Images by Alex Vaughn
★★★★ Arts Hub
★★★★ Time Out Sydney
★★★★ Sydney Arts Guide
“A master stroke of playwright Elias Jamieson Brown… It sent shivers through me. ”
-Gary Nunn, Theatre Now
“Quick witted and comical, but also deeply moving and, at times, harrowing, CAMP carries a powerful political message and a warning to learn from our past".”
“Judging from the rapturous audience applause at the closing of the touching final scene, [director Kate Gaul] and the cast have achieved their mission.”
- Paul Chan, What She Just Said
“…a not-so-gentle reminder that the fight is far, far from over. Start your WorldPride right and see this passionately rendered tribute.”
- Charlotte Smee, Time Out Sydney
“…a timely and confronting reminder of the brave pioneers who fought for acceptance.”
- John Shand, The Sydney Morning Herald
Writer Elias Jamieson Brown
Director Kate Gaul
Associate Director Hayden Tonazzi
Movement Director Emily Ayoub
Production Designer Angelina Meany
Lighting and Video Designer Morgan Moroney
Composer and Sound Designer Jessica Dunn
Producer Kate Gaul
Associate Producer Robyn Kennedy
Production Manager Daniel Potter for Paper Jam Partners
Stage Manager Emma Maloney
ASM Lana Filies
With Adriano Cappelletta, Anni Finsterer, Genevieve Mooy, Jane Phegan, Lou McInnes, Sandie Eldridge, and Tamara Natt
Venue
Seymour Centre, Reginald Theatre
Preview 15 - 16 February
Opening Night 17 February
Season 15 February – 4 March
Performance Times
Tuesday – Saturday 7.15pm
Against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, Australia is on the cusp of political change. The body of a murdered lecturer floats in the River Torrens, a young woman escapes a lobotomy to ‘cure’ her sexuality, and a single mum struggles to find her place in a society that brands her as ‘abnormal’.
From emerging Australian voice, Elias Jamieson Brown (Green Park), comes CAMP, a brand-new play directed by Kate Gaul (The Trouble with Harry, The Moors, H.M.S Pinafore) and proudly presented by Siren Theatre Co and Seymour Centre in association with Sydney WorldPride.
Capturing the excitement and spirit of revolution present at the birth of Australia’s fierce gay rights movement, CAMP charts the struggles, successes, and legacy of early Pride activists who risked family, careers, and imprisonment to achieve social reform in Australia.
Taking us from the earliest protests to the first Mardi Gras march and beyond—and paying particular homage to the untold history of women inside the movement—CAMP is a powerfully-told tale full of life and joy, inspired by remarkable true stories from those who were there.
This play has been commissioned for Sydney WorldPride 2023. It was researched and written in six months, beginning June 2022. The play commission is supported by the NSW office for the arts through Create NSW and the premiere production is generously supported by the NSW Government, City of Sydney, LOTL, Stonewall, Star Observer, and Qtopia.
Further Reading
Read The Guardian article by Steve Dow: ‘I had to get out of there’: an Australian survivor of homosexuality ‘cures’ tells her story
Read The Australian article by Matthew Westwood: Stage Tribute recalls courage of gay and lesbian pioneers
Listen to ABC Radio National: ‘Cabaret is the original punk’ Reuben Kaye at WorldPride. Guests include Maude Davey and Maeve Marsden (Blessed Union), Joel Bray (Daddy), Elias Jamieson Brown (CAMP) and Sarah Ward (The Rainbow Tree).
