All My Sleep and Waking
All My Sleep and Waking
“All My Sleep and Waking is the sort of production that theatre goers hope to see, but don’t always experience. A work as streamlined and consummate as this one only comes together with proficient direction. Kelly Somes directs with no slack. This play has clear definition with a confidence that assures its audience it always knows where it’s going.” – AussieTheatre.com (Karla Dondio)
“All My Sleep And Waking does put a human face onto the thousands of people who work as carers aroundAustralia. With solid writing, direction and performances, it is a strong and enjoyable piece of theatre.” – Arts Hub (David Allen)
Description:
Maybe it is better to be like a goldfish and forget, than be human and remember? A not entirely black comedy which shows that, like fish, families are thrown into the same tank to swim around together. Even ones that don’t like each other.
Maria has been caring for her father for the last five years, with no assistance from her brother and sister. Maria hopes for forgiveness for her father from her siblings, who are averse to showing care for someone who seemed unable to support them as children. Feelings of guilt are mixed with resentment, and forgiveness for past deeds seems unobtainable.
In All My Sleep and Waking, writer Mary Rachel Brown depicts the human struggles and foibles of an Australian family unit, who are pulled together in the days before their father dies.
With grace and comedy this production captures the complexity and muckiness of the experience of loss. It reflects the responsibility of being the primary carer, and the impact of other family members’ neglect. Whilst, the caring experience is not uniquely Australian, this work gives life to the caring identity in an Australian context.
Performance History:
This season marked the play’s Melbourne premiere, and Melbourne’s opportunity to be exposed to a fresh, female voice within our theatrical landscape. All My Sleep and Waking was short listed for the 2003 ANPC New Dramatist Award and the Phillip Parsons Playwrights Award. The quality of Mary Rachel Brown’s work has been acknowledged by two Canberra Times Critic Circle Awards and the 2006 Griffin Award.
With the assistance of Carers Victoria and support of the Harold Mitchell Foundation the season of this work raised community awareness about the experience of carers, encouraged discussion amongst audiences and promoted access to carer support initiatives, and service.
Creative:
Writer – Mary Rachel Brown
Director – Kelly Somes
Set/Costume Designer – Paulina Avellaneda-Ramírez
Design Realisation – Ashlee Hughes
Lighting Design – Bronwyn Pringle
Sound Designer – Ben Watts
Stage Manager – Julie Wright
Cast:
Andrew Gray
Andrea Close
Sharon Davis
Patrick Wingrove
Production and publicity stills: Bronwyn Pringle