Toy Symphony

Thursday, April 21, 2022 11:00 PM 23:00
Friday, May 20, 2022 12:00 AM 00:00

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Toy Symphony

By Michael Gow
Directed by Michelle Carey
21 April - 20 May, 2022
This is the Brisbane production page - for the Sydney production - please click on Sydney button below

SYDNEY

Director’s Notes

It’s ironic that I always put off writing these notes until the eleventh hour… it’s a bit like writer’s block! Right now, I’m sitting in the dark theatre, alone, wondering how to shape the creative experience of the past weeks and months into just a few paragraphs …

The playwright, Michael Gow, has lived in my consciousness since my university days when I studied and performed in his classic tale of Australian life in the 1960s, Away. In the same way, Toy Symphony draws on recognisable characters from our collective past – those who have shaped us for better or worse! We’ve had so much fun blowing them up into larger-than-life representations – we all remember the school bully, the mean headmaster, the one sweet teacher who believed in us. And in the middle of all of these and more, Roland Henning struggles with his own identity, his creativity, and his imagination, just as we all do in the hope of being better, more creative people.

Working as part of an ensemble is my favourite, and this cast and crew have been exceptional. There has been a fantastic and rich sense of collaboration throughout and I thank everyone deeply for agreeing to be a part of that. It’s not always easy to jump into a group creative process, and some of our cast have had to really step up, and work outside their comfort zones. It’s invigorating and I feel humbled to work alongside these incredible humans!

We are so grateful for your support of Ad Astra Theatre, and the Arts in general. This production, like most of the Arts sector, has struggled to survive, but the determination of this cast and crew has been unstoppable and here we are, finally about to open and share this little piece of storytelling with you all. Theatre is a gift of hope, a sign that stories survive in the most unlikely of circumstances. I offer you Toy Symphony, from the artistic heart of our cast and crew, as a gift of hope. Enjoy.

Michelle Carey

THANKS…..

Fiona & Dan Kennedy, Sandra Harman, Pierce Gordon, Ian & Ros Johnson, Donny, Elyse Castro, Christopher Sharman, the Visual Art and Drama departments at St Laurence’s College, Carmel Pryde, Ric Trevaskes and Charlotte Trevaskes for the briefcase paintings @r00tbeerguy

About the play

Toy Symphony follows the journey of Roland Henning, a playwright suffering from dreaded ‘writers’ block’.

As he embarks on a voyage of self-reflection in the hope of finding himself again, we are given glimpses of his troubled past, and the possible causes of his current malaise. The audience is thrown into a challenging relationship with Henning, as he confronts behaviours that delve into his bullying, self-gratifying and narcissistic past.

Although one of his lesser-known works, Toy Symphony reinforces playwright Michael Gow as someone deeply attached to the concept of dramatic tension! In 2016, in his own keynote address at the National Play Festival, Gow talks about the agony of theatre paraphrasing Aristotle when he says “Drama is the description of a struggle.” We see the character of Roland Henning as someone who is full of struggle…with his past and present, with himself and with others. Even we, as an audience, struggle with some of the themes put forward in the play.

The production is a clever combination of real time storytelling with moments of flashback and elements of magical realism. Along the way, we meet characters from the present day, those from his childhood and every now and then, a figure from history who appears and disappears on the whim of Roland’s imagination. It is uncomfortable, disconcerting and hilarious, as the young Roland’s ‘magical’ ability to summon up historical characters, battles with the many adults in his childhood who are desperately trying to suppress his imagination.

Michael Gow was the artistic director of Queensland Theatre company from 1999 – 2010 and he had not written a full-length play while fully engaged in this role. In 2007, his play Toy Symphony received its world premiere production at Sydney's Belvoir St Theatre. It was a critical and popular success. Toy Symphony was awarded Best New Australian Work at the 2008 Helpmann Awards, and the production was also nominated for Best Play. The production also won four Sydney Theatre Awards including Best Mainstage Production.

“Michael Gow's first full-length play in a decade is a dazzling tour-de-force of theatrical invention”

Australian Plays Transform

CAST

Gregory J Wilken - Roland Henning

Caitlin Hill - Nina, Julie Pearson, Lynette and Miss Beverley

Bernadette Pryde - Mrs Walkham and Nurse

Lachlan Stuart/Jonathan Weir - Lawyer, Daniel, The Executioner and Titus Oates

Greg Scurr - Nicolajs, Headmaster, and Chekhov

Sam Webb - Steve Gooding, Alexander the Great, Dr. Maybloom and Tom

CREATIVES AND CREW

Director – Michelle Carey

Producer - Gregory J Wilken

Stage Manager – Cale Dennis

Lighting Design and Tech – B'Elanna Hill

Sound/Technical Designer - Theo Bourgoin

Costume Designer – Eleonora Ginardi

Show Poster

Poster design by : Elyse Castro @elysecastro
Poster photography by : @ChristopherSharmanPhotography

Reviews and Director Interview

Ad Astra is becoming more popular by the year and consistently winning acclaim for its celebration and execution of great theatre. Their latest production of Michael Gow’s Toy Symphony proves why.

Marita Bellas Miles - Theatre Travels Read full review

This boutique production company, Ad Astra, is emerging as an important professional theatrical company, which mounts quality works aimed to wow and impress audiences in this unique space in The Valley. Do not miss this quality production it will enthrall you.

Lilian Harrington - Absolute Theatre Read full review

‘Toy Symphony by Michael Gow is expertly constructed by the cast at Ad Astra’. ‘Under the careful guide of director Michelle Carey, the show is meticulously moulded to this unique space.’

Michael James - QNews | Read full review

‘A display of Astra-nomical talent. The performance is enthralling owing to its animated and dynamic reel of highly relatable characters. Each of the cast members demonstrates an impressive range, employing dramatic tension and impeccable comedic timing. Expert use of lighting ensures Toy Symphony is also a visceral experience, as cool blue tones flood the stage to signify the onset of each larger-than-life, mythical experience. Ad Astra Theatre is unmistakably polished and professional, showcasing the depth of local talent’

Jessica Forbes - My Village News | June edition

The impeccable cast are wonderfully warm, likeable and moving and maximise every ounce of humour and energy in the play. Director Michelle Carey has helped her cast balance the right amount of humour and pathos in Gow’s script.

The lighting design by B’Elanna Hill was economic and effective and costume designer Eleonora Ginardi had enormous fun with the school uniforms and the teachers’ 1960s classroom fashions. In a small theatre space, the technicals can not afford to distract, and stage manager Cale Dennis and sound/technical designer Theo Bourgoin ensured a seamless show.

Beth Keehn - Stage Whispers | Read full review

Ad Astra is an unusual venue situated in the back of a warehouse and trapped right in the middle of Brisbane; to one side the Fortitude Valley nightclubs, and to the other the hubbub of the Brisbane showgrounds. But what it lacks in size, it makes up for in flexibility and intimacy. Ad Astra’s latest, an adaptation of Michael Gow’s 2007 play ‘Toy Symphony’, is no exception with strong performances, subtle yet effective direction and clever design elements – this is not a play to miss.

Oliver Hetherington-Page | Read full review

Experience has proven that Ad Astra is not only to be commended for its interesting production choices, but its often inventive staging of these, especially given the company’s intimate performance space. Michael Gow’s critically-acclaimed “Toy Symphony” (the play was awarded Best New Australian Work at the 2008 Helpmann Awards), stands as testament to both of these truths.

Meredith Walker - Blue Curtains Read full review

Many of the characters in Toy Symphony were larger than life, exaggerated in Roland’s memory, and the cast used melodramatic characterisations to convey this. The cast demonstrated good comedic timing, and commitment to their varied roles, from playful schoolchildren to doctors and drug dealers.

Backstreet Brisbane Read full review

Read the interview with Director, Michelle Carey by Nadia Jade - Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane