Gert and Bess 2017

d n a t r e G Bess

by BARRY DICKINS directed by TERRI BRABON

9 - 19 November TheatreiNQ

50 Allen Street,South Townsville

Gert and Bess

GERT

Arminelle Fleming

Producti o n

BESS

Kellie Esling

Director/Sound & AV Design.................Terri Brabon Set Design/Construction............. Brendan O’Connor ........................................................Sean O’Connor Costumes........................................... Kathy Brabon Lighting Design/Operator........... Brendan O’Connor Crew....................................................... Shai Regan Production/Front of House......... The Bridge Project MUSICAL SCORE by Kerry Muzzey www.kerrymuzzey.com All music available on iTunes

From The Director I studied Barry Dickins during my time at drama school and have always loved his work, so I was a bit overwhelmed when we first met him. We were at a café in Melbourne, visiting our friend, actor Syd Brisbane who was performing in Barry’s latest work called, ‘Ryan’ I remember gushing awkwardly as Brendan spoke eloquently and by the end of the meeting, Brendan had convinced Barry to write a play for our company. I had no idea where that café conversation would lead us. But here we are, being honoured with a World Premiere of a Barry Dickins play!!

I am very grateful to Barry for his faith in us and for writing two such amazing roles for older women. It has been such a beautiful experience to work with two of my oldest friends and two incredible actresses on such a deeply moving piece. For me, the play evokes memories of a past era, of a style of language we don’t hear anymore, and of people who lived life without reward. Gert and Bess reminds us of a forgotten generation of Australians, sending echoes through the halls of our collective memory.

xxx Terri

Thank You Beth & John Honeycombe Nita Vasilescu Arthur Brabon Susie Brabon Robert Esling Yoshie Kenny John Robertson The Speckled Hen JRNQ Productions

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR...................... TERRI BRABON PRODUCTION MANAGER....BRENDAN O’CONNOR EXECUTIVE MEMBERS..................... RAY DICKSON ......................................................KELLIE ESLING ............................................ LORNA HEMPSTEAD .................................................BERNIE LANIGAN ................................................ GEORGE LUMMIS ............................................ANNE-MARIE SMITH ...................................................ROBERT STREET THiNQ ED COORDINATOR... ARMINELLE FLEMING WEBSITE MANAGER................. GEORGE LUMMIS COMPANY PHOTOGRAPHER... CHRISSY MAGUIRE

Barry Dickins

Barry Dickins is a prolific Australian playwright, artist, actor, educator and journalist, best known for his historical dramas and his reminisces about growing up and living in working class Melbourne. His early career was spent at La Mama Theatre and The Pram Factory, immersing himself in the vibrant experimentalism and energy of this burgeoning alternative theatre scene; with its enthusiasm for Australian stories in Australian English.

Dickins’ most well-known work is the award winning [1995 Kellie, Barry, T Victorian Premier’s Literary Award] stage play, Remember erri & A rminell Ronald Ryan; a dramatization of the life and subsequent death e of Ronald Ryan. He has also written dramas and comedies about other controversial figures like poet Sylvia Plath, criminal Squizzy Taylor, and playwright Oscar Wilde. As of 2017 he has published 10 plays, 8 books of non-fiction, 3 children’s books and one full-length work of fiction. 2015 saw the publication of A Line Drawing of My Father, a memoir of the authors’ father Len Dickins who served in the Second World War and was a commercial printer thereafter. It also gives a portrait of the working class northern suburbs of Melbourne. In addition to his writing Dickins has made numerous appearances on stage and screen, and has over forty years experience as an educator, teaching English and Creative Writing.

A rm in e ll e F le m in g

.................................................................................Gert

THEATREiNQ: Alice in Wonderland, Twelfth Night, The Cripple of Inishmaan, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, King Lear, The Merry Wives of Windsor Director: Two Weeks With The Queen, X-Stacy Stage Manager: Les Liaisons Dangereuses, The Crucible, The Importance of Being Earnest OTHER THEATRE: Actor, Director and Stage Manager for various companies in Brisbane and Townsville including La Luna, Zen Zen Zo, Matrix Theatre and The Queensland Ballet.

OTHER: Mentor TheatreiNQ’s THE BRIDGE PROJECT; Arts Lecturer at JCU TRAINING: QUT- BA (Drama/History); Shakespeare & Co (USA); Trinity College (UK); ACS (Scotland)

Kellie Esling

............................................................................... Bess

THEATREiNQ: Frankenstein, One Man, Two Guvnors, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, The Cripple of Inishmaan, Romeo and Juliet, The Crucible, Macbeth, X-Stacy, King Lear, Cosi OTHER THEATRE: Townsville Little Theatre: Cosi, The Children’s Hour AWARDS: Jean-Pierre Award (2011) OTHER: Club Leader TheatreiNQ’s THE CULTURE CLUB; Assistant Director AFCM’s Cinderella

www.theatreinq.com