WENTWORTH
IS THE
NEW
PRISONER
Wednesday 4 April – Friday 6 April 2018 RMIT University, Melbourne
TABLE&OF&CONTENTS& ! Welcome! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 2! ! Conference!organisers,!Media!+!Registrations! ! ! ! ! ! 3! ! Venues!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 4! ! Schedule! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 5! ! Keynote!Presentations! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 7! ! Screening! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 9! ! Voices!from!the!Inside:!Industry!Panels!!! ! ! ! ! ! 10! ! ! Paper!Abstracts!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 11! ! Local!Knowledge! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 27! ! Index!of!Speakers! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 28! !
CONFERENCE&SUPPORT&
This!conference!has!been!made!possible!by!the!generous!support!of:!
School!of!Media!and!Communication!at!RMIT!University!
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School!of!Media,!Film!and!Journalism!at!Monash!University! !
! ! School!of!Culture!and!Communication!at!the!University!of!Melbourne! ! !
! ! ! WELCOME&TO&‘WENTWORTH&IS&THE&NEW&PRISONER’& & & & & RMIT&University,&Melbourne& 4C6&April&2018& ! Wentworth!(aka!Wentworth!Prison)!is!an!awardVwinning!Australian!prison!drama!series!now! in!its!fifth!season!and!recently!renewed!for!a!sixth!season.!It!screens!in!Australia!on!Foxtel,!in! the!UK!on!Channel!5!and!in!the!USA!on!Netflix.!The!series!was!inspired!by!Prisoner!(aka!Cell! Block!H),!a!groundVbreaking!drama!produced!between!1979!and!1986,!which!was! internationally!successful!and!led!to!a!cult!following.!Set!in!a!women’s!prison!in!contemporary! Melbourne,!Wentworth!dramatises!current!cultural!and!political!issues,!and!provides!a!rich! example!of!creative!and!industrial!screen!practice!that!can!often!be!read!in!the!context!of!its! predecessor,!Prisoner.! ! This!conference!unites!those!who!study!and!are!fans!of!Wentworth!and!Prisoner,!with!those! who!are!or!who!have!been!involved!in!making!the!series,!with!the!aim!of!generating!a!lively! exchange!of!critical!and!creative!ideas.!! ! The!conference!organisers!acknowledge!that!our!daily!work!and!the!work!of!this!conference! take!place!on!the!land!of!the!Wurundjeri!people!of!the!Kulin!nation.!We!recognise!that!this!is! the!place!of!ageVold!ceremonies!of!celebration,!initiation!and!renewal!and!that!the!local! Aboriginal!peoples!have!had!and!continue!to!have!a!unique!role!in!the!life!of!these!lands.!We! pay!respect!to!Wurundjeri!and!other!Aboriginal!Elders!past,!present!and!future!for!their! custodianship!of!country!and!culture.!We!acknowledge!that!our!work!at!universities!around! Melbourne!benefits!from!an!uncompensated!and!unreconciled!dispossession!that!began!over! 230!years!ago,!but!which!continues!to!be!resisted!today.!As!we!consider!televisual!fictions!of! Australian!prisons!at!this!conference,!we!must!reflect!on!the!twin!facts!that!Indigenous!people! are!vastly!overrepresented!in!Australian!prison!populations!and!vastly!underrepresented!in! Australian!screen!production.!
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Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 2 &
CONFERENCE&ORGANISERS&
Associate!Professor!Craig!Batty,!RMIT!University!! [email protected]! Dr!Tessa!Dwyer,!Monash!University! ! ! [email protected]! Dr!Radha!O’Meara,!University!of!Melbourne!! ! [email protected]! Dr!Stayci!Taylor,!RMIT!University! ! ! [email protected]!
CONFERENCE&MEDIA& ! The!conference!website!is!available!online!courtesy!of!RMIT!University.! Registrations!and!updated!programs!are!available!via!the!website.! ! On!registration!at!the!conference,!participants!will!receive!login!credentials!to!access!RMIT! wifi.!Australian!participants!can!also!access!Eduroam!wifi.! ! Contact!conference!organisers!by!email:[email protected]! ! We!suggest!tweeting!the!conference!with!#topdog2018! ! CONFERENCE®ISTRATIONS& ! To!attend!the!conference,!please!register!online:& https://rmit.onestopsecure.com/OneStopWeb/Wentworth_2018! ! Conference!rates!listed!below!depend!on!how!many!sessions!you!will!attend!and!your! employment/student!status.! ! All!paper!presenters!are!requested!to!pay!registration!for!the!full!conference.! Conference!dinner!and!trivia!night!must!be!registered!and!paid!for!in!addition!to!conference! registration.! ! Registration!options:! •! Full!Conference!(2!days,!full!daytime!catering!and!Friday!drinks!reception)!V!$250.00!! •! Full!Conference!for!students!and!casual!staff!(2!days,!full!daytime!catering!and!Friday! drinks!reception)!V!$200.00!! •! Single!Day!(full!daytime!catering!and!if!Friday,!drinks!reception)!V!$150.00!! •! Single!Day!for!students!and!casual!staff!(full!daytime!catering!and!if!Friday,!drinks! reception)!V!$125.00!! •! Single!Keynote!Presentation!V!$20.00! •! Conference!Dinner!+!Trivia!(Thursday!5th!April,!not!included!in!Full!Conference!rate)!V! $50.00! !
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 3 CONFERENCE&VENUES& ! Most!conference!panels!will!take!place!at:! ! RMIT&Activator!(#1!on!map!below)! Level!2,!Building!98! 102!Victoria!St,!Carlton! ! The!final!panel!will!take!place!at:! ! ‘The&Green&Brain’&RMIT!(#2!on!map!below)! Level!7,!Storey!Hall!! Bldg!16,!336!Swanston!St! Melbourne! !
! ! Social!events!will!take!place!nearby.! ! Screening&+&Drinks& Dinner&+&Trivia&& (6pm!Wednesday!4!April)! (6.30pm!Thursday!5!April)! Long!Play! Captain!Melville!(#3!on!map!above)! 318!St!Georges!Rd! 35!Franklin!St! Fitzroy!North! Melbourne! ! ! This!venue!is!in!the!inner!suburbs!of!Melbourne,! This!venue!is!a!short!walk!from!the! approximately!5!km!from!RMIT.! RMIT!campus.! ! ! We!recommend!taking!public!transport:! *!Catch!Bus!250!or!251!from!Lonsdale!Street! (near!Swantson!Street)!City!to!Holden!Street! (near!St!Georges!Road)!North!Fitzroy.! *!Catch!Tram!11!from!Collins!Street,!City!to!St! Georges!Road,!North!Fitzroy,!near!Holden! Street.! !
See!‘Local!Knowledge’!on!page!27!for!more!info.!
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 4 WEDNESDAY(4(APRIL( Session'+'Time' Events'+'Speakers' Venue' Screening(+(Drinks( Punishment*(1981)(and(Dangerous*Women((1991)* Long(Play( 6(–(8pm( Exclusive(screening(of(Prisoner(spinHoff(drama(Punishment(and(American(remake(Dangerous*Women,(with( 318(St(Georges(Rd( introduction(by(Miguel(Gonzalez(of(National(Film(and(Sound(Archive.(Free(entry:(Drinks(+(food(available(for( Fitzroy(North( purchase( THURSDAY(5(APRIL( Session'+'Time' Events'+'Speakers' Venue' Intake' Confirm(your(registration,(pick(up(a(program(+(name(tag( RMIT(Activator( 8.30(H(9am( Register(online(before(the(conference:(https://rmit.onestopsecure.com/OneStopWeb/Wentworth_2018( Level(2,(Building(98( 102(Victoria(St,(Carlton( Welcome(to(‘Wentworth(is( A(welcome(to(the(conference(by(Associate(Professor(Adrian(Danks((RMIT)( RMIT(Activator( the(New(Prisoner’( Including(acknowledgement(that(this(event(takes(place(on(the(land(of(the(Wurundjeri(people( ( 9(H(9.15am( Keynote'' ‘Killers,*Thieves*+*Perverts’:*The*Women*of*Wentworth*Correctional*Centre( RMIT(Activator( Presentation(1( Kim(Akass((U(Hertfordshire)(Introduced(by(Adrian(Danks( ( 9.15(H10.15am( Morning'Tea' Tea,(coffee(+(refreshments(provided( RMIT(Activator( 10.15(H10.45am( ( Slot'1' Panel:'Doing'Time'Chaired(by(Craig(Batty' RMIT(Activator( 10.45am(–(12.10pm( Timeline*of*‘Doing*Time’*Alexander(Gionfriddo,(Catherine(Gillam(+(Olympia(Barron((AFI(Research(Collection)* ( No*Future*Behind*Bars:*Doing*(Queer)*Time*in*Wentworth*Whitney(Monaghan((Monash(U)* Recommending*Wentworth:*How*Netflix*“changed*the*show”*Alexa(Scarlata((U(Melbourne)* Slot'2' Panel:'Queering'the'Cell'Chaired(by(Whitney(Monaghan' RMIT(Activator( 12.10pm(–(1.30pm( Criminality,*Femininity*+*Representation*of*Lesbian*Women*in*Australian*Film*+*TV*Jessica(InnesHIrons((ACU)( ( If*You*have*a*Lesbian*Teenager,*You*Have*Two*Choices:*Lock*her*Away*or*Send*her*Away(Diana(Sandars((U( Melbourne)( From*Sunsets*to*Seahorses:*The*‘Bury*your*Gays’*Trope*and*Queer*Female*Representation*in*Wentworth* Jessica(Ive((U(Wollongong)( Lunch' Light(meal(provided( RMIT(Activator( 1.30(–(2.15pm( ( Slot'3' Panel:'Breaking'Out:'Remakes'+'the'Transnational'Chaired(by(Alex(Bevan' RMIT(Activator( 2.15(–(4pm( ReUVoicing*Remand:*Prisoner*+(Wentworth*In*the*US*Market(Tessa(Dwyer((Monash(U)( ( Remaking*Remakes:*The*Complicated*Lineage*of*Wentworth’s*Transnational*Remakes(Kirsten(Stevens( (Monash(U)( Wentworth/Prisoner*and*the*Transnational*TV*+*Format*Trade(Philippa(Burne((VCA,(U(Melbourne)( Capadocia*Mexico’s*Prison*Drama*Inspired*by*the*Headlines(Miguel(Gonzalez((National(Film(+(Sound(Archive)( Slot'4' Panel:'Voices'from'the'Inside:'Creative'Practices'+'Industrial'Contexts'Chaired(by(Radha(O’Meara' RMIT(Activator( 4(–(5.30pm( Including(Kathy(Chambers((Director(of(Photography,(Wentworth),(Kate(Saunders((Production(Designer,( ( Wentworth),(Ros(Tatarka((Production(Coordinator/Manager,(Prisoner)(and(Kevin(Carlin((Director,(Wentworth)( (Free(time(5.30(H(6.30pm)( Dinner'+'Trivia' Conference(dinner(+(Trivia(competition,(hosted(by(the(screw(you(love(to(hate,(Stayci(Taylor(+(naïve(new( Captain(Melville( Extravaganza( inmate,(Lucy(Schmidt((Book(on(conference(website:($50)( 35(Franklin(St( 6.30(–(9pm( Melbourne(
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 5 FRIDAY(6(APRIL( Session'+'Time' Events'+'Speakers' Venue' Intake' Confirm(your(registration,(pick(up(a(program(+(name(tag( RMIT(Activator( 8.30(H(9am( Register(online(before(the(conference:(https://rmit.onestopsecure.com/OneStopWeb/Wentworth_2018( Level(2,(Building(98( 102(Victoria(St,(Carlton( Keynote'' That*was*Then,*This*is*Now:*Feminism,*Television*+*Wentworth( RMIT(Activator( Presentation(2( Senior(Professor(Sue(Turnbull((U(Wollongong)(Introduced(by(Radha(O’Meara( ( 9H10am( Morning'Tea' Tea,(coffee(+(refreshments(provided( RMIT(Activator( 10H10.20am( ( Slot'5' Panel:'Fans'+'Stalkers'Chaired(by(Tessa(Dwyer' RMIT(Activator( 10.20(–(11.50am( “I’m*not*interested*in*being*polite*or*heterosexual”:*Compulsory*Homosexuality*in*the*Online*Wentworth* ( Fandom(Amanda(Allen((Eastern(Michigan(U)( Bea*and*the*Freak*Remixed:*ReUimagining*the*Cult*of*Prisoner(Cell(Block(H*through*Wentworth(Craig(Haslop( (U(Liverpool)( Sympathy*for*the*Devil:*Monstrous*Discourse,*Unruly*Women,*and*Fans*of*the*Freak(Renee(Middlemost((U( Wollongong)( Slot'6' Panel:'Screw'Security'Chaired(by(Radha(O’Meara' RMIT(Activator( 11.50am(–(1.20pm( Wentworth*+*the*Global*Dynamic*Between*Security*Nations*+*Their*Citizens(Alex(Bevan((U(Queensland)( ( Wentworth*+*Orange(is(the(New(Black:*Systemic*Inequality*vs.*Individual*Responsibility*Jessica(Ford((UNSW)* Prison*Architecture,*Gender*and*the*Gothic*in*Prisoner*and*Wentworth(Kate(Warner((U(Queensland)( Lunch' Light(meal(provided( RMIT(Activator( 1.20(–(2pm( ( Slot'7' Panel:'Scripting'the'Carceral'Chaired(by(Helen(Milte' RMIT(Activator( 2(–(3.30pm( Writing*Spaces*in*Wentworth*Radha(O’Meara((U(Melbourne)( ( Writing*from*the*(stony)*ground*up:*the*unique*affordances*of*the*prison*as*‘hub’*from*a*script*development* perspective*Stayci(Taylor((RMIT)* Script*Development*and*Prisoner/Wentworth*Craig(Batty((RMIT)( Afternoon'Tea' Tea,(coffee(+(refreshments(provided( RMIT(Activator( 3.30(–(4pm( ( Slot'8' Panel:'Freaks,'Gangs'+'Guests'Chaired(by(Stayci(Taylor' RMIT(Activator( 4(H(5.30pm( Prisoner(Cell(Block(H,(Wentworth,*and*The*Freak:*Discourses*of*Sexuality*and*the*Sociopath(Faye(Davies( ( (Birmingham(City(U)( “I*want*to*see*Rit*Connors,*and*I*want*to*see*her*now!”*The*WalkUOn*as*the*Messenger*from*Heterotopia(Helen( Milte((U(Melbourne)( Asian*Gang*Member*#*3:*Representations*of*Race*+*Diversity*Behind*Bars(Monique(Hameed((Independent( scholar)( Slot'9' Panel:'Voices'from'the'Inside:'Casting,'Characters'+'Performance' ‘The(Green(Brain’(RMIT( 5.45(–(7pm( Associate(Professor(Terrie(Waddell((LaTrobe(U)(appeared(as(Lisa(Mullins(in(Prisoner(and(will(moderate(a( Level(7,(Storey(Hall(( conversation(with(Kate(Hood((actress,(writer(and(director,(aka(Prisoner’s(Kath(Maxwell)(and(Jan(Russ((Casting( Bldg(16,(336(Swanston( Director,(Prisoner,(Neighbours).(Drinks(+(canapes(provided( St,(Melbourne(
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 6 KEYNOTE'PRESENTATIONS' ! ‘Killers,)Thieves)+)Perverts’:)The)Women)of)Wentworth)Correctional)Centre) Kim'Akass,'University'of'Hertfordshire,'UK) ! 9.15am!Thursday!5!April,!RMIT!Activator! ! They!fuck!you!up,!your!mum!and!dad.! They!may!not!mean!to,!but!they!do.! They!fill!you!with!the!faults!they!had.! And!add!some!extra,!just!for!you.! Philip!Larkin! ! Philip!Larkin’s!words!resonate!with!the!characters!in!both!Prisoner!(1979H!86)!and!Wentworth! (2013H!).!Prison!guard!or!inmate,!Governor!or!Top!Dog,!the!women’s!narratives!are!indelibly! and!inextricably!linked!to!the!way!they!were!parented!and!their!parenting!skills.!It!should!be! no!surprise!that,!with!women!front!and!centre!of!both!series,!the!focus!should!be!on!the! domestic.!Whether!set!in!the!late!70s,!80s!or!noughties,!the!crimes!and!misdemeanours!of! Wentworth!Correctional!Centre!are!firmly!linked!to!the!women’s!upbringing,!its!impact!on!their! emotional!development!and!reproductive!choices.!This!paper!will!argue!that,!by!utilising!an! explicitly!female!gaze,!and!drawing!on!feminist!theory,!both!Prisoner!and!Wentworth!offer! hitherto!unseen!perspectives!on!female!causes!of!crime,!how!female!crimes!are!shaped!by! the!family!and!how!maternity!is!central!to!the!lives!of!these!women,!whether!mothers!or!not.! ' ' Kim'Akass!is!the!Leader!of!the!Media!Research!Group!and!Senior!Lecturer!in!Film!and!TV!in! the!School!of!Creative!Arts!at!the!University!of!Hertfordshire.!!She!has!coHedited!and! contributed!to!Reading!Sex!and!the!City!(IB!Tauris,!2004),!Reading!Six!Feet!Under:!TV!To! Die!For!(IB!Tauris,!2005),!Reading!The!L!Word:!Outing!Contemporary!Television!(IB!Tauris,! 2006),!Reading!Desperate!Housewives:!Beyond!the!White!Picket!Fence!(IB!Tauris,!2006)! and!Quality!TV:!Contemporary!American!TV!and!Beyond!(IB!Tauris,!2007).!She!is!coH founding!editor!of!the!television!journal!Critical!Studies!in!Television!(MUP),!managing!editor! of!the!website!CSTonline!as!well!as!(with!McCabe)!series!editor!of!‘Reading!Contemporary! Television’!for!I.B.!Tauris.!!She!is!currently!researching!the!representation!of!motherhood!on! television!for!a!forthcoming!book!for!I.B.!Tauris:!From!Here!to!Maternity:!Representations!of! Motherhood!in!the!Media.! '
' ' Associate'Professor'Adrian'Danks,!Deputy!Dean!of!Media!at!RMIT!University!will!welcome! participants!to!this!conference!and!introduce!the!first!keynote!presentation.'Adrian!has! published!widely!on!the!cinematic!representation!of!place,!the!relationship!of!domestic! photography!to!cinema,!film!culture,!film!restoration,!found!footage!cinema,!home!movies,! Australian!and!Iranian!cinema,!and!cinematic!authorship.!! ) )
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 7 KEYNOTE'PRESENTATIONS' ) That)was)Then,)This)is)Now:)Feminism,)Television)+)Wentworth) Sue'Turnbull,'University'of'Wollongong) ! 9am!Friday!6!April,!RMIT!Activator! ! In!1979!when!the!soap!opera!Prisoner!first!appeared!on!Australia’s!Channel!10,!the!youngest! and!most!vulnerable!of!Australia’s!commercial!TV!networks,!the!bold!new!series!caused! something!of!a!sensation.!School!teachers,!concerned!parents,!and!other!conservative!voices! were!united!in!their!condemnation!of!a!show!that!presented!angry!women!engaged!in! frequent!acts!of!violence,!not!to!mention!the!way!they!talked.!Some!sections!of!the!audience,! however,!especially!school!children!and!feminist!academics!were!immediately!attracted!to! Prisoner!for!all!manner!of!reasons,!not!least!the!show’s!willingness!to!put!unglamorous! women!front!and!centre!while!making!telling!points!about!domestic!violence!and!women’s! position!in!patriarchy.!Fast!forward!thirtyHfour!years,!and!the!reimagined!Wentworth!surfaced! rather!more!quietly!on!Foxtel,!a!subscription!service!with!a!relatively!small!audience.!In!this! instance,!rather!than!being!condemned,!Wentworth!was!acclaimed,!being!nominated!for!a! slew!of!awards,!and!garnering!a!global!‘niche’!audience!in!the!process.!!!! ! In!this!presentation,!I!want!to!explore!the!changing!conditions!of!production!and!reception!of! the!two!series!against!a!backdrop!of!feminist!media!studies,!media!audience!research!and! the!evolving!television!landscape.!!!!! ! ! Sue'Turnbull!is!Senior!Professor!of!Communication!and!Media!at!the!University!of! Wollongong!and!Discipline!Leader!for!the!Creative!Industries.!Her!publications!include!The! TV!Crime!Drama!(Edinburgh!University!Press!2014)!and!Media!and!Communications!in! Australia!with!coHeditor!Stuart!Cunningham!(Allen!and!Unwin!2014).!She!is!Chief!Investigator! on!the!Australian!Research!Council!grant:!Border!Crossings:!The!Transnational!Career!of!the! TV!Crime!Drama!(DP!160102510).!Sue!also!reviews!crime!fiction!for!the!Fairfax!press!and!is! Ambassador!for!Sisters!in!Crime,!Australia.!! ! !
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Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 8 SCREENING' ! 6pm!Wednesday!4!April! Long!Play,!318!St!Georges!Rd,!Fitzroy!North! ! Free!entry:!Drinks!+!food!for!purchase.! !
! ! We!are!pleased!to!present!an!exclusive!screening!of!Prisoner!spinHoff!drama,!Punishment! (1981)!and!American!remake!Dangerous!Women!(1991)!with!introduction!by!Miguel! Gonzalez!of!the!National!Film!and!Sound!Archive.!! ! ! We!are!grateful!to!FremantleMedia!Australia!for!kind!permission!to!screen!this!rarely! available!material.!FremantleMedia!retains!copyright!of!Punishment!and!Dangerous!Women,! so!recording!at!the!screening!event!is!not!permitted.! ! We!thank!Miguel!Gonzalez!for!arranging!access!to!Punishment!and!Dangerous!Women,!and! selecting!screening!material.!The!National!Film!and!Sound!Archive!is!Australia's!'living'! archive!–!the!custodian!of!over!2.8!million!items!that!they!not!only!collect,!but!preserve!for! future!generations!and!share!in!many!diverse!ways.! ! Punishment!and!Dangerous!Women!presented!courtesy!of!! !
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Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 9 ! VOICES'FROM'THE'INSIDE:'INDUSTRY'PANELS' ! Creative'Practices'+'Industrial'Contexts! '
' ' Slot'4:!4H5.30pm!Thursday!5!April! RMIT!Activator! ! Radha!O’Meara!will!moderate!a!conversation!of!screen!production!professionals,!who! work/ed!to!create!Wentworth!and!Prisoner.! ! Kevin'Carlin!(Director,!Wentworth)! Kathy'Chambers!(Director!of!Photography,!Wentworth)! Kate'Saunders!(Production!Designer,!Wentworth)! Ros'Tatarka!(Production!Coordinator/Manager,!Prisoner)! ! ! Casting,'Characters'+'Performance' '
' ' Slot'9:!5.45H7pm!Friday!6!April! ‘The!Green!Brain’!RMIT! Level!7,!Storey!Hall!! Bldg!16,!336!Swanston!St! ! Associate!Professor!Terrie!Waddell!(LaTrobe!University)!appeared!as!Lisa!Mullins!in!Prisoner! and!will!moderate!a!conversation!with!performers!and!casting!professionals,!who!worked!to! bring!the!characters!of!Wentworth!and!Prisoner!to!life.!!Drinks!+!canapes!provided.! ! Terrie'Waddell!(aka!Prisoner’s!Lisa!Mullins)! Kate'Hood!(actress,!writer!and!director,!aka!Prisoner’s!Kath!Maxwell)!! Jan'Russ!(Casting!Director,!Prisoner,!Neighbours)! !
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 10 PAPER'ABSTRACTS' In!order!of!schedule.!See!index!on!page!28.! ! Doing'Time''' ' ' ' ' ' Chaired!by!Craig!Batty! Slot'1'10.45am!–!12.10pm,!Thursday!5!April! ! Timeline'of'‘Doing'Time’'' Alexander!Gionfriddo,!Catherine!Gillam!+!Olympia!Barron!(AFI!Research!Collection)! ! The!crime!genre!has!been!a!mainstay!of!Australian!television!from!its!early!days,!with!most! series!focusing!on!police!procedurals!or!courtroom!dramas.!The!prison!drama,!although!a! logical!extension!of!the!crime!genre,!has!not!had!the!same!level!of!production!output.!! This!paper!aims!to!place!the!iconic!Australian!series!Prisoner/!Wentworth!within!a!broad,! historical!context!of!the!‘prison!drama’!genre.!We!aim!to!identify!locate!and!contextualise! programs!that!precede!and!follow!Prisoner!by!creating!a!timeline!of!programs!that!are!set! mainly!within!the!walls!of!a!prison!or!that!use!prison!as!a!primary!subject.!This!timeline!will! also!include!television!shows!where!prisons!are!considered!a!significant!if!not!a!central! theme.! ! Relationships!between!each!show!will!be!explored!by!subdividing!them!into! secondary!groupings!which!may!include!comedy,!melodrama,!gritty!realism!or!other! classifications!that!describe!life!behind!bars.!!By!identifying,!locating!and!contextualising! these!shows!our!research!hopes!to!highlight!and!reveal!interactions!worthy!of!further! consideration!and!analysis.! ! This!paper!will!be!presented!by!the!AFI!Research!Collection!librarians:!Alexander!Gionfriddo,! Catherine!Gillam!and!Olympia!Barron.!The!AFI!Research!Collection!is!Australia’s!premier! library!of!film!and!television!resources.!The!collection!features!a!diverse!range!of!newspaper! clippings!files,!books,!journals,!film!and!television!scripts,!directories,!reports,!film!promotional! material,!and!film!festival!catalogues.!Further!information!about!the!collection!can!be!found!at! www.afiresearch.rmit.edu.au! ! No'Future'Behind'Bars:'Doing'(Queer)'Time'in'Wentworth'' Whitney!Monaghan!(Monash!University)! ! In!recent!years,!time!has!become!a!significant!focus!of!queer!theory.!Many!scholars!have! interrogated!the!relationships!between!temporality,!power,!gender!and!sexuality.!Drawing! upon!this!theoretical!frame,!this!paper!interrogates!what!it!means!to!“do!time”!in!Australian! prison!drama!Wentworth,!a!series!following!a!group!of!inmates!and!correctional!officers!in!a! fictional!Victorian!women’s!prison.!
Within!the!prison!system,!time!has!a!central!disciplinary!function.!As!Rosenberg!(2017)! argues!it!is!“a!particularly!effective!tool!to!punish,!control,!homogenize!and!normalize.”!This! paper!explores!these!dynamics!through!close!analysis!of!Wentworth,!revealing!the!centrality! of!time!within!the!series.!Wentworth’s!inmates!are!all!“doing!time”!for!some!reason!or!other,! while!the!correctional!officers!monitor,!control!and!regulate!it.!In!addition!to!this,!Wentworth’s! ensemble!of!inmate!characters!have!been!locked!out!of!what!queer!theorists!have!called! “straight!time”,!a!term!used!to!describe!linear!and!progressive!life!narratives!associated!with! heteronormativity.!This!paper!argues!that!rather!than!simply!represent!its!characters!as! having!no!future!behind!bars,!the!series!enacts!alternative!queer!temporalities.!With!a!specific! focus!on!the!intersections!between!time,!power,!and!sexuality,!this!paper!identifies!significant! tensions!between!these!straight!and!queer!temporal!logics.! ! Whitney!Monaghan!is!an!Assistant!Lecturer!in!Film!and!Screen!Studies!at!Monash!University.! Her!background!is!in!screen,!media!and!cultural!studies!and!her!research!examines!the! representation!of!gender,!queer!and!youth!identities,!digital!culture,!and!new!forms!of!screen! media.!She!is!the!author!of!Queer!Girls,!Temporality!and!Screen!Media:!Not!‘Just!a!Phase’! (Palgrave,!2016).!
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Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 11 Recommending'Wentworth:'How'Netflix'“Changed'the'show”!! Alexa!Scarlata!(University!of!Melbourne)! ! In!August!2016,!commissioning!editor!of!Drama!for!Foxtel!Networks,!Penny!Win!was! interviewed!about!the!then!current!state!of!Australian!television!and!the!projects!she!had!in! development.!She!was!asked!if!a!fifth!season!of!Wentworth!was!on!the!cards!and!responded:! “I’m!flying!to!Melbourne!this!afternoon,!and!we’re!having!our!first!cast!readHthrough!tomorrow.! The!Americans!love!it.!It’s!on!Netflix!over!there.!They!can’t!get!enough!of!it.!It’s!changed!the! show,!actually”!(as!cited!by!Windsor).!! ! According!to!Unogs!(2017),!Wentworth!was!licenced!by!Netflix!at!the!beginning!of!2015.!It!is! currently!available!to!subscribers!in!Canada,!India,!Singapore!and!the!United!States.! However,!prior!to!its!arrival!on!the!global!subscription!videoHonHdemand!(SVOD)!platform,! Wentworth!had!already!been!sold!to!distributors!in!90!countries!(Knox,!2016).!So!how!and! why!did!the!show’s!circulation!in!the!US,!via!Netflix!in!particular,!“change!the!show”?!Looking! beyond!the!sheer!enormity!of!the!audience!Netflix!was!able!to!make!the!program!available!to! in!these!regions,!this!paper!will!consider!the!significance!of!the!SVOD’s!genre!tieHin!and! recommendation!strategies!on!the!production!of!the!later!seasons!of!Wentworth.!Did! producers!capitalise!on!or!attempt!to!unequivocally!differentiate!the!show!from!the! established!fandom!of!Netflix!Original!Orange!is!the!New!Black,!for!example?!How!too!did!the! ability!to!binge!watch!the!series,!as!encouraged!by!the!New!York!Times,!impact!a!new! audience’s!willingness!to!catchHup!on!previous!seasons,!and!influence!the!intensity,!themes,! casting,!and!structure!of!episodes!to!come?!Overall,!this!paper!argues!that!Wentworth’s! international!distribution!and!positive!reception!via!Netflix!was!integral!to!the!continued! production!of!the!show.! ! Alexa!Scarlata!is!a!PhD!candidate!in!Media!and!Communications!and!Cultural!Studies!in!the! School!of!Culture!and!Communication!at!the!University!of!Melbourne.!Her!research!interests! are!in!the!informal!and!digital!distribution!of!video!content,!media!piracy!and!the!political! economy!of!transnational!television!programming.!Her!thesis!critically!examines!the!recent! introduction!of!streaming!services!in!Australia!and!considers!their!impact!upon!the!traditional! broadcast!and!subscription!industries,!particularly!television!production.!She!has!written!for! The!Conversation,!is!a!Research!Fellow!for!the!Networked!Society!Institute,!and!is!on!the! editorial!board!of!the!International!Journal!of!Digital!Television.! ! !
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Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 12 Queering'the'Cell'' ' ' ' Chaired!by!Whitney!Monaghan! Slot'2'12.10pm!–!1.30pm,!Thursday!5!April! ! Criminality,'Femininity'+'the'Representation'of'Lesbian'Women'in'Australian'Film'+'TV! Jessica!InnesSIrons!(Australian!Catholic!University)! ! Lesbian!women!on!the!Australian!screen!are!predominantly!formulated!from!an!archive!of! masculine!gender!stereotypes.!With!homosexuality!historically!being!outlawed!in!Australia,! and!around!the!world,!lesbianism!has!been!explored!through!the!pursuit!of!criminal!activity,! and!the!punishment!of!such!women!by!the!criminal!justice!system.!This!motif!has!become! known!as!the!lesbianHprisoner!trope,!and!is!enjoying!something!of!a!renaissance!at!present! through!the!popularity!of!shows!such!as!Orange!is!the!New!Black!and!Wentworth.!! ! This!paper!analyses!the!recurring!discourse!of!criminality!as!a!central!frame!for!the! construction!of!lesbian!characters!by!comparing!Prisoner:!Cell!Block!H!with!its!contemporary! counterpart!Wentworth.!This!paper!is!adapted!from!a!research!essay!addressing!selected! examples!of!Australian!films!and!television!programs.!Commonly,!lesbians!in!film!and! television!are!found!to!be!gender!nonHconforming!women!who!have!appropriated!undesirable! masculine!traits!and!these!reoccurring!tropes!are!employed!as!subtle!techniques!for!reading! and!interpreting!screen!texts.!With!the!creation!of!criminal!lesbian!characters!that!challenge! notions!of!femininity!through!their!masculine!identity!expression,!directors!are!reinforcing! dominant!societal!ideologies!of!acceptable!identity!performance!for!women!regardless!of! sexual!orientation.! ! This!paper!draws!on!the!concept!of!the!enduring!lesbianHprisoner!narrative!and!locates!roots! in!the!intrigue!generated!around!the!anomaly!of!lesbian!characters!and!historic!approaches! for!identifying!and!punishing!lesbian!women.!Considering!the!twentyHseven!year!break,!are! we!still!relying!on!repetitive!story!arcs!and!aesthetic!cues!in!the!presentation!of!lesbian! prisoners?!Or!can!our!characters!escape!from!unoriginal!and!outdated!screen!presentations?! ! Jessica!InnesHIrons!is!a!cultural!media!studies!scholar!currently!based!at!the!Australian! Catholic!University!in!Melbourne.!Her!research!centres!on!the!performance!of!screen! identities!and!previously!investigating!representations!of!female!sexual!pleasure!in! advertising!and!representations!of!lesbian!women!in!Australian!film!and!television.!Her!recent! thesis!addressed!screen!identity!performance!and!death!rituals!in!social!media!spaces!that! occurred!in!response!to!the!2016!Pulse!nightclub!shooting!in!Florida.!Jess’!research!interests! include!the!politics!of!queer!cultures!and!media!discourse!and!she!seeks!to!contribute!work! that!betters!our!understanding!of!kind,!honest!and!mindful!media!practices.! ! If'You'have'a'Lesbian'Teenager,'You'Have'Two'Choices:'Lock'her'Away'or'Send'her' Away!! Diana!Sandars!(University!of!Melbourne)! ! It!is!significant!that!the!first!teenage!lesbian!to!feature!in!a!soap!opera!in!Australian!television! appeared!behind!bars,!where!she!stayed!until!her!release!into!Australia’s!rural!outback!a!year! later.!Susie!Driscoll!(Jacqui!Gordon),!who!appeared!in!Prisoner!(1979!–!1986),!was!sixteen! when!she!arrived!at!Wentworth!Women’s!Prison.!Susie!was!sent!to!Wentworth!because!she! managed!to!escape!from!all!of!the!juvenile!facilities!in!which!she!was!placed.!After!her! release,!Susie!was!reHarrested!for!prostitution!and!sent!to!a!halfway!house,!where!she!fell!in! love!with!a!fellow!inmate,!Joanne!and!moved!the!country!to!start!a!life!together.! ! In!this!paper!I!will!argue!that!Susie’s!character!reflects!the!impact!of!the!1970s!feminist!and! gay!and!lesbian!social!movements!on!Australian!screen!media!through!Prisoner's!use!of!the! nonHnormative!sexuality!of!a!teenage!girl!to!identify!“points!of!fragility!and!tension!in!a! dominant!sex/gender!system”!(Catherine!Driscoll).!Within!the!confines!of!Wentworth,!Susie’s! character!operates!as!a!site!of!critique!of!the!heterosexual!romantic!ideologies!that!define! womanhood,!and!in!particular,!motherhood.!The!inmates’!maternal!relationship!with!Susie! and!Susie’s!own!failed!relationship!with!her!mother!literalises!the!social!imprisonment!of!the! suburbs!through!the!geographic!space!of!a!jail.!Once!outside,!Susie’s!new!life!in!the!country! evokes!soap!opera’s!strongest!critique!of!the!patriarchal!nuclear!family!and!the!women!
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 13 exploited!in!this!model!(Ellen!Seiter)!H!there!is!no!place!for!lesbian!teenagers!in!suburbia.! Susie’s!liminal!status!as!a!teenage!girl!and!a!lesbian!defines!her!as!a!highly!troubling! exclusion!from!the!standard!against!which!female!subjectivity!is!measured!H!one!with!which! contemporary!Australian!soap!opera!still!struggles.! ! Dr!Diana!Sandars!is!a!lecturer!in!the!School!of!Culture!and!Communication!at!the!University! of!Melbourne.!Diana!has!published!chapters!on!Ally!McBeal,!Buffy!the!Vampire!Slayer!and! contributed!to!the!academic!journals:!Australian!Screen!Education,!Idiom,!Metro,! Participations,!The!Refractory,!Screening!the!Past!and!Senses!of!Cinema.!Diana’s! forthcoming!publications!include:!an!invited!chapter!for!The!Companion!to!Australian!Cinema,! edited!by!Felicity!Collins,!Jane!Landman!and!Susan!Bye,!Brisbane:!WileyHBlackwell,!and! “SheZow:!When!the!Superhero!Really!is!a!Child,”!in!Superheroes!&!Me,!Eds!Liam!Burke,! Wendy!Haslem,!and!Elizabeth!MacFarlane.! ! From'Sunsets'to'Seahorses:'The'‘Bury'your'Gays’'Trope'and'Queer'Female' Representation'in'Wentworth!! Jessica!Ive!(University!of!Wollongong)! ! Wentworth!is!a!show!that!was!praised!from!Season!One!(2012)!in!fan!communities!for!the! inclusion!of!an!unashamedly!lesbian!main!character.!When!the!historic!trope!‘bury!your!gays’! started!circulating!through!fan!spaces!in!2015,!as!a!result!of!The!Last!Tango!in!Halifax,!the! online!Wentworth!fan!community!became!concerned!with!the!future!of!the!one!main!lesbian! character,!Franky!Doyle.!While!the!trope!was!a!source!of!concern!for!Franky,!she!survived!a! near!death!experience!and!was!‘driven!off!into!the!sunset’!by!her!psychologist!lover.!Fans! praised!and!touted!the!show!as!one!which!defies!the!trope!and!gave!an!‘uncharacteristic’! happy!ending.!However,!after!Franky’s!happy!ending,!positive!queer!representation!in! Wentworth!declined.!When,!in!Season!Four!(2016),!protagonist!Bea!Smith!died!after!her! seasonHlong!coming!out!arc,!the!show!not!only!conformed!to!the!trope!when!it!was!at!its! highest!use!in!fan!spaces,!but!also!caused!fans!to!critically!assess!the!queer!representation! within!the!show.! ! Drawing!from!theorists!such!as!Henry!Jenkins,!Alexander!Doty!and!Stuart!Hall,!I!will!compare! and!contrast!fan!responses!to!the!different!outcomes!of!Franky!and!Bea’s!narratives!in! seasons!Three!(2015)!and!Four.!I!will!critically!analyse!Franky’s!narrative!arc!in!Season!Five! (2017)!to!highlight!the!dismantling!of!positive!queer!representation!in!regard!to!the!core! characters,!before!assessing!the!queer!representations!of!secondary!characters,!such!as! Joan!Ferguson!and!Lucy!'Juice'!Gambaro,!and!the!fan!discourse!surrounding!them.!! ! Ultimately!I!argue!that!Wentworth!portrays!mostly!negative!representations!of!queerness!both! explicitly!and!implicitly!through!core!and!secondary!characters,!which!went!seemingly! unnoticed!in!fan!spaces!until!Season!Four.!! ! Jessica!Ive!is!a!2018!Honours!candidate!at!the!University!of!Wollongong,!where!she! completed!a!Bachelor!of!Arts!(Dean's!Scholar)!with!a!double!major!in!English!Literatures!and! History.!She!will!be!pitching!her!Honours!ideas,!on!queer!representation!and!the!fan/creator! relationship,!at!the!2017!Australasian!Fan!Studies!Network!Conference.!Her!research!areas! include!fan!studies,!queer!theory,!queer!reading!conventions,!and!queer!representation!and! identification!onscreen.!!
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Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 14 Breaking'Out:'Remakes'+'the'Transnational'' Chaired!by!Alex!Bevan! Slot'3'2.15!–!4pm,!Thursday!5!April! ! Re_Voicing'Remand:'Prisoner)and'Wentworth'in'the'US'Market'' Tessa!Dwyer!(Monash!University)! ! Today,!reboots!and!remakes!are!ubiquitous,!whilst!historically!they!have!always!held!a! prominent!place!in!film!and!television!production.!Considered!together,!Prisoner!and! Wentworth!provide!the!perfect!means!for!interrogating!such!phenomena,!highlighting!what!is! at!stake!for!regional,!smallHnation!industries!within!such!phenomena,!delineating!the! particular!challenges!and!opportunities!that!remaking!and!versioning!bring!by!flagging! Grundy’s!pioneering!role!in!this!space!and!continuing!legacy!via!Fremantle!Media.!In!this! paper,!I!approach!these!issues!in!relation!to!voice!and!various!reSvoicing!practices.!In!the! Australian!context,!voice,!language!and!accent!have!historically!posed!barriers!to!overseas! distribution,!particularly!in!relation!to!the!US!marketplace!where,!despite!language! commonality,!the!presence!of!Australian!English!has!often!resulted!in!dubbing!(as!famously! occurred!with!the!first!Mad!Max!film)!or!remaking!(as!with!NBC’s!version!of!Kath!&!Kim).! Interestingly,!however,!when!Prisoner!first!crossed!cultures,!breaking!into!US!syndication! television!in!1980,!its!accented!vocals!and!colloquial!slang!remained!intact.!Although!received! wisdom!at!the!time!indicated!US!audiences!were!putHoff!if!not!alienated!by!Australian!English! and!its!distinctive!vocal!traits,!Prisoner!attracted!cult!US!followings!from!coast!to!coast.!When! the!series!was!later!remade!for!the!US!market!as!Grundy!production!Dangerous!Women! (1991)!it!was!reHimagined!and!consequently!reSvoiced!in!the!American!idiom,!yet!this! localisation!effort!mostly!failed!to!resonate!with!audiences,!and!the!series!was!cancelled!after! its!first!season.!By!tracing!the!various!distributions!and!remaking!routes!travelled!by!both! Prisoner!and!now!Wentworth!in!the!US,!a!series!of!questions!emerge!around!issues!of!voice! and!address!within!past!and!present!Australian!television!and!in!relation!to!postHbroadcast!TV! more!broadly.!! ! Dr!Tessa'Dwyer!is!Lecturer!in!Film!and!Screen!Studies!at!Monash!University.!She!is!author! of!Speaking!in!Subtitles:!Revaluing!Screen!Translation!(Edinburgh,!2017),!coHeditor!(with! Claire!Perkins,!Sean!Redmond!and!Jodi!Sita)!of!Seeing!into!Screens:!Eye!Tracking!the! Moving!Image!(Bloomsbury,!2018)!and!president!of!online!journal!Senses!of!Cinema.!! ! Remaking'Remakes:'The'Complicated'Lineage'of'Wentworth’s'Transnational'Remakes! Kirsten!Stevens!(Monash!University)! ! In!2013,!the!German!broadcaster!RTL!announced!its!intention!to!film!Block!B!–!Unter!Arrest! (2015),!a!remake!of!the!Australian!prisonHdrama!series!Wentworth!(2013H),!itself!a!remake!of! the!earlier!Network!10!soap!Prisoner!(1979H1986).!Block!B!presented!a!faithful!translation!of! the!first!season!of!Wentworth!into!the!German!context,!an!approach!that!has!since!then!been! replicated!in!other!territories!such!as!the!Netherlands!with!Celblok!H!(2014H2017)!and! Flanders!(announced!for!2018).!Yet!if!these!remakes!of!the!Australian!series!at!one!level! simply!offer!examples!of!what!Perkins!and!Verevis!have!described!as!‘the!global!explosion!in,! and!cultural!significance!of,!transnational!television!remakes!since!the!beginning!of!the! twentyHfirst!century’!(677),!they!also!point!to!the!complexity!of!this!process.!! As!remakes!of!a!remake,!Block!B!and!Celblok!H!do!not!simply!offer!a!crossHcultural! translation!of!the!2013!Foxtel!series,!but!are!also!by!necessity!engaged!in!a!multiHlayered! process!of!translation!and!remaking!that!functioned!on!several!levels!and!in!connection!to!a! number!of!‘original’!texts.!This!paper!examines!the!complicated!lineage!of!the!German!and! Dutch!remakes!of!Wentworth,!interrogating!their!engagement!with!not!only!the!2013! Australian!series,!but!also!with!its!predecessor!Prisoner!and!the!transnational!remakes!that! show!inspired,!including!the!RTL!series!Hinter!Gittern!–!Der!Frauenknast!(1997H2007).!The! multiple!forms!in!which!the!Wentworth/Prisoner!storyHworld!had!been!encountered!and! reproduced!within!the!NorthHWest!European!context!presents!a!complex!challenge!for! thinking!through!these!shows!as!transnational!remakes!of!a!single!text.!Engaging!with!the! expanding!literature!on!the!phenomenon!of!remakes!and!frameworks!of!‘critical! transculturalism’!(Perkins!&!Verevis),!this!paper!will!interrogate!how!each!of!Wentworth,!Block!
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 15 B!and!Celblok!H!fit!within!the!increasingly!complex!systems!of!intertextual!and!transcultural! exchange!that!are!a!result!of!our!globalised!media!environment.! Dr'Kirsten!Stevens!is!the!author!of!Australian!Film!Festivals:!Audience,!Place!and!Exhibition! Culture!(Palgrave!Macmillan!2016).!She!is!a!teaching!academic!at!Monash!University!where! she!has!taught!units!on!Australian!film!and!television.! ! Wentworth/Prisoner'and'the'Transnational'TV'+'Format'Trade'' Philippa!Burne!(Victorian!College!of!the!Arts,!University!of!Melbourne)! ! Fremantle!Media!is!a!worldwide!production!company,!which!is!known!internationally!for! producing!hundreds!of!local!drama!series!from!a!handful!of!formats.!Many!of!these!formats! which!had!their!origins!in!Australia!in!the!1980s!–!Neighbours,!Sons!and!Daughters,!Prisoner! H!as!well!as!more!recent!series!like!Betty!La!Fea!into!Ugly!Betty!and!multiple!others!–!have! since!become!longHrunning!locally!produced!series!and!serials!in!dozens!of!countries.!The! most!recent!example!of!this!is!the!format!Wentworth!(2013!H),!itself!a!reboot!of!1980s’!cult!hit,! Prisoner.!A!German!remake!was!the!first!announced!in!2014,!made!by!UFA!and!Fremantle! Media!parent!company!RTL’s!broadcast!network!RTL.!From!2014H2017!there!was!a!Dutch! production!of!four!seasons!comprising!46!episodes!which!was!virtually!a!scene!by!scene! remake!of!Wentworth.!And!in!2016,!a!Belgian!remake!began,!scheduled!for!broadcast!in! 2018.!! ! I!propose!to!look!at!the!way!in!which!these!remakes!have!been!approached.!Issues!such!as! culturallyHspecific!crime!and!punishment,!genderHrelations,!humour,!values!and!approaches!to! storyHtelling!all!impact!on!the!production!and!success!of!formatted!shows.!Wentworth,!as!a! femaleHled,!prisonHbased!show!is!of!particular!interest!in!terms!of!depictions!of!violence,! sexuality!and!so!on.!In!industrial!terms,!it!is!interesting!to!look!at!the!various!approaches!to! the!production!of!these!formats.!Is!it!done!via!a!licenseHagreement!in!which!case!the!show!is! produced!entirely!by!the!local,!licensing!production!company,!or!is!the!remake!undertaken!by! Fremantle!Media!itself!through!one!of!its!locally!based!production!companies,!perhaps!with! an!international!Supervising!Producer!and/or!Supervising!Head!Writer!in!place.!Are!scripts! translated!or!fully!redeveloped?!Are!storylines!reused,!or!only!the!basic!concept!taken?!I! would!also!look!at!the!reboot!of!Wentworth!from!Prisoner,!and!the!worldwide!reach!of! Prisoner!itself,!considering!why!Wentworth!has!more!success!as!a!transnational!concept,! than!Prisoner!did.!Issues!of!the!emergence!of!femaleHled!screen!product,!the!appetite!for! darker!story!content,!and!the!proven!strength!of!Fremantle!Media!as!a!provider!of!formats!will! be!considered.! ! Philippa!Burne!is!a!Lecturer!in!Screenwriting!at!VCA,!University!of!Melbourne.!She! began!a!PhD!in!Screenwriting!at!RMIT!in!2017.!From!2004H2006,!she!worked!for! Fremantle!Media!in!the!Worldwide!Drama!Department!during!which!time!she! worked!on!the!development!and!scripting!of!formatted!shows!in!Croatia!(Zabranjena! Ljubav!from!Sons!and!Daughters),!The!Netherlands!(Lotte!from!Betty!La!Fea),! Slovakia!(Medzi!Nami!from!Neighbours),!Poland!(Na!Spolnej!from!Neighbours),!and! the!USA!(Monarch!Cove!from!the!German!telenovella!Bianca).!In!2007,!she!worked! for!RTL!Croatia!on!Ne!Daj!Se,!Nina!adapted!from!the!Columbian!Betty!La!Fea.! ! Capadocia'Mexico’s'Prison'Drama'Inspired'by'the'Headlines'' Miguel!Gonzalez!(National!Film!+!Sound!Archive)!
Prisoner!was!a!groundHbreaking!prison!drama!following!the!tropes!of!the!soap! opera/telenovela!genre.!It!developed!a!passionate!following!but!is!largely!considered!‘camp’,! a!guilty!pleasure.!In!the!age!of!HBO/Netflix,!prison!dramas!(including!Wentworth)!have! become!grittier,!darker.!!Melodrama!has!been!replaced!by!character!study,!and!audiences! expect!a!high!level!of!perceived!realism.!!
Wentworth!portrays!issues!such!as!domestic!violence,!addiction,!criminal!syndicates!and! corrupt!authorities!–!playing!on!the!Australian!audience’s!distrust!of!figures!of!authority!and! government!institutions.!!What!happens!when!a!country!where!daily!headlines!are!as!
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 16 outlandish!as!a!soap!opera,!and!corruption!is!part!of!everyday!life?!In!a!place!where!reality!is! stranger!than!fiction,!how!do!you!capture!the!audience’s!imagination?!!
Capadocia!(A!Place!Without!Forgiveness)!is!HBO's!first!series!produced!in!Mexico.!Over!the! course!of!three!seasons!and!39!episodes,!human!rights!lawyer!Teresa!Lagos!becomes!the! head!of!Capadocia,!an!experimental,!privatelyHowned!prison.!But!in!the!world's!53rd!most! corrupt!country,!what!is!meant!to!be!a!stateHofHtheHart!rehabilitation!centre!soon!becomes!the! perfect!drug!trafficking!machine.!Teresa!will!face!a!greedy!corporation,!deadly!drug!cartels! and!the!highest!levels!of!power!in!Mexico.!This!paper!will!explore!the!themes!developed!by! Capadocia,!providing!context!about!the!Mexican!media!landscape!and!the!inspiration!behind! the!show’s!storylines.!It!will!also!draw!parallels!with!both!Prisoner!and!Wentworth,!analysing! the!universal!nature!of!prison!drama!tropes.!!
Miguel!Gonzalez!is!the!Media!and!Social!Media!Manager!at!the!National!Film!and!Sound! Archive!of!Australia.!With!a!background!in!entertainment!journalism!and!film!criticism,! Miguel’s!work!has!been!published!by!Empire,!Filmink,!Rolling!Stone,!and!Singapore’s!film! magazine!F***!(yes,!that’s!its!name).!He!is!a!former!editor!of!Encore!magazine,!where!he! reported!on!Australia’s!audiovisual!industry!and!hosted!industry!forums.!He!is!also!the! Australian!correspondent!for!Mexico’s!edition!of!Premiere!magazine,!covering!junkets!of! international!films!shooting!in!Australia!and!New!Zealand,!such!as!Avatar,!Ghost!in!the!Shell,! etc.!Last!but!not!least,!Miguel!is!a!television!addict!since!childhood,!spending!countless!hours! watching!Mexican!telenovelas!and!American!teenage!dramas.!Upon!discovering!Prisoner,!he! devoured!all!692!episodes!and!regularly!sings!‘He!used!to!give!me!roses…’!in!the!shower.!
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Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 17 Fans'+'Stalkers' '' ' ' ' Chaired!by!Tessa!Dwyer! Slot'5'10.20!–!11.50am,!Friday!6!April! ! “I’m'not'interested'in'being'polite'or'heterosexual”:'Compulsory'Homosexuality'in'the' Online!Wentworth'Fandom!! Amanda!Allen!(Eastern!Michigan!University)! ! When!Bea!Smith!was!shockingly!killed!at!the!end!of!Wentworth’s!fourth!season,!tweeting!fans! accused!the!show!of!complicity!in!the!“bury!your!gays”!or!“dead!lesbian!syndrome”!trope.!One! of!the!show’s!writers!denied!such!claims,!tweeting!that!Wentworth!had!killed!off!only!one! bisexual!character!(compared!to!eleven!heterosexual!characters),!and!that!six!queer! characters!remained.! ! What!the!controversy!made!apparent!was!a!chasm!between!the!show!and!many!TwitterH using!fans!in!regard!to!the!perceived!importance!of!f/f!relationships!in!Wentworth.!While! Wentworth!has!incorporated!f/f!relationships!into!23%!of!its!portrayed!consensual!romantic!or! sexual!pairings,!fans’!creative!works—particularly!fanfiction—demonstrate!a!much!more! intense!focus!on!f/f!pairings,!with!a!whopping!89%!of!all!Wentworth!fanfiction!on!Archive!of! Our!Own!dedicated!to!narratives!concentrated!on!f/f!ships.! ! This!paper!explores!fans’!intense!investment!in!their!favourite!Wentworth!f/f!ships,!but!does! so!by!contextualizing!their!devotion!in!relation!to!the!rise!of!a!specifically!queer!women’s! online!fan!community.!The!functioning!of!this!community!is!uniquer!it!exists!as!a!gynocentric! culture!that!operates!through!an!inverted!form!of!Adrienne!Rich’s!concept!of!compulsory! heterosexuality.!That!is,!the!TwitterH!and!AO3Hbased!online!Wentworth!fandom!enacts!a!kind! of!compulsory!homosexuality,!in!which!homosexuality!is!the!assumed!norm!and!is!reinforced! by!a!matriarchal!system.!Ultimately,!I!examine!fans’!tweets!and!fanworks!to!demonstrate!the! extent!to!which!their!play!with!their!favourite!f/f!ships—particularly!Freakytits,!Fridget,!and! Frerica—often!correspond!with!the!expansion!and!entrenchment!of!their!own!senses!of!queer! identity.! ! Amanda!K.!Allen!is!an!Associate!Professor!of!English!at!Eastern!Michigan!University.!Her! primary!research!focuses!on!the!intersection!of!midHcentury!adolescent!girl!romance!novels,! Cold!War!studies,!and!women’s!literary!and!employment!history.!She!also!publishes!on! fandom!studies,!particularly!within!the!Harry!Potter!fandom.!Her!foray!into!Wentworth!studies! is!entirely!selfish:!she!is!a!complete!Joan!Ferguson!“stan.”! ! Bea'and'the'Freak'Remixed:'Re_imagining'the'Cult'of'Prisoner)Cell)Block)H'through' Wentworth!! Craig!Haslop!(University!of!Liverpool)! ! Prisoner!Cell!Block!H!stands!out!as!a!key!cult!television!text!of!the!1980s.!!In!the!UK,!its!reH imagination!as!a!musical!and!Maggie!Kirkpatrick’s!guest!appearances!as!‘The!Freak’!in!gay! clubs!across!the!country,!highlighted!the!fan!obsession!with!the!series,!particularly!in!the! LGBTQI+!community.!!Despite!its!casebook!cult!attributes!of!an!obsessive!and!ritualistic! audience,!a!text!that!stood!out!from!the!mainstream!(Janocwich!and!Hunt!2004),!and! hybridised!the!prison!drama!with!soap!and!action!(Eco!1985),!Prisoner!Cell!Block!H!is!rarely! mentioned!in!the!academically!imagined!history!of!the!development!of!cult!TV,!one!all!too! often!seen!through!the!lens!of!teleHfantasy.!!In!this!paper,!I!want!to!explore!the!possibilities!for! the!revived!version!of!Prisoner!Cell!Block!H!–!Wentworth,!as!a!cult!TV!show!in!a!very! different!TV!landscape.!!Wentworth!not!only!features!similar!cultish!attributes!to!its!ancestor,! fast!creating!an!obsessive!audience!and!featuring!now!standard!attributes!for!quality!cult! shows!including!the!flashback!and!narrative!conundrums,!it!also!plays!with!its!own! intertextuality!and!cult!status.!!Wentworth!opened!by!narratively!confounding!the!audience! through!incorporating!past!Prisoner!character!names!but!kept!the!audience!guessing!as!to! the!extent!that!this!new!version!of!the!old!character!would!eventually!‘become’!the!Bea!or! Vera!that!we!remember.!!In!this!way,!Wentworth!becomes!the!ultimate!commodified!cult!text,! a!show!designed!for!the!demands!of!the!TV!audience!today,!but!rewriting!the!historical!roots! of!its!cult!predecessor.!!I!argue!then!that!Wentworth!should!represent!not!only!our!opportunity! to!foreground!quality!soap!drama!as!cult!TV!alongside!teleHfantasy,!but!also!to!acknowledge!
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 18 the!cult!status!of!its!predecessor!as!significant!LGBTQI+!TV!but!also!as!important!in!the! development!of!what!we!know!as!‘cult!TV’!today.!!!!!! Craig!Haslop!is!a!lecturer!in!media!at!the!University!of!Liverpool.!He!has!written!about!the! development!of!cult!TV!brands!and!the!commodification!of!class!and!LGBTQI+!identities!in! Doctor!Who!and!Torchwood.!!He!is!also!researching!relationships!between!the!history!and! development!of!'cult'!TV,!'queerness'!and!LGBTQI+!cultures!in!the!UK.! Sympathy'for'the'Devil:'Monstrous'Discourse,'Unruly'Women,'and'Fans'of'the'Freak'' Renee!Middlemost!(University!of!Wollongong)!
Since!its!debut!in!2013,!much!has!been!written!about!the!women!of!Wentworth.!However,!it! was!not!until!the!addition!of!Governor!Joan!'The!Freak'!Ferguson!in!Season!2!that!the! program!moved!into!the!realm!of!“must!see!TV”!(Bolenius,!2016).!Pamela!Rabe’s!portrayal!of! the!quintessential!villain!has!gained!a!loyal!following!amongst!fans!worldwide,!despite!the! scrutiny!‘fans!of!the!Freak’!endure!within!the!Wentworth!fandom!at!large.!! ! This!paper!will!examine!the!ongoing!stereotyping,!and!policing!behavior!of!fans,!focusing!on! two!of!the!unruliest!women!of!Wentworth!–!Ferguson,!and!Karen!“Kaz”!Proctor.!I!posit!that! the!introduction!of!the!Kaz!Proctor!character,!initially!portrayed!as!a!feminist!vigilante/Bea! Smith!‘groupie’,!can!be!read!as!a!stereotypical!‘uncontrollable’!female!fan.!Kaz’s!volatile! reaction!to!betrayal!reflects!the!underlying!tension!within!fan!communities!that!can!be! targeted!at!rival!fan!objects!–!in!this!case,!fans!of!Ferguson.!The!attempted!policing!of! Ferguson!fans!by!the!Wentworth!fandom!has!centred!around!the!‘appropriateness’!of!being!a! fan!of!a!character!committing!unspeakable!acts.!The!friction!between!Ferguson!and!Smith! fans!escalated!dramatically!after!the!shocking!Season!4!finale.!It!was!then!that!Wentworth! fans!enacted!the!type!of!boundary!policing!which!has!been!described!by!Gray!(2005)!as!antiH fandom,!and!is!distinguished!by!its!emphasis!on!morality.!! ! Ultimately!this!paper!will!interrogate!the!slippage!that!occurs!between!the!policing!of!unruly! women!onscreen,!and!the!desire!for!competing!fan!factions!to!police!the!fandom!of!rival! characters.!Just!as!the!women!of!Wentworth!require!boundaries,!the!case!study!of!Ferguson! and!Kaz!reflects!the!nature!of!boundary!policing!within!contemporary!fan!communities.!! !
Dr.!Renee!Middlemost!is!an!early!career!researcher!and!Lecturer!in!Communication!and! Media!at!the!University!of!Wollongong,!Australia.!Her!PhD!Thesis!entitled!“Amongst!Friends:! The!Australian!Cult!Film!Experience”,!examined!the!audience!participation!practices!of!cult! film!fans!in!Australia.!Her!forthcoming!publications!reflect!her!diverse!research!interestsr! these!include!a!chapter!on!cult!film!and!nostalgia!for!The!Routledge!Guide!to!Cult!Cinemar!an! article!on!the!Australian!outback!and!monstrosity!for!CineExcessr!and!a!coHauthored!chapter! on!the!finale!of!Dexter.!
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Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 19 Screw'Security' '' ' ' ' Chaired!by!Radha!O’Meara! Slot'6'11.50am!–!1.20pm,!Friday!6!April! ! Wentworth'+'the'Global'Dynamic'Between'Security'Nations'+'Their'Citizens'' Alex!Bevan!(University!of!Queensland)! ! Wentworth’s!violence!and!dialogue!center!on!the!act!of!interrogation!and!intelligence! gathering!within!and!between!two!main!groups:!the!prisoners!and!correctional!officers,!or! representatives!of!the!state.!At!all!times,!the!prison’s!governor!and!her!team!try!to!anticipate! inmate!activity:!drug!smuggling,!riots,!power!struggles!among!the!women.!The!correctional! officers!use!a!variety!of!surveillance!tactics!familiar!to!the!neoliberal,!postHindustrial!security! state:!CCTV!footage,!spot!checks!and!searches,!and!interrogation.!The!prisoners!rely!on! interrogation,!informationHbased!and!visual!surveillance!to!determine!much!of!the!same! information:!What!is!going!on!at!the!prison!and!who!is!in!power!at!what!time.!This!paper! groups!these!various!tactics!together!under!the!heading!of!intelligence.!Intelligence!gathering! on!the!part!of!both!prisoners!and!the!officers!tries!to!predict!actions!and!then!exert!influence! over!those!actions.!The!paper!argues!that!the!intelligence!dynamics!in!Wentworth'(SoHo,! 2013)!offer!a!microcosm!of!the!larger!interactions!between!the!security!state!and!citizens!in! the!postHindustrial,!surveillance!era.!I!place!Wentworth!in!a!wider!context!of!how!intelligence! gathering!and!state!surveillance!are!depicted!elsewhere!in!texts!like!Homeland!(Showtime,! 2011)!and!Zero!Dark!Thirty!(2012)!as!well!as!the!original!Prisoner!(Network!Ten!1979H86).) While!Wentworth’s!iteration!is!unique!to!its!Australian!context,!it!also!belongs!to!a!larger! global!context!of!television!dramas!foregrounding!intelligence!gathering!conducted!by!the! primary!group!of!nations!that!undertake!and!share!surveillance!information!with!each!other:! Australia,!New!Zealand,!Canada,!the!UK,!and!America.!! ! Dr!Alex!Bevan!is!a!Lecturer!in!Communication!and!the!Arts!at!the!University!of!Queensland!in! Brisbane,!Australia.!Her!research!focuses!on!ethnographies!of!creative!labor!in!the!media! industries.!Her!forthcoming!book,!The!Aesthetics!of!Nostalgia!TV!(Bloomsbury!Press),!looks! at!television!nostalgic!for!past!“goldenHeras”!in!American!history!through!the!lens!of! production!design!and!an!industry!ethnography!of!those!who!design!for!television.!Her! publications!have!appeared!in!Television!&!New!Media,!Adaptation,!Cinema!Journal,! Feminist!Media!Studies,!and!PopMatters.!! ! Wentworth'+'Orange)is)the)New)Black:'Systemic'Inequality'vs.'Individual' Responsibility!! Jessica!Ford!(University!of!New!South!Wales)! ! Wentworth!(2013Hpresent)!and!Orange!is!the!New!Black!(2013Hpresent)!have!a!many!obvious! similarities:!they!are!both!set!in!contemporary!women’s!prisons!and!focus!on!the!day!to!day! lives!of!inmates!and!guards.!While!Wentworth!is!made!and!set!in!Australia,!and!Orange!is!the! New!Black!is!made!and!set!in!the!US,!they!are!strikingly!similar!series!in!terms!of!genre!and! setting.!One!area!that!they!differ!considerably!is!in!the!negotiation!and!representation!of! systemic!inequality,!the!prison!industrial!complex!and!individual!responsibility.!In!this!paper,!I! will!examine!how!Wentworth!and!Orange!is!the!New!Black!depict!female!prisoners!as! subjects/victims!of!patriarchal!systems!of!power!that!work!to!imprison!and!disempower! marginalised!women.!This!paper!will!argue!that!while!Orange!is!the!New!Black!emphasises! the!role!that!systemic!inequality!(in!the!forms!of!sexism,!poverty,!racism,!education)!plays!in! crime!and!incarceration,!Wentworth!highlights!how!each!character’s!circumstances!are!a! result!of!their!individual!choices.!This!paper!will!explore!these!differing!approaches!to! systems!of!power!manifest!in!each!series’!narrative,!characterisation,!aesthetic!and!tone.!! ! Dr.!Jessica!Ford'is!an!early!career!researcher!at!UNSW!Sydney.!Jessica!is!a!coHfounder!of! the!Sydney!Screen!Studies!Network!–!a!community!of!screen!studies!scholars!and! researchers.!She!has!published!on!various!femaleHcentric!US!television!series,!including! Buffy!the!Vampire!Slayer,!Bunheads,!and!Girls.!Jessica’s!research!examines!women!and! feminism!on!screen.!!
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Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 20 Prison'Architecture,'Gender'and'the'Gothic'in'Prisoner'+'Wentworth!! Kate!Warner!(University!of!Queensland)!
The!representation!of!prison!in!Wentworth!and!Prisoner!is!unavoidably!intertwined!with!ideas! about,!and!representations!of,!prison!architecture.!!The!various!choices!made!about!the!sets! of!both!programs!have!affected!the!way!that!the!programs!have!developed.!!Prisoner’s! reputation!for!shaky!sets!and!Wentworth’s!determination!to!avoid!this!accusation!have! changed!the!way!both!prison!shows!are!perceived.!!I!will!argue!that!the!development!of!the! sets!and!setting!have!a!profound!effect!on!both!the!themes!of!the!shows!and!their! reception.!!Both!Prisoner!and!Wentworth!are!concerned!with!representing!the!position!of! women!in!the!sociologically!and!culturally!masculine!space!of!prison.! ! I!will!relate!my!discussion!of!prison!architecture!to!a!variety!of!theoretical!concerns.!!The!overt! panopticonism!in!Wentworth!can!be!seen!as!a!sign!of!the!changing!times!in!relationship!to! both!prison!discourse!and!increasing!availability!of!Foucauldian!theory.!!I!will!discuss!Marc! Auge’s!concept!of!‘no!places’!and!how!these!relate!to!the!representation!of!television!prisons.!!! ! Both!Prisoner!and!Wentworth!are!diegetically!stated!to!be!‘modern’!prisons,!however!prison! architecture!in!often!historically!and!artistically!tied!to!the!gothic!and!serves!gothic!plot! lines.!!Prisons!forcefully!separate!the!world!inside!from!that!outside.!!This!separation!is!a! traditional!gothic!concern!and!is!usually!tied!to!a!feminine!inside!and!masculine!outside.!!In! Wentworth!and!Prisoner!the!setting!functions!not!only!as!a!place!of!punishment!but!also!as!a! domestic!space!and!therefore!is!linked!to!gender!ideologies.!!I!will!use!examples!such!as:!the! central!and!violent!position!of!the!steam!iron!in!both!programsr!the!figure!of!the!threatened! child/innocentr!and!the!importance!of!outside!settings!in!a!genre!that!would!seem!to!be!likely! to!remain!inside,!to!discuss!gender!and!the!gothic.!!.!!! ! Kate!Warner’s!PhD!“The!Representation!of!Prison!and!Prisoners!in!Long!Running!Fictional! Television!Programs”!is!from!the!University!of!Queensland.!!She!teaches!in!the!areas!of! television!studies,!media!and!communication.!!She!has!published!on!topics!including! television!and!history,!prison!on!television!and!crime!television.!!! !
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Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 21 Scripting'the'Carceral' '' ' ' ' Chaired!by!Helen!Milte! Slot'7'2!–!3.30pm,!Friday!6!April! ! Writing'Spaces'in'Wentworth' Radha!O’Meara!(University!of!Melbourne)! ! The!Wentworth!script!department!is!unusual!in!television’s!industrial!context!for!being!housed! in!the!same!building!as!the!production!staff.!It!is!especially!notable!that!this!unusual!set!up! was!maintained,!even!when!the!production!moved!to!a!new!site!for!the!fourth!season.!Spatial! coHlocation!can!lead!to!more!frequent,!casual!and!integrated!creative!collaboration!between! departments!that!are!often!industrially!isolated,!as!Redvall!has!noted!in!the!case!of!dramas! produced!by!DR/Danish!Broadcasting!Corporation!(2013).!This!paper!discusses!the!impact!of! spatial!organisation!on!the!practices!of!writing!for!television.! ! Dr!Radha!O’Meara!is!Lecturer!in!Screenwriting!in!the!School!of!Culture!and!Communication! at!the!University!of!Melbourne.!She!publishes!on!screenwriting,!television!and!serial!narrative.! Her!decadesHlong!obsession!with!Prisoner!and!Wentworth!has!finally!been!academically! legitimised.! ! ! Writing'from'the'(stony)'ground'up:'the'unique'affordances'of'the'prison'as'‘hub’'from' a'script'development'perspective'' Stayci!Taylor!(RMIT!University) ! As!writers,!script!editors!and!developers!of!serial!drama!know!all!too!well,!one!of!the!major! considerations!in!creating!(and!then!refining)!a!premise!for!an!enduring!series!is!settling!on!a! ‘hub’.!Whether!it!be!Ramsey!Street!or!the!Rovers!Return,!the!contained!world!of!a!serial! drama,!when!judiciously!chosen!and!carefully!developed,!does!much!of!the!work!of!facilitating! the!internal!logic!of!the!interconnected!lives!and!storylines!of!the!characters.!
This!paper!posits!that!the!broader!prevalence!of!prisonHset!televisual!serial!drama!almost! certainly!has!something!to!do!with!how!effectively!the!setting!incorporates!all!the!elements! sought!by!commissioners!of!such!works!H!put!simply,!it!comes!inbuilt!with!high!dramatic! stakes,!hierarchies,!and!an!environment!where!characters!are!forced!to!interact!without! tenuous!interventions!imposed!by!storyliners.!Moreover,!while!the!popularity!of!dramas!set! specifically!in!women’s!prisons!stems!from!all!of!the!above,!the!setting!also!brings!with!it!a! cast!heavily!populated!with!female!identifying!characters.!While!it!is!hardly!groundHbreaking!to! suggest!there!is!value!in!creating!screen!stories!featuring!characters!with!which!female! viewers!can!identify,!the!industry!is!still!awash!with!such!debates!around!gendered! representations!and!perspectives!on!commercial!screens.!It!is!thus!the!contention!of!the! paper!that!the!prison!hub!does!doubleHduty!in!the!case!of!women’s!prison!dramas,!as!their! very!premise!dictates!the!femaleHstrong!cast!is!incontestable.!
Drawing!on!her!previous!work!on!script!development,!story!worlds!and!her!own!screenwriting! practice,!the!author!explores!the!unique!affordances!of!the!women’s!prison!as!‘hub’!in!serial! drama!as!another!way!of!understanding!not!only!the!enduring!popularity!of!these!shows,!but! also!their!continued!prevalence!considering!the!development!processes!from!which!they! emerge.
Dr!Stayci!Taylor'is!and!Industry!Fellow!and!Lecturer!with!RMIT’s!Media!program.!She!brings! to!her!teaching!and!research!a!background!in!screenwriting!for!New!Zealand!television,!and! continues!to!contribute!to!that!industry!as!a!consultant.!She!was!recently!coHeditor!of!a! special!issue!of!the!Journal!of!Screenwriting!on!script!development,!and!has!published!on! screenwriting!practice!and!gender!in!such!journals!as!Senses!of!Cinema,!Celebrity!Studies,! New!Writing!and!TEXT. ! !
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 22 ! Script'Development'as'Research:'a'Prisoner/Wentworth'Approach' Craig!Batty!(RMIT)! ! What!might!a!Prisoner/Wentworth!approach!to!script!development!look!like?!How!could! theories!and!ideas!arising!from!this!very!conference!inform!a!creative!practice!that!speaks! back!to!the!research!presented?!In!this!paper/workshop!(with!possible!audience! participation!),!I!will!outline!what!script!development!looks!like!from!a!research!perspective!–! a!growing!area!of!interest!in!the!contemporary!academy!–!and!explore!some!of!the!ways!it! might!be!applied!to!the!Prisoner/Wentworth!context.!I!will!draw!on!a!range!of!papers!delivered! at!the!conference!to!give!examples!of!how!researchHled!scripts!and!storylines!in!the!prison! genre!might!be!developed.!Delegates!may!be!asked!to!help!formulate!these!scripts!and! storylines!in!an!interactive!workshop,!with!a!view!to!collectively!‘script!developing’!a!creative! research!project!–!or!at!least!the!beginnings!of!one.!It!promises!to!be!both!educative!and! entertaining.!!! ! Craig!Batty!is!Associate!Professor!of!Screenwriting!and!Creative!Practice!at!RMIT!University.! He!is!author!of!over!50!books,!chapters,!journal!articles!and!refereed!conference! proceedingsr!editor!of!two!books!and!10!journal!special!issuesr!and!has!worked!as!a!writer! and!script!editor!on!various!film/screen!projects.!He!is!currently!HDR!CoHDirector!in!the! School!of!Media!and!Communication.!His!current!areas!of!research!are!script!development! practices!in!the!screen!industry,!and!doctoral!education!in!creative!practice!disciplines.!Craig! is!also!Adjunct!Professor!at!Central!Queensland!University!and!the!University!of!Southern! Queensland,!and!Visiting!Research!Fellow!at!the!Bournemouth!University!in!the!UK.! ! ! ! !
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Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 23 Freaks,'Gangs'+'Guests' '' ' ' Chaired!by!Stayci!Taylor! Slot'8'4!H!5.30pm,!Friday!6!April! ! Prisoner)Cell)Block)H,)Wentworth,'and'The'Freak:'Discourses'of'Sexuality'and'the' Sociopath!! Faye!Davies!(Birmingham!City!University)! ! This!research!involves!a!discursive!consideration!of!the!characterisation!and!representation! of!the!character!of!Joan!‘The!Freak’!Ferguson.!The!work!focuses!on!the!narrative!progression! and!discourses!of!sexuality!through!the!incarnation!of!Ferguson!in!Prisoner:!Cell!Block!H!and! the!Prisoner!inspired!reboot!Wentworth.!The!analysis!of!Ferguson!is!framed!by!Fairclough’s! approach,!‘A!framework!for!critical!discourse!analysis!of!a!communicative!event’!(Fairclough,! 1995,!p.59).!This!approach!is!particularly!pertinent,!as!it!not!only!considers!the!meaning! within!any!text,!but!also!the!conditions!that!lead!to!the!construction!of!representation.!This! research!is!concerned!with!contextualising!this!discursive!development!through!the!framing!of! LGBTQI+!political!development!and!representation.! ! The!key!consideration!of!this!work!is!the!changing!focus!of!characterisation!of!Ferguson!from! sexual!predator!(Prisoner)!to!sociopathic!manipulator!(Wentworth).!It!is!argued!that!the! enacted!and!abusive!sexuality!of!Ferguson!is!increasingly!deprioritised!in!Wentworth!as!the! narrative!develops,!and!this!offers!a!distinct!link!to!(and!insight!of)!the!social,!cultural,!and! political!context,!which!underpins!the!production!and!development!of!both!shows.! ! Dr!Faye!Davies!is!Senior!Lecturer!in!Media!and!Cultural!Theory!in!the!Birmingham!School!of! Media!at!Birmingham!City!University,!UK,!where!she!has!lectured!for!the!past!16!years.!She! is!an!active!member!of!the!Birmingham!Centre!for!Media!and!Cultural!Research.!Faye’s!key! research!areas!are!around!the!representation!of!sexuality!in!television,!and!media!education! and!literacy.!Her!PhD!focused!on!the!textual!meanings,!audience!response,!and!production! culture!and!practices!related!to!discursive!meaning!in!and!around!The!L!Word.!She!is! currently!developing!further!work!around!LGBTQI+!representations!in!prison!TV!drama,!and! also!oral!histories!of!the!LGBTQI+!communities!in!the!UK.! ! “I'want'to'see'Rit'Connors,'and'I'want'to'see'her'now!”'The'Walk_On'as'the'Messenger' from'Heterotopia!! Helen!Milte!(University!of!Melbourne)! ! Ever!since!the!Messenger!from!Corinth,!the!radical!disruptive!energy!of!the!walkHon!has! intrigued!writers,!viewers!and!performers!alike.!The!guest!role!arrives!in!medias!res!and!the! audience!is!delivered!immediate!engagement:!as!the!unannounced!character!experiences! directly,!so!do!they.!Within!the!structure!of!an!ongoing!TV!series,!the!guest!role!brings!unique! dynamic!potential!to!disrupt!The!Inside!from!the!outside.!This!effect!is!concentrated!in!a! series!like!Prisoner!(Cell!Block!H),!drama!which!operates!on!the!rearrangement!of! recognisable!hegemonic!orders,!and!makes!a!celebration!of!broken!logic.!Within!the!texture! of!the!longHform!pressurised!environment!of!Prisoner’s!main!cast!and!storyline,!the!guest!role! is!shortHlived,!chaoticr!the!walkHon!brings!ambiguous!or!ambivalent!history!plus!a!potential! dialogic!with!the!future!of!the!show’s!story!arc!preHloaded!onto!their!short!script!time.!The! information!they!will!deliver!can!and!cannot!be!contained!by!such!limitationsr!this!is!visible!in! heterotopic!spaces,!such!as!the!close!up!on!the!principal!actor’s!brightHwary!eyes!in!the!2H hander!with!said!guest,!a!new!presentr!and!in!the!future!of!fan!letters!that!continue!to!arrive! as!the!character!takes!on!an!afterHlife!quality.!! ! This!presentation!seeks!to!analyse!the!SemioticHdisruptive!aspect!of!the!walkHon.!It!will!focus! certain!recognisable!framings!of!the!guest!role,!and!elaborate!these!with!personal!experiential! readings!of!playing!Prisoner!guest,!Margie!Fleming,!in!the!space!between!the!script,!the! Green!Room!and!the!episode!(#631,!#633,!1986).!In!particular,!I!will!discuss!how!technical! systems!of!mise!en!scène!celebrate!this!externalHinternal!rhythmic!pulse!of!the!guest!role’s! dynamic!relation.!Deploying!a!Kristevan!methodology!for!reading!the!revolutionary!power!of! heterogeneous!disruption!(1986),!I!will!explore!otherHlanguage,!nonHverbal!and!Semiotic! textures!such!as!the!guest!role’s!introductory!entrance,!including!the!oftenHused!main!casts’! lookHshot!to!an!external!door.!Here!acousmatic!dislocated!delivery!of!footstepsHoff!herald!new!
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 24 knowledge!and!its!obverse!–!uncertainty.!Notably,!the!established!environment!of!the!scene! is!in!dialogic!discourse!with!a!disembodied!texture!of!potential!as!it/she!corners!the!door! jambr!and!tropic!dramatic!securities!like!key!cast!members!engrossed!in!general!conversation! announce!the!vibration!of!what!has!the!potential!to!ENTER!and!break!open!the!Symbolic! Order!of!the!story!with!new!plot!potential.!Drama!theorist!Martin!Esslin!argues!for!the! necessity!of!a!script’s!structural!force!to!break!up!predictable!patterning!as!key!to! commissioning!audience!engagement!(1976).!I!will!discuss!Esslin’s!constant,!the!variation!of! “rhythm”,!as!a!refreshing!and!recuperative!Semiotic!potential,!in!line!with!one!of!the!smallest! and!yet!key!rhythmically!disruptive!mechanisms!of!engagement!in!the!longHform!TV!series:! the!guest!role.! !
! Dr!Helen!Milte!as!Margie!Fleming,!Prisoner,!1986!Ep#631! ! Helen!researched!her!PhD!at!the!University!of!Melbourne!with!a!Creative!Writing!thesis,!‘In! the!Outside:!Invoking!Scenes!of!Semiotic!Engagement!between!Body,!Land!and!Text’(2015).! She!is!currently!working!on!an!extended!draft!of!her!PhD!fiction!in!readiness!for!publication.! For!her!Honours!English!dissertation!on!King!Lear!she!was!awarded!the!Emeritus!Professor! Derick!Marsh!Shakespeare!Essay!Prize.!In!2017!Helen!is!a!supervisor!and!lecturer!in!the! Creative!Writing!program!in!the!School!of!Culture!&!Communication,!University!of!Melbourne.!! Her!work!has!been!published!in!the!refereed!journal!TEXT.!She!has!published!fiction,!poetry,! creative!nonHfiction,!scholarly!criticism!and!Arts!review.!Helen!designs!and!hosts!the!Hookturn! podcast,!Literary!Punk.!As!a!performer!she!has!worked!in!various!roles!for!TV,!theatre!and! radio.!She!was!a!principal!member!of!the!Melbourne!Ensemble!Theatre!with!playwright! Michael!Gurr.!Helen!is!about!to!produce!her!first!short!film!in!2018,!with!a!script!by!Radha! O’Meara.! ! Asian'Gang'Member'#'3:'Representations'of'Race'+'Diversity'Behind'Bars'' Monique!Hameed!!
Over!the!past!decade,!the!number!and!rate!of!people!imprisoned!across!all!Australian!states! and!territories!has!risen!rapidly,!with!one!of!the!largest!increases!being!of!women!by!77%.!In! Victoria,!we!have!the!highest!proportion!of!overseas!born!prisoners!(26%!or!1,847!people)! (SPVPS!2010)!with!the!most!common!country!of!birth!being!Vietnam.!Illicit!drug!offences! have!been!the!most!common!offence!for!prisoners!from!this!group!(72%)!along!with!those! born!in!Hong!Kong!(80%),!China!(63%)!and!Malaysia!(62%)!(ABS!2017).! ! This!paper!will!address!the!social!and!political!effects!of!narratives!around!criminalised! migrant!communities,!“gangs”!and!“drug!trafficking”!present!in!Wentworth!and!more!broadly!in! Australian!media/culture!today.!Wentworth!is!set!in!a!modernHday!prison!in!Melbourne,! Victoria!and!in!this!contemporary!reHimaging!of!the!cult!classic!Prisoner,!writers!have!updated! the!racial!and!ethnic!makeup!of!the!cast!to!include!several!characters!from!a!range!of!‘Asian’! backgrounds.!Characters!Tina!Mercado,!Cindy!Lou!and!Kim!Chang!are!given!supporting! roles!throughout!the!five!seasons,!all!involving!narratives!that!engage!with!themes!of!drug! use,!drug!trafficking!and!‘gang’!related!violence.!! ! Stereotypes!of!Asian!Australian!communities!as!perpetual!foreigners,!outsiders!and!criminals! tap!into!racist!‘scripts’!that!can!be!traced!back!to!19th!century!fears!of!invasion,!racial!impurity!
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 25 and!The!Yellow!Peril!(Manderson!1999).!Through!popular!representations!of!drugs!and!drug! trafficking!“’gangs’,!‘youths’!and!‘Asians’![have!become]!interconnected!categories!of! exclusion,!conspiracy!and!fear”!encouraging!a!hostility!towards!“Asian!immigration”!and! impacting!on!government!policy!throughout!Australia’s!history!(Manderson!1999r!185).!Most! recently!there!has!been!a!Federal!inquiry!into!Australia’s!migrant!‘settlement!issues’,! examining!whether!“visas!can!be!revoked!if!migrants!become!involved!in!gangs”!or!have! spent!time!in!prison!(Kelly!2017).! ! This!paper!will!use!the!characters!of!Tina,!Cindy!Lou!and!Kim!to!argue!the!importance!of! engaging!with!racial!clichés!and!stereotypes!in!film!and!television.!I!will!present!ideas!for! transforming!and!expanding!on!these!characters,!centring!them!as!protagonists!within!the! narrative!with!the!aim!of!challenging!preconceived!expectations!of!Asian!Australians!today.! ! Monique!Hameed'is!a!longHtime!Wentworth!and!Prisoner!fan!currently!working!as!the! National!Training!Officer!at!the!Multicultural!Centre!for!Women’s!Health,!a!national! community!based!health!organization!led!by!and!for!immigrant!and!refugee!women.!Monique! approaches!her!work!from!her!background!in!cultural!studies!and!critical!theory.!She!has! previously!worked!as!coHcoordinator!of!Undercurrent!Victoria!–!a!volunteerHrun!organisation! that!conducts!workshops!around!consent!and!healthy!relationships!throughout!high!schools!in! the!Western!suburbs!of!Melbourne!and!as!a!tutor!within!the!Indigenous!Studies!Department! at!Melbourne!University.!She!is!passionate!about!queer!histories,!prison!abolition,! transformative!justice,!and!critical!race!studies.! ! !
! ! ! Images!are!included!in!this!program!to!foster!discussion!and!analysis!of!the!textsr!they!remain! the!property!of!copyright!holders.! ' '
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 26 LOCAL'KNOWLEDGE'
TRANSPORT'
Buy!a!‘Myki’!card!and!add!money!to!it!at!any!7HEleven,!then!tap!it!onto!the!card!reader!when! you!board!a!tram!or!bus,!or!at!the!gates!to!enter!train!platforms.!
More!info!on!Myki,!routes!and!timetables!for!public!transport:!https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/'
ACCOMMODATION'
Ibis!Hotel,!15!Therry!Street,!Melbourne!or!609!Swanston!Street,!Carlton!
Jasper!Hotel,!489!Elizabeth!Street,!Melbourne!
Rydges!Hotel,!701!Swanston!Street,!Carlton'
FOOD'+'DRINK'
Poolhouse!Coffee,!6!Franklin!Street,!Melbourne!
Mr!Tulk!café,!located!in!State!Library!Victoria,!328!Swanston!Street!(enter!from!La!Trobe!St)!
65!Degrees!café,!309!Exhibition!Street,!Melbourne!
Brother!Baba!Budan!café,!359!Little!Bourke!Street,!Melbourne!
Tiamo,!Italian!restaurant,!303!Lygon!Street,!Carlton!
I!Love!Dumplings,!108!A’Beckett!Street,!Melbourne!
Chocolate!Buddha,!Japanese!restaurant,!Federation!Sqaure,!Melbourne!
Izakaya!Den,!Japanese!restaurant,!114!Russell!Street,!Melbourne!
The!Lincoln,!Pub!grub,!91!Cardigan!Street,!Carlton!
Loop!Bar,!23!Meyers!Place,!Melbourne!
Arbory!Bar,!1!Flinders!Walk,!Melbourne!(On!the!Yarra!River!next!to!Flinders!Street!Station)!
The!Moat,!for!atmosphere,!drinks!+!snacks,!176!Little!Lonsdale!Street,!Melbourne!(tucked!in! under!The!Wheeler!Centre!for!Books,!Writing!and!Ideas!H!happy!hour!from!4.30pm!)!
Seamstress,!panHAsian!+!cocktails,!113!Lonsdale!Street,!Melbourne!(Chinatown)!
Cookie,!Thai!+!drinks,!or!Rooftop!Bar,!drinks,!both!in!Curtin!House,!252!Swanston!Street!
LOCAL'LANDMARKS'+'SIGHTS'
State!Library!Victoria,!Swanston!and!La!Trobe!Streets.!Free!wifi!and!a!nice!spot!to!read.!
Melbourne!Central,!Swanston!and!La!Trobe!Streets.!The!name!of!a!shopping!mall!and!the! train!station!below!it.!
Old!Melbourne!Gaol,!377!Russell!Street,!Melbourne.!Museum!and!former!prison!with!guided! tours.!
Federation!Square,!Swanston!+!Flinders!Streets.!!A!civic!hub!near!the!Yarra!River.!
ACMI,!at!Federation!Square.!Australian!Centre!for!the!Moving!Image,!features!exhibitions! and!screenings.! !
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 27 INDEX'OF'SPEAKERS'
Name'(Affiliation)' ' ' ' Session' ' ' Page'
Akass,!Kim!(U!Hertfordshire)! ! ! Keynote!1! ! ! 7! Allen,!Amanda!(Eastern!Michigan!U)! ! Slot!5! ! ! ! 18! Barron,!Olympia!(AFI!RC)! ! ! Slot!1! ! ! ! 11! Batty,!Craig!(RMIT)! ! ! ! Slot!7! ! ! ! 23! Bevan,!Alex!(U!Queensland)!! ! ! Slot!6! ! ! ! 20! Burne,!Philippa!(VCA,!U!Melbourne)!! ! Slot!3! ! ! ! 16! Carlin,!Kevin!(Director,!Wentworth)!! ! Slot!4:!Voices!from!the!Inside! 10! Chambers,!Kathy!(Wentworth)! ! ! Slot!4:!Voices!from!the!Inside! 10! Danks,!Adrian!(RMIT)! ! ! ! Keynote!1! ! ! 7! Dwyer,!Tessa!(Monash!U)! ! ! Slot!3! ! ! ! 15! Davies,!Faye!(Birmingham!City!U)! ! Slot!8! ! ! ! 24! Ford,!Jessica!(UNSW)!! ! ! ! Slot!6! ! ! ! 20! Gillam,!Catherine!(AFI!RC)! ! ! Slot!1! ! ! ! 11! Gionfriddo,!Alexander!(AFI!RC)! ! ! Slot!1! ! ! ! 11! Gonzalez,!Miguel!(NFSA)!! ! ! Slot!3! ! ! ! 16! Hameed,!Monique! ! ! ! Slot!8! ! ! ! 25! Haslop,!Craig!(U!Liverpool)!! ! ! Slot!5! ! ! ! 18! Hood,!Kate!(Prisoner)! ! ! ! Slot!9:!Voices!from!the!Inside! 10! InnesHIrons,!Jessica!(ACU)! ! ! Slot!2! ! ! ! 13! Ive,!Jessica!(U!Wollongong)!! ! ! Slot!2! ! ! ! 14! Middlemost,!Renee!(U!Wollongong)!! ! Slot!5! ! ! ! 19! Milte,!Helen!(U!Melbourne)!! ! ! Slot!8! ! ! ! 24! Monaghan,!Whitney!(Monash!U)!! ! Slot!1! ! ! ! 11! O’Meara,!Radha!(U!Melbourne)!! ! Slot!7! ! ! ! 22! Russ,!Jan!(Prisoner)!! ! ! ! Slot!9:!Voices!from!the!Inside! 10! Sandars,!Diana!(U!Melbourne)!! ! ! Slot!2! ! ! ! 13! Saunders,!Kate!(Wentworth)! ! ! Slot!4:!Voices!from!the!Inside! 10! Scarlata,!Alexa!(U!Melbourne)!! ! ! Slot!1! ! ! ! 12! Stevens,!Kirsten!(Monash!U)!! ! ! Slot!3! ! ! ! 15! Tatarka,!Ros!(Prisoner)!! ! ! Slot!4:!Voices!from!the!Inside! 10! Taylor,!Stayci!(RMIT)!! ! ! ! Slot!7! ! ! ! 22! Turnbull,!Sue!(U!Wollongong)! ! ! Keynote!2! ! ! 8! Waddell,!Terrie!(LaTrobe!U/Prisoner)!! ! Slot!9:!Voices!from!the!Inside! 10! Warner,!Kate!(U!Queensland)!! ! ! Slot!6! ! ! ! 21! ! !
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 28 Notes'
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 29