An Unforgivably Brief History of Australian Theatre with Dr Rob

Rob Reid - playwright, theatre maker, reviewer and historian extraordinaire - presents an incisive, rewarding, lyrical, ironic and often very funny look at Australia’s Theatre History. 

As he admits, up front, there is only so much he can cover in this one performance.  Therefore, a number of very solid and influential companies such as ‘Handspan’, ‘Melbourne Workers Theatre’  and ‘Circus Oz’ are not discussed.  Perhaps this very rich era of the mid 80s to the late 90s (or there abouts) could be the subject of another of Dr Rob’s insightful ventures.  After, that is, a performance about the Arts and Mental Health to be presented at Motley Bauhaus in March.

However, what is covered in An Unforgivably Brief History of Australian Theatre with Dr Rob is a rich, intricately researched and pieced together, telling summery of Australian Theatre from its inception to now, in which many key players; creators, supporters and detractors are cited and discussed.

Dr Rob is pays homage to a number of indigenous companies and suggests that Dr Mary Rose Casey’s research is invaluable when it comes to First Nations performance.

Reid’s smoothly running overview could be interrogated at any point, and deeper insights about a particular theatre group, company or event could be explored.  It is like an oral timeline, the skeletal structure of this aspect of culture - full of fascinating facts like the first Shakespeare to be performed in the colony was Richard III.

I studied at the La Trobe Drama Department at the same time as Rob Reid when he was just an ‘upstart brat’ literally wearing, what seemed to me to be, ridiculously big boots.   It was a heady time.  Some of the most marvellous academics informed, nurtured and encouraged us.  I am sure all of them would be deeply proud to witness such a clever and engaging lecture. Reid has certainly grown into those boots.

I meant to bring up questions about entertainment in the goldfields (apart from Chinese Opera that had been mentioned), to the pretty much ‘anything goes’ Q and A at the end of the evening.  But I was caught up in the discussion – particularly a comment about there being no mention of ‘New Theatre’ either in Sydney or Melbourne. Discussion was also had about the publication of scripts and support for women practitioners.  For anyone passionate, or even just interested in our Australian Theatre History, this work is wholly engaging, satisfying and inspirational.

Distressingly, I suspect, lectures of this calibre are now seldom being presented in our dying Drama Departments. But Reid talks about touring the show. So perhaps he could make up for some of this, shameful and deeply disturbing, growing deficit.  

It is also worth keeping an eye out for Dr Rob’s inciteful and engaging on-line theatre reviews.  

Suzanne Sandow