Darebin Arts Speakeasy and ILBIJERRI Theatre Company present WHICH WAY HOME By Katie Beckett

NORTHCOTE TOWN HALL Wed 24 Aug – Sun 3 Sep 2016

65mins (no interval)

CREATIVE TEAM

Writer Katie Beckett Production Manager Carly Heard Director Rachael Maza Lighting Designer Nik Pajanti Performers Katie Beckett & Tony Briggs Dramaturge Jane Bodie Set & Costume Designer Emily Barrie Stage Manager Kellie Jayne Chambers Sound Designer Mark Coles Smith Sound Support Steph O’Hara

ILBIJERRI Theatre Company

Artistic Director Rachael Maza Education & Learning Manager Executive Producer Simeon Moran Kamarra Bell-Wykes Creative Producer Ben Graetz Development & Marketing Manager Iain Finlayson Creative Producer Naretha Williams Company Manager Lauren Bok Associate Producer Damienne Pradier Finance Manager Jon Hawkes DIRECTOR’S NOTE

Working with Katie Beckett on her first This production is the perfect antidote. play, WHICH WAY HOME, has been an WHICH WAY HOME depicts an absolute joy. Katie’s generosity, Aboriginal man who is loving, caring, courage, hard work and talent over the funny and ultimately a very good father. last couple of years has finally paid of. This is a universal human story that Now in the rehearsal room I have the transcends race, time and place. Most pleasure of working with both her and everyone can relate to having a father or the glorious, equally multi-talented Tony a child. Briggs. It’s experiences like this that afrm why I love what I do! I’d like to acknowledge the extraordinary creative team: Katie Beckett (Writer and Although this journey started a couple Actor), Jane Bodie (Dramaturge), Emily of years ago, WHICH WAY HOME Barrie (Set and Costume), Mark couldn’t be more timely. We open the Coles-Smith (Sound Designer), Nick season just as the country is reeling Pajanti (Lighting), Carly Heard from an infamous racist cartoon, which (Production Manager), Kellie-Jayne perpetuates the negative stereotyping Chambers (Stage Manager) and my of Aboriginal men as dysfunctional bad amazing team at ILBIJERRI. Every fathers and bad role models. A production is a team efort and each stereotype that our men have too long member’s work plays an invaluable part had to contend with. in bringing our stories to the stage.

Katie Beckett is best known for her Rachael Maza is an award-winning roles in (ABC), Black actress and director. Her long list of Comedy (ABC), Kill the Messenger performance credits includes the AFI (Belvoir), (ILBIJERRI), My award winning Radiance, Memory (Moogahlin Performing Arts), (Belvoir), The Tempest (Bell Wrong Skin (Next Wave Festival), and Shakespeare) and Holy Day (Playbox). To Soothe a Dying Pillow (Andrea Rachael's outstanding performances James). Katie was the recipient of the have been acknowledged with a Green 2015 Balnaves Playwright’s Award, a Room Award and a Sydney Theatre participant in the 2009 Kickstart/Next Critics Circle award. Rachael joined Wave program. She won the Ian Bowie ILBIJERRI as Artistic Director in 2008 Memorial Award and was shortlisted for and since then has directed Sisters of the Yvonne Cohen Award for her solo Gelam (2009), Jack Charles V The work-in-progress, Coloured Diggers. Crown (2010), Foley (2011) and co-devised Beautiful One Day (2012). Tony Briggs is an actor and writer best Emily Barrie’s design history includes known for his screen performances in set and costume for Theatre Australian Rules (2002), Bran Nue Dae Company, Malthouse Theatre, Belvoir, (2009), Healing (2014), the ABC’s The Arena Theatre Company, Back to Back Slap (2010) and (2015) and Theatre, Melbourne Worker’s Theatre, Network Ten’s Ocean Girl (1994). On Women’s Circus, Westside Circus, stage, he has performed in Stolen Moomba Festival Parade, Die Roten (ILBIJERRI) and Andrea James’ Yanagai! Punkte and Melbourne Museum. She Yanagai!, Corrugation Road and designed for ILBIJERRI Theatre Jandamarra. He also wrote the Company’s Jack Charles V The Crown, Helpmann Award winning play The Foley, Coranderrk and North West of Sapphires which first performed in 2004 Nowhere. As an Associate Artist with and was later adapted into the 2012 film. Rawcus Theatre her designs include Another Lament, Small Odysseys, and most recently, Catalogue (2015) at Dance Massive.

Mark Coles Smith has explored an Carly Heard is a production specialist interest in sound design and music who enjoys working across a wide range production for almost a decade. He of disciplines from large scale events to holds a diploma in Audio Engineering local theatre. Some of Carly’s past from JMC Academy. He has produced clients include: St Kilda Festival, City of the soundtracks for a number of short Melbourne’s New Year’s Eve and the films and animations and is nearing the 2006 Commonwealth Games Yarra completion of his first Album. In June River Project, Lucy Guerin Inc. and The 2016, he performed a collection of solo Spaghetti Western Orchestra. Carly has musical works under the alias ‘Kalaji’ at also produced and executed major Federation Square as part of the Light in creative projects for corporate clients Winter Festival. including Gourmet Cinema, The Peninsula Picnic, Strongbow Neon Night Surfing and Stella Artois at Tropfest.

Niklas Pajanti is an award-winning Jane Bodie’s plays include Music, lighting designer who has designed for a Hinterland, This Year’s Ashes, Ride, A range of leading Australian and Single Act, Still, Hilt and Fourplay. Jane international companies including was nominated for the Patrick White Melbourne Theatre Company, Chunky Playwrights’ Award and won a Green Move, Victorian Opera, Sydney Theatre Room Award for Outstanding Writing in Company, Belvoir, Ranters Theatre, 2003 for Still. In 2006 she received the BalletLab, Dancehouse, Malthouse Louis Esson award for Drama by the Theatre and more. His design work has Victorian Premier’s Literary Award. She been acknowledged with two Victorian was Head of Playwriting at NIDA from Green Room Award (2009 & 2002) and 2010 – 2012, Associate Artist at Grifn 10 nominations from the same Theatre Company and is currently the association, two Sydney Theatre Award Artistic Associate at Playwriting nominations (2009 & 2010) and a Australia. Helpmann Industry Award nomination. Kellie Jayne Chambers’ has worked Steph O'Hara is a musician, sound across project, event and artist engineer/designer, composer and music management for over a decade. She has software developer. Steph is a founding been working in the music and arts member of Blue Grassy Knoll, writing worlds, both in front of an audience and and performing live film scores to Buster behind the scenes since her late teens in Keaton films. He has composed and a variety of roles, although this is her recorded music for many Australian first role as Stage Manager in a theatre theatre companies including Flying Fruit context. She is thrilled to be working Fly Circus, Peep Show Inc. and Polyglot with ILBIJERRI and to be working on Theatre, and provided sound design for this beautiful show. She loves her Dad Ennio Morricone Experience (The too! Session - Green Room Nomination), NICA, Rawcus Theatre, Chamber Made Opera, Snuf Puppets and others.

ILBIJERRI Theatre Company is Australia’s leading and longest running Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander theatre company. We create challenging and inspiring theatre creatively controlled by Indigenous artists. Our stories are provocative and afecting, and give voice to our unique and diverse cultures. Each year we travel to national, regional and remote locations across Australia and the world.

Born from community, ILBIJERRI has become a spearhead for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in telling our stories of what it means to be Indigenous in Australia today. Our work possesses the power to reach out and remind audiences of every person’s need for family, history and heritage. Our collaborative relationships with communities and artists are at the heart of our creative process and all our work empowers and enlightens our audiences.

THANK YOU I would like to thank my family, and in ILBIJERRI would like to thank Katie, particular my wonderful son Mark Tony, Jane and the full creative team for Jarrett for his patience and their incredible work over the last two understanding while Mummy goes to years. We would also like to thank Beau work. AND a major thank you to my McCaferty and the team at Darebin wonderful Dad, who is the best dad in Arts for supporting Katie’s debut play, the whole world. He has been my Dad, our project funders – Australia Council, my Mum and my best friend (and also Besen Family Foundation, Playwriting the best baby sitter - he is looking after Australia and our core funders at the my son so I could do this). Without him Australian Government Indigenous and his wise words and his Languages & Arts Program, City of unconditional love this play would not Melbourne and Creative without exist – Katie Beckett whom none of this would be possible. VENUE NOTES FUNDING ACKNOWLEDEMENTS

Latecomers not permitted. Supported by the Australian No filming or photography permitted. Government, through the Australia The Darebin Arts Speakeasy program Council for the Arts, the Besen Family has been created to present Foundation and Playwriting Australia, contemporary artistic performances at through the State Exchange program. the Northcote Town Hall.

Indigenous Languages and Arts

Ilbijerri.com.au