Telling a significant story of Queensland’s capital in a year when Australian commemorates a century of service in different theatres of war, QTC presents the world premiere of Matthew Ryan’s Brisbane at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre until 2 May 2015.
Brisbane, 1942: a big country town jumping at shadows, never knowing if that buzz in the air is a cicada or a squadron of merciless Japanese Zeroes. World War II took the city’s innocence, and that of 14-year-old Danny Fisher.
Danny’s dashing pilot brother has been killed in the Bombing of Darwin. As Danny’s devastated family unravels, the teen finds a surrogate sibling in Andy, one of the Americans stationed in Brisbane. The American pilot takes Danny under his wing, and as the tension begins to rise between the Yank and Aussie servicemen, Danny hatches a reckless revenge plan against those who took his brother
Drawing on true stories from the leafy streets of Brisbane in the middle of wartime, Matthew Ryan’s Brisbane is a life-affirming coming-of-age tale, with moments of sublime comedy amid a heartfelt tale of a family fragmented by tragedy. A living, breathing picture postcard from a time that could have been the making or breaking of a city.
“It’s a rare occurrence for Queensland audiences to see a show that is so familiar that we know the street names, places, suburbs, characters and history played out on stage, says Wesley Enoch, Artistic Director – Queensland Theatre Company. “This is a new play about an old story but it also uses our history as a metaphor for who we are and how we grew up to take to the sky.”
Director: Iain Sinclair Cast: Matthew Backer, Conrad Coleby, Harriet Dyer, Lucy Goleby, Dash Kruck, Daniel Murphy, Veronica Neave, Hugh Parker, Hayden Spencer Designer: Stephen Curtis Lighting Designer: David Walters Composer/Sound Designer: Guy Webster Dramaturg: Louise Gough
Brisbane
Playhouse – Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), Southbank (Brisbane)
Season continues to 2 May 2015
Bookings: 13 62 46 or online at: www.qpac.com.au
For more information, visit: www.queenslandtheatre.com.au for details.
Image: Brisbane – courtesy of Queensland Theatre Company