THE HOLIDAYS by David Megarrity
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THE HOLIDAYS by David megarrity SEASON TICKETS BOOK NOW Bridget Boyle last directed the Brisbane theatremaker, writer, heartwarming and award-winning composer, musician and production, The Longest Minute. academic David Megarrity won the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award 2018–19 for The Holidays from a field of more than 90 entrants. Queensland Theatre 78 Montague Road, South Brisbane, Queensland, 4101 Tel: 07 3010 7600 Fax: 07 3010 7699 Ticketing: 1800 355 528 [email protected] Bryan Probets, Matthew Ianna Follow us on: @qldtheatre @qldtheatre queenslandtheatre @qld_theatre #queenslandtheatre 14 Nov — 12 Dec Bille Brown Theatre the holidays by David megarrity CREATIVES Bridget Boyle Director A touching portrait of Sarah Winter Designer memory and connection Jason Glenwright Lighting Designer Nathan Sibthorpe Projection Designer Sean Foran Composer Fathers and sons. Complicated. Are we destined Matthew Erskine Sound Designer to repeat the mistakes of our fathers? Oliver Nicole Neil Stage Manager Holiday believes we can write our own story and Sophie Watkins Assistant Stage Manager his capacity for hope is infectious. CAST Louise Brehmer Mum (Summer Holiday) The Holidays are on holiday: 12-year-old Matthew Ianna Oliver Holiday Oliver has been pulled out of school for an Bryan Probets Dad (Bob Holiday) unexpected road trip with his mum and dad, en ATTENDANCE INFORMATION route to grandad’s seaside shack. But grandad, The Holidays will run for approximately an eccentric artist, is not there. In this unkempt 80 minutes, with no interval. place stuffed with memories, it seems that the WARNINGS Holidays — instead of getting away from it all — This production contains theatrical have taken a lot with them. haze and strobe lighting. The use of photographic or recording equipment is not This Queensland Premier’s Drama Award- permitted inside the theatre. winning play is a feast for the senses, a wistful ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY and funny journey combining live performance, Queensland Theatre would like to music and cutting-edge projection. A disarming acknowledge the Jagera and Turrbal people and lyrical chronicle about family, for families, who are the Traditional Custodians of this The Holidays is a show for sons, fathers, land. We pay our respects to their Elders both past and present, and to all Aboriginal grandfathers, and anyone who loves one. and Torres Strait Islander peoples. RECYCLE THIS PROGRAM Support greening Queensland Theatre and Proudly supported by recycle this program after the performance in the recycling bins provided in the foyer. Principal Partner PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY BRISBANE CITY COUNCIL QUEENSLAND THEATRE IS ASSISTED BY THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE AUSTRALIA COUNCIL, ITS ARTS FUNDING AND ADVISORY BODY. QUEENSLAND THEATRE IS SUPPORTED BY THE QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT THROUGH ARTS QUEENSLAND. Matthew Ianna Bridget Boyle Louise Brehmer, Bryan Probets Welcome My introduction to Queensland Theatre started many years ago when Wesley Enoch invited me to be on the selection panel for the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award. I was blown away by the process of this award. Lee Lewis Artistic Director The fact that the winning play receives a full In the 20 years the Queensland Premier’s production sets this award apart from any Drama Award has existed, it has produced other award in the country. This partnership the plays of Sven Swenson, Adam Grossetti, between the Queensland Government and David Brown, Richard Jordan, Marcel Dorney, Queensland Theatre to invest in Australian Maxine Mellor, Daniel Evans, Michele Lee and storytelling is as unique as it is inspiring. It is the playwright whose work you are seeing so much better than just a literary award for tonight, David Megarrity. As we mark 20 years a work already made, it is a leap of faith that of this award and celebrate 50 Seasons of demonstrates this government’s understanding Stories at Queensland Theatre — despite the that theatre is always about looking forward. devastating disruption of COVID-19 to our industry and in our society— it is a real thrill to Making new Australian plays is the most end this dark year with a new Australian play. important thing we do as a theatre company, and it is the hardest. To create a new and original In times like these, we look to our playwrights story for our stage adds to the bookshelf filled to give us stories that will inspire us to with Australian plays. It is a way of ensuring that survive whatever challenges the world the ideas and voices of our time are preserved throws at us, and in David’s play it feels for future generations. This award sits at the entirely appropriate that he reminds us of the beating heart of this Company and we could importance of family in all its complexity. It not do it without government support. is a pleasure to welcome The Holidays onto the Bille Brown stage, and into our hearts. Lee Bryan Probets, Matthew Ianna, Louise Brehmer Louise Brehmer, Bryan Probets, Matthew Ianna Matthew Ianna Writer’s Note David Megarrity Writer If you have this in your hands, then chances are you’re part of The Holidays in performance. We all know there are big stories of luck and planning for all of us underneath this assembly. Though we’ve carefully arranged every grain of this work, soon The Holidays will be over, washed away by waves of time we’ll ride together memorably for a moment. It’s good we all got here. The words ‘page’ and ‘stage’ rhyme in the writing, but the journey from one domain to the other is far from simple, and far from sure. You’ll experience the work of an all-Queensland creative team that composed this show: a safe, striving and skilful set of hands, and in this I include artists that had a hand in its development through the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award. We’ve woven art forms together so they influence and interanimate one another, drawn by tides of musicality that sing through the structure of the show. If you’ve ever been moved by a song, you will know that music can enable a shift from the ‘as if’ to the ‘what is’, often without a word being spoken. Theatre is a place of evocation rather than emulation, and there’s something simple and sublime about the seaside. We want to bring that beach feel into the theatre in ways that release shared shores already inside us, parts of us drawn to the edge of vastness, those last safe places where wind, waves and sand can reshape our loves with a wildness that will outlast us. David Fathers and Sons Beachside Sensory Feast Director’s Note What a joy to be able to introduce The Holidays to Queensland audiences, artists, dreamers, anyone who has a dad, or knows someone who does. Bridget Boyle Director For the team of creatives who have had the privilege of bringing the premiere production of The Holidays to life, performers, design, sound, projection and music have come together to create what we called a “story machine” through the interplay of each moving part. Through this machine, we get to ask questions about legacy, memory and fatherhood. Can we change the patterns laid down for us over generations, or can we skip the groove and make our own record of the present and the future? David’s work showcases the deceptive simplicity of the best of children’s literature; big themes are distilled to their essence, dialogue is succinct and small moments are writ large. You’ll also see and hear David’s signature, knowingly ironic touch throughout the work — when the 12-year-old protagonist Oliver is “unexpectedly” able to talk to the audience, he wryly invites them to join him in building his imaginative world: “It’ll be a bit daggy, but if you do it too I’ll know you’re with me”. Thanks to all the team at Queensland Theatre for their support in bringing this story to the stage — and thanks to all the many artists who have contributed to its development. We are also incredibly grateful to the artists and artists’ estates who have generously allowed us to use their iconic artworks in our story. The Holidays is set at an unspecified Queensland beachside town, and the salt-scented dreams of hazy, lazy, sandy summer holidays so familiar to Queenslanders drift through this production. After this year, I think we all need a holiday. Bridget Nathan Sibthorpe, Bridget Boyle Bryan Probets, Louise Brehmer, Matthew Ianna David Megarrity Sarah Winter WRITER DESIGNER David Megarrity is a writer, composer, Queensland Theatre: Debut. Other musician, performer and academic, Credits: Brisbane Festival: One Bottle creating at the intersection of music, Later (with The Good Room), Curious performance and projected image. Rave Arcade (with Imaginary Theatre), Theatre Magazine suggested he is “as close as Republic (site designer 2015–19); La Boite Brisbane has to a Renaissance Man”. Theatre Company: Neon Tiger, Medea; Counterpilot: TruthMachine; Punchdrunk/ His works have played at the Sydney Imaginary Theatre/Festival 2018: Lost Opera House, around Australia and abroad. His picture book Lending Library, Coastal Curiosities; Brisbane Powerhouse: The Empty City was a Children’s Book Council of Australia Sound of a Finished Kiss (with Now Look Here & Electric Picture Book of the Year ‘Notable Book’. His script for the stage Moon); creative consultant for West Village (2019–20). adaptation was a finalist in the Queensland Premier’s Drama Awards: Matilda Awards — Best Design Nomination Medea. Award in 2013. David’s short film collaborations have won a number of awards and nominations, including Official Selection Cannes International Film Festival. He is a part-time Senior Lecturer in Drama at Queensland University of Technology, Jason Glenwright where he completed his PhD in Composed Theatre.