Australia Day

QTC Australia DayWelcome to the typical little Aussie country town of Coriole, where life is laidback and carefree – unless you’re a member of the Australia Day committee, who couldn’t raffle a chook in a pub.

This January, grab a lamington and a stubbie, pop on your double pluggers and your Jackie Howe, remember the Aeroguard and settle in for a clever, caustic comedy that promises to put the sizzle in your ‘barbie … or should that be in your wok?

A bang-up-to-the-moment barbecue-stopper of a comedy, Australia Day opens Queensland Theatre Company’s Season 2014 and follows a mob of bumbling bureaucratic battlers as they debate the minute details of the national day and identity. Will Coriole’s Australia Day be a little ripper, or go off like a bucket of prawns in the sun?

Australia Day is the story of six quirky community leaders in a small country town charged with putting together the ultimate cultural celebration of what it means to be Australian. However the idea of consensus on the national identity is further away than the Southern Cross.

Never mind wrangling the Nippers, the Lions and the CWA; these little Vegemites are at loggerheads just deciding the type of bread that’s appropriate to serve at an Aussie BBQ …. or should it be fried rice?

Thrown in this laugh-out-loud Thermomix of politics and small town social culture is the fact the affable yet scheming Mayor Brian Harrigan has his eye off the ball, preoccupied by his own bid to win true blue pre-selection for the Liberal Party and his sledging sessions with the local Greens.

QTC Artistic Director Wesley Enoch said the rollicking satire, which stars a marquee lineup of talent led by Paul Bishop on stage and Andrea Moor in her Playhouse directorial debut, was one of five Australian productions in the Company’s 2014 season.

“Australia Day tackles the conundrum  of the changing face of Australian society with the biting wit and wisdom of our own inimitable Jonathan Biggins,” says Enoch.

“An Australian theatre institution, and the brains behind Sydney Theatre Company’s wickedly satirical institution the Wharf Revue, Biggins has his finger firmly on the pulse of Aussie culture.”

Director: Andrea Moor  Cast: Paul Bishop, Chris Betts, Louise Brehmer, Barbara Lowing, Lap Phan, Bryan Probets  Playwright: Jonathan Biggins  Designer: Simone Romaniuk  Lighting Designer: David Walters  Sound Designer: Tony Brumpton  Assistant Director: Margi Brown-Ash

Australia Day
Playhouse – Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Southbank
Season: 25 January – 16 February 2014
Bookings: 1800 355 528 or online at: www.queenslandtheatre.com.au

For more information, visit: www.queenslandtheatre.com.au for details.

Image: Paul Bishop as Mayor Brian Harrigan