Ruby Moon
Written by Matt Cameron
Directed by Susan O'Toole-Cridland
21 July - 13 August, 2022
Director’s Notes
Willem Dafoe once said, “Great theatre is about challenging how we think and encouraging us to fantasise about a world we aspire to” I can’t help but agree. Going to the theatre can be so many things. An escape. An appreciation of artists. A chance to see a whole new world come to life in front of us. An invitation into someone else’s life, memories, stories, and emotions. But of all these great and wonderful things, I always think that theatre should be the beginning of a conversation – the journey shouldn’t end as we walk out the theatre door and into the foyer. The conversation can continue on the way home, the next day, or weeks afterward. It should stick with us, create memories, and inspire us to see more theatre and art.
For me, Ruby Moon is a perfect example of a show that should start said conversation. At face value, the premise of the story is simple. A young girl goes missing and her parents are desperate for answers. In a state where the memory of Daniel Morcombe is never far from our minds when we hear of a report of a missing child, we can all relate to this terror. But you dig deeper, and this explores the complex nature of grief, tragedy, unimaginable fear, guilt, suspicion, judgment and anger. We look into our perception of the people that surround us, and how an event such as this can change that. What once may have been seen as innocence is now seen as depravity – what was good, now evil. And how does our memory of these events and actions continue to change our perception over time? Imagine reliving the worst day of your life over and over and over again.
Crossing the genres of Realism, Absurdism, Australian Gothic and Magic Realism allows us to explore what can happen when the lines between reality, memory, and fantasy are blurred. The additional combination of music, sound, dim lighting, and an aged but eerie set all play a huge part in bringing this story to life. If you dare to get close enough to the wallpaper, you’ll see details that reflect all the characters we meet along the way. Most of the dolls, dressings, and pieces you see in the room belong to members of this production and all come with their own history bringing an extra element of nostalgia and sentiment.
This show simply does not work without fearless, committed, flexible and talented actors. I have been extremely blessed to work with Gary and Sandra on this show – and I thank them for their trust and their patience throughout all of my ‘I just want to make one more change’ moments as this show evolved. Working on this production has pushed us all outside of our comfort zones and I am forever grateful for that.
Here’s to creating more conversations in Brisbane.
EXTRA CREDIT
Final Song – performed and recorded by Tallis Tutunoa
Photographs on Set – Christopher Sharman Photography
SPECIAL THANKS
Adsignz Creative Visuals
Tallis Tutunoa
Barbara Schofield
Jim Haworth
Karen Crone
DISCLAIMER
Please note that this show contains sexual references and adult themes.
About the play
It begins like a fairytale...
In Flaming Tree Grove, life appears to be picture perfect. Security and privacy are coveted and seclusion is its own reward, until the day when little Ruby Moon sets off to visit her grandmother at the end of the cul-de-sac and is never seen again.
The neighbourhood fractures into grief and suspicion in the search for answers to a terrible deprivation and potential crime. Ray and Sylvie Moon struggle to come to terms with the disappearance of their six year old daughter, and hoping to trigger someone’s memory of having seen Ruby they keep a child mannequin who is dressed in the same clothes Ruby was last seen in.
The case has long gone cold, and they are almost ready to give up hope when a parcel containing the arm of Ruby’s doll arrives on their doorstep. Desperate for answers, they go up and down the street to re-interview their eccentric neighbours, any of whom could be responsible, including a bible-thumping elderly woman, an ex-soldier who still lives with his mother, Ruby’s creepy babysitter and even a mad scientist. The strangest of all is “The Wizard” – a former runaway who returned home to find his parents had moved away. He is never seen, but will often knock on the Moons' door.
Haunted by their missing child, Ray and Sylvie descend further into a nightmarish world where the boundaries between the real and imaginary become increasingly blurred.
Where is Ruby and who knows what happened to her? Did she ever exist?
Written by Matt Cameron in 2003, Ruby Moon is a contemporary play that explores the grim mythology of the missing child in Australian folklore, about the prevailing fear of our times and looks at the nature of that unease that lurks in the world that we live in. It combines elements of absurdism, gothic horror, black comedy, and fairy tales with the paranoia of post-9/11 suburbia as well as drawing inspiration from real-life headlines about missing children.
CREATIVES AND CREW
Director – Susan O'Toole-Cridland
Assistant Director - Yasmin Elahi
Stage Manager – Petria Leong & Cale Dennis
Lighting Design - B'Elanna Hill
Sound Design - Theo Bourgoin
Costume and Set Design - Kim Phillips
CAST
Ray Moon - Gary Farmer-Trickett
Silvie Moon - Sandra Harman
Show Posters
Actors
Creatives & Crew
Reviews
“Ruby Moon is a dialogue on grief, loss, and the intensity of building emotion. Finding moments of fleeting familiarity in an increasingly unknown world is a difficult task, but director Susan O’Toole-Cridland delved deep into this dark matter. Audience are rewarded with an intricate, timeless, and transformative performance.”
Siobhan - Mystify | Read full review
“This production is a modern take on a theme that needs to be heard .It flowed well and it had energy and a dynamism that held audience interest. The detail given in Ruby Moon is effective, but it leaves an audience with some questions; it is a production not to be missed and it will lead to some post play discussion!”
Lilian Harrrington - Absolute Theatre | Read full review
“Ad Astra’s chilling, atmospheric production of Ruby Moon draws the audience into Ray and Sylvie’s living room to wait and wonder with them, as they try again and again to unravel what could have happened to their little girl.”
Backstreet Brisbane | Read full review
“These are the kind of shows that theatres should venture towards. It left the audience feeling helpless, but more importantly, it made them talk. It shined a light on guilt and mental health unapologetically, as only theatre can do. As a result of that, people asked questions about the twists, they gave their opinion and related it to their own experience. Theatre is a reflection on life, and sometimes it’s ugly. With this production, Ad Astra has masterfully brought a weighted piece to the stage. We strongly recommend catching Ad Astra’s production of ‘Ruby Moon’.”
Aaron Evans | Theatre Haus | Read full review
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Behind the Scenes
