Black Swan Presented in Association with Perth
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BLACK SWAN PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH PERTH FESTIVAL THE CHERRY ORCHARD ADAPTED BY ADRIANE DAFF AND KATHERINE TONKIN AFTER ANTON CHEKHOV DIRECTED BY CLARE WATSON 20 FEBRUARY - 20 MARCH 2021 SUNSET HERITAGE PRECINCT PRINCIPAL PARTNER ARTISTIC DIRECTOR PARTNER BUSINESS ADVISORY PARTNER GOVERNMENT PARTNERS WINE PARTNER PRIVATE GIVING WHITE SWANS Black Swan State Theatre Company of WA acknowledges the Whadjuk people of the Nyoongar nation who are the traditional custodians of country on which Sunset Heritage Precinct stands. We pay our respects to all First Peoples, to their ancestors and Elders. It is a privilege to be together on Nyoongar country. PLEasE Watch our special 30th Birthday Welcome to Country by Dr Richard Walley OAM. CLICK HERE TO WATCH CONTENTS Tap the interactive tabs on the < left to skip to a specific section WELCOME CAST CREATIVES & CREW VENUE MAP CATERING BIOGRAPHIES ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS SPECIAL OFFER ACT 1 - A HOMECOMING (40 MINUTES) TOTAL RUNNING TIME: ACT 2 - A FAMILY BBQ (30 MINUTES) 3 HOURS INCLUDING 30 MINUTE INTERVAL INTERVAL PLEASE BE ADVISED THIS PRODUCTION CONTAINS: ACT 3 – A PARTY (30 MINUTES) ADULT THEMES, COARSE LANGUAGE AND ACT 4 – A FAREWELL (30 MINUTES) CIGARETTE SMOKING A NOTE FROM ARTISTIC DIRECTOR CLARE WATSON “We certainly live in the age of Chekhov since he is the great poet of catastrophe but also the great poet of resilience, of perseverance, of stamina…keep going on, I can’t go on, I will go on, that’s Chekhov” Dr Cornel West The Cherry Orchard is Anton Chekhov’s final play; he died months after its premiere at the age of 44 of tuberculosis, a disease of the lungs. The year was 1904. His famous last words were, “It’s a long time since I drank champagne.” And so, it seems apt to perform this play in this place, the site of the Sunset Hospital, a place for sick and dying men and the destitute for over 100 years, a history that began in 1904. Chekhov maintained that The Cherry Orchard was a comedy, even a farce, but it was first staged by director Stanislavski as a tragedy. The original work is set in the 1880s in Russia, at a time of great social and economic upheaval. We have set this adaptation in Manjimup, WA in the 1980s. Do you remember? In 1983 we won the America’s Cup and had a Prime Minister who could skoll a yard-glass of beer, the rich were getting richer, as hair and shoulder pads were getting bigger and bigger. And then, in late 1987, just as our play begins, there was the Black Tuesday stock market crash and we were plummeted into a time of great uncertainty and upheaval. And here we all are in 2021, in this lucky part of a world that is once again thrust into uncertainty due to a pandemic, a disease of the lungs. There are certainly correlations between Chekhov’s Russia, the late 80s in Australia and this era of transition that we find ourselves in now. Just like all of the productions in this year’s festival and the festival itself, this Cherry Orchard is a demonstration of the tenacity of the creative spirit and the strength of community. After interval, we find ourselves in 1988, just after the Bicentennial celebrations which marked “200 years of Australian history.” In Chekhov’s play about privilege and ownership, about connection to place and its history, we acknowledge that we live in a country that always was and always will be aboriginal land. I’d like to thank the team of The Cherry Orchard for working tirelessly and playfully in 40 degree heat, in wind and rain and on zoom. And thanks, too, to all of my wonderful colleagues at Black Swan and the cracking team at Perth Festival. An especially big thank you to Adriane Daff and Katherine Tonkin, much loved collaborators who have brought this adaptation to life as a full hearted comedy and, in doing so, have allowed this story about the relentless passage of time and the inevitability of change to land all the more tragically for our protagonists. Bottoms up! A NOTE FROM PERTH FESTIVAL ARTISTIC DIRECTOR IAIN GRANDAGE Perth Festival 2021 is a love song to this place – its people, artists, stories and its river. So here on the banks of that river at Sunset, it’s a joy to welcome this classic Russian work that is newly re-imagined into 1980s WA. As with so many events at this year’s Festival, we have waited a long time to see The Cherry Orchard, which was due to feature in Black Swan’s 2020 season. But one of the highlights of my time in lockdown was being party to the most beautifully playful and technically ingenious workshop showing of this production via Zoom. The inventiveness and playfulness of Clare and the cast was palpable, with energy bursting out of that normally dry Zoom world. We’re thrilled to be welcoming this real world version into the Festival. CAST THE FAMILY Grace Chow Varya; Ranyevskaya’s adopted daughter Brendan Hanson Gayev; Ranyevskaya’s brother Hayley McElhinney Ranyevskaya; a landowner Bridie McKim Anya; Ranyevskaya’s daughter THE HOUSEHOLD Emily Rose Brennan Dunyasha; the family maid Sam Longley Yepikhodov; the family’s accountant George Shevtsov Firs; the family’s very old servant THE OUTSIDERS Humphrey Bower Piss-Cheek; a family friend Kieran Clancy-Lowe Yasha; the entourage Michelle Fornasier Charlotta; the entourage Ben Mortley Lopakhin; a noveau riche neighbour Mark Nannup Trofimov; a university student Arlo Cavoodle CREATIVES AND CREW CREATIVES CO-WRITER Adriane Daff CO-WRITER Katherine Tonkin DIRECTOR Clare Watson ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Ian Michael SET & COSTUME DESIGNER Zoë Atkinson LIGHTING DESIGNER Lucy Birkinshaw COMPOSER/SOUND DESIGNER Dr Clint Bracknell CREW STAGE MANAGER Hugo Aguilar López ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Charley Newton STAGE MANAGEMENT (SECONDMENT) Olivia Sellers LIGHTING SUPERVISOR Kristie Smith LIGHTING (SECONDMENT) Katrina Johnston SOUND SUPERVISOR Kieran O’Regan SOUND TECHNICIAN Georgia Snudden MECHANIST Jordan Lee DRESSER Anna Weir COVID MARSHAL/SITE SUPPORT Olivia Amodt DOG TRAINER Laura Ryder (Business Institute of Modern Dog Trainers) VENUE MAP ENTRY> > > N SWAN RIVER SWAN GRASS AREA MAIN ENTRANCE AUDIENCE CHECK-IN POINT ACT 2 2 A FAMILY BBQ BIRDWOOD PDE 1 ACT 1 ACT 3 A HOMECOMING 4 3 ACT 4 A PARTY A FAREWELL KEY PARKING FOOD TOILETS BAR BOX OFFICE PICK-UP / DROP-OFF CATERING BEER ON TAP & CIDER Otherside Social Lager, 4.7% ...................... $10 Otherside Festive Ale, 4.2% ........................ $10 Funk Cider (Can), 4.9% ................................... $9 SPARKLING & WINE Bay of Stones Chardonnay Pinot Noir, SA .. $10 Vasse Felix Classic Dry White ..................... $10 Vasse Felix Classic Dry Rosé ...................... $10 Vasse Felix Classic Dry Red ........................ $10 VODKA BAR Your choice of three vodkas all served at minus 18 degrees and neat. Avosh Botanical Vodka, Margaret River .......$10 Old Young’s Pavlova Vodka, Swan Valley ....$12 Stolichnaya Elit Vodka, Russia .................... $12 COCKTAIL Vodka & Pomegranate Martini Shaken and served with a sunken cherry ... $18 FOOD MENU Salmon Gravlax, pickled beetroot, blinis, creme fraiche - GF ...............................$10 Potato & Gruyere Pierogi, sauerkraut, chopped dill, sour cream VO ........................ $18 Russian Potato Salad, radish, herbs, mustard dressing - V, GF ........................$8 The Hungry Russian - A selection of all three - VO, GFO ......................................$25 V = Vegetarian VO = Vegetarian Option GF = Gluten Free GFO = Gluten Free Option BIOGRAPHIES CREATIVES ADRIANE DAFF CO-WRITER Adriane is an actor, writer and theatre maker. She is one of the founding artists of The Last Great Hunt. Some theatre credits for TLGH include: Lé Nør (nominated for two Helpmann awards), The Irresistible (a co- production with Side Pony Productions also nominated for a Helpmann award), Falling Through Clouds, All That Glitters and Elephents. For Black Swan: Xenides, A Perfect Specimen, Blithe Spirit, Flood, The Importance of Being Earnest, Arcadia, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Visit. On screen, Adriane has appeared in The Big Spaghetti, Three Summers, Small Town Hackers, DAFUQ? and Otherlife. In 2018, she won a PAWA for Best Actress for The Irresistible and Best Actress in the Next Gen Webfest for The Big Spaghetti. CREATIVES KATHERINE TONKIN CO-WRITER Katherine is an actor who has worked across Australia’s major performing arts companies. For Black Swan she performed and co-devised Xenides. Theatre credits: Cosi (MTC/STC), Abigail’s Party, Three Little Words, The Cherry Orchard, Apocalypse Bear Trilogy, Cloud Nine, Explorations: A Streetcar Named Desire (MTC), The Histrionic, Baal (STC/Malthouse), The Wild Duck, Elektra/Orestes (Belvoir), Conversation Piece (Lucy Guerin Inc/Belvoir), Tame, OT: Chronicles of the Old Testament (Malthouse), The Eisteddfod (Malthouse/ Brisbane Powerhouse/Belvoir), Gilgamesh (Melbourne Festival/Sydney Opera House/ Barbican/China tour), Smashed (Griffin) and I Heart John McEnroe (Theatreworks). Screen credits: Preacher (Series 4), My First Summer, Wentworth, The BBQ, Macbeth, Nowhere Boys, The Future is Expensive, Winners and Losers (Series 3&4), City Homicide (Series 3&4), Neighbours, Blue Heelers, Snake Tales and Kick. CREATIVES CLARE WATSON DIRECTOR Clare is the Artistic Director and Co-CEO of Black Swan. For the company, she has directed The Torrents (a co-production with STC), Our Town, Xenides, The Events, You Know We Belong Together (a co-production with Perth Festival and DAADA) and Let the Right One In. Previously, Clare was Artistic Director at St Martins collaborating with children and teenagers, female Director-in-Residence at Malthouse Theatre and is an MTC Women Directors’ Program alumna. Clare is a graduate of Directing at the Victorian College of the Arts. She is a trained teacher and worked in high schools in Victoria for 15 years, and was also the Education Manager at Malthouse Theatre. CREATIVES IAN MICHAEL ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Ian is a proud Wilman Noongar man.