Quintet: Five separate stories come together in new Geelong theatre production Making Waves.
ERIN PEARSON
THEATRE is about more than bright lights and fanfare for Geelong playwright Janet Brown.
It’s about utilising local talent and presenting it to the country.
Brown has written, in conjunction with Geelong writer/producer Sandy Fairthorne, a five-play production titled Making Waves.
The five separate plays come together with their own unique take on the ocean, Brown said.
She felt “proud” to combine theatre, music and art across her latest masterpiece.
“Theatre usually starts in Melbourne then tours the region but we’re doing the opposite, we’re trying a new model and so far it’s working,” Brown said.
“We have a very strong team and I think sometimes people often don’t realise what we have down in this region.
“The talent is exceptional.”
Brown said Making Waves’ five pieces were titled Defection, Water Water, The Depth, The Knowing and Snap.
“Defection is the story of Heidi Giersch’s defection to Australia in the 1980s while on tour with an East German ballet company. It draws attention to the oppression in East Berlin at the time.
“Water Water is a monologue about a woman whose inland home has been flooded. She must decide whether to stay or move to the coast.
“The Depth follows the life of a middle-age man caught in the global financial crisis. He thinks he’s lost everything before finding himself on a Portarlington crayfish boat.
“The Knowing is about a couple in a long-term relationship who both have a secret they’re about to reveal.
“Snap shows two people meeting on a cliff top who are both about to end it all.”
Brown said before compiling Defection she was lucky enough to meet the real-life Giersch who helped inspire the final script.
“I was instantly drawn to her story, which really resonated with me as Heidi and I share a birthday but I grew up in Melbourne.
“I wondered what might I have done if I’d lived in East Berlin and had an opportunity to defect.”
Tina Rettke, who plays Giersch in the production, said scoring the role was a “dream come true”.
Making Waves will be at Lorne’s Qdos Arts on November 26, Portarlington’s Port Pier Cafe on December 2, Queenscliff’s Uniting Church on December 4, Geelong’s Wintergarden on December 9 and Geelong West’s Woodbin Theatre on December 10.
