Synopsis A terrified 12-year-old boy finds himself separated from his family in the unfamiliar streets of a war torn city. He takes refuge in a bombed-out house and in the total blackness his bravado crumbles into tears. Into his life steps Anna – older, street smart and scornful of his crying. As a way of shutting the boy up, she starts to tell him a story that she vaguely remembers from her own childhood. And so begins a journey into the shifting, shimmering world of ogres, princes, singing bones, foolish lads and wolf-mothers.

Why do we tell stories? It is widely known that since the dawn of humanity, people have shared a passion to create, record and share our favorite stories. Evidence of this abounds, from cave drawings of Western Europe to Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, from your favorite Bible stories to Australian Aboriginal Rock Art, storytelling has been with humanity at every point in history in every corner of the globe. What is it about story telling that makes it so intrinsic to our existence? This play explores the power of storytelling to transport us away from the struggles and challenges of day-to-day life. While facing the daily horrors of war, Anna whisks Tomas to distant and fantastical lands, where they both can forget for a while the pain they are suffering. The stories also serve as a reminder that pain is a universal part of the human experience. When life deals us challenges, hearing tales of other people’s trials can give us comfort, knowing that we do not struggle alone. Through our shared suffering we can find unity and camaraderie. While this play was chosen prior to the Covid-19 breakout, we can clearly draw parallels to humanity’s current struggles; daily death count tallies on the news, the loss of many things we loved in life: social gatherings, live theatre and music, sport, travel. Where does humanity turn in our time of loss? Stories. How many shows have you ‘binge watched’ since March? Hearing stories of people around the work struggling with this virus reminds us how united we are as humans, and what happens to one group of people affects us all. While we have clearly become better at storytelling since the days of cave drawings, our need as human beings to tell and share these stories is as present and intrinsic to human life today as it ever was.

Director’s Notes

Company

Cast Anna Isabell Ni Tomas Dash Drury Nick/ Ensemble Jacob Lea Station Guard/ Ensemble Elle Hadiprodjo Flute Players/ Ensemble Lois Arthurson Cate Dennis Ensemble Zack Amos Annie Angelinou Avi Chandna Rebecca Coulton Mahlia Davidson Nyika Maija Davies Madi Eide Natalia Elgar Bronte Jackson James MacDonald Andrew Medellin Lulu Michell Isobel Mildenhall Calvin Newling Grace Patching Ana Scott Mads Sebesta Jemima Steele Lara Winsbury

Creative Team Director Mr Ryan Desaulnier Costume Design Ms. Suzanne Louk Stage Manager/ Lighting Operator Neve Cameron Assistant Diretor/ Crew Josh Di Mattina-Beven Backstage Crew Max Mulvenney Sound Operator Seren Williams Music Co-ordinator Cate Dennis Thank You to everyone who helped make this performance a reality: Dr. Christian Watson Mrs. Kirsten Macaulay Angus Hook Lyn Jarvis Alison Olds and the Marketing Team SACS Support Services Team Mrs. Gardiner Mrs. Chakarovski Mr. Partington Cast and crew!

Company

Cast Anna Isabell Ni Tomas Dash Drury Nick/ Ensemble Jacob Lea Station Guard/ Ensemble Elle Hadiprodjo Flute Players/ Ensemble Lois Arthurson Cate Dennis Ensemble Zack Amos Annie Angelinou Avi Chandna Rebecca Coulton Mahlia Davidson Nyika Maija Davies Madi Eide Natalia Elgar Bronte Jackson James MacDonald Andrew Medellin Lulu Michell Isobel Mildenhall Calvin Newling Grace Patching Ana Scott Mads Sebesta Jemima Steele Lara Winsbury

Creative Team Director Mr Ryan Desaulnier Costume Design Ms. Suzanne Louk Stage Manager/ Lighting Operator Neve Cameron Assistant Diretor/ Crew Josh Di Mattina-Beven Backstage Crew Max Mulvenney Sound Operator Seren Williams Music Co-ordinator Cate Dennis Thank You to everyone who helped make this performance a reality: Dr. Christian Watson Mrs. Kirsten Macaulay Angus Hook Lyn Jarvis Alison Olds and the Marketing Team SACS Support Services Team Mrs. Gardiner Mrs. Chakarovski Mr. Partington Cast and crew!