CUSP 2023 | Program

ATYP and Brown’s Mart in association with Artback NT present

by Mary Anne Butler

“How do you move into the future, when your past keeps dragging you backwards?”

CUSP, 2023. Photo by Clare Hawley.

CUSP

ATYP would like to acknowledge that we are a company that works and creates on the traditional lands and waters of the Gadigal people, and we are grateful to be telling stories on First Nations country that has such a rich history of storytelling.

We pay our respects to Elders past and present.

CUSP

By Mary Anne Butler Australian Theatre for Young People and Brown’s Mart in association with Artback NT Preview 24 May Season 25 May – 3 June The Rebel Theatre Eora Country Pier 2/3, 13A Hickson Road Dawes Point NSW Duration 80 minutes (no interval) Age recommendation 15+ Warnings Adult themes, frequent coarse language, descriptions of sexual acts, suicide and references to trauma.

Writer Mary Anne Butler

Technician/Operator Chris Kluge

Director Fraser Corfield

Cultural Consultant Rosealee Grimes [nee Pearson]

Dramaturg Jane FitzGerald

Associate Director Hayden Tonazzi

Set Designer Cj Fraser-Bell

Rehearsal Stage Manager Bronte Schuftan

Lighting Designer Jessie Davis Sound Designer Brad Fawcett Tour Manager Kate Atkinson Lighting Realiser Jasmine Rizk

With Lakesha Grant Joshua McElroy Abbey Morgan Isaac Harley [Understudy] Mema Munro [Understudy] Cover Image Clare Hawley

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Writer’s note It’s almost four years since CUSP had her world premiere at Brown’s Mart Theatre in Darwin. Produced by ATYP and Brown’s Mart, CUSP was directed with nuance and love by Fraser Corfield. Following its Darwin season, CUSP transferred – in March 2020 – to The Stables Theatre at Griffin.

There had been whisperings since late January 2020 of a virus sweeping the globe. The first Covid-related death in Australia was recorded on March 1. March 2 revealed 30 cases, including the first community transmission.

The official opening at Griffin on March 13, 2020 was an absolute cracker. My siblings and nieces travelled a long way to see the show on the 14th of March, an act that meant the world to me. A few days later theatres went dark across the country, and the season of CUSP was closed down. That darkness hit many people: industries, lives and livelihoods. The timing for CUSP was atrocious, but so many people suffered so much more.

It’s always a privilege for a new Australian play to go more than one round on the ferris wheel, and it’s an absolute joy to see CUSP back on stage in 2023 – this time at The Rebel Theatre, again under Fraser’s energising directorial hand and brought back by a collaboration between Artback NT, ATYP and Brown’s Mart. The same incredible Northern Territory design team has once again rendered vivid the Top End landscape: capturing its light, sound and the ubiquitous louvres which open up every Top End home to the natural elements. Sydney’s own Joshua McElroy is once again nailing the role of Elvis, joining two new cast members: Lakesha Grant and Abbey Morgan.

Many thanks to Fraser Corfield and Jenny Medway for commissioning me to write CUSP, way back in 2017. And to Fraser – thanks for staying so true to this story, and giving it more of your deft, nuanced touch. Thanks to dramaturg Jane Fitzgerald who was pivotal in finessing CUSP’s complex timeline and picking up script inconsistencies. Special thanks to Rosealee Grimes [nee Pearson] for cultural input and advice which helped craft Rosie’s life out at Yirrkala, making real the choices she faces as a strong young Indigenous woman torn between living on Country, and moving to the city to study medicine.

CUSP juxtaposes the Northern Territory’s vast Top End landscape with three teenagers teetering at the cusp of their adult lives, juggling choice and chance in a world where, as the character of Elvis says, “Some people get better choices to choose from”. If CUSP was a song, it would be Chumbawamba’s Tubthumping. People who get knocked down, yet still manage to get up again, somehow.

CUSP is a love letter to the people and landscape of Australia’s Top End: in particular our youth, who hold the future so delicately and respectfully in their more-than-capable hands.

We hope you enjoy the ride.

Mary Anne Butler

© 2023

CUSP

Director’s note There’s a particular joy in being able to share this production of CUSP with you. It’s rare for a director to be able to follow a play from the very first discussion with a playwright, through to sitting at the opening night of the finished production.

In this case the production’s Sydney premiere then fell foul of the unprecedented COVID closures of 2020. Our three week season closed in three days. We got to see the script receive the accolades it deserved, but the production so clearly deserved a wider audience.

This play offers three beautifully drawn characters, each wrestling with decisions that will change their lives. It’s a play about those thresholds in life that must be crossed in one form or another. While hopefully not too many of us will contend with the decisions these characters face, sooner or later we all get our moments of reckoning – those moments in our lives that leave us older, sadder, wiser. But these are the moments that make us the people we become.

Mary Anne Butler has crafted a play that offers a directing opportunity that is equal parts exhilarating and daunting. It is exhilarating in the colour and depth of the story. The language blends poetry and potent imagery with the slap of a teenage turn of phrase. But it is daunting because the language only flies if we genuinely feel for the characters, believe in their relationships, see the truth in their eyes. It is one thing to read the words on the page, it is another to find young actors with the confidence and clarity to bring them to life.

Though the world has changed since we first staged this production, I have no doubt it remains absolutely current. We had a school from Western Sydney join us for a day of rehearsals and the first comment from a student? “It’s really powerful to see a play that has characters that we can relate to. It’s like what we’re dealing with, us or our mates.” That is the power of a good play.

It has been a privilege to be a part of this exceptional Australian play’s beginning.

Fraser Corfield

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Creative Team

Mary Anne Butler

Fraser Corfield

Jane FitzGerald

Kate Atkinson

Mary Anne Butler’s plays have won the Victorian Prize for Literature, Victorian Premier’s Award for Drama, Shane and Cathryn Brennan Prize for Playwriting, an AWGIE and two NT Chief Minister’s Book of the Year Awards. She’s been nominated for the Griffin Theatre Award and twice for the Nick Enright Award [NSW Literary Awards]. Mary Anne is a Sidney Myer Creative Fellow, Arts NT Fellow, Winston Churchill Fellow, Regional Arts Fellow and Asialink Fellow. She holds an MPhil in Creative Writing, MEd in Arts Education, and is undertaking a PhD in Literature, investigating how we write hope into the realist fiction of the Anthropocene.

Fraser regularly sits on industry panels and advisory groups for all levels of Government, Foundations, advocacy organisations and peak bodies. He lives in Sydney with his children, Eva and Dylan.

As Dramaturg For ATYP: M.Rock, Lights in the Park, CUSP, Bathory Begins, April Aardvark, Impending Everyone, Charlie Pilgrim (or a Beginner’s Guide to Time Travel), WonderFly, Intersection 2019: Arrival, Intersection 2018: Chrysalis for ATYP and Ensemble Theatre: The Big Dry; for ATYP and Sydney Theatre Company: M.Rock; for Ensemble Theatre: Black Cockatoo, Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race, Fully Committed; for Merrigong Theatre Company: Lost Boys; for Sydney Theatre Company: Volpone, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Festival of the Dreaming).

With 16 years experience in the creative industries, Kate Atkinson has worked in a wide variety of roles from tour management, event coordination, programming, stage management and band management.

Writer

Director

As Director For ATYP: Desiree Din and the Red Forest, Rio Saki and Other Falling Debris, The Laramie Project, Ishmael and the Return of the Dugongs, The Tender Age, Max Remy Super Spy, Spur of the Moment, M.Rock, Sugarland, A Town Named Warboy, Patrice Balbina's Chance Encounter with the End of the World, The Big Dry, Oedipus Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Impending Everyone, Follow Me Home, CUSP, Intersection: Beat.

Dramaturg

Previous Positions Literary Manager for Ensemble Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company; Artistic Associate for Sydney Theatre Company; Administrator for the Patrick White Playwright’s Award, Sydney Theatre Company; Script Reader for Royal Court London, Playwriting Australia, Australian National Playwrights Centre, Playworks.

Jane has also mentored year 12 students on HSC creative writing projects for 15 years.

© 2023

Tour Manager

Establishing her own business as a Promoter and Events Consultant set her on a path that has taken her around the world working for The Famous Spiegeltent, Love Police Touring, Woodford Folk Festival, Queensland Music Festival, Dashville and The Garden of Unearthly Delights.

More recently, Kate was Artistic Director for Bello Winter Music as well as Co-Programmer for Mullum Music Festival. Currently she is a freelance Tour Manager, working for artists such as Goanna and Emily Wurramara and also conducts photography workshops in remote indigenous communities such as Maningrida.

CUSP

Jasmine Rizk

Chris Kluge

Lighting Realiser

Technician/Operator

Jasmine is an accomplished Sydney-based theatrical lighting designer and programmer, working with both professional and independent theatre communities. Jasmine is part of Belvoir’s ongoing CoCurious associates program.

As Associate Lighting Designer For MonkeyBaa: Edward the Emu; for Sydney Theatre Company and Black Swan State Theatre Co.: City of Gold; for Belvoir St Theatre: Opening Night, Into The Woods; for Terrapin Productions: Scaredy Cat.

As Lighting Designer For ATYP: M.Rock; for Concertworks: Jekyll and Hyde 25th Anniversary Concerts, Kings of the Keys Tour; for So Popera Production: Strictly Ballroom, Priscilla, Chicago, Jersey Boys; for The Mitchell Old Company: Heathers; for Belvoir St Theatre: The Boomkak Panto; for NTofP: Zombie Thoughts; for The Roxy Theatre: Henry V; for Hayes Theatre Company: Well Behaved Women, Catch Me If You Can; for Darlinghurst Theatre: Small Mouth Sounds; for Merrigong Theatre Company: Lost Boys, Letters to Lindy (Remount) National Tour.

Nominations APDG 2022 – creative crunchers for Zombie Thoughts.

Awards Sparrow Mentorship program for lighting design with Trudy Dalgleish.

Chris started working in live entertainment in 1998 with a local Darwin hire company.

In 999 he was invited to join Cats Run Away to the Circus national tour as a mechanist, where he did over 150 shows. Chris has worked as a mechanist, dome operator, in wardrobe, sound designer, lighting technician and designer, set constructor, and so much more.

Chris has worked formany organisations including Brown’s Mart Theatre, Corrugated Iron Youth Arts, Darwin Theatre Company, Tracks Dance, Darwin Entertainment Centre, and has even worked for oil, mining, construction and gas companies as an advanced rigger. He returned to live entertainment in 2016, bringing his new skill set to tasks such as flying people ‘Peter Pan’ style, and lecturing at the Charles Darwin University as an expert in counterweight fly system operations.

In 2019, Chris was awarded in the inaugural live performance awards of the NT, for his contributions to the arts. Despite the countless amazing worldclass productions he's been a part of over the years, he enjoys working with new performers and watching them progress from timid and insipid to fierce and powerful. His latest credits include building the set for Darwin Chorale's 2023 production of Evita single handed and designing, building and perfecting the practical effects used in CUSP. Having endured a very difficult childhood, CUSP has been a challenge for Chris to encompass. It's been worth every moment.

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Creative Team cont.

Hayden Tonazzi

Bronte Schuftan

Original Creatives

Hayden graduated from NIDA’s Master of Fine Arts (Directing) program and is an Associate Artist at the Kings Cross Theatre.

Bronte works as a Sydneybased stage manager and has had a range of experience working on mainstage and independent productions, musicals, professional touring shows, festivals, immersive theatre and regional touring.

Rosealee Grimes [nee Pearson] Cultural Consultant

Bronte’s production credits include The Barber of Seville – National Tour 2022 and 2023 (Opera Australia), Grand Horizons (Sydney Theatre Company), Life of Galileo (Belvoir), The Big Time, A Letter For Molly (Ensemble Theatre), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Godspell, Lizzie, Young Frankenstein (Hayes Theatre Co.), Cry Baby (LPD Productions & Sydney Opera House), Senior Moments (National Tour – Return Fire Productions).

Brad Fawcett Sound Designer

Associate Director

As Director For ATYP: Shack; for Kings Cross Theatre: Tell Me Before The Sun Explodes; for New Theatre: Significant Other; for La Mama Theatre & Old 505 Theatre: This Genuine Moment; for NIDA: Miracle City.

As Assistant Director For ATYP: Follow Me Home; for Siren Theatre Company: The End Of Winter; for Outhouse Theatre: Heroes Of The Fourth Turning; for RGM Productions: Starstruck: The Musical.

Directorial Placements For Global Creatures: Moulin Rouge; for Opera Australia: HOSH: La Traviata; for Hayes Theatre Company: The Bridges Of Madison County.

© 2023

Rehearsal Stage Manager

She has worked with Sydney Festival, Sport for Jove, and is also a published playwright.

Cj Fraser-Bell Set Designer Jessie Davis Lighting Designer

CUSP

“Maybe some people just get better choices to choose from.”

—Rosie

CUSP, 2023. Photos by Clare Hawley.

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Cast

Lakesha Grant

Joshua McElroy

Abbey Morgan

Isaac Harley

Lakesha Grant is a First Nation actress and musician.

Lakesha was born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory.

Due to her drive and love for the arts she moved to Sydney in 2019 to further develop and have access to more opportunities to be able to pursue a career in art.

Joshua McElroy is an awardnominated young actor who began his working life as a teenager with bAKEHOUSE Theatre Company. Theatre highlights include Spring Awakening (Mitchell Butel, ATYP) Low Level Panic (Justin Martin, Red Line Productions) One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest (Kim Hardwick, Sport For Jove) Oedipus Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (Fraser Corfield, ATYP), where he was nominated for a GLUG award for Most Outstanding Performance by a Newcomer.

Abbey Morgan is a Melbourne-based actor who completed the Bachelor of Arts (Acting) at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in 2021. Upon graduating from WAAPA, Abbey was cast as Emma in the Stan Original Series Bad Behaviour, (Directed by Corrie Chen and Produced by Amanda Higgs). Abbey performed as Amy in Oil by Ella Hickson for Black Swan State Theatre Company of WA in November of 2022.

Isaac is a young Sydneybased actor, hailing from Lake Macquarie. With a 3-year Bachelor of Arts (Acting) course under his belt through the Academy of Film Theatre and Television (AFTT), Isaac is eager to continue growing as an artist, expanding his ability and scope for storytelling.

Rosie

Lakesha graduated from Sydney Theatre School with a Diploma in Theatre and Screen Acting recently in 2021. Since then she has featured in two short films with AFTRS, one lead role and one feature role, and more recently played Bundilla in The Resistance, an ATYP production.

© 2023

Elvis

Josh also works as a screen actor and writer, founding MTM Productions in 2020 which has produced two indie films which he wrote and Executive Produced.

Notable screen credits include BAFTA Award Nominated Series Frayed, Sundance selected short film Backpedal. Catch him next on Amazon’s first Australian feature Five Blind Dates (Directed by Shawn Seet) and NCIS Sydney.

Maddie

[Understudy]

Recent credits include: Boy in Them/Us (Show Development) (Directed

by Charlie Vaux); Dim in A Clockwork Orange (Show Development) (Directed

by Fraser Corfield, ATYP); Aaron in 3:33am (Directed by Lachlan Knight); Bassianus in Titus Andronicus (Directed by Shannon Thomas and Steven Ljubović, AFTT); Isaac in Storehouse Stories (Directed

by Dean Tuttle); Carl in Clinchfield (Directed by Dino Dimitriadis, Belvoir 25A).

Mema Munro [Understudy]

As a young Indigenous creative, Mema hopes to become a role model for Indigenous youth and inspire them to follow their dreams.

She is excited to take on roles that will challenge representational casting nationally and internationally.

She also looks forward to telling empowering stories of First Nations on screen and stage.

Mema’s recent credits include: Cutter in Cutter and Coota (Moogahlin Performing Arts), Kimberley/Ensemble in Black Cockatoo (Ensemble Theatre Company), Jazz in God’s Country (NIDA), Brenda in Perfect Stranger (NIDA), and Beatrice in A View from the Bridge (NIDA).

CUSP, 2023. Photo by Clare Hawley.

CUSP, 2023. Photos by Clare Hawley.

CUSP

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The ATYP Team Artistic Director & CEO Fraser Corfield

Finance Coordinator Yoko Miki-Feeney

Executive Director – Management Amanda Wright

Venue and Events Coordinator Catherine Tomsen

Executive Director – Strategy Johanna Mulholland

Education Coordinator George Kemp

Business Manager Chrissy Riley Operations Manager Taryn Brown Education Manager Jacqui Cowell Workshops Manager Claudene Shoesmith Marketing & Communications Manager Jason Dixon Resident Dramaturg Jane FitzGerald Artistic Associate Hayden Tonazzi Development Coordinator Aden Abeleda

© 2023

Digital Communications & Engagement Coordinator Rebecca Herkess Digital Engagement Designer Georgia McGinness Workshop & Administration Assistant Emily Johnson Archivist Judy Seeff Company Accountant Steve Davidson I.T. Consultant Daniel Andrews Intern – Outreach Ellie Park

Front of House Managers Catherine Tomsen Ellie Park Front of House Attendants Jasper Reucassel Sally Gyngell Alexandra Chambers Adriana Carlino Front of House Volunteers Aidan Hale Jade Bowell Harry Peters Helena Burke Ebony Dodds Georgia Boon Jessi Kivijian

Board of Directors Chris Puplick AM (Chair)

Fraser Corfield Samara Hand Tasnim Hossain Janine Lapworth Gillian Larkins Mark Morrissey Daniel Selikowitz Nicole Webb Donna Worthington Georgina Willcock (Board Observer)

Lily Hayman (Youth Advisory Observer)

Jack Walton (Youth Advisory Observer)

CUSP

Thanks & Acknowledgements Hunter Page-Lochard Mia Evans Rorris Jayla Shae Davey Ciella Williams Rachael Chisholm Pascoe Lawler Tim Roseman Adam Drake Set electrics and mechanics – Chris Kluge Guitar on sound design – Finn Williams Field recording – Ben Andrews Paper Jam Partners Abbie-lee Lewis

Partners

#CUSP #ATYP_CUSP #ATYP_Theatre #TheRebelTheatre #OnlyAtTheRebel

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