A new play from the writer of Sydney Theatre Company’s sell-out hit ‘The Narcissist’.

Russell’s ghosts were kind of at rest. He was at peace with it all, even the fact that he didn't know who his biological father was. His mother, Lois, disappeared when he was eight, leaving him to be raised by Neville, a stalwart of the no-nonsense Regional Right,

It’s Darwin, 2001, and Russell and his partner Alistair have transformed Russell’s childhood home into the ‘Tectonic Plate’; ‘hip urban café and art gallery by day, queer cabaret dive by night’.

When three separate events over the course of two weeks start to churn things up, the ghosts from Russell’s past begin to intrude on his present and he embarks on a quest to determine his identity.

This work explores the somewhat forgotten history of Australia as coloniser in PNG. The play slips between the laid back expat lifestyle in 1967 PNG, to bohemian retro world of Darwin in 1975 and to the politically changing world of Darwin 2001. It is a sprawling intergenerational saga that explores two 'Bastard Territories' and their cultural paternity, and in so doing posits questions about what constitutes 'family' and 'legitimacy' in modern multicultural Australia.

Venue Format
Theatre, Black Box Venue
Technical Rating
B
Touring Party
9 people - including 6 performers, 1 stage manager, 1 backstage crew person, and 1 Assistant Stage Manager/Backstage Crew

JUTE's vision is of a world made richer through theatre! With over 20 years experience of producing almost exclusively new Australian works, JUTE has a reputation for excellent performances, stunning design and surprising new stories. 98% of our surveyed audience consistently rate the quality of our productions as good-excellent and state that they would recommend to their friends! Peers from 'down south' are often surprised by the quality of JUTE work. JUTE is a champion for regional theatre and can bring our vast knowledge of working in the regions to your centre.

JUTE is a jewel in the Australian theatre industry and its time for us to share this with the world!

Company Website
jute.com.au

Unique Selling Point

With more than a passing nod at Tennessee Williams, Multi award winning playwright, Stephen Carleton has created a passionate, funny and vividly perceptive work about family and identity expertly woven together with dry wit and an earthy tell-it-like-it-is wisdom, which resonates both on a personal level and, more broadly, as a political commentary on a pivotal period in Australia’s history. We don't often see a 3 acts piece, it is a 3 hour show but not once the audience get the chance to be distracted and notice the time.

Marketing Materials

Media releases, company bio, product photos and a completed TV commercial are included in the sell-off. Handbills and posters are available but charged at additional cost.

Community Engagement

Cast are available for press calls, sponsor talks and master classes. Available workshops are listed in Bastard Territory Presenter Pack.