It’s time to take a good, long, hard look at yourself Albury-Wodonga.
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From the Dreamtime to the Albury-Wodonga Development Corporation to the dreams and aspirations of a new teenage mum, At The Hip is Border people talking about Albury and Wodonga.
Melbourne documentary theatre maker Ros Oades is developing the script for this year’s HotHouse Studio Ensemble performance.
She is known for her signature technique headphone-verbatim and audio-cued performances – which HotHouse audiences saw when I’m Your Man played at the Butter Factory Theatre in 2013.
“In this show, more than in I’m Your Man, there’s a lot of group conversation and we’ve made an attempt to capture groups of people talking together,” she says.
“There’s some lovely little nuances that come about when friends are talking together.”
Oades said writing this play was different to her previous works, which traditionally took years to collate, edit and write.
HotHouse Studio Ensemble members spent three months interviewing some well-known figures in the Albury-Wodonga community – such as Bruce Pennay, Jean Whitla and Aunty Nancy Rooke – about their views on the twin cities.
Their stories are retold verbatim in an entertaining hour-long production.
“It’s documentary theatre so it’s a celebration of humanity, or a social portrait of contemporary Albury-Wodonga,” Oades says.
“We’ve tried to capture all the colour of the people.
“I think everyone will recognize something familiar.
“We’ve interviewed people from as young as 16 to as old as 90 so there’s something for everyone to relate to.
“The details are very specific, the actors are using my signature headphone-verbatim technique and they are copying exactly what they hear, all the intonations.
“I do believe everyone has a unique voice, as unique as a finger print.
“If the actor can recreate the voice it will be very familiar to someone who knows the person.”
While the Whitlam dream for Albury-Wodonga to rival Canberra – with a booming population of 300,000 – fell way short, there is still plenty of great stories about how the two cities have grown, held together by a connection with the mighty Murray River.
“The whole process of creating this show has been a journey of discovery into our community,” says HotHouse artistic director Lyn Wallis, who directs the play.
“The Studio Ensemble and myself conducted in-depth interviews with over 50 residents, and we uncovered some fascinating lives and stories.
“So many people generously shared their big dreams, stories and songs with us, and it’s a privilege to now bring them to the wider community.”
Many people interviewed for the play will be acknowledged in the program.