ATYP Sugarland 2014 program

In 2011, ATYP began a series of residencies in the town of Katherine in the Northern Territory.

Over the following two years, playwrights Rachael Coopes and Wayne Blair spent two months in this unique place. The aim was to create a story that would allow people around the country to gain a personal understanding of what life is like growing up in remote Australia. The result is an extraordinary new play.

Sugarland was presented to the community of Katherine before opening at Darwin Festival.

27.08.14– 13.09.14

SUG– AR– LAND Presented by ATYP

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Writers Rachael Coopes with Wayne Blair Directors Fraser Corfield David Page

DIRE CTORS’ NOTE

Sugarland touches on profound current themes like the safety of our children and the identity of regional communities in modern Australia.

But ultimately, it’s about finding the universal truths that unite us, whatever your background, whatever your problems. In directing this extraordinary new play we’ve sought to find those things that we can all relate to, those things that we all understand or are confronted by, whatever your world view. Both of us feel that Sugarland asks some important questions about the country we live in.

It’s not about blame. It’s not about talking about one group of people separate to another. It’s about recognising some Australian teenagers have to negotiate problems that are as big, as real and as confronting as anything in the adult world. And they face it with humour, with love and with extraordinary resilience. That’s what we love about this play.

Because through that resilience, there is hope.

Fraser Corfield and David Page

We would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora nation who are the traditional custodians of this land. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders past and present, and extend that respect to other Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people present.

Duration 80 minutes No interval

Writers Rachael Coopes with Wayne Blair

Cast Narek Arman Rachael Coopes Michael Cameron Elena Foreman Hunter Page-Lochard Dubs Yunupingu

Set Designer Jacob Nash Sound Designer Guy Webster Costume Designer Ruby Langton-Batty Lighting Designer Juz McGuire Stage Manager Caitlin Chatfield

DIRE CTOR’S BIO

DIRE CTOR’S BIO

It’s been funny explaining the process of codirecting to people.

There have been more than a few questions about how two blokes with very strong opinions about the world could work together on a show.

But for a play like Sugarland, it was an obvious creative choice. It is about the meeting of different worlds, of different ideas.

CAST AND CREW

Directors Fraser Corfield David Page

David Page

Fraser Corfield

David is a descendant of the Nunkul people and the Munaldjali clan of the Yugambeh tribe from South East Queensland.

Fraser is the Artistic Director of Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP). He has been the Artistic Director of Backbone Youth Arts (Qld, 2005-08) and Riverland Youth Theatre (SA, 2001-03) and the Associate Director of La Boite Theatre (1997-2000). He has staged work in partnership with many of the country’s flagship companies and festivals.

David studied saxophone, voice, composition and song at the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM) at Adelaide University. In 2000, David in collaboration with Steve Francis, contributed music to the Opening Ceremonies of the Sydney Olympic Games, the Sydney Olympic Arts Festival and, in 2002, the Sydney Dreaming Festival. David has numerous television credits including music for Heartland, Pride (part of the Seven Deadly Sins series) and Poison for the ABC, and themes for Songlines, Living Black and Pioneers of Love for SBS. David has composed music for Bangarra’s major works: Praying Mantis Dreaming (1992), Ochres (1995), Ninni (1996), Fish (1997), Skin (2000), Corroboree (2001), Bush (2003), Unaipon/Clan (2004), Boomerang (2005), X300 (2007) and Mathinna (2008). David has continued working closely with Bangarra in his role as Resident Composer creating the score for Stephen Page’s work Warumuk - in the dark night as a part of the Australian Ballet’s 50th Anniversary celebrations in 2012 and Frances Rings work Terrain that same year.

In 2014 David performs in the QTC and Sydney Festival production, Black Diggers and composed the soundscape for Bangarra’s new work Patyegarang choreographed by Stephen Page.

As an Artistic Director, Fraser has been a passionate advocate for new work, commissioning and producing over thirty new plays and productions. Highlights include M.Rock (ATYP/STC), Sugarland (ATYP), The Tender Age (ATYP/version 1.0, presented at Carriageworks and Sydney Opera House), Australia’s first major opera composed for young people Dirty Apple (Backbone Youth Arts/Opera Queensland/Queensland Music Festival), the new Australian musical Paradise (Backbone Youth Arts, published by Playlab Press), and AWGIE award winning plays Grounded by Alana Valentine (2013 ATYP/Tantrum Theatre) and I Said a Word by Stephen House (2002 Riverland Youth Theatre).

Over the past twenty years Fraser has directed productions for professional, independent and youth theatre companies around Australia.

For ATYP he has directed M.Rock, Spur of the Moment, Max Remy Super Spy, Ishmael and the Return of the Dugongs, The Tender Age (co-directed with David Williams), Desiree Dinn and the Red Forest, Rio Saki and Other Falling Debris, and The Laramie Project.

Australian Theatre for Young People Staff Artistic Director Fraser Corfield General Manager Aaron Beach Finance Manager Kate di Mattina Development Manager Andrew Deane Marketing Manager Amy Maiden Workshop Manager Sarah Parsons Production Manager Juz McGuire Education Manager Adèle Jeffreys Education Co-ordinator Lisa Mumford Writing Co-ordinator Jennifer Medway Administration Co-ordinators Elise Barton Alice Hatton Archivist Judith Seeff Publicist Kar Chalmers

Foundation Committee Angela Bown SC (Chair) Antoinette Albert Michael Ihlein Carolyn Fletcher Rob Rich Olev Rahn Board of Directors Michael Ihlein (Chair) Fraser Corfield Claire Duffy Nancy Fox Alexandra Holcomb Janine Lapworth Nick Marchand Cathy Robinson Edward Simpson Simon Webb Natasa Zunic

Address: The Wharf, Pier 4/5 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay NSW 2000 Telephone: 02 9270 2400 Email: atyp@atyp.com.au Website: atyp.com.au

WRI TER’S NOTE

When Wayne Blair invited me to be part of this incredible project, I could never have anticipated how extraordinary it would be.

Our first drive together from Darwin to Katherine was the beginning of a long journey of discovery through the heart of the NT. ATYP’s support across every aspect of it - delivering workshops to the kids, talking to them on camera about their lives, and writing a story based on our discoveries up there - is a rare and valuable thing. I have completely fallen in love with the Top End and its people. The relationships formed and the discoveries made personally and professionally have been profound, and I am eternally grateful to each and every one of them.

I hope we have, in some way, done justice in reflecting what it’s like to be a young person living in that part of Australia, and at the same time explored what is universal about ‘young’. What it means to be part of this fragmented, diverse, rich tapestry that is our country. All rivers. One river. How are we going to fix it? How are we going to fix Country?

Rachael Coopes.

CREATIVES Wayne Blair / Writer Wayne Blair is a writer for television, film and the theatre.

He has recently directed a feature film, Septembers of Shiraz, starring Adrien Brody and Salma Hayek. His first feature film, The Sapphires, had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012, and won eleven AACTA Awards. Theatre directing credits include The Removalists, The 7 Stages of Grieving and Romeo and Juliet (Sydney Theatre Company), Dirty Butterfly, Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train and Ruben Guthrie (Belvoir), and Unspoken (The Old Fitz), and he wrote and directed a stage adaptation of

Njunjul the Sun (Kooemba Djarra Theatre). Wayne wrote Bloodland which was produced by STC. Wayne has written and/or directed television including Redfern Now, The Circuit (winner of an Australian Writers’ Guild Award), The Gods of Wheat Street, My Place, The Elegant Gentleman’s Guide to Knifefighting, Double Trouble, and Lockie Leonard.

Jacob Nash / Set Designer Jacob is a Murri man who grew up in Brisbane.

He graduated from the NIDA Design Course in 2005, and was appointed artist-in-residence at

CA ST Rachael Coopes / Writer / Penny Rachael was awarded the Ian Potter Cultural Trust and Marten Bequest Scholarship, and studied in Paris with Philippe Gaulier. Her play Art House was produced at The Old Red Lion in London, and the Edinburgh Fringe 2009, The University of Washington 2010, and the Idly Bent Theatre Company, Washington 2013. Other writing credits include: SBS’s Life Support, Save Draft at Short+Sweet, Two Women

(Griff-fringe, Griffin), I’m Not Sure I’m an Adult Yet and A Moment in Time. Rachael’s television acting work includes Playschool, Dance Academy, Balls of Steel, The Politically Incorrect Parenting Show, McLeod’s Daughters, Life Support, All Saints, The Secret Life of Us, White Collar Blue, Dog’s Head Bay. Film work: The Ghost, Billy’s Holiday (Director: Richard Wherrett) and Sirens (Director: John Duigan). Theatre work: Nothing Personal (Ensemble), The God Committee (Ensemble), The Sugar House (Public read-Belvoir), Stoning Mary (Griffin, Director: Lee Lewis) and The Decameron (Old Fitzroy).

Bangarra Dance Theatre in 2011.

Theatre credits for Bangarra include of earth & sky, winning a Greenroom Award for Best Design in Dance, the set for the season of Belong featuring About by Elma Kris and ID by Stephen Page, for which he received a Green Room Award nomination, set design for Stephen Page’s work, Warumuk – In the Dark Night for Bangarra and Australian Ballet, the set for Frances Rings’ work, Terrain, for productions Blak and Dance Clan 3, and set design for Stephen Page’s new work Patyegarang. Jacob’s other theatre credits include The Lonesome West, Ruben Guthrie and Jesus Hopped the A Train (BSharp); Yibiyung and Ruben Guthrie (Belvoir St Theatre); Tusk Tusk (Sydney Theatre Company and ATYP), and Romeo and Juliet (Sydney Theatre Company – Education); Rainbow’s End (Riverside Theatres, Parramatta); Into: Belonging (Sydney Festival/ Riverside Theatres, Parramatta).

Jacob worked in the costume department on Baz Luhrmann’s Australia, and in 2006, wrote and directed Blood Lines, a five-minute short film.

Juz McGuire / Lighting Designer Juz has been a part of theatre, in both creative and technical facets, for over 15 years.

Starting his passion for the arts through acting, he acted

Narek Arman / Aaron Seventeen year old Narek is best known for his role, Jackson Radovic, in television drama, Packed to the Rafters. Narek hails from Sydney’s southern suburbs, and began acting at age 11. Narek appeared in ABC TV children’s series, My Place. He played the lead role of Ari Lieberman in Dance Academy (Series 1 and 2, ABC TV), and he appeared in East West 101, for SBS TV. Stage credits include Sydney Theatre Company’s productions, The War of the Roses, directed by Benedict Andrews, The Women of Troy, (Director: Barry Kosky), and The Serpent’s Teeth, (Director: Pamela Rabe); and Griffin Theatre’s Australian Premiere of Way To Heaven.

Michael Cameron / Charles Michael is nineteen years old and currently studying at the University of Sydney. Sugarland is Michael’s first show since graduating from Newington College in 2012. Michael has performed in many school productions including Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Popular Mechanicals and

in several TVC’s, cameos on TV and also had the pleasure of performing with the Sydney Theatre Company.

Juz’s trajectory altered when he started teaching drama for Gosford-based youth theatre group, The Mad Cow Theatre Company. Here he not only taught drama, but diversified his grassroots knowledge and skill set whilst developing and managing the technical elements of their shows and performances. For over 5 years he learnt his craft hands-on, dealing with all the production areas as he functioned as the company’s Technical/ Venue Manager. From here, Juz went and formalised his knowledge base by attending NIDA’s full-time Production course for three years. Whilst living in Sydney, he also started freelancing as crew, specialising in being a jack-of-all trades, showcasing his diversity and passion for the craft. In early 2012, Juz joined the ATYP family as a casual Venue Technician before occupying the role of ATYP’s Production Manager.

Guy Webster / Sound Designer Guy Webster is a composer, sound designer and artist working across the mediums of theatre, dance, sound art, installation and new media. His broad body of work has featured in theatres, festivals, live music venues, galleries and conferences throughout

The Scarlet Pimpernel. Michael trained at NIDA, 2009 and 2010, before performing in their production Wan2Tlk. Michael would like to thank Ms Tamara Smith for her incredibly creative, vibrant and patient approach to both acting and theatre as a whole.

Elena Foreman / Erica Twenty-one year old Elena graduated with distinction with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Acting from the Queensland University of Technology in 2013. She has had the privilege of performing in such productions as: Anton Chekhov’s Wild Honey, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Louis Nowra’s Cosi, Wintertime, by Charles Mee, and played Ivy Weston in Tracy Letts’ masterpiece, August: Osage County. Elena enjoys dancing, singing and stage combat, and has received industry training in these areas.

Hunter PageLochard / Jimmy Hunter made his feature film debut in Rachel Perkins’ award-winning film, Bran Nue Dae. In

Australia, Japan, Europe, UK, USA and China, while his live performances have seen him share the stage with the likes of Beth Orton, Ed Harcourt, Powderfinger, The Cruel Sea, Mad Professor and Sarah Blasko. He has since worked with many companies and independent artists including Qld Theatre Company, Sydney Theatre Company, La Boite Theatre Company, Shake & Stir Theatre, The Brisbane Festival, Backbone Youth Arts, State Library of Qld, Out of the Box Festival, Lisa O’Neill, Goat Track Theatre, Stella Electrika, Wilde Applause and Red Shoes. Guy’s unique compositions utilize traditional vocal and instrumental works combined with field recordings, original instruments and an adventurous approach to production to create new experiences through immersive sound design.

Ruby Langton-Batty / Costume Designer Ruby is a Sydney-based designer of Bidjara and Yiman (Queensland) descent. She designed costumes on The Black Diggers for the Queensland Theatre Company, and has recently completed costumes for a new ABC2 television show, 8MMM Aboriginal Radio. She designed set and costumes for Beautiful One Day and Windmill Baby, and was Assistant Costume

2012, he appeared in Wayne Blair’s The Sapphires, and recently starred opposite Christina Ricci and Jack Thompson in Sarah Spillane’s feature, Around the Block. On the small screen, Hunter has appeared in guest roles on the Nine Network’s Water Rats, and SBS’ East West 101. He has appeared on stage in Stephen Page’s Blak, Kin (GOMA Tour), Boomerang and Praying Mantis Dreaming (Bangarra Dance Theatre), Bloodland (Sydney Theatre Company and Adelaide Festival), Black Diggers (QTC and Sydney Festival), Brothers Wreck (Belvoir) and Sugarland (ATYP).

Dubs Yunupingu / Nina Dharpaloco (Dubs) Yunupingu is a descendant of the Gumatj Clan of North East Arnemland and the Darug people of Western Sydney. Dubs is a dancer who has been dancing traditional dance from the time she could walk, before embracing a fusion of contemporary and traditional dance, learning styles from all over Australia.

Dubs has had the opportunity to learn within her community with hands-on experience with professional leaders in the Aboriginal performing arts industry under the guidance of Rhoda Roberts, Matthew Doyle, Albert David, Djakapurra Munyaryun and

Designer on The Wild Duck, all for Belvoir. For Malthouse Theatre, Ruby designed costumes and props for The Shadow King. At Casula Powerhouse she designed costumes and set for Tough Beauty. She was Associate Designer on Wesley Enoch’s I Am Eora, which premiered as part of the Sydney Festival 2012. Ruby was Costume Assistant on the feature film, The Sapphires, and the television series Redfern Now, and has designed costumes for various short films. Ruby was awarded the Yvonne Cohen Young Indigenous Creative of the Year Award in 2011.

Caitlin Chatfield / Stage Manager Since graduation from the 2013 Production course at NIDA, Caitlin has worked in Adelaide as the stage manager on The Lake with five.point. one and as the ASM on Fugitive for Windmill Theatre Company, as part of the Adelaide Festival. In Sydney she has stage-managed Dancing Naked in the Backyard for Brave New Word Theatre Company and has just finished as the stage manager for the very successful season of Lobby Hero with Dudley St. Productions.

Kathy Balngayngu Marika. Dubs is a principal dancer with Jannawi Dance Clan, performing in Fire Water (Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority), World Masters’ Games opening ceremony, various Darug reunion camps, Sydney Opera House events, NITV station commercials, City of Sydney NAIDOC events, Dance Academy (ABC TV), and many festivals and ceremonies. Dubs is very proud of her culture and identity and wishes to inspire the next generation to dance and keep our stories alive.

SUPPORTERS Annabel Tate Arnold Vonsendon and Levina Ah Fat Bangarra Dance Theatre Beswick School and community Cherryll Courtney Clontarf Community Constable Dani Matiuzo and her team Corrugated Iron Youth Arts Team Desert Pea Media Djilpin Arts Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts & Culture Centre Heather Clark Interbrand Jane Tonkin Kate Williams Karyn Bryant aka KB Katherine Boxing Club Katherine High School Katherine YMCA Macfarlane School May Rosas Mission Australia Katherine Team Plump Films Rae Brown and the Stronger Smarter Sisters Rod and Stella at Scenographic Studio Ruth Cardier Sam Cable Sebastian Andreassen Somerville Group St Joseph Catholic College Tilt Vison Toby Finlayson and Desert Pea Media Travis Cardona Vanessa Jenkins Walking with Spirits Festival organisers Young people of Katherine Zan Wimberley

And to Tom E Lewis, Fleur Parry, and Alex and Grace (whose idea inspired the title Sugarland).

The Sugarland production has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, the Westpac Foundation and the Australia Council.