A Screentime production for Narrated by Claudia Karvan Media Kit Screentime Publicity STUDIO Publicity Catherine Lavelle Michael Morcos E catherine @clpr.com.au E [email protected] T 02 9405 2880 T 02 9430 3452 M 0413 885 595 M 0416 256 225 ©Screentime Pty Ltd, Screen NSW, Screen Australia and FOXTEL 2014. Taking On The Chocolate Frog is a 3 x 1 hour documentary series that follows a group -­‐ of ex criminals and individuals with troubled pasts, as they einvent r themselves as actors on the stage. Performing a play by one of Australia's award winning playwrights, can the cast take on The Chocolate Frog and succeed? Drama Coach Grant Thompson addresses the audience of family and friends at auditions for The Chocolate Frog. “Last night's The Chocolate Frog at Parramatta Correction Centre was thrilling and inspiring.” Deborah Jones, theatre critic “The Chocolate Frog deserves to be seen widely in theatres as well as prisons and juvenile detention centres. Powerful theatre & performances.” Jo Litson, theatre critic “Frankly, I can’t recall ever seeing a more compelling play, in a more graphic setting.” Peter FitzSimons, The Sun Herald "One of the best experiences I have ever had watching live theatre. Real and raw! And awesome performances." Roy Billing “The courage and dedication of these un-­‐schooled, yet very convincing actors was a revelation. A fine achievement by all concerned.” John Waters "It was a breathtaking, fantastic and truly inspiring night." Gigi Edgley 2 ©Screentime Pty Ltd, Screen NSW, Screen Australia and FOXTEL 2014. This remarkable documentary series follows a group of ex-­‐criminals as they are challenged to perform Jim McNeil’s play The Chocolate Frog. One of Australia's most violent criminals in the s, 1960 McNeil wrote the play whilst serving a sentence in Parramatta Correctional Centre. This unlikely playwright became a celebrity for writing plays from his gaol cell, having never stepped foot inside a theatre. Guided by Grant Thompson, the group will be challenged to stage the play in front of theatre critics, an -­‐ A list audience, family and friends inside the very place the play was written. Narrated by Claudia Karvan, Taking on The Chocolate Frog follows the emotional journey of the group and unravels the fascinating story of Jim McNeil. Tension will be high as Grant has just ten weeks to get this unlikely group of thespians ready to pull off the most credible and inspiring performances of their lives. Will this be the catalyst for rebuilding their lives? Can they take on The Chocolate Frog … and succeed? Paul ‘Macca’ McKenzie stands in the prison hallway turned stage for the final performance of The Chocolate Frog 3 ©Screentime Pty Ltd, Screen NSW, Screen Australia and FOXTEL 2014. THE CHOCOLATE FROG The Chocolate Frog explores what happens when two older prison inmates accuse a younger newcomer of colluding with police. In prison vernacular, ‘Chocolate Frog’ is rhyming slang for ‘dog’, which is one who violates the informal ‘laws’ of prison society. The two older prison inmates assume the mantle of power in a mock trial and ‘try’ the younger for his suspected crime. A towel suffices for the judge’s wig, an iron bedstead for his bar of justice and a wooden chair for the dock. McNeil wrote the play to illustrate to those who knew nothing of prison life that prison values are just faithful reflections of some of society’s own attitudes. Inside Parramatta Correctional Centre where Jim McNeil wrote and first performed The Chocolate Frog. 4 ©Screentime Pty Ltd, Screen NSW, Screen Australia and FOXTEL 2014. ABOUT THE PRODUCTION Narrated by Claudia Karvan, Taking On The Chocolate Frog centres on an unlikely group of Shakespearean actors and is inspired by the work of infamous criminal turned award-­‐winning playwright, Jim McNeil. Produced and created by Screentime, a Banijay Group company, for STUDIO, this three-­‐hour documentary series will challenge the group to perform McNeil’s play The Chocolate Frog -­‐ following the process from rehearsal to performance, in front of an audience -­‐ of A list actors and respected theatre critics inside the gaol in which the play was written – Parramatta Correctional Centre. Actor David Field is interviewed before the final performance of Taking On The Chocolate Frog. Following the emotional journey of Grant and his cast, the series illustrates the fascinating story of Jim McNeil – famous as an Australian Writer’s Guild Award winning playwright, but also one of Australia’s most violent criminals from the 1960s, who publicly struggled to assimilate back into society and life outside prison. McNeil wrote The Chocolate Frog during a 17-­‐year prison sentence, in an attempt to show those who knew nothing of prison life that prison values are just faithful reflections of some of society’s own attitudes. 5 ©Screentime Pty Ltd, Screen NSW, Screen Australia and FOXTEL 2014. Produced with funding assistance from Foxtel’s Production Fund, Screen Australia and Screen NSW, this remarkable series offers a group of ex-­‐criminals and individuals with troubled pasts the opportunity to reinvent themselves as stage actors under the guidance of their teacher and mentor Grant Thompson. Created and executive produced by Simon Steel, Taking On The Chocolate Frog is executive produced by Bob Campbell, and executive produced and directed by Debbie Cuell. Simon Steel, Executive Producer and Screentime Head of Factual said, “Largely unknown to many Australians, we are excited to introduce a new generation to an extraordinary part of Australia’s theatre history as Grant and his cast take on The Chocolate Frog.” Chris Keely, General Manager of STUDIO said, “We are very pleased to be joining forces with Screentime, and with thanks to Foxtel’s Production Fund we are able to bring to life this inspiring and gripping masterpiece.” Foxtel’s Executive Director of Television, Brian Walsh said, “Foxtel is thrilled to continue encouraging and investing in the Australian arts scene and capturing original content for broadcast around the country. “The Foxtel Production Fund has assisted O in STUDI commissioning innovative new programs since 2010, and we’re delighted to bring this dramatic story to our subscribers in 2014.” ABOUT SCREENTIME Screentime, a Banijay Group company, is a specialist television production company with an outstanding list of over 40 productions including Popstars and four seasons of RBT. Their award winning and celebrated dramas include six series of Underbelly, The Underbelly Files, The Incredible Journey of ,Mary Bryant Society Murders, Jessica, My Husband My Killer, A Model Daughter: The Killing of , Caroline Byrne Breakers, MDA, Crownies, Brothers In Arms and the critically acclaimed Tim Winton’s cloudstreet. The company most recently completed production of miniseries Janet King for ABC TV and Fat Tony & Co for the Nine Network and Outback Coroner for Foxtel’s Crime & Investigation Network. Screentime are currently in postproduction on the upcoming s drama serie ANZAC Girls and in production on documentary series Flying Miners for ABC TV. 6 ©Screentime Pty Ltd, Screen NSW, Screen Australia and FOXTEL 2014. THE CREW Narrator Claudia Karvan Executive Producers Bob Campbell Simon Steel Debbie Cuell Producers Tom Armstrong Grant Thompson Director Debbie Cuell Playwright Jim McNeil Composer Guy Gross THE CAST Drama Coach Grant Thompson Cast Guy Spence Peter Sammak Jimmy Filipovski Paul McKenzie Shamus Vincent Will Kostopoulos Amy Squire Michael Lahoud Sam Ali Charlie Special Guest Mentors George Whaley Denise Roberts Rachel Ward 7 ©Screentime Pty Ltd, Screen NSW, Screen Australia and FOXTEL 2014. ABOUT JIM McNEIL And THE CHOCOLATE FROG Considered one of Australia's most violent criminals of the 1960s, Jim McNeil spent most of his adult life in prison. He wrote the Australian Writers’ Guild Award winning The play Chocolate Frog, having never set foot in a theatre. Born in Melbourne in 1935 the youngest child of a working class family, stories abound of McNeil’s childhood mischief. At the age of 11 he went to holiday at the home of his English teacher, where he was repeatedly sexually assaulted for four days before escaping back home. It was not long after this that Jim really began to act out, losing interest turning in school and to a life of crime. At the age of 14, McNeil met prostitute and wife of a local crime boss – Poppelia. ‘Poppy’ introduced him to sex, drugs, hard alcohol as well as gangsters and crims who took Jim under their wing and taught their new protégé the ways of their world. Through his newfound friends he got work on the docks and short haul cargo ships, spending much of his late teens out at sea. At the age e of 22 h married Valerie, who was pregnant with his first child and who would go on to bear him five more. Specialising in armed robberies, the Melbourne media christened McNeil The Laughing Bandit because of his amusement at how easy it was to hold up a TAB or pub at gunpoint. In 1967, a 32-­‐year-­‐old McNeil was sentenced to 17-­‐ years gaol at Parramatta Correctional Centre, after he shot and wounded a police officer during a robbery at Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains. It was during this sentence that McNeil completed his high school education and joined The Resurgents Debating Society – a small group of inmates who joined together to debate, write and paint. Here he wrote The Chocolate Frog and the group first performed the play for a small audience of visitors. 8 ©Screentime Pty Ltd, Screen NSW, Screen Australia and FOXTEL 2014. Among the small audience of visitors was veteran theatre actor and director Malcolm Robertson, who was so moved by the performance that he spent the subsequent months conducting weekly workshops with the group.