Jasper Jones the play, from the novel by Craig Silvey, adapted by Kate Mulvaney. Leongatha Lyric Theatre, September 13-21, 2019.
With its engaging characters, dark mystery and a 1960s small town setting, Jasper Jones is a rich work for the stage, writes director Sue Lindsay
By Sue Lindsay
I WAS having a conversation with my mother recently about head lice. When we were kids, she was horrified when we got the nits. “It was the Butts kids who spread them,” she said. The Butts was a place on the edge of the rubbish tip where these children lived in a house without electricity or running water. After the nits alarm, they came to school with their heads shaved, isolating them and confirming their role in the community as the persons to blame. Sixty years on, those poor Butts kids remain in my memory.
Jasper Jones is a teenager who is the scapegoat in the (fictitious) mining town of Corrigan. Set in the 1960s, the play reveals dark secrets behind the windows of respectable families, and evil intentions behind the smiles of respected adults. An old man with a car wreck in his front yard is the bogey man who grows large in the minds of the young people playing out all their fears and horror fantasies.
By Sue Lindsay
I WAS having a conversation with my mother recently about head lice. When we were kids, she was horrified when we got the nits. “It was the Butts kids who spread them,” she said. The Butts was a place on the edge of the rubbish tip where these children lived in a house without electricity or running water. After the nits alarm, they came to school with their heads shaved, isolating them and confirming their role in the community as the persons to blame. Sixty years on, those poor Butts kids remain in my memory.
Jasper Jones is a teenager who is the scapegoat in the (fictitious) mining town of Corrigan. Set in the 1960s, the play reveals dark secrets behind the windows of respectable families, and evil intentions behind the smiles of respected adults. An old man with a car wreck in his front yard is the bogey man who grows large in the minds of the young people playing out all their fears and horror fantasies.
Why do people like horror movies and unsolved crime cases? I avidly look for and read any new theories about the missing Beaumont children, the unsolved crime that remains active in my mind. Three children disappeared in the summer of 1966, with no explanation. Books have been written and retired detectives still work on the case.
The play Jasper Jones is the story of the disappearance of a teenage girl. When the teenage daughter of the town’s mayor goes missing In the hot summer of 1965, adults in the town are gripped by fear for their children. As the long hot days follow, the repercussions are felt by all. The young people cope by playing cricket, joking, falling in love and keeping quiet. Eventually the dark secrets hidden behind the respectable façades are revealed.
It doesn’t take much to remember the fears and dread of childhood but we often forget how much fun we had. In the play Jasper Jones there are many funny moments as a counterbalance to the mystery and horror.
I was drawn to this play after reading the novel by Craig Silvey. Engaging characters, dark mystery and the social commentary on an Australian community in the sixties make for an entertaining and thought provoking tale.
The information night for Jasper Jones is at the Leongatha Lyric Theatre Studio, 13 Watson Road, Leongatha at 7.30pm on Tuesday April 23, with auditions on Friday, April 26, Saturday, April 27, or Tuesday, April 30. Rehearsals will start in late June for performances in September.
We are looking for male and female actors aged from 14 to 70, including a young male who identifies as Australian indigenous to play Jasper Jones, and a young male to play the part of the Vietnamese- Australian teenager Jeffrey Lu.
Contact: lyrictheatre.net.au for further information.
Sue Lindsay is directing Jasper Jones for Leongatha Lyric Theatre. She is a retired drama teacher who has written and produced plays for community theatre and touring in schools. She directed the last two summer family shows for the Wonthaggi Theatrical Group, The Web for Foster Arts Music and Drama Association and Our Country’s Good for Leongatha Lyric Theatre.
The play Jasper Jones is the story of the disappearance of a teenage girl. When the teenage daughter of the town’s mayor goes missing In the hot summer of 1965, adults in the town are gripped by fear for their children. As the long hot days follow, the repercussions are felt by all. The young people cope by playing cricket, joking, falling in love and keeping quiet. Eventually the dark secrets hidden behind the respectable façades are revealed.
It doesn’t take much to remember the fears and dread of childhood but we often forget how much fun we had. In the play Jasper Jones there are many funny moments as a counterbalance to the mystery and horror.
I was drawn to this play after reading the novel by Craig Silvey. Engaging characters, dark mystery and the social commentary on an Australian community in the sixties make for an entertaining and thought provoking tale.
The information night for Jasper Jones is at the Leongatha Lyric Theatre Studio, 13 Watson Road, Leongatha at 7.30pm on Tuesday April 23, with auditions on Friday, April 26, Saturday, April 27, or Tuesday, April 30. Rehearsals will start in late June for performances in September.
We are looking for male and female actors aged from 14 to 70, including a young male who identifies as Australian indigenous to play Jasper Jones, and a young male to play the part of the Vietnamese- Australian teenager Jeffrey Lu.
Contact: lyrictheatre.net.au for further information.
Sue Lindsay is directing Jasper Jones for Leongatha Lyric Theatre. She is a retired drama teacher who has written and produced plays for community theatre and touring in schools. She directed the last two summer family shows for the Wonthaggi Theatrical Group, The Web for Foster Arts Music and Drama Association and Our Country’s Good for Leongatha Lyric Theatre.