Sugarland
Image: Photo: Tracey Schramm
Developed over two years in the Northern Territory, Rachael Coopes’s and Wayne Blair’s Sugarland will grace the stages of ATYP.
The play is a confronting look at the lives of youth in rural areas, giving audiences an insight into what it is to be Australian and furthermore, what it means to be young.
Co-writer Coopes says: “The story is so authentic and rich that we could only really get it from immersing ourselves completely in a remote area.”
Coopes says the experience of writing in the town of Katherine provided extensive inspiration: “It was amazing, when Wayne Blair brought me on board we went up and it was very gentle and slow, we had no real preconceptions about what it was like up there or what story we were going to tell.”
To gather material Coopes and Blair held workshops in schools and residencies throughout Katherine: “We hung out with children at YMCA groups and skate clubs,” she says, “we also did documentaries talking to the kids on camera, it’s a dream as a writer to have that level of immersion and to be an outsider looking in.” (GF)
Until Sep 13, ATYP, Pier 4/5 Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, (02) 9270 2400, atyp.com.au
