A theatre production produced locally by Charles Sturt University [CSU] theatre media graduates is set to receive some enhanced exposure when it launches in Sydney today.
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Good Mourning, written by Sonia Dodd and directed by Hannah Armstrong, will commence a six-show run today at Newtown's Old 505 Theatre, presenting a multifaceted exploration of grief.
The writing process saw Dodd retell Armstrong's real-life experience of losing her father to cancer at the age of eight.
"Good Mourning is a comedic yet heartfelt look into the grief process, with the focus centred around the last three months of Hannah's dad's life," Dodd said.
"Hannah often makes a lot of 'dead dad' jokes, so we wanted to use her experience to reflect how grief affects everyone differently."
The play was Dodd's major project for the final year of her theatre media degree at CSU, and was awarded the Blair Milan Touring Prize, an annual $7000 grant to further develop the work for wider audiences.
"It's amazing that we're able to put this show on in Sydney courtesy of this scholarship," she said.
"Hannah and I have an incredible working relationship, and we're lucky to have a lot of past CSU theatre media alumni helping us put this show together."
Armstrong, who grew up in Bathurst, said it has been a unique experience directing a piece of theatre based on her own life.
"When we put on the show for last year's Sprung Festival, I launched heavily into 'director mode' to remove myself from the story," she said.
"But during the show, that sense of vulnerability really kicked in, and it was interesting to see the crowd react to my experiences."
After the Sydney show, Armstrong hopes to bring the show back to the Central West to share with wider regional audiences.
"Our roots are here, and it's really important to give back to the places that gave us this opportunity," she said.
Ben Rodwell, a cast member of Good Mourning, said Bathurst is a great location for budding creatives pushing to produce their own work.
"The arts community here offers plenty of room for creatives to experiment and test their creations in front of a supportive local audience," Rodwell said.
Good Mourning's Sydney season will run from March 3 to 8. Tickets cost $25 and are available online.
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Sam Bolt
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
