GRIFFIN THEATRE GRIFFIN THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS COMPANY CREATED AND PERFORMED BY DEBRA OSWALD DIRECTED BY LEE LEWIS 13 – 24 APRIL BIOGRAPHIES Debra Oswald The Nightwatchman. Other directing credits Ben Brockman Company/10 Days on the Island: The Mares; Writer and Performer include: for Griffin and Bell Shakespeare: Lighting Designer as associate composer and sound designer: The Literati, The Misanthrope; for Bell for Belvoir: Counting and Cracking, Random; Debra Oswald is a two- Shakespeare: The School for Wives, Twelfth Ben is an award-winning for Sydney Theatre Company: Wonnangatta; time winner of the NSW Night; for Belvoir: That Face, This Heaven, Half lighting designer who as performing musical director and bassist: Premier’s Literary Award and Half, A Number, 7 Blowjobs, Ladybird; for works both nationally for Belvoir: Barbara and the Camp Dogs (2017 and is creator/head Hayes Theatre Company: Darlinghurst Nights; and internationally. His and 2019 seasons); as bassist: for LWA/Sydney writer of the first five seasons of successful for Melbourne Theatre Company: Gloria, theatre credits include: for Griffin: Family Opera House: SIX: The Musical (LWA/Sydney TV series Offspring. She is the author of the Hay Fever and David Williamson’s Rupert, Values, Diving for Pearls, Replay, Splinter, 2016 Opera House); and as composer’s assistant: for novels Useful and The Whole Bright Year. Her which toured to Washington DC as part of and 2018 Season Launches; for Apocalypse Sydney Theatre Company: Harp in the South new novel The Family Doctor was published by the World Stages International Arts Festival Theatre Company and Red Line Productions Parts I & II. Jessica is also Artistic Director of Allen & Unwin in March 2021. Debra’s stage and to Sydney’s Theatre Royal in 2014; for at the Old Fitz: Angels in America Parts I & Sirens Big Band, who won the 2020 APRA Arts plays have been performed around the world Queensland Theatre: Our Town; for Sydney II, Metamorphoses; for Bontom: Chamber Music Award for Best Performance for their and published by Currency Press. Gary’s Theatre Company: Mary Stuart, Honour, Love- Pot Opera (Adelaide, Edinburgh and Sydney work on Bridge of Dreams. House, Sweet Road and The Peach Season Lies-Bleeding, ZEBRA!; for Darwin Festival: Fringe Festivals); for Darlinghurst Theatre were all shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Highway of Lost Hearts. Company: Broken, Detroit, The Motherfucker Madelaine Osborn Literary Award. Debra has also written four with the Hat, Tinder Box, Torch Song Trilogy; Stage Manager plays for young audiences—Dags, Skate, Nell Ranney for Ensemble Theatre: Baby Doll, The Big Dry, Stories in the Dark and House on Fire. Two of Associate Director Neville’s Island, The Plant, Tribes; for Hayes Madelaine is a her plays have been on the Griffin stage—Mr Theatre Co: Razorhurst; for KXT bAKEHOUSE: theatremaker living and Bailey’s Minder and The Peach Season. Her Nell Ranney is a director Dresden, Jatinga, The Laden Table, Straight, working primarily on television credits include award-winning and producer of original Visiting Hours; for Legs on the Wall: Cat’s Cradle, Gadigal land. She is a episodes of Police Rescue, Palace of Dreams, and multi-disciplinary The Raft (Development); for Mad March Hare is a stage manager, performer and producer. The Secret Life of Us, Sweet and Sour and theatre. Most recently Theatre Company: Belleville, Bengal Tiger at the In 2015, she graduated from Charles Sturt Bananas in Pyjamas. She won an AFI/AACTA she co-created and directed Maureen: Baghdad Zoo, Dark Vanilla Jungle, Eurydice, University’s B. Communication: Theatre/ award for Best TV Screenplay for Offspring. Harbinger of Death with Jonny Hawkins at Shivered, You Got Older; for National Theatre of Media course with Distinction and was the Debra has written three Aussie Bite books for Sydney Festival. Her other theatre credits as Parramatta: Girl in the Machine, The Girl/The 2015 recipient of the Blair Milan Memorial kids and six children’s novels, including The director include: for Belvoir 25A: Tuesday; for Woman; for Shaun Parker & Company: King; for Scholarship. In 2015, she co-founded theatre Redback Leftovers, Getting Air and Blue Noise. Legs on the Wall/Playwriting Australia: GRLZ Squabbalogic: Good Omens The Musical, Grey collective Bite Productions as their resident (Development); and for KXT bAKEHOUSE: Gardens The Musical, Herringbone, Mystery producer and production manager. She has Lee Lewis She Rode Horses Like the Stock Exchange. In Musical, Man of La Mancha; for Spark Youth also produced for other theatre collectives, Director 2018, Nell was appointed the Baylis Assistant Theatre: Political Children; and for Unhappen: including: for Little Eggs/KXT bAKEHOUSE: Director at the Old Vic in London for Sylvia Animal/People, Awkward Conversations with Symphonie Fantastique; for sandpaperplane/ Lee is the Artistic Director (Old Vic/ZooNation), a brand new hip-hop Animals I Have Fucked, Cough, Mr. Kolpert. Ben’s Old 505: Pit. As stage manager, Madelaine’s of Queensland Theatre soul and funk musical about the life of Sylvia portfolio and upcoming productions can be theatre credits include: for Griffin: Batch and one of Australia’s Pankhurst. Nell has been Program Manager found at benbrockman.com. Festival; for Black Birds/Griffin: Exhale; for leading directors. For of The Garden of Unearthly Delights and has Australian Theatre for Young People: Follow Me Griffin she has directed: The Bleeding Tree previously worked in programming for Belvoir Jessica Dunn Home (Riverside Theatres 2019 season and (Best Director at the 2016 Helpmann Awards), as their Artistic Associate. As a dramaturg, Sound Designer 2021 Tour), INTERSECTION: Arrival; for Bondi Family Values, First Love is the Revolution, she has worked for Playwriting Australia Feast: MARS: An Interplanetary Cabaret; and Splinter, Prima Facie, The Almighty Sometimes, and Shopfront Youth Theatre. Nell holds an Jessica is a composer, as assistant stage manager: for Performing Kill Climate Deniers, Eight Gigabytes of MA in Advanced Theatre Practice from Royal sound designer and Lines: Sunshine Super Girl (Development and Hardcore Pornography, The Homosexuals or Central School of Speech and Drama, and a musician who studied Tour). Madelaine is particularly passionate ‘Faggots’, Rice, Masquerade (co-directed with BA Communications (Theatre/Media) from Jazz Performance at the about creating new Australian work that is Sam Strong), Gloria, Emerald City, A Rabbit Charles Sturt University. Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Her recent accessible and empowering to minority groups for Kim Jong-il, The Serpent’s Table (co- theatre credits include: as composer and and communities that may not regularly be directed with Darren Yap), Replay, Silent Disco, sound designer: for KXT bAKEHOUSE: Girl in a exposed to theatre and performance art. She Smurf In Wanderland, The Bull, The Moon School Uniform Walks into a Bar, Two Hearts; for is delighted to be returning to the SBW Stables and the Coronet of Stars, The Call, A Hoax, Legs on the Wall: Trestle; for Tasmania Theatre Theatre this year. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Debra would like to thank Lee Lewis, Imogen Gardam, Frankie Greene, Phil Spencer and everyone at Griffin. Thanks to Zoe Norton Lodge, Ben Jenkins, Anthony Blair and Hannie Rayson for inspiration and enthusiasm. Thanks to Michael Lucas. Thanks to Richard Glover for—well, everything. Debra Oswald wants to talk. Thanks to Currency Press for the play script covers and for their very existence. Thanks As a lapsed playwright, creator of to Alex Vaughan, Brett Boardman and Ben Li the Offspring TV series, former Junior for their photographs, and to Peter Smeeth Champion Hypochondriac and a for permission to use his painting The Artists’ floundering novelist, what should Fate (winner of the Sulman Prize, 2011). Debra Oswald’s next move be? And what motivates people to write or create more ‘stuff’ anyway? Shame? Fear of death? Griffin acknowledges the generosity of the The hope of more sexual offers? Seaborn, Broughton & Walford Foundation For now, Debra plans to seize control of in allowing it the use of the SBW Stables Theatre rent free, less outgoings, since 1986. the Griffin stage: the exact location she fell in love with theatre, aged 11, and the place her plays Mr Bailey’s Minder and The Peach Season came to life. Griffin Theatre Company and the SBW In a funny and excruciatingly honest Stables Theatre operate and tell stories one-woman show, Debra tells stories on the unceded lands of the Gadigal of the about her neurotic childhood, clumsy Eora Nation. We acknowledge and honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people romantic history, and the anxieties and as the oldest continuous living culture joys of the writer’s life—all in the hope on the planet, with more than 60,000 that the audience can help her work years of storytelling practice shaping and out that ever-important question: what underpinning all aspects of Australian comes next? And having waited for this culture. It is a privilege that we do not take show to be staged since its original lightly: to work on this land, and to tell 2020 season… it’s kind of urgent. stories on its soil. GRIFFINTHEATRE.COM.AU 02 9361 3817.