My Father’s Wars, as I found them…
My Father’s Wars began life as research at State Library of Queensland (SLQ) –
Then became the audio doco-drama podcast series of that name –
Then became the live read of the adapted podcast scripts – My Father’s Wars, the live read, which the actors and I read at a variety of different events in 2017 and 2018 – SLQ Anzac Centenary events, history symposiums, ‘find your soldier’ workshops, GLAM events…
People kept coming up to speak with us afterwards. Our wonderful actors, Barb Lowing, Zac Boulton, Will Kelly, kept saying this has legs – people want to engage with this story. It’s their story, they feel it’s their family’s story.
And now there’s interest in the story as live performance…
So, Assembly of Elephants is developing the podcast scripts for live performance – a 45 minute show for 3 actors with almost no technical requirements.
We have Arts Queensland funding for a 2 week creative development after Easter – thank you QASP!
It could go to schools, it could go to community centres. I would love it to go to aged care homes…
In fact, if a performance could gather together our youngest and oldest Australians to engage with the story of the ANZACs –
not only as a symbol of national pride –
but as a universal story of comradeship, and loyalty,
of courage and fear,
of loss and sacrifice by ordinary men and women –
a story that is common to the planet, to every country experiencing conflict
and every family trying to find a way through that, a way home to each other –
that would be the best thing I could imagine.
The creative development of My Father’s Wars, as I found them… is supported by the Queensland Government, through Arts Queensland. My Father’s Wars was originally funded by QANZAC 100: Memories for a New Generation, a project proudly supported by the Queensland Government and State Library of Queensland.
The photo of an Anzac carrying his wounded mate is found here:
I think it was taken by one of Australia’s official war photographers, George Wilkins, but I’m not sure.