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1988: LIVING
IN ISOLATION – Territory Tour |
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Work
: Director's Notes : Media
Response
: Creative Personnel : Performers : Scenario
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| Work |
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Both Tim
Newth and Sarah
Calver, two
of the founding Directors of Tracks Inc, worked on
this Corrugated Iron Youth Theatre project. It was
the first contact that they had with the Warlpiri people
of Lajamanu and it established the beginning of a long
relationship between the Tracks artists and the community.
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PHOTO: Unknown
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In 1987, a Territory wide competition
sought to encourage young Territorian Playwrights to
provide one-act scripts for production. The entries
covered aspects of Isolation – geographical,
cultural, spiritual and physical. Scripts from four
aspiring Playwrights were developed into one-act plays,
produced for a 1988 tour to each of the playwrights’ hometowns.
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One of a Kind by Carey Rohlach of Tennant
Creek
A Tour With a Difference by Jabiru Area School
Walls Hill by Lee Frank of Alice Springs
Manangkarawardingki Malju (Desert Boy) by Lajamanu School
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Tour Itinerary: Nhulunbuy, Yirrkala,
Gove, Alyangula (Groote Eylandt) Jabiru, Katherine,
Tennant Creek, Alice Springs, and Lajamanu.
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The highlight of the tour was at Lajamanu
where the company narrated versions of A Tour With
a Difference and Walls Hill, and performed the bilingual
play,
Manangkarawardingki Malju. The people at Lajamanu appreciated the efforts of
the cast to learn some Warlpiri language. Elders invited the cast to stay an
extra day so the Lajamanu Yawalyu women could share traditional dances with them.
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This contact was to play a major part
in the connection to the people of Lajamanu.
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| Director's
Notes |
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Living In Isolation is a Corrugated Iron Youth Theatre Dance Theatre Performance
and Workshop Tour, (including
Desert Boy).
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This tour presented short works by
Territory youths and conducted workshops in various
communities. In preparation for Desert Boy, actors
had to learn some Warlpiri. Members of the Lajamanu
community living in Darwin were contacted. Mary Rockman
Napurrula, a mature Warlpiri person living in Darwin,
gave instruction in Warlpiri language. Some of the
artists involved were Sarah
Calver, Tim
Newth and Janet
Robertson. This contact was to play a major part in
the connection to the Warlpiri people of Lajamanu.
Sarah
Calver and Tim
Newth who were later given the
skin names 'Nangala' and “Jampijinpa’.
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The white actors learning Warlpiri
and presenting it in a play was exciting for the residents
of Lajamanu. On tour, Elders were interested in the
play’s style that represented the people and
the place and that in their eyes was 'correct'. In
return, the elders danced and invited the team to return
and share skills and techniques with their young people. |
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The Lajamanu School Council requested
a residency of three artists to ‘work with the
school community to develop traditional and modern
material into contemporary dramatic performances’.
Sarah
Calver, Tim
Newth and Ken Conway traveled to
Lajamanu to discuss the possibilities. |
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| Media
Response |
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“… simply brilliant. Students
seeing this production will not fail to see how they
can use theatre for their own productions.”
Tennant and District Times, 20 May
1988
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“… proved that talent and
creativity abounds in the Territory. … bravo
for a job well done.”
Centralian Advocate, 20 May 1988
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“Desert Boy … brought
us a full circle to the true beginnings of Australian
Theatre – the Aboriginal art of story telling. … highly
satisfying theatre, thoroughly professional in execution,
stylish and unpretentious.”
New Theatre Australia, August 1988 |
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| Creative
Personnel |
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Director |
Janet Robertson |
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Choreographer
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Sarah
Calver |
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Designer Sets and Costumes |
Tim
Newth |
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Lighting Design |
Elena Eremin |
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Sound Design |
Janet Robertson |
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Poster Design |
Jo Boniface |
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Administration |
Mailin Chan |
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Tour Manager/Sound Operator |
Bill Searle |
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Production Manager/Lighting
Operator |
Elena Eremin |
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| Performers |
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| Scenario |
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Desert Boy Script
- A play in one act and four scenes.
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Characters
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Bob a 9 year old
white boy (later a fully grown man)
Russell his father, a policeman
Katrina his mother
Jampijinpa a traditional aboriginal man (all Warlpiri)
Nangala an older aboriginal woman
Four other aboriginal adults who observe Bob
Nakamarra Bob’s wife
Jungarrayi Bob’s son
Nungarrayi Bob’s daughter
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Scene One – Action
takes place sometime in the past.
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A little white boy
of 9 years old, called Bob, lives at Lajamanu,
a remote place in the Northern Territory. His
father works at the Police Station. Bob and his
parents are the only Europeans living in this
Aboriginal settlement. The family have gone out
camping for the weekend.
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Russell:
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Son, you go off and play. Me and
mum want to have a sleep.
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Katrina:
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Yes, but don’t go a long
way because you might get bitten by a snake.
Please don’t go further than that anthill
over there.
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Bob:
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Yes mum. I promise you I won’t
go further than that anthill.
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(Bob wanders off with a can of
coke. Katrina and Russell drink a can of beer
in front of their car and then fall asleep next
to their car.)
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Scene Two — It
is dark. Bob is all alone and crying.
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Bob:
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I’m lost. Someone please
help me. I’ve got no water. I’m very
thirsty. I’m going to die. Please help
me God. Don’t let me die Mum and Dad. Where
are you Mum and Dad?
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(Far away Bob can hear the music
and singing of Aboriginal people. Bob falls asleep.)
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Scene Three – The
next morning a group of Aboriginal women and
men holding boomerangs and spears are standing
around Bob in a circle, Bob wakes up
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Bob:
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I’m thirsty.
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Jampijinpa:
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Yungkarla ngapa kardiyaku.
(Give the white boy water.)
(Bob drinks water.)
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(Man feels him and feels his hair.
The Warlpiri people look frightened.)
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Bob:
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I’m thirsty.Do you speak
English?
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Nangala:
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Nyarrpaa ka wankami?
(What is he saying?)
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Bob:
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(Crying) What are they saying?
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Nangala:
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Nyyiyajanka kanpa yulami?
(Why are you crying?)
(She feeds him bush food.)
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Bob:
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What is this? Yuk!
(He eats)
Yum!
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Jampijinpa:
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Nganja ngulaju mangarri mgurrju!
(Eat that good vegetable food!)
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Bob:
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Mangarri?
(Vegetable food?)
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Jampijinpa:
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Yuwayi, nyampuju mangarri.
(Yes, that is vegetable food.)
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Scene Four – Twenty years later,
Bob’s parents never found him. Bob is now
holding spears and boomerangs.
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He is out in the
desert looking strong and fit and healthy. He
is carrying a
red kangaroo.
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Bob Japaljarri:
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(To his wife Nakamarra and his
children Jungarrayi and Nungarrayi)
Nyampakurla marluju. Mantalkulu nyampuju marluju.
Matalkurna ngajuju. Wurlulkala manta nyampukuju marlukuju.
(Here’s our kangaroo. Come and get this kangaroo. I’m tired. Get
firewood for this kangaroo.)
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The whole family make a fire, talking
and laughing in Warlpiri.
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| The End - Ngalajuku |
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