BY KIM HO
FEBRUARY 19-29, THEATRE WORKS

REVIEWS

CREDITS

Writer - Kim Ho
Director - Saro Lusty-Cavallari
Producer - Imogen Gardam
Dramaturg - Carissa Lee
Cultural Consultant - Sermsah Bin Saad
Set Designer - Claudia Mirabello
Costume Designer - Carmody Nicol
Lighting Designer - Nicholas Moloney
Sound Designer - Gabriel Price
Stage Manager - Max Woods
Assistant Stage Manager - Brooke Simmonds
Stage Hand - Natalya Shield
Photography - Jack Dixon-Gunn
Publicist - Eleanor Howlett, Sassy Red PR

STARRING

Tamara Lee Bailey - Ash/Blakely/Daughter/Wombat Lady
Sermsah Bin Saad - Dem/Lasseter/Father/Pokie Machine/”Miranda”/Johann Ulrich Voss
Daniel Fischer - Eli/Coote/Son/Hiatus Brown
Sarah Fitzgerald - Cal/Unidentified Lasseter Explorer But NOT Mickey The Tracker/Mother
Jessa Koncic - Geb/Sutherland/The Fidgeter/Santa Clause
Scarlett Johansson - Patrick White Playwright Award Winning Playwright Kim Ho
Richard Watts - Himself
Saro Lusty-Cavallari as the Voices of Brett Sheehy, The Cast of the 1994 Telemovie Dead Heart and Patrick White

WRITER’S NOTE

I started this play with serious intent. Promise. I wanted to write a focused, well-made play, an Important Work that really Said Something about our Contemporary Moment.

When I stumbled on the true story of Lasseter’s Reef, I had the uncanny feeling I’d known the story my whole life. This story about pioneers searching for something that didn’t exist felt mythical, allegorical. It spoke to a truth about Australia, a truth I knew in my gut but couldn’t articulate.

I’d found my Great Australian Play. Then it all fell to shit.

While I was researching The Great Australian Play, my previous play, Mirror’s Edge, an earnest comedy-drama about cross-cultural encounters, won the Patrick White Playwright’s Award. My name was suddenly being associated with one of Australia’s greatest writers.

Soon after that, I discovered I had a family connection to the Lasseter story. My great grandfather was friends with Fred Blakeley, the leader of the expedition, and one of Lasseter’s original backers.

I also stumbled upon a galling but incredible review of Mirror’s Edge that accused me of presenting a romantic revision of Australia’s history, a sanitised version of the past that failed to implicate the perpetrators of colonial violence. Fuck.

I was stranded – writing this dumb colonial story in the shadow of a literary giant, with a blood connection to the expedition and an uncertainty over my approach to tackling historical subject matter. I felt complicit in the colonial mythmaking apparatus. My quest to find “creative gold” in the Lasseter legend mirrored the folly of the 1930 expedition.

So I decided to blow it all apart.

The result is a parasitic play, eating away at Australia’s colonial mythology from the inside out. I drafted and structured the work according to some subconscious understanding accrued from twenty-four years of living in “Australia”. I wrote from the gut and tried to put the ugliness that was largely absent from Mirror’s Edge front and centre. In a way, the two plays function as each other’s opposite: the first deeply hopeful and the second deeply scathing.

It is my hope that my Great Australian Play stops other playwrights from trying to write theirs. Or at least, that it creates some space to look our ugliness head on, together, and find new ways to make a better, fairer society.

My deepest gratitude to Raimondo Cortese, Jane Harrison, Sibyl Kempson, Patricia Cornelius and Morgan Rose who helped me develop the play during my time at the VCA; to Carissa Lee and Sermsah bin Saad for their dramaturgical support and consultation on protocol; to Montague Basement, the cast and crew for their tireless work learning batshit monologues, shovelling sand and realising my impossible stage directions; to my mum who hand-crafted a papier-mâché wombat mask for me; to my dad, the only man I know to make a quokka scowl; to my partner for reminding me there’s a world beyond the theatre scene; and to Patrick White, who articulated the “Great Australian Emptiness” with such ferocious eloquence and pulled my entire play into focus.

Thank you for supporting local independent theatre. I hope you find something in The Great Australian Play that resonates with you.

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

“To keep the promise of Australia for all Australians.”

This was Scott Morrison’s pitch to the country on why he should lead it. So what was the promise of Australia?

“I believe that Australia is a promise to everyone who has the great privilege to call themselves an Australian.”

Right…

Behind the governing philosophy of this country at the moment lies a vague platitude that when expanded upon reveals an even more convoluted and meaningless statement. What is Australia? Emptiness.

Growing up as aspiring artists in Australia is a very strange experience and it is this shared anxiety that probably unites me and Kim more than anything. The geopolitical equivalent of a backwater town; to be an Australian artist is to be caught between settling for mediocrity at home or abandoning who you are and heading for New York, Hollywood, London, Berlin, Tokyo etc. Some call it the cultural cringe, Patrick White - one of the few literary heavyweights Australia produced that doesn’t need the “for an Australian” qualifier after his achievements - described it as “the great Australian emptiness.” It’s hard not to want to pack it in and soak up the resources of countries where culture is appreciated by the public and the state. But of course this feels like a betrayal; when we fail to confront our present failings, let alone our historical ones, it’s too easy to abandon Australia’s cultural malaise when it desperately needs a jolt. An Australian artist has an inherently impossible job, they are required to warn against complacency when people are too complacent to notice.

So why is our culture doomed to such vagueness? Why do we cling on to a failed military campaign that was basically wholesale slaughter as our defining historical moment? Why do we refuse to give ground on a public holiday created in 1994 that deeply hurts so many? Why are we so resistant to an Australian mythology that has deeper roots and richer history?

Because we destroyed that history.

It is quite common now for artists to situate their practice as existing alongside the world's oldest storytellers; Aboriginal Australians. And it is true that we occupy the same space technically but to suggest that our western-derived storytelling can unproblematically coexist with - or is somehow continuous with - the traditional custodians of this land is naive. The great Australian stories; Captain Cook, The Convicts, Federation, The Gold Rush, Gallipoli are all predicated on colonisation, on violence, on dispossession. They did not add to a national mythology but forcefully wiped away the old one.

It may shock you to know that this play will not reconcile these tensions. We haven’t earned that. But maybe the great Australian story can be emptiness for now. The emptiness of colonialism’s concerted efforts at myth making, the emptiness of Scott Morrison’s ‘promise’ and the horrifying emptiness of a genocide’s aftermath. Until we can confront the violence this emptiness hides, our national story is just that. And if we tell that story loud enough then we can hope that it will one day be too uncomfortable to bear and a new story will emerge.

CAST & CREW

TAMARA LEE BAILEY - PERFORMER

Originating from Sydney, Tamara performed in plays with Australian Theatre for Young People and Sport for Jove, where she realised her passion for acting. Her credits at the Victorian College of the Arts include Desdemona in Othello (dir. Budi Miller), Canary Mary in F***ing A (dir. Candy Bowers) and Cindy in Fefu and Her Friends (dir. Sapidah Kian). She recently co-devised and performed at the Melbourne Fringe Festival for a new work Assimilate, which won the Young Creatives Award. Tamara has devised and performed several new theatrical works including Bludacity and Child, Woman and SPICE for the inaugural VCA festival Discord879. Tamara has an intense passion for film and has played lead roles in several short films over the past couple of years, including a short film directed by Colin Budds. Tamara has a martial arts and dance background specialising in Kung Fu and Wushu. Tamara is a Mezzo-Soprano R&B vocalist and enjoys songwriting.

SERMSAH BIN SAAD - PERFORMER

Sermsah Bin Saad is a performing artist who has specialised in dance and theatre over the last 20 years, dabbling in film and television. He appeared in the film Bran Nue Dae as a lead dancer and the television series The Circuit as a guest appearance alongside Aaron Pederson & Gary Sweet. He was a featured extra in Glitch and was also in the top 20 of first Australian series of So You Think You Can Dance in 2008, making it to the top 7 male dancers nationally. Sermsah also facilitates workshops following a template derived from the Kimberley called Liyan (instinctual knowledge and belonging of spirit), teaching culture and understanding of protocol of country through the educational and health departments and suicide prevention. Sermsah also runs a radio show called Urban Dreaming at Joy Radio. He is a mentor and facilitator for the Indigenous Scholarship Programme with MTC and currently his latest role is as the LGBTIQA+ Inclusivity Project Officer at the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency VACCA.

DANIEL FISCHER - PERFORMER

Daniel is a graduate of 16th Street Actors Studios full time program. Graduating in 2013, Daniel continued training under the guidance of Kerry Armstrong for several years. He has also participated in masterclasses with American acting coaches Larry Moss (2015) and the late, great Elizabeth Kemp (2013). In 2017, he was selected to participate in a week-long workshop with Melbourne Theatre Company for Asian Australian actors, an initiative created by CAAP (Contemporary Asian Australian Performance). Daniel has performed on stage and screen across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. His recent theatre credits include Gone (Gasworks & Brisbane Powerhouse) and Heirloom (The
Actors Theatre Collective). His recent screen credits include We’re all in this together (Logan Mucha) and Composure – compose yourself (Mad Pixie Productions).

SARAH FITZGERALD - PERFORMER

Sarah is a Melbourne-based actor and theatre-maker who graduated from VCA in 2018. She has worked in 'The Crucible' (Adena Jacobs); 'A Divergent Herstory: Pt 1' (Cara Dinley); 'The Skin of Our Teeth' (Dean Bryant); 'Rising' (Cara Dinley); Australian Shakespeare Company’s Romeo and Juliet (Glen Elston), in the debut of Oh No! Satan Stole My Pineal Gland! (Jean Tong and Louisa Wall) and in various short films.

IMOGEN GARDAM - PRODUCER

Imogen is the co-director and co-founder of Montague Basement. She has produced all of the company’s fifteen productions since its inception in 2014. She currently works at Bell Shakespeare as Artistic Administrator. In 2018 Imogen was awarded the Rose Byrne Scholarship for an Emerging Female Arts Leader. Imogen is the Deputy Chair of Theatre Network NSW.

KIM HO - WRITER

Kim Ho is a playwright, performer and dramaturg. In 2016 he graduated from a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne. His short film The Language of Love screened at film festivals worldwide, including the Sundance Film Festival. Kim was the 2013 recipient of the Besen Family Artist Programme, Writer’s Development at Malthouse Theatre. In 2017, his play Mirror’s Edge was read in Cybec Electric at Melbourne Theatre Company and produced at Union House Theatre. It subsequently won Patrick White Playwright’s Award at Sydney Theatre Company. A passionate advocate for marginalised voices, Kim champions culturally diverse Australian theatre. In 2018 he completed a Masters of Writing for Performance at the Victorian College of Arts.

JESSA KONCIC - PERFORMER

Born and raised in Melbourne, Jessa studied at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) graduating Company 2019. Her VCA credits include Luibov in The Cherry Orchard and Fefu in Fefu and her Friends (both dir. Sapidah Kian), Luciana/Luce in A Comedy of Errors (dir. Tony Smith), Hunter/ Freshly Freed Prisoner in Fucking A (dir. Candy Bowers) and Translator/ Grandmother Vladu in Mad Forest (dir. Sean Mee). Jessa most recently appeared in Melbourne University’s Hackathon as Decius Brustus, Lucilius and Carpenter in It Was Greek To Me (dir. Budi Miller). Before VCA, Jessa trained with The Victorian Youth Theatre for 7 years where she toured to the Adelaide Fringe Festival 2016 with Chicken Licken where she played the title character. Jessa is an accomplished vocalist with a wide range of styles.

CARISSA LEE - DRAMATURG

Carissa Lee is a Wemba-Wemba and Noongar actor and writer based in Melbourne. Carissa is currently undertaking her PhD in Indigenous theatre through the University of Melbourne. She also writes for Witness Performance and works as a specialist editor for Swinburne University. Carissa’s writing has featured in LIP Mag, Book Riot, Melbourne Writers Festival, Conversation Media, and Red Room Poetry. Carissa has also performed with Melbourne Theatre Company, Malthouse Theatre, and State Theatre Company of South Australia.

SARO LUSTY-CAVALLARI - DIRECTOR/SOUND DESIGNER

Saro is the co-director and co-founder of Montague Basement. For Montague Basement he has written, directed and designed including Procne & Tereus (Sydney Fringe 2014), All About Medea (2015), The Big Bruise (107 Projects 2016), Cleansed (2017). He was the Directorial Secondment for Bell Shakespeare’s Richard 3 (2017). He is currently completing a Masters of Directing for Performance at VCA and made his Melbourne directorial debut with The Public Domain Opera at The Butterfly Club for the 2018 Melbourne Fringe.

CLAUDIA MIRABELLO - SET DESIGNER

Claudia is a passionate set and costume designer, and graduate from The Victorian College of the Arts (2019). She recently travelled to Prague with the VCA to attend the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space (2019), where she was immersed and inspired by new scenographic ideas. Her design credits include set for Mirror Mirror, directed by Georgina Naidu, costume designs for Body, choreographed by Sue Healey, and Lee Serle’s dance piece, Everything All the Time. She has also worked in both costume and set workshops on various productions including; Peter Pan, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, and A Small Mountain. Eventually: Happening. Claudia recently had the privilege of completing an internship with Global Creatures; Muriel’s Wedding The Musical. She is also currently completing an internship with Anna Cordingley on Victorian Opera’s 2020 production of Salome.

NICHOLAS MOLONEY - LIGHTING DESIGNER

Nicholas is a Melbourne based lighting designer. He is enthusiastic about the potential for lighting to enhance the emotion of a work and to aid in the communication of concepts, themes and narrative. He is excited by collaboration and always keen to try out new ideas and processes. In addition to freelancing, Nicholas can be found working as an assistant at Additive Lighting. He is a graduate of Melbourne Polytechnic as well as the Victorian College of the Arts, where he received a Melbourne Global Scholars Award to travel to Taiwan to attend the World Stage Design conference as well as receiving the Lionel Gell Production Scholarship. Recent design credits include She Is Vigilante (Bridget Balodis & Krystalla Pearce), Pains of Youth (Katy Maudlin) and New Weather (Sophie O’Brien).

CARMODY NICOL - COSTUME DESIGNER

Carmody is a designer and maker from Newcastle and has been part of the theatre community from a young age, first working in amateur theatre with the Local Newcastle group Young People’s Theatre. During her time at the VCA, Carmody has been involved in many productions including Theban Dolls, A View from the Bridge and Caucasian Chalk Circle. Carmody is notable for her design for one of performances that was part of the 2018 Dance On season as a second-year student. As well as VCA, Carmody has also interned on the MTC 2019 season in the art finishing department and costume workroom. Last year Carmody designed the set with acting company North of Eight for their production of Strata Inc. And in 2019, Carmody designed a show for Melbourne Fringe Festival.

NATALYA SHIELD - STAGE HAND

Originally from Brisbane, Natalya has been designing lighting and working backstage for 5 years in Malaysia. She has designed lighting for shows including Watership Down (2019), Metamorphoses (2018), The Mikado (2017) and many more. She recently movd to Melbourne to start her first year at the Victorian College of the Arts and looks forward to working with new people and gaining more experience.

BROOKE SIMMONDS - ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

Brooke is a Stage Manager currently studying a BFA (Design and Production) at the Victorian College of the Arts. Her past credits include Assistant Stage Manager for The Skin of Our Teeth (dir. Dean Bryant), Assistant Stage Manager for Mad Forest (dir. Sean Mee), Deputy Stage Manager for Wünderschon Stark (choreographer Michelle Heaven) and Assistant Stage Manager for Punk Rock (dir. Ruby Rees) produced by Patalog Theatre, a company she will continue working for in the future. She has also recently completed a stage management secondment at Melbourne Theatre Company on their production of Torch The Place (dir. Dean Bryant). Brooke has developed a love for independent theatre throughout her time and is looking forward to further exploring this industry.

MAX WOODS - STAGE MANAGER

Max is a Melbourne-based stage and production manager, currently completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design and Production at the Victorian College of the Arts. He discovered his passion for stage management when he was selected to Stage Manage his year 12 production of Charley’s Aunt. Since then, he has worked extensively with award-winning company Stage Mom across Stage and Production management (Truly Madly Britney and I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Cooking For). During his time at VCA, his credits include Deputy Stage Manager on Four Directions (1st & 2nd Year Dance Works), Assistant Stage Manager for both F**king A and Into the Woods, and Lighting Programmer on Mad Forest. Max was also Stage Manager for Hedda GablerGablerGabler as part of the 2019 Independent Directors’ Festival at VCA, and is currently Production Manager for the remount season of the same show at La Mama Courthouse this coming April.

REVIEWS

“It does what independent theatre is best at… engaging, thought-provoking and fun.”

- Rober Reid, Witness Performance

“Ho has penned a brainstorming, barnstorming suite of firecracker scenes”

- Chris Boyd, The Australian

“This play is replete with examples of [Kim Ho’s] artistry and the sophisticated command he has over his very skilful writing. His imagination seems to know no bounds and his inventiveness is beguiling. His talent often exudes from the text evoking a dense and highly refined sense of cultural history. The project is simultaneously incredibly impressive and incredibly overwhelming.”

- Patricia Di Risio, Stage Whispers