Namatjira February 22, 2012

A Big hART production, created with the Namatjira Family
Namatjira
By Scott Rankin
Riverside Theatres
Wednesday 22 to
Saturday 25 February

At turns hilarious, compelling and mesmerising:
the story of Australia’s most iconic Indigenous artist

Elea was born in the desert in Arrernte country, Central Australia, in 1902. Two years later he was baptised Albert. Thirty one years after that, at his first solo exhibition of watercolour landscapes, he signed his work with his father’s surname for the first time: Albert Namatjira. Half a century after his death, Belvoir and Big hART invited some of his descendants to tell his extraordinary story.
In 2012, following a hugely successful season at Belvoir, the groundbreaking Australian work, Namatjira, by Scott Rankin is playing at Riverside Theatres from Wednesday 22 to Saturday 25. February.

Albert Namatjira's achingly beautiful watercolors introduced the lounge rooms of Australia suburbia to the exquisite beauty of our central desert heartland. Under the direction of Scott Rankin and Wayne Blair, the Namatjira family paints the picture of Albert Namatjira, who at the height of his fame, sold out his shows within minutes. He supported over six hundred members of his community, lost two of his ten children to malnutrition, was forbidden to own land, imprisoned for having a drink with his friends and died a broken man.

“Namatjira is fascinating and powerful storytelling, which transports the audience into the rich colour and culture of Namatjira’s life. The collaboration between the Namatjira clan, Scott Rankin and Wayne Blair has created a whole-hearted tribute to a great Australian artist and a great Aranda man,” said Director of Riverside Theatres, Robert Love.

Namatjira played by Trevor Jamieson, has toured extensively nationally and internationally with a number of productions. In 2008 he was awarded both the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Leading Man and Deadly Award for Most Outstanding Achievement in Film, TV or Theatre for his performance in Ngapartji-Ngapartji. Previous to this, he was awarded a Dendy Award for Kulli Foot in 2000. His credits include touring internationally with Crying Baby, Plain Song by David Whitton and Neil Murray’s King for this Place for Deckchair Theatre to name a few.

Writer/ Director, Scott Rankin is a prolific writer has penned such seminal Australian works as Box The Pony for Leah Purcell, Riverland for Wesley Enoch and Ngapartji-Ngapartji for Trevor Jamieson. He has received three Green Room Awards including Most Innovative Production and Best Director for Beasty Girl at the 2003 Melbourne International Arts Festival. Other recent works include Certified Male, Box the Pony, Riverland, Radio Holiday, Junk Theory, Go Pinocchio and Leaves Falling at Midnight. Rankin has been awarded the Ros Bower Award for outstanding achievement in and services to community cultural development and has received a Fellowship from the Australia Council for the Arts. He is a co-founder and the Creative Director of Big hART, which has won seven Coalition of Australian Heads of Government Awards and an AFI Award.

Wayne Blair is a theatre, film and television actor, writer and director. Wayne is currently in post-production on his debut feature film, The Sapphires, an adaptation of the musical stage play of the same name. Blair wrote Bloodland, from a concept by Stephen Page and Kathy Marika, for Sydney Theatre Company, which opened in October 2011 in Sydney. Blair’s directorial credits include; Dirty Butterfly, Namatjira, Jesus Hopped the A-Train, Ruben Guthrie, Njunjul the Sun, Unspoken and for the Sydney Theatre Company The Removalists, The 7 Stages of Grieving and Romeo & Juliet.

We rose to applaud Namatjira without hesitation on opening night, brought to our feet by this generous and enlightening production
The Sydney Morning Herald

The meticulous care and love that’s been put into this production is written all over it, and the result is a triumph of art-meets-storytelling-meets-song-meets-music that’s a one of a kind
Australian Stage

Wonderfully playful, sincere and moving... Jamieson’s is a great virtuoso performance
The Australian

Namatjira
Riverside Theatres, Cnr Church and Market Sts, Parramatta
DATES & TIMES: Wed 22 Feb 8pm; Thurs 23 Feb 11am & 6:30pm; Fri 24 Feb 8pm; Sat 25 Feb 2pm & 8pm
TICKET PRICES: Adults $56; Australian Pensioner & Senior $49; 30 & under $42; F/T Student 16&U $35*
BOOKINGS:Riverside Theatres Box Office on 8839 3399 or www.riversideparramatta.com.au
EDUCATION: Special school’s performances and prices available. Please contact Riverside’s Education Officer on 8839 3308 or education_riverside@parracity.nsw.gov.au
*transaction fees apply