Just before Christmas, I was very very happy to hear that I was successful in gaining funding to develop my latest work for theatre, Chinese Garden. I am down in Brisbane at the moment. The creative team and I have just finished the first Creative Development - for those outside the theatre world this is a fancy term for reading through the script with other artists - and I was thrilled with how the week turned out.
We worked around a table at the Northey Street City Farm in Windsor. I chose this venue as it mirrored the gardening themes in the play and gave us a visceral experience of working outdoors. The heat, the mosquitos, the weather and the unpredictability of the conditions all added to the environmental conditions that we worked with during the week.

On reflection, I am happy I made the choice to work outside for most of the time. It is also an unusual decision as most creative developments happen inside a "black box" studio, with air-conditioning and easy access to toilets etc. I am thankful to the others in the creative team that they were happy to work in this way. The show is set in remote areas and the garden helped us enter into the spirit of the work.

It was very valuable for me as a regional playwright to hear the thoughts and insights of the other actors and directors. Shari Indriani-Irwin was the director and dramaturg, and Anna Yen was the movement director. Ray Lin is composing new music for the show and Russell Milledge (Bonemap) is designing the visual elements including lighting, animation and projection effects. The week long development included discussions and several reads of the script I had written, as well as several re-writes of parts of the script.
It was gratifying to hear my words and the stories of my ancestors brought to life. I was struck by the nature of the stories although I am most familiar with them. The hardships and difficult conditions my ancestors faced made our trials - like the mozzies - seem insignificant.
The script and its plot and structure are developing well and for the next stage, I will be re-working the script and adding depth and colour to the dialogue and characters. There are some poignant parts, as well as some jokes, and hopefully the stories will be relatable, especially for other first generation Australians.
The next stage of this project is a rehearsed excerpt from the show which will be presented in Atherton, at the old Chinatown Precinct, on 10 September. The following 12 months will be spent preparing the show for touring in regional Queensland and beyond in 2025. I am also applying for further funding to cover the expenses associated with Stage 2.
This project is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.

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