EDUCATION PACK FOR SCHOOLS
EDUCATION PACK MR TAKAHASHI
AND OTHER FALLING SECRETS
SYNOPSIS Darwin 1942 – WWII: A town collapses under the threat of invasion as bombshells drop on Northern Australia. Mothers and daughters, sisters, friends and entire cultures are torn apart by the secrets that start to fall. Is Mr Takahashi to blame? This is a play about the bombing of northern Australia and is presented as part of the 75th anniversary of that event. Japan unleashed a wave of attacks on the north, including Cairns and Townsville with particularly devastating effects on Darwin, with three times as many bombs as were dropped on Pearl Harbour. Mr Takahashi examines the home front at this time, focussing upon the lives of multicultural and Indigenous women who contributed to the war effort, making, in some cases, the ultimate sacrifice.
SYNOPSIS NOTES (Appendix) It is June, 1941. In Darwin, 4 groups of women go about their lives, watched by the nuns and schoolgirls of Garden Point, Melville Island. STORYLINE 1: Maggie and Kristina are 13, and best friends. Maggie, who has a Japanese father, has to leave Darwin to attend boarding school in Brisbane. On her return in December, she is suddenly arrested by a police officer and interned with the rest of her family. Kristina is caught between two forces: her love for Maggie and the anti-Japanese sentiments that are sweeping over Australia. STORYLINE 2: Rose and Lily Chin own a shop in Smith Street. They repair soldier’s uniforms and sell fruit and vegetables and their famous iced lemon drinks. Lily is the town beauty, and receives the attentions of the thousands of soldiers stationed in Darwin. Rose resents her sister’s popularity, particularly as her own love-interest, Charles, prefers Lily. However, when the soldiers riot, destroying the Chins’ shop, Rose re-evaluates.
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EDUCATION PACK MR TAKAHASHI
AND OTHER FALLING SECRETS
STORYLINE 3: At Government House, Grace, an Indigenous maid, works under the eye of the administrator’s wife, Mrs Austin Lamb (Agnes). Their relationship is quietly colonial, with Grace choosing to remain invisible to stay out of trouble. Then Ruby arrives. Ruby is an older and striking Indigenous woman who goes through the White world like a queen. She teaches Grace a new confidence. One hot August night, Ruby attempts to attend a high-society function, dressed splendidly, and with an Anglo soldier on her arm. The failure of this attempt unravels the normally invincible Ruby. Much to Grace’s heartbreak, she leaves Government House as the threat of Japanese invasion looms. STORYLINE 4: 20-year-old Betty Carroll and her mother Joan work at the post office. Their relationship is shaped by Joan’s heavy drinking. Betty often has to rescue Joan, and cover for her mistakes. Betty’s father is away in the war. She misses him intensely and frets over his lack of correspondence. Her fractured mother, however, has found comfort in another man. One day, huddled over the mail, Betty discovers her mother’s secret. STRUCTURE: The four storylines are interwoven throughout the play. The transitions between the stories are achieved through the narrator group and/or through rituals, such as dressing, haircombing, and so on. These connecting moments serve to highlight the common experience of being women – and being ‘Darwinese’ – at a time of war.
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EDUCATION PACK MR TAKAHASHI
AND OTHER FALLING SECRETS
CHARACTER + SETTING NOTES SETTING: Darwin between June, 1941 – February 19, 1942. The play concludes with a scene set in May, 1946. The action takes place within families’ houses, work places and public areas. Space is used fluidly and stylistically.
CAST : The cast consists of 5 different groups: Narrator Group (Garden Point); Maggie and Kristina; Government House; the Carrolls; the Chins. Narrator Group (Garden Pt., Melville Island – a Catholic mission): In an omnipotent fashion, the narrator group are able to observe the lives of the Darwin characters. Mother Dolores: Older, reflective; haunted by her past. Sister Conceptua: Younger; the popular ‘Sr Janet Mead’ of the convent. School Girls: Representative of the Stolen Generation. These girls are played by the ensemble (minus nuns) as a chorus. Occasionally, an individual girl (marked GIRL) in the script talks – this can be any of the actors taking turns to voice an individual opinion. Maggie Takahashi:13; Australian-born daughter of Mr Takahashi, the town’s photographer; mates with Kristina; intelligent. Kristina Kolchak: 13; mates with Maggie; ebullient but insecure. Grace: Indigenous maid at Government House; young (perhaps 15), subservient; musical. Ruby: Indigenous maid at Government House; older (perhaps 20), majestic; a rebel. Mrs Austin Lamb (Agnes), Administrator’s Wife: Bossy with grand ideas about herself but can be self-conscious, especially when dealing with Ruby. Her marriage is an empty shell.
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EDUCATION PACK MR TAKAHASHI
AND OTHER FALLING SECRETS
Joan Carroll: Postal worker and mother of Betty – attractive; fractured; heavy drinker; husband away in war. Betty Carroll: Postal worker; more practical than her mother and covers for her; misses her father. Rose Chin: Older sister; less attractive than Lily and resentful; has managed the family business since the death of their mother and is old before her time. Lily Chin: Younger sister; gorgeous and dreamy.
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EDUCATION PACK MR TAKAHASHI
AND OTHER FALLING SECRETS
WRITER'S NOTES We think of war as something that happens somewhere else. We see bombing raids on Aleppo and are horrified, although distant. Refugees are people elsewhere, caked in blood and dust, clutching the hands of their children. While selecting photographs for this publication, I found a number that seemed to belong in the Middle East. But this was us - in 1942, digging our loved ones out from collapsed buildings. It wasn't so long ago. There are people still alive who remember the 19th February and the long road out of Darwin to somewhere safe. I started researching and writing this play a few years ago. Some of those who provided assistance were: Garden Point Association & Danila Dilba, Aunty Kathy Mills, NT Library, NT Archives Service, Shellie Morris, Noelle Janaczewska, Peter Matheson, Alex Galeazzi, Gail Evans and various Darwin families who ancestors' stories inspired some of the plays narrative. While I uncovered some fascinating facts, the play I wrote is a work of fiction. Historians will detect where I have departed from the official record in search of some deeper truths. Mr Takahashi turns the lens upon ordinary people caught in the violent storm that was World War II. We are lucky to have escaped from war, while others in the world are still in it's grip. I hope that we shall never forget. Sandra Thibodeaux Playwright
Writer Sandra Thibodeaux with cast Stevie Thibodeaux, Haylee Wright, Angela Chimsud and Taylor Bray. Picture: PATRINA MALONE, NT NEWS
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EDUCATION PACK MR TAKAHASHI
AND OTHER FALLING SECRETS
DIRECTOR'S NOTES Like many Australians, I knew the history of World War II but very little about the impact of the war on Australian soil. In Australia, we act as if our country has never been attacked by a force other than the British invasion in the 18th century. I had of course heard about the bombing of Northern Australia, but I had never understood the sheer size of the Japanese force or the impact it had on the civilians who lived through the 64 separate bombing raids that killed over 200 people. It is not often that stories of war are told solely through the eyes of women. In this beautifully told story, Sandra has woven together the lives of eleven women and a chorus of school children drawn from the cultural melting pots that are Darwin and Cairns. The story opens with the daily routines of these women being observed by the nuns of Garden Point. We are introduced to a seemingly harmonious, culturally diverse community but as the threat of war and fear of 'the other' take over, the racial cracks are exposed. This is a story of friendship, love, heartbreak, betrayal, regret and fear that reveals a community under pressure. It is a delight for a director. Suellen Maunder Director
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EDUCATION PACK MR TAKAHASHI
AND OTHER FALLING SECRETS
LINKS TO PEOPLE WHO KNOW MORE THAN US NT Archives on WW2: https://dtc.nt.gov.au/arts-and-museums/northern-territory-archivesservice/archives-subject-guides/second-world-war-in-nt Territory Remembers: http://www.territoryremembers.nt.gov.au/education Northern Territory Library: http://www.ntlexhibit.nt.gov.au/exhibits/show/bod
LINKS TO STORIES THE PLAYWRIGHT CAME ACCROSS Garden Point Mission: http://missionaries.griffith.edu.au/mission/garden-point-melvilleisland-1940-1962 Bombing memories & ‘Being Chinese in WWII': http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2013/02/07/3685332.htm Japanese internees in Darwin: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/japanese-internment-adark-chapter-of-australian-history-20140813-103ldy.html Japanese internees in the USA: https://anchoreditions.com/blog/dorothea-lange-censoredphotographs
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EDUCATION PACK MR TAKAHASHI
AND OTHER FALLING SECRETS
HISTORICAL PHOTOS
Oil tanks burning Northern Territory Archives Service, Ron Urquhart, NTRS 258, Photographs relating to the bombing of Darwin in the Second World War, 1942-1942, Item 46
Post office Northern Territory Archives Service, Don Clegg, NTRS 234, Photographic proof-sheets, 1979-1985, CP 57/8
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EDUCATION PACK MR TAKAHASHI
AND OTHER FALLING SECRETS
HISTORICAL PHOTOS
Bald family residence Northern Territory Archives Service, Garnet Rex Caudle, NTRS 284, Masonic programmes, photograph albums and glass plates of the construction of Vestey's Meatworks, Darwin, 1917-1945, Image 62
Bald family residence Northern Territory Archives Service, Garnet Rex Caudle, NTRS 284, Masonic programmes, photograph albums and glass plates of the construction of Vestey's Meatworks, Darwin, 1917-1945, Image 64
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EDUCATION PACK MR TAKAHASHI
AND OTHER FALLING SECRETS
HISTORICAL PHOTOS
Japanese bombers Northern Territory Archives Service, George Alexander Hodgins, NTRS 1361, Photographs of 43rd Battalion activities during the Second World War, 1942-1943, Item 9
Administrator’s residence Northern Territory Archives Service, Francis Charles Sheldon-Collins, NTRS 1409, Photographs of Darwin and bomb damage during the Second World War, ca1939-ca1943, Item 28
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EDUCATION PACK MR TAKAHASHI
AND OTHER FALLING SECRETS
HISTORICAL PHOTOS
Mission church Northern Territory Archives Service, Charles Wilson, NTRS 3335, Reference digitised copy of images relating to the Top End, ca19241932, Item 213
Star pictures Northern Territory Archives Service, Charles Wilson, NTRS 3335, Reference digitised copy of images relating to the Top End, ca19241932, Item 386
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EDUCATION PACK MR TAKAHASHI
AND OTHER FALLING SECRETS
LEARNING ACTIVITIES 1. After the play: What do we learn about 1942 Darwin from Mr Takahashi? Describe the changes the town goes through. Do you think this would be similar in other towns experiencing war? Conduct some research on contemporary war zones to support your argument. 2. We learn from Mr Takahashi that Japanese-Australians were interned (detained in camps) during WW2. What are the arguments for and against this wartime practice? Stage a classroom debate. Do you think we would still intern people today if we were at war? 3. Write a diary entry of one day from the perspective of an Indigenous maid working at Government House. Then write an entry for the same day from the perspective of the Administrator’s wife (Mrs Agnes Lamb in the play). 4. In the play, we learn that Ruby has an ‘exemption card’. What is an exemption card and how were they used? Conduct some research into the background behind these cards and the implications of these for Indigenous people in the Northern Territory. 5. After the play: Choose one of the characters and describe her character arc - the journey she went through from the start to the end of the play. 6. Describe the function of the nuns in the play. Are there other plays or films that use narrators? And what about narrators that have supernatural and/or psychic powers? 7. Draw a map of the town. Imagine where the characters live, work and play and incorporate these into your map. You could utilise archival maps from the internet to assist you. 8. Mr Takahashi contains multiple narratives or storylines. List other plays or films that use this device. Why do you think the the playwright chose to use multiple narratives in Mr Takahashi? What are the pros and cons of this approach to creating theatre? 9. Mr Takahashi depicts women in war. Can you think of other plays or films that do this? What do we learn from Mr Takahashi about the plight of women and girls in wartime?
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LEARNING ACTIVITIES 10. What is the difference between writing for the theatre and writing for the screen? Choose one of the scenes of the play and re-write it (or adapt it) for the screen. 11. Although the play is called Mr Takahashi, we never see Mr Takahashi on the stage. Why has the playwright chosen to do this?
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CREATIVES + CAST PLAYWRIGHT: Sandra Thibodeaux DIRECTOR: Suellen Maunder SET & PROPS DESIGNER: Simone Tesorieri COSTUME & PROPS DESIGNER: Simona Cosentini COMPOSER: Netanela Mizrahi LIGHTING DESIGNER: Rebecca Adams PRODUCTION MANAGER: Angus Robson STAGE MANAGER: Andi Egan PERFORMED BY: Chenoa Deemal, Merrilee Mills, Natalie Taylor, Haylee Wright, Kate Wyvill DARWIN ENSEMBLE CAST: Meera Boehme, Taylor Bray, Sara Cheam, Angela Chimsud, Angela Chin, Reese Hayes, El Ibo, Stevie Kyriacou, Tilly Newman, Nyasha Ogden CAIRNS ENSEMBLE CAST: Taylor Bray, Rachel Davis, Lily Eggett, Maleea Hegarty, El Ibo, Tia Lelliott, Azizah Pertiwi, Emma Price, Rebecca Southon PAGEÂ 15 Corrugated Iron Youth Arts & JUTE Theatre Company
EDUCATION PACK MR TAKAHASHI
AND OTHER FALLING SECRETS
PRODUCERS
CORRUGATED IRON YOUTH ARTS (Darwin) Corrugated Iron Youth Arts delivers artistic programs that inspire young people people and unleash creative young minds. Corrugated Iron's broad programs include professional productions, community engagement, performances, training and mentoring. Corrugated Iron works across the Top End of the Northern Territory, and projects take the company further afield - intrastate, interstate and internationally. Mr Takahashi is a wonderful project for Corrugated Iron as it provides an opportunity for early career artists and young creatives to work alongside creative professionals in a production that tells an important story of Northern Australia. Staff: Jane Tonkin, Fiona Carter, Samara Erlandson, Nikki Jeffries, Tierney White, Jody Reichstein, Hemlock Mejarne
JUTE THEATRE COMPANY (Cairns) Established in Cairns in 1992, JUTE Theatre Company is a major regional theatre company driving the development, co-production and national touring of contemporary Australian plays from the regions. JUTE is a house of ideas and action that exists to fan the fire in the bellies of regional artists. Staff: Suellen Maunder, Peta Cooke, Amanda Belanger, Karen Engel
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