination at the 2011 Sydney Theatre Awards for Best Production of a Musical (The Last Five Years).
Photo by Blueprint Studios
writer’s NOTE I’ve often been disturbed by how mental illness is portrayed in drama, used to explain unbelievable changes in character, or acts of violence (when I suspect, making the character mad, was a way of not explaining) or simply portrayed with little understanding of its contradictions and complexities. Writing Music I wanted to explore people’s perceptions of mental illness, how often complex symptoms are misunderstood, along with the fragility and hardship of those managing it, the fine line between being well and ill. I also wanted to expose how sometimes we exploit fragility and glamourize obsession, for the sake of art. I chose to write the story of two actors colliding with a mentally ill character, thinking they are helping him to be ‘normal.’ As the sister of someone who has suffered mental illness for years, I felt a sense of urgent responsibility to convey the subject with respect and authenticity. My conversations with Corey about the play, about the need for it to be approached with an equal measure of wonder and truth, assured me he had the right level of integrity to do the play the justice I wanted for it. Watching the beautiful cast unpick it, interrogate the relationships and breathe slow life into it, daily, felt right and honourable. My brother was my hero for most of my childhood. As an unfeasibly good looking, cool teenager, he began to suffer from a mental illness, tragically pulling the family apart and then bringing us back together. Whilst it’s as important to me not to exploit his, or any illness in the writing of Music, I’d like to hope I’ve authentically dramatized many of the negative symptoms of a mental illness, the moments that arise out of a common misunderstanding of what it means to suffer from it. The play is not about my brother, or a commentary on a specific illness, but is a story that is as much about acting, and art, as it is about madness. My brother is one of the wisest people I know, one of the bravest, and funniest, and though he’s currently much better, he has suffered. So each word of this play was written with a huge respect for that suffering, courage and for the rare moments of light, through understanding. I’d think my brother would be proud of what the play says about a subject he knows more about than most, for the attempt at an illumination. I also hope that the play might enable us to understand mental illness and its sufferers, with more compassion. I know my brother would like the jokes in Music, but more importantly, he’d bloody love the soundtrack.
- Jane Bodie
CAST ANTHONY GEE Adam Theatre: EMPIRE: Terror On The High Seas (Tamarama Rock Surfers), The Boys (Griffin Theatre Company), ROPE (Tamarama Rock Surfers), The Distance From Here (Griffin Independent), Strangers In-Between (Griffin Theatre Company), Capture The Flag (Tamarama Rock Surfers). TV: Crownies, Underbelly: Razor, Packed To The Rafters, Rescue: Special Ops, The Strip, All Saints, Home & Away. Film: Around The Block, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Training: NIDA.
TOM STOKES Gavin Theatre: The Pigeons (Griffin Independent), Pygmallion (Sydney Theatre Company), The Glass Menagerie (Ensemble), I Want to Sleep With Tom Stoppard (Tamarama Rock Surfers), Capture the Flag (Tamarama Rock Surfers with Critical Stages), Shakespeare’s R&J (Paramatta Riverside), Don’t Look Back (Perth International Arts Festival), Julius Caesar (Cry Havoc). Feature Film: The Railway Man, Wasted on the Young. Short Film: Photocopier, Hunger, Let it Rain. Training: WAAPA (West Australian Academy of Performing Arts) Acting. Other: Tom performed as a regular member of Perth’s improvised comedy club, The Big Hoo-Ha, between 2007-2009.
KATE SKINNER Sarah Kate Skinner is a proud graduate of Theatre Nepean. Her theatre credits span both Sydney and London and include: From Door to Door (Moira Blumenthal Productions), The Great Lie of the Western World (Cathode Ray Tube), Drake the Amazing (Darlinghurst Theatre Company/ Michaela Kalowski Productions), Moll Flanders (Southwark Playhouse, London), Getting Out (Giant Olive, London), Play House (NIDA), Slutterati (Michael Gottsche/Sydney Fringe), Medea and Atomograd (New Theatre), Friday Night Drinks and Dole Diary (Bareskin Productions) and Click Tease (Adelaide Fringe Festival). Kate has also appeared in a number of film and TV projects including Home & Away, Team 11 (Pilot), Harbord Horror (Torrid Films) and the soon to be completed The Trophy Thief (Arterial Motives). She is currently in post-production for her first short documentary film after being awarded the Metroscreen Jumpstart Grant. Kate is really excited to be doing her first show at Griffin and with Stories Like These.
SAM O’SULLIVAN Tom Stage: Hilt (Mirror Mirror / Old 505 Theatre), The Removalists (Tamarama Rock Surfers), Play House (NIDA Directors Tour), Postnuptials (AnotherBrightIdea), A Steady Rain (Cathode Ray Tube), Punk Rock (Pantsguys), Shakespeare on Trial (Australia Youth Workshop), Sprout (Tamarama Rock Surfers), Just for Laughs Comedy Gala (Sydney Opera House), Capture the Flag (Critical Stages), Men Without Shadows (Hobo Collective), Lord of the Flies, The Hypochondriac, The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other, Threepenny Opera, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (NIDA), The Buzz (Barking Gecko). Television: Wonderland (Fremantle Media), Packed to the Rafters (Seven Network), Fast Tracks (Barron Entertainment). Short Film: Dash, Backpack, Zombie Case Study (SOS), Little Love (ATYP), Simpleton (VM Productions), The Belfast Boys (Tropfest). Training: NIDA; Awards: Sydney Theatre Award Nomination – Best Actor in an Independent Production, Punk Rock.
CREATIVE TEAM JANE BODIE Playwright Jane Bodie is a playwright, screenwriter, mentor and director. Jane’s plays include Music (Griffin 2014) This Years Ashes (Red Stitch 2014/Griffin 2011) Us (Hampstead Theatre UK) Hallelujah (Theatre 503 UK) Out Of Me (Soho Theatre UK) Ride (Belvoir Company B, 59E59 New York) A Single Act (winner of The Victorian Premiers Literary Award 2007 – MTC/Hampstead Theatre UK) Still, Hilt and Fourplay (Trades Hall, Old 505 Theatre, Tamarama Rock Surfers and Edinburgh Fringe.) Jane was short-listed for The Ewa Czajor Memorial Award for her work as a director, nominated for the Patrick White Playwrights’ Award and won a Green Room Award for Outstanding Writing in 2003 for Still. Jane worked at the Royal Court Theatre with the Young Writers Programme and was one of the writers chosen for attachment at The National Theatre in the UK in 2005. Jane has written extensively for TV and radio, including several plays for Radio National and Radio 4 in the UK. Her writing for TV includes The Secret Life of Us, Tashi, Crash/Burn, No Angels and Moving Wallpaper. She is currently working on a screenplay for Altered Image in the UK, as dramaturg on a project with Performance4a and adapting her play This Years Ashes for screen for Screen Australia. Jane also works as a playwright teacher and dramaturg. She was Head of Playwriting at NIDA from 2010 – 2012, Associate Artist at Griffin Theatre Company in 2013, and is currently the Artistic Associate at Playwriting Australia.
COREY McMAHON Director Corey McMahon is a director, producer and dramaturg based in Sydney. He trained as both an actor and director at Flinders University Drama Centre, graduating with a Master of Creative Arts in 2007. In 2008 he formed the award-winning theatre ensemble five.point.one and was Artistic Director until 2011. For five.point.one Corey directed Osama the Hero by Dennis Kelly, The Under Room by Edward Bond, The Share by Daniel Keene, The Eisteddfod by Lally Katz and That Face by Polly Stenham. In 2012 Corey directed a remount of his award-winning production of The Share at the Seymour Centre. In 2013 he was dramaturg and director of the critically acclaimed world premiere of Rust and Bone by Caleb Lewis (2011 National Play Festival and 2013 Griffin Independent). Other new writing projects include dramaturg on The Real World by Melissa Reeves (2011 National Play Festival), and director and dramaturg on Little Borders by Phillip Kavanagh. Little Borders won the 2011 Patrick White Award. In 2009 he directed Something Big by Anna Barnes for the National Script Workshop and was director and dramaturg on the stage one development of This Place by Nina Pearce, which went on to win the 2010 Jill Blewett Playwrights’ Award. Corey has also worked as resident assistant director for UK new writing companies Paines Plough and The Bush Theatre. In 2009 he was awarded ‘Emerging Artist of the Year’ by the Adelaide Critics’ Circle and in 2010 his production of The Share by Daniel Keene won ‘Best Drama (Professional)’ at the Adelaide Theatre Guide Awards. Later this year he will direct the Adelaide premiere of Between Two Waves by Ian Meadows for the State Theatre Company of South Australia.
PETER GAHAN Producer - Stories Like These Peter Gahan is the Producer of Stories Like These, producing Fireface (ATYP), Rust and Bone, Tattoo (Griffin Independent), The Last Five Years, My Private Parts (Seymour Centre), The Carnivores, Sydney Ghost Stories (Tamarama Rock Surfers) and Confessions of a Grindr Addict (Revolt, Melbourne). Peter produced The Share (with five.point.one) for the Seymour Centre’s Reginald Season and was part of the Critical Stages Independent Producer Residency for 2012. Peter is the Operations and Production Manager for Monkey Baa Theatre Company and a Stage Manager for the Sydney Opera House. Peter has worked with artists such as Human Nature, Nigel Kennedy, Roberta Flack, Air Supply, James Morrison, Dianne Reeves, John Williams, Laurie Anderson, Todd McKenney, Rhonda Burchmore, David Hobson, George Benson, Emma Pask, The Beach Boys, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Kenny Rogers, Tim Minchin, The Cure and Oprah Winfrey. Other Stage Management credits include Symphony in the Domain 2008-2010, Sydney Festival First Night 2010 (Sydney Festival), New Mardi Gras 2009 Mardi Gras Party (Fox Studios), Colder (Griffin Independent), Titanic and Naomi in the Living Room (Newtown Theatre), Timon of Athens (Shakespeare Globe Centre Australia), Art Is A Weapon and The Man From Mukinupin (New Theatre). Assistant Stage Management credits include Tiger Country (Griffin Theatre Company), Traitors (New Theatre) and Sydney Festival 2009. Production Management credits include Vernon God Little, Waiting For Godot, Don Juan in Soho, The Carnivores, The Crucible, Hamlet (New Theatre) and Stories From The 428 (Sidetrack Theatre).
LUKE ROGERS Artistic Director - Stories Like These Luke Rogers is a graduate in Directing from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and Theatre Nepean (Acting). He is the Artistic Director of Stories Like These and a resident Studio Artist with Griffin Theatre Company. Luke’s directing credits include Fireface, The Last Five Years, The Carnivores (Stories Like These), Play House (NIDA), The Pillowman, Waiting For Godot, Don Juan in Soho, Art is a Weapon, After The End and Blasted (New Theatre), Shoot / Get Treasure / Repeat (ACTT), Embers (AIM Dramatic Arts), 4.48 Psychosis, Eyes To The Floor (Sydney Theatre School). Assistant Directing credits include Eight Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography, The Boys (Griffin Theatre Company), Story of the Red Mountains (NIDA), Steel Magnolias (Blackbird Productions / Australian Tour), Assassins and The Crucible (New Theatre). Luke was previously the Theatre Manager of New Theatre and the creator and Artistic Director of The Spare Room. He has worked as a script assessor for Playwriting Australia and teaches at various drama schools.
PIP RUNCIMAN Designer Pip Runciman’s theatre credits include Vere (Sydney Theatre Company and The State Theatre Company of South Australia), Ruby Moon, Actor on a Box Aesop’s Fables, Our Town & Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Sydney Theatre Company), Baghdad Wedding (Belvoir St Theatre - costume), Jump for Jordan (Griffin), Comedy of Errors (Bell Shakespeare and The State Theatre Company of South Australia), Just Macbeth (Bell Shakespeare), Romeo and Juliet, Attempts on Her Life (State Theatre Company of South Australia), Best We Forget (Isthisyours Productions for Brisbane Festival), King Arthur (Sydney Conservatorium of Music), Tender (B Sharp, Griffin), Disco Pigs (B Sharp) Cubbyhouse, The Naked MC (Old Fitzroy Theatre), Tiny Dynamite (Griffin Stablemates) The Sista She Scratch Night, Inna Thigh; The Sista She Story (Sydney Opera House Studio), The Barber of Seville, Cosi Fan Tutti, costumes for Hansel and Gretel (Pacific Opera) and Debbie Does Dallas the Musical. Previous Event Design work includes Event Designer for the City of Sydney New Years Eve Celebrations 2007, 2008 and 2009. Designer for the Sydney Opera House Studio Late Night Lounge 2010; Sydney Opera House Studio Mardi Gras Festival 2009; Design Team 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games Opening and Closing Ceremony, Design Assistant & Costume Designer 2003 Rugby World Cup Opening Ceremonies and Associate Designer on Priscilla Queen of the Desert - the Musical in Milan and Sao Paulo. Our Town was nominated for ‘Best Stage Design’ at the 2010 Sydney Theatre Awards. Just Macbeth was nominated ‘Best Production for Children’ at the 2008 Sydney Theatre Awards and nominated for ‘Best Presentation for Children’ at the 2009 Helpmann Awards. Attempts on Her Life was nominated ‘Best Drama’ at the 2009 Adelaide Theatre Guild Awards and her design for Sydney New Years Eve 2009 was nominated for ‘Best Achievement in Design’ at the 2010 Australian Event Awards.
VERITY HAMPSON Lighting Designer Verity Hampson is a NIDA graduate with over 10 years experience as a lighting and projection designer. Verity has designed for over 70 theatre productions working with some of Australia’s most talented directors and choreographers including Sam Strong, Lee Lewis, Julian Meyrick and Meryl Tankyard. For television Verity has been a lighting director for the ABC’s Live at the Basement. Verity was awarded the Mike Walsh Fellowship in 2012 which took her to Broadway to work with projection designers 59 Productions. Verity was also the winner of the 2013 Sydney Theatre Award for the best mainstage lighting design for her work on Machinal at the Sydney Theatre Company. You can find out more about Verity and her past work by visiting verityhampson.com.
BENJAMIN BROCKMAN Lighting Designer After graduating NIDA in 2011 with a bachelor of Dramatic Arts Production, as an immersive and creative designer Ben has passionately pursued a career in Lighting and Production Design. Ben is also a current Resident Lighting and Production Designer of the Brevity Theatre Company (Sydney) and Sly Rat Theatre Company (Melbourne). Ben’s lighting design credits include Becket (Sydney Grammar), Seussical the Musical (ASCHAM), Doomsday Devices (Sly Rat Theatre / Revolt Theatre), Fully Comitted (Brevity Theatre Co. / Old Fitzroy Theatre), Wittenberg (Brevity Theatre Co. / Old Fitzroy Theatre), Aftershocks, Embers (AIM), Embers (Ladies Pymble’s College), The Importance of Being Ernest (Burley Theatre), The Light Box (Fat Boy Dancing), Beautiful Thing (Mardi Gras / Burley Theatre Company), Tinderbox (Darlinghurst Theatre), Phantom Toll Booth (Sydney Grammar), Spamalot the Musical (Sydney Grammar), NIDA Sex Wars Tour (NIDA), Frenzy for Two, The Collection, Push Up, Richard III (NIDA), Labyrith (NIDA), Trolly Boys (Tamarama Rock Surfers), Urinetown the Musical (Elizabeth College), Fever (Elizabeth College), The Golden Age (Elizabeth College). Ben’s production design credits include Doomsday Devices (Revolt Theatre), Wittenberg (Old Fitzroy Theatre), Macbeth (Sydney Grammar), Phantom Toll Booth (Sydney Grammar), The Golden Age (Elizabeth College).
NATE EDMONDSON Composer / Sound Designer For Stories Like These: Fireface (ATYP), Rust and Bone (Griffin Independent). For Sydney Theatre Company: Romeo And Juliet. For Force Majeure / Sydney Theatre Company: Never Did Me Any Harm (Assistant Sound Designer). For Belvoir Theatre: Angels In America: Part 1 & 2 (Assistant Sound Designer), This Heaven. For Bell Shakespeare: The Winter’s Tale. For Griffin Theatre Company: Jump For Jordan, The Floating World (Assistant Sound Designer), This Year’s Ashes. For Malthouse Theatre: Salomé, Lord Of The Flies. For Darlinghurst Theatre: All My Sons, Torch Song Trilogy, The Greening Of Grace, The Seafarer, The Paris Letter, The Coming World. For ATYP: The Hiding Place. For New Theatre: The Temperamentals, Julius Caesar. For Glen Street Theatre / Les Currie Presentations: Every Single Saturday. For Tamarama Rock Surfers: Lenny Bruce: 13 Daze UnDug In Sydney, Psycho Beach Party, Fallout, Wrecking, The Highway Crossing, Lyrebird, Pictures Of Bright Lights, Flightfall. For We Do Not Unhappen / Fat Boy Dancing: The Light Box. For Little Ones Theatre: Two By Two. For Wildie Creative Enterprises: Today We’re Alive. For Red Rabbit Theatre: Fefu And Her Friends. For AIM: Hell Hath No Fury. For Kambala School: Living With Lady Macbeth, If Only The Lonely Were Home. For NIDA Open Program: Alice In Wonderland. For NIDA: NIDA Gala (2010 & 2012). Short Film Work: The Light Box, Pretty, Gibney’s Island, Kaleidoscope. Training: NIDA Production Course.
Angharad Lindley Stage Manager Angharad Lindley graduated with Distinction from the University of Wollongong (UOW) after completing a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Performance) and was the recipient of the Creative Arts Faculty Production Prize in both 2011 & 2012. Her Stage Management credits for UOW FCA include This Old Man Comes Rolling Home, Animals in Paradise, Shoot/Get Treasure/Repeat & Loveplay. In 2011 she was Assistant Stage Manager on Merrigong Theatre Company’s production of The Dapto Chaser. In 2012 she completed a stage-management secondment with the Sydney Theatre Company on their production of Face to Face. Her past stage management credits include: Lucy Black & The Political Hearts of Children (subtlenuance), Savage in Limbo (Workhorse Theatre Company), Opera at the Forum (Pacific Opera), Dirty Blonde (Garnet Productions), A Butcher of Distinction (we do not unhappen), The Light Box (Fat Boy Dancing) and A Feat Incomplete at the Old 505 Theatre. Angharad’s most recent credit includes Assistant Stage Manager for Simon Stone’s Hamlet at Belvoir. Her next project will also be ASM for Belvoir’s Hedda Gabler later this year. Angharad is ecstatic to be working with Stories Like These again after previously stage-managing Rust and Bone and Fireface.
RACHEL MURRAY Design Assistant Rachel Murray is a Sydney based artist / production designer and COFA graduate. She has exhibited her artworks in Sydney and Melbourne since 2004 and her film design credits include Super Awesome, A Change of Heart, Silverfish, In Transit and Night of The Creeps. This is her first time working at Griffin Theatre Company.
SPECIAL THANKS TO Raw Anthony Nader ATYP Belvoir Workshop Blueprint Studios Monkey Baa Theatre Company The Roast TV Sydney Theatre Company Griffin Theatre Company Sam Barr
Elizabeth Blackmore Jane Bodie Tom Brickhill Aedon Bunt Georgia Hopkins Sylvia Jaghtman Phillip Kavanagh Kate Monger Xanon Murphy
Tym Norman Tim Roseman Jaine Saunders Sam Strong
StoriesLikeThese @storieslikethes @storieslikethese user/storieslikethese
PO Box 712 Darlinghurst NSW 1300
www.storieslikethese.com