"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.
