A fast, funny and smartly observant story about family, property and the progress of life, Company of Rogues presents Boy Out of the Country at the Bondi Pavilion Theatre from 9 May 2019.
Troubled country boy Hunter returns home from the city after a mysterious seven-year absence to find the family home swept up in a regional housing estate, his mother in aged care, and his brother Gordon in charge. In this moment of shifting economies and loyalties Hunter goes in search of answers, but for he and Gordon, sibling rivalry and childhood nostalgia will collide with unexpected consequences.
Written by award-winning playwright Felix Nobis, Boy Out of the Country is a bush ballad for contemporary regional life, written in vernacular verse reminiscent of the poetic tradition of Banjo Patterson. Here, old Australia meets new Australia – a country town comes to terms with rapid social change, a backyard is less important than an extra bedroom, and the places that were once so familiar can change before our eyes.
Directed by Erica Lovell, this newly-realised production features the original cast including Tom Harwood (CO:OK, Things Not to do After a Break Up), Jason Glover (Headlands, Van Diemen’s Land ), Jeannie Gee (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) and Amelia Robertson-Cuninghame (Anatomy of an Offence, Love Child).
Joining the cast will be actor and arts entrepreneur Stan Kouros in the role of Walker – a country cop struggling to hold on to the community he once knew. The role marks Stan’s return to the acting stage after a 29-year absence during which he co-founded and directed Actors Centre Australia – one of the country’s leading performance institutions.
“It’s exciting and a little daunting to return to something you love after being a part of it from another, albeit less observable, perspective for so long,” said Kouros. “It’s much like my character’s own experience – so much of the environment and the process is familiar, and yet so much has changed.”
Boy Out of the Country emerged from the Melbourne Theatre Company Affiliate Writers Scheme and was awarded the R. E. Ross Trust Script Development Award. It was selected as the premiere work for the inaugural Pioneer Play Festival in 2018.
“A play infused with the vitality of Aussie idiom and melodrama, that crackles with understatement and wit.” – The Age
Director: Erica Lovell Featuring: Jeannie Gee, Jason Glover, Tom Harwood, Stan Kouros, Amelia Robertson-Cuninghame, Set Design: Tom Bannerman Production Manager: Claire Ferguson Producer: Robbi James
Boy Out of the Country
Bondi Pavilion Theatre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Bondi Beach
Season: 9 – 25 May 2019
Information and Bookings: www.companyrogues.com
Image: Tom Harwood features in Boy Out of the Country (supplied)