WALTZING THE WILARRA

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3 February - 6 March 2011

Winner of the 2011 Perth Theatre Trust Equity Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor (Tim Solly)

Winner of the 2011 Perth Theatre Trust Equity Guild Award for Best Design (David Milroy for Composer/Music)

Winner of the 2011 Perth Theatre Trust Equity Guild Award for Best New Play (David Milroy)

Helpmann Awards® nominations for :

Best Original Score – David Milroy
Best Direction of a Play – Wesley Enoch, Waltzing the Wilarra
Best Female Actor in a Play – Ursula Yovich, Waltzing the Wilarra

World Premiere Perth International Arts Festival 2011

VIEW THE PROMO TRAILER

Waltzing the Wilarra tonight
Million stars of candlelight
Shadows dancing silver blue
Golden sunset comes too soon
And all the lovers who’ve travelled so far
Give their hearts to the Wilarra*

Join Charlie, Elsa and Fay, as they take you on a journey in music, song and dance back to 1940’s post-war Perth. Against a backdrop of curfews, and the fear of arrest for consorting, White and Black manage to form their own club. Here for a night they can experience rare happy times singing, dancing and with a little luck…find romance!

Forty years on, as the club faces demolition, and our three characters stage a reunion almost as a protest. The trio reflects upon loves lost and found, as dark secrets are revealed, and we discover that reconciliation is more than saying sorry.

In a post-’sorry’ world finding another level of forgiveness is at the heart and soul of WALTZING THE WILARRA*.

WALTZING THE WILARRA is an original theatre work written and composed by multi-award winning playwright David Milroy (Windmill Baby), and directed by Wesley Enoch (The Sapphires); a teaming of one of Australia’s most talented and exciting Indigenous directors with one of its most recognised writers.

This Australian production features an outstanding national cast of thirteen performers. Actors, singers, and musicians, including Ernie Dingo, Kelton Pell, Trevor Jamieson, and Ursula Yovich work alongside some of Australia’s finest performers and musicians; Ric Eastman, Wayne Freer, David Milroy, Lucky Oceans and Bob Patient.

WALTZING THE WILARRA is a truly unforgettable night in the theatre.

* Wilarra means Full Moon.

PLAYWRIGHT/COMPOSER David Milroy
DIRECTOR Wesley Enoch
MUSICAL DIRECTOR Wayne Freer
SET DESIGN Jacob Nash
COSTUME DESIGN Isaac Lummis
LIGHTING DESIGN Trent Suidgeest
SOUND DESIGN Kingsley Reeve
CHOREOGRAPHER Claudia Alessi
DRAMATURG Sally Richardson
IMAGE BY Eva Fernandez

CAST
Jessica Clarke
Ernie Dingo
Trevor Jamieson
Alex Jones
Kelton Pell
Tim Solly
Irma Woods
Ursula Yovich

"...Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company has a hit on their hands". Australian Stage

“Racy toe-tapping musical numbers abound and just when you think you’ve seen the best act of the evening, the next one arrives.” ABC Perth

“This play is almost a tour de force. It’s gutsy, entertaining and humorous…” The Australian