This week I had the pleasure of presenting The Red Dust at the NSW State Government’s Department of Communities and Justice Inaugural Multicultural Community Engagement Conference at the Parkroyal in Parramatta. In and among topics as broad as youth engagement, health, refugee settlement, language, education, and media, I presented our development and rehearsal process with director and composer of The Red Dust (and Marian St Theatre for Young People artistic director) Nate Gilkes, and our choreographer Jia-wei Zhu.
It was super lovely to get the band together again, even if only for a short moment! It was also fantastic to present with our friends from Chinese Australian Seniors Service (CASS), who have been so enthusiastic about how the production activated their Chinese elder community. We’re currently in the process of working out next steps for The Red Dust, so be sure to watch this space!
After many pandemic delays and false starts, The Red Dust is back on (tickets here)! Reimagined as an intimate physical theatre performance alongside the original vision of music, poetry and text, the show will be performed at Ku-Ring-Gai Town Hall with elders from Chinese Australian Services Society (CASS).
Our team has changed up a little but it’s still being directed and composed by the tireless Nate Gilkes, with traditional Chinese music composition and performance by Dr Nicholas Ng, movement and choreography by Jia-wei Zhu, lighting design by Benjamin Brockman, assistant direction by Alexandra Sharps, and subtitles in Mandarin and English by the team at the Institute of Australian and Chinese Arts and Culture at Western Sydney University, headed by Professor Jing Han.
The show follows Chinese Australian teen Talia in a near future where Sydney is continuously covered by a red dust storm. Much like the Chinese term hóng chén 红尘, which refers to the world of desires and distractions, Talia is often so distracted by ‘the red dust’ of her online life that she neglects to realise her climate scientist mother has gone missing on a trip to find the last blue gum trees. Through poetry, music, dance and physical theatre, Talia is challenged with ‘seeing through the red dust’ as she embarks on a journey to the Blue Mountains to find her mother.
We just started rehearsals and I’m so excited to be working with the kids at Marian St, as well as Robyn Clark, who will play the lead role of Talia.
Where: Ku-ring-gai Town Hall, 1186 Pacific Hwy, Pymble NSW 2073, Australia
When: Wednesday 13th July 10.30am and 1.30pm, Thursday 14th July 10.30am and 1.30pm, Friday 15th July 1.30pm and 7.30pm, and Saturday 16th July 7.30pm
Who: All ages!
Cost: $20
Tickets: Here!