Middle School Production: Boy Overboard

The 2021 Middle School Production boy Overboard was scheduled to run in the Middleton Theatre in August of last year. However, the state went back into lockdown during tech week. The cast was finally able to gather again for a Staged Reading of the play with their families in the audience on Sunday 5 December 2021. The following is an excerpt from the programme written by the show’s director, Robert Johnson.

Boy Overboard, more than anything, is a play about persistence and hope in the face of adversity and uncertainty. These attributes have never felt more necessary than in the last two years and the fact that Boy Overboard stands before you in its current form is a testament to the persistence and hope of its cast, who have soldiered on through multiple lockdowns.

I never like writing director’s notes – I firmly believe the play should speak for itself. And this play speaks quite clearly. Whilst we were in rehearsals, renewed horrors beset the people of Afghanistan and the enduring repugnance of Australia’s foreign detention policy was pulled into the spotlight once again, with little change. I had several conversations with the cast at various points about these things. The play necessitated some hard conversations – about gender inequality in some parts of the world, about religion, and about the truly lamentable plights of some of our fellow humans. I was consistently surprised and impressed by the cast’s willingness to engage in topics that are normally sequestered firmly to the ‘adult’ table. They have done a mighty job in embracing the play – both in terms of a difficult rehearsal period and difficult subject matter. Though the full play they have worked to build cannot be realised, its heart and the cast’s dedication are captured here tonight.