Sub story a small town hit
Audiences in regional Australia now have access to an increasingly diverse range of theatre productions, as cutting edge shows find success outside the major cities, writes Luke Cowling, Producer of Critical Stages.
By the end of 2009 more than 50 theatres nationwide will have presented the work of independent theatre artists through Critical Stages. This initiative of Darlinghurst Theatre Company is funded by the Theatre Board of The Australia Council for the Arts and Arts NSW to develop high quality independent theatre productions for the national touring circuit.Critical Stages has three productions touring across Australia in 2009: the highly original drama The Kursk by Sasha Janowicz with Brisbane’s Matrix Theatre; hugely successful West End comedy Dealer’s Choice by Patrick Marber, directed by rising star Craig Ilott after his company Albedo Theatre’s 2004 production at Sydney’s Old Fitzroy Theatre; and outrageous comedy The No Chance in Hell Hotel by Sydney powerhouse performance duo Drew Fairley and Kate Smith.
The success of these tours suggests those charged with thechallenging task of programming for regional audiences are looking more and more to independent theatre to provide a unique flavour to their subscription seasons.
In September, Stephen Pike, manager of the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, felt compelled to email the network of regional presenters around the country after the opening of the most recent Critical Stages production to tour to his venue. ‘If The Kursk is yet to come to you it is an outstanding and unique theatrical achievement,’ Pike wrote. ‘A gripping story combined with one of the most versatile and cunningly used sets I have seen and an ending which seems to rivet the audience to their seats. I never thought I would sit in a theatre and be convinced I was at the bottom of the ocean.’
Sasha Janowicz was studying theatre in Queensland when news of the ill-fated Russian submarine broke around the world in 2000. Inspired to learn more about a global incident which was clearly the stuff of drama and mystery, he set out back to his homeland to find some truths andthe heart of this amazing story.
After visiting with many family members of the lost submariners, sifting through vast numbers of news reports and investigating the official military accounts of the incident, he returned to Australia to set about writing a play. After many months of drafting he received a call from his parents in Poland who had received a package addressed to him, and on opening it had discovered a full dress jacket, medals attached, which had belonged to one of the lost officers. There was no note attached, no return address. Sasha was even more compelled to tell this story.
He developed the play over a few years and, in 2007, produced and starred in The Kursk, directed by Michael Futcher at Brisbane’s Metro Arts. It was the hit at that year’s Matilda Awards, winning Best Direction, Best New Australian Play and Best Independent Production.
The success of The Kursk caught the eye of Critical Stages, and after being co-produced for touring with Brisbane’s Matrix Theatre, in October it will complete a six-month national tour of more than 90 performances at regional and metropolitan venues across the country to an estimated audience of over 16,000 people.
In an industry often noted for its stars and big budget spectacles, it is Australia’s independent theatre sector that has become the crucible of our theatrical experience – a place where dedicated and motivated artists produce the shows about which they are most passionate. Over the past few years Critical Stages has been actively seeking the best productions from across this sector with the aim of developing them for touring – hunting out the little theatrical gems that originate from tiny urban venues, produced on the back of the blood, lots of sweat and the occasional tear from their writers, directors, actors and designers, often for little financial reward.
The success of The Kursk shows there is a wide audience for distinctive, challenging, high calibre theatre. ‘We have too few serious dramas and this show gave our country audience an amazing taste of professional theatre,’ said Jan Fairclough of the Margaret River Cultural Centre following their performance of The Kursk. These sentiments were echoed by Claire Glenn, Performing Arts Director at Victoria’s Swan Hill Rural City Council: ‘The show looked amazing. Critical Stages continues to deliver high-quality product,’ she said.
Having delivered eight tours in the past three years, Critical Stages is committed to providing a platform which brings together artists and audiences in a meaningful way, no matter how adventurous the work or remote the location.
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