A TOWN Named War Boy is a touching, funny, and intimate work originally co-produced with the State Library of NSW and opened on the eve of the 100-year anniversary of Gallipoli.
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Playing to sold-out crowds at the State Library, the production was directed by Australian Theatre for Young People’s (ATYP) artistic director Fraser Corfield (Sugarland, M.Rock).
This production will be at Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre on Friday, March 23 for an 11am matinee and an evening performance at 8pm.
Based on the State Library’s jaw-dropping collection of World War One diaries, photographs and letters, A Town Named War Boy brings to life the personal accounts of the young men who set sail for the far side of the world.
Their exploits are our history. Their sacrifices are the stories we grow up with: the Anzac legend.
The World War One collection at the State Library is incredible, and the diaries and letters sent by those on the fronts offer a personal insight into the experience of war. Some of the diaries and letters are finished, others just stop.
When you read them you meet the person, hear their iconic sense of Australian humour, you see the changes in their handwriting, feel the indentation of the pen, the smudges of changed thoughts. Our young past is captured, alive and preserved.
This unique production was commissioned to recognise the importance of the Anzac anniversary in a very personal way.
Director Fraser Corfield says the commission “came from a conversation with the State Library about their extraordinary collection including the World War One diaries”.
“We realised that many of the soldiers were the same age as the young adults that come through the doors of ATYP every single day. There is a timeless quality to the behaviour of young men that makes the events of 100 years ago seem so much more tangible.”
Playwright Ross Mueller feels it’s an important story to tell right now.
“It’s pretty clear that the anniversary is a reminder of the sacrifices that young people make for freedom and their nation. The diaries remind us that we must learn from history. The voices are raw, honest and young; full of wisdom gleaned from a vicious experience.”
Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre presented Sugarland by ATYP in the 2016 Annual Season and is developing new work The Climbing Tree in partnership with this well-respected company. The Climbing Tree will premiere in Bathurst on November 2 before touring to Sydney.
For more information about upcoming shows at BMEC, go to www.bmec.com.au or call the BMEC box office on 6333 6161.
