Brisbane

"BRISBANE”

Qld Theatre Company is currently presenting a production entitled “Brisbane” at the Play House Theatre at QPAC. Last week, the years 11 and 12 students attended a performance of the play accompanied by Ms Fletcher, Mrs Bowring, Ms Hilton and Mrs Clarke.

“Brisbane” is based on the novel of the same name, written by Matthew Ryan, and was directed by Wesley Enoch. As a QTC premiere, the play drew on true stories from the eyes of the young 14 year old protagonist, Danny Fisher. Set in 1942, Brisbane was a big, country town in the shadow of war, and Danny’s experiences reflected the consequences of this, including losing his RAAF pilot brother in the bombing of Darwin, and befriending a ‘surrogate sibling’, one of the Americans stationed in Brisbane at the time, in his effort to come to terms with loss and his own identity.

The Year 12 students are now busily deconstructing “Brisbane” in order to respond to a written task which asks them to critically evaluate the Director’s choices.

 Meanwhile, for the Year 11’s, attending this production gave them the opportunity to reflect on and analyse the QTC play for distinctive evidence of the success or failure of this production to live up to the QTC claim that it is a play with “moments of sublime comedy and a heartfelt tale……  a living breathing picture postcard from the time”.

 For both Year levels, this production has made for some lively and interesting analysis and discussion.