Day 1: Adaptation and the Australian Novel Symposium Program
Tuesday 6 April 2021
In Conversation with Professor Anita Heiss: Adapting Tiddas from Page to Stage
1–1.45pm
Abstract:
As part of her 2020 La Boite Artist in Residency program, internationally published author of 12 novels and other titles, Professor Anita Heiss is in the process of adapting her hit novel on contemporary sistahood, Tiddas, for the stage. As an author, she s a plotter, and her process of writing novels has assisted in the mapping out each scene for the play. But working with a dramaturg and creative producer is significantly different to writing solo. In this conversation, Anita will discuss the first stages of workshopping, writing and then experience of the initial read through of the first draft by experienced actors.
Panel One: Methodologies
2–3.45pm
Talk 1 – Adapting in Strobe: Camp Strategies for Adaption
Presented by: Lewis Treston, The University of Queensland
Abstract:
In this paper, I will reformulate Laleen Jayamanne's term "acting in strobe" (2010) to argue for camp adaptive strategies that liberate performances from the strictures of realism and naturalism that have typified much of the Australian literary canon and their reinterpretations across stage and screen. In contrast to the national predilection towards an ‘authenticity’ aesthetic, Jayamanne argues that the performance quality of Baz Luhrman’s body of work typifies a “uniquely Australian camp style of acting”, which finds its roots in burlesque, but has also been notably utilised by other seminal Australian directors, such as Jim Sharman and Barrie Kosky. Jayamanne (136-138) describes how this style of performance is characterised by the virtuosic, rhythmic and machinic juxtaposition of a variety of acting styles, which she coins “acting in strobe”. This distinctive style of performance arguably produces a camp effect, which in turn covertly challenges the status quo, through its ludicrous theatricality, incongruous worldview and ironic sense of humour.
I will pose the question: how can the conventions of strobe performance be used as a camp adaptive strategy when applied to the Australian literary canon and what effect does this have? As a means to discuss possible answers to this provocation, I will use examples from my own play ‘Hubris & Humiliation’, which appropriates Jane Austen’s iconic style of romantic comedy, in order to demonstrate how the camp qualities of strobe performance can be instilled within the play text. In the same vein, I will canvas how this camp adaptive strategy could be used to refashion outdated traditions within the Australian literary canon and the possible outcomes this might produce.
Talk 2 – The Great Chain of Being (a Librettist)
Presented by Pierce Wilcox, Independent Scholar
Abstract:
Contemporary opera is a form that yaws unevenly between radical and conservative poles in its politics and aesthetics. Perhaps more so than even text-based theatre, it is constantly in dialogue with Australia and the form’s history, haunted by, struggling against and sometimes unashamedly embracing its forebears, and the ideologies they bring with them.
Based on my decade of work as a librettist and adaptor with Sydney Chamber Opera, this paper will use my own experience adapting works from the Australian literary canon - David Malouf’s Fly Away Peter and Peter Carey’s Oscar and Lucinda - to consider whether the process of adaptation can offer a critical perspective on the canon, or is destined to continue and advance the process of canonisation and the associated spectre of exclusionary nationalism. My experience as a creator of Australian opera, dogged by the long shadow of Malouf’s own adaptation of Patrick White’s Voss, will serve as a lens to understand the chains of attachment to prior artists and the influence of past works and ideals, even as the artwork itself strains to be forward-looking and formally challenging.
Talk 3 – Securing the Future by Reimagining the Past: The Secret Garden, steampunk, and adaptation for ideological change in young audiences
Presented by Kathryn Marquet, The University of Queensland
Abstract:
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a fierce treatise on the importance of ecological interconnectedness. The novel’s chief protagonist, Mary Lennox, is a lonely and unlikeable child who, through her own agency and rebellion, restores a locked-up garden. As the garden grows, Mary heals not only herself, but her broken cousin and uncle, through interaction with the natural world. As our world faces an ever-worsening climate crisis, and the sixth mass extinction of earth’s creatures accelerates, there is great need for artistic works that highlight the depth of our environmental challenges. Retelling stories of nature and grappling with humanity’s response to species extinction and climate change is an attempt to engage with contemporary eco-critical concerns in a hopeful manner that encourages audiences to make change.
In my proposed presentation, I will firstly explore the theoretical underpinnings of the adaptation of The Secret Garden. In particular, I will focus on the radical adaptation of landscape within the story from imperialist Edwardian England to a fantasy steampunk dystopia for Australian audiences. I will outline the eco-critical components of both the steampunk subgenre, as well as The Secret Garden, and examine how steampunk emerged as a cohesive framework with which to update The Secret Garden for contemporary young audiences. Secondly, I will discuss how this theory was practically applied through development and production of the adaptation by Queensland Theatre, in co-production with Dead Puppet Society, and the resulting dramaturgical discoveries that were made by embarking on such a process with 28 young artists from April through to October 2019.
Talk 4 – Creating culturally safe rehearsal spaces: A case study of the rehearsal room for Sydney Theatre Company’s The Secret River
Presented by: Hayden Moon, University of Sydney
This paper explores the experience of the production team in the rehearsal room for Sydney Theatre Company's production of The Secret River. This paper discusses the prevalence of trauma within the story of The Secret River and the effects these themes had on the production team throughout the rehearsal period. The subject matter of Kate Grenville’s The Secret River inspired discussions of trauma between the creatives. These discussions had a profound effect on the rehearsal process which later translated onto the stage in the final production.
The focus of trauma toward Aboriginal people that is showcased in this production led to the appointing of an Aboriginal Elder, Aunty Glendra Stubbs, as “Aunty in Residence”. In this official role, Aunty Glendra served as a support person for the Aboriginal production team members. During their time in the rehearsal room her role became broader, with her providing support for all production team members regardless of race. I discuss this decision and the positive difference it had on the wellbeing of the actors in this production. In this paper I use my research of this rehearsal room to serve as an example of the need for a concentrated effort in relation to the wellbeing of actors in the rehearsal room. More specifically, in cases where Aboriginal actors are likely to be re-traumatised by the subject matter of a production, how can we ensure their wellbeing is maintained in a culturally appropriate way throughout their time in the production? I explore the fostering of safe rehearsal spaces and I provide a dialogue in relation to the model demonstrated by the Sydney Theatre Company. I produce this analysis for use as a case study to assist during discussions surrounding safe and supportive theatre practices in Australia.
4.00pm — 5.45pm Panel Two: Novels to Television
Chair: Anna Johnston
1. Adapting Tsiolkas, Adapting Indigeniety
Liz Shek-Noble (Showa Women’s University)
2. Barracuda’s Freak Bodies and Elite Sports in Australia
Janet McDonald and Jessica Gildersleeve (USQ)
3. Complexity and Value in the (Australian) Television Adaptation Industry
David Evan Richard (QUT)
4. Black Writing (Adaptation) Matters
Sandra Phillips (UQ)
6.30pm — 7.30pm Keynote: Adapting The Secret River
Andrew Bovell
Chair: Bronwyn Lea