Whispers. Thunder. Nowhere.

​

My Notes:

​

It's the question that has disturbed the minds of Australians since Joan Lindsay's novel was released in 1967: Where are Miranda, Marion, Irma and Miss McCraw? How could they disappear without a trace into the bush? Even today, many people believe the novel is based on fact (such is Lindsay's clever writing). In many ways it is. The themes strike a chord even today. Our relationship and history with the land we live upon remains largely unresolved. We try to ignore the land instead of working with it. We make sense of all phenomena in Australia through our narrow points of view. We label, categorise, systematise and standardise. But what, this play asks, is the cost of this way of living? If scientists estimate we can explain only a fraction of our world, what else are we yet to discover? Are we making sense of our existence through the "right" logic, ideology or language? Are we really strangers on this land, isolated and disconnected from what it has to offer? What wisdom and knowledges lie beneath our feet, mainly lost to time? It is this grey area that we have been unpicking. It has not been an easy conversation.

​

Picnic at Hanging Rock is set against the ignorant history of English colonisation. The tension between the present and the past, between ancient and new traditions, fuels the hysteria of a culture that is not tolerant to difference. Or to questions that cannot be answered. It is this sense of panic and resistance that is amplified in this adaptation. Lindsay’s novel is revered because of its great unknowns. It has stuck with us for so long, percolating in our minds. Naturally we are curious creatures who want to know, but this story bothers us in deeper ways. It probes our very humanity. It punctures skin, flesh and bone. It exposes our mortality.

​

Exploring this adaptation has been like solving a puzzle. The language is precise and places Lindsay's original story under the microscope, looking for solutions to the questions it raises. We have grounded this production in this investigatory tone. But the answers are elusive. They have to be fought for tooth and nail. The search takes us to the edge of who we are and all that we know. How do we grapple with difficult and challenging truths? And even when we look them in the eye, can we ever accept them as they are? At the centre of the play is the urge to exercise our rational minds. Throughout the process, we discovered that often they fail us. And perhaps that's okay. I have been lucky to work through the possibilities of this play with a superb and generous team. Now it's time to leave these new perspectives on the classic story with you.

 

Don't think too hard.​​

​

Based on the novel by Joan Lindsay

Playwright: Tom Wright

Director & Designer: Lachlan Driscoll

Assistant Director & Stage Manager: Rebecca Lynne

Movement Coach: El Waddingham

Fight Director: Jason McKell

​

Cast: Leah Fitzgerald-Quinn, Jules Broun, Téa Paige, Libby Harrison, Malika Savory​

​

Reviews:

 

"The non-standard physical space established in the Studio 1 theatre allows for full appreciation of the aesthetic richness on display around the traverse stage audience banks, not just through sound and lighting, but stylised, often ethereal movement, with the ensemble joining together to create some vivid freeze frame images. There are no cosets or voluminous petticoats here, just simple school uniforms of the time as blank canvases upon which to build some incredible performances both individually and together as an ensemble. Memorable moments include when the story’s young ladies enact knowledge of constantly being under the gaze of others, and when in late loop-back to the carefree youth of girls ascending the geographic marvel, ribbons are ripped from their loosened hair." Meredith Walker, Blue Curtains Brisbane​

​

"It takes a lot to do justice to a fictional story so widely regarded as fact and, accordingly, any worthy exploration of “Picnic at Hanging Rock” is going to be compelling in its exploration of the story’s detailed imagery. In its dramatisation of this classic of the Australian cannon, Observatory Theatre achieves this through careful stylised detail, which is of particular credit given the gothic fairy tale’s usual reliance upon setting for so much of its sensibility. This is a richly layered work not only in the impact of Driscoll’s aesthetic choices, but in its also lean into the themes of colonialism and conflict between European settlers and the mysteries of their new, but ancient, home." Meredith Walker, Blue Curtains Brisbane

​

"Congratulations to Malika Savory, Libby Harrison, Jules Broun, Leah Fitzgerald-Quinn, and Téa Paige on their portrayals of the school staff, students, and sundry characters. It is impressive to watch the craft of each actor, switching between male and female characters through tone of voice, accent and posture. At the Preview, I particularly enjoyed the unravelling of the headmistress (Libby Harrison) and increasing fragility of the girl who was left behind (Malika Savory), and the presentation of the male characters by the ‘schoolgirls’ (for example by Leah Fitzgerald-Quinn)—where my favourite moments were Michael and Irma’s gloriously awkward tea drinking, and the confronting scene between the headmistress and Sara." Catherine Lawrence, Creative Futures Photography

​

"It is great to have a Brisbane theatre company that takes on relatively new and challenging works, and gives opportunities for local actors to shine. Having left the Preview to the sounds of the very appropriate GANGgajang’s Sounds of Then (This is Australia), I am still thinking about the nature/culture issues and the work of the five talented actors in this production. It was great to see a reinterpretation of this Australian classic, and to be challenged to think more deeply about the themes of colonisation, male-female power relations, and the nature of truth." Catherine Lawrence, Creative Futures Photography

​

"Steering this captivating work with a deft hand, Lachlan Driscoll’s masterful direction weaves the key themes seamlessly, eschewing heavy-handedness in favour of subtlety. In the initial moments, the stage pulses with a captivating yet enigmatic energy, presenting a challenge to those seeking immediate clarity. Perhaps the style of the text contributes to this sense of initial confusion. Characters morph fluidly, like a play within a play, as an extended opening scene unfolds—a recitation that echoes a dramatic reading of the original text. This stylistic choice demands some acclimatisation, yet it’s not long before it takes root within the collective consciousness of the audience." Anina Marie Evans, Bravo Brisbane

​

​