Backstreet Brisbane Top 10 of 2024

Nominated for the Anywhere Festival Award for Theatre

 

A breathtaking theatrical epic across the battlefields of Gallipoli, Egypt and France, and finally back home to Australia.

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My Notes:

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This is the unbelievable true story of Sandy, the only Australian horse to return alive from World War I.

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This is an epic story spanning from 1915 to the period after the First World War ended in 1918. It is a story of mateship, love and unbreakable bonds that can last through the darkest of times. It is a story of the unspeakable horrors of war, the pointless destruction of war, the unfathomable carnage that it leaves in its wake. Unfortunately, such horrors are only too relevant today.

Animals have always played a role in conflicts, from pigeons to dogs to bears (Take a look at Wojtek the Bear). World War I is a prime example of this. It is estimated that millions of horses died in war. On the Australian side, 136,000 horses were sent off. They were crucial to the war effort, hauling supplies and carrying the soldiers. It was the last major conflict in which horses were used, before mechanical forms of transport were introduced. Unbelievably, only one Australian horse came back home. The horse’s name was Sandy and was a prized possession of Scottish born Major General Bridges, who died in Gallipoli in 1915. Bridges’ fondness for Sandy is documented in this show, the lucky life that the horse lived, the soldiers who cared for and grew close to the horse. Because of Bridges, Sandy embarked on an incredible journey across the battlefields of Gallipoli, France and Egypt, and finally, despite all odds, back home to Australia.

Tonight, we retrace the steps of human and horse. We remember three figures: General Bridges in 1915, a veterinary officer on the Western Front in 1916, and Sandy’s last handler Archibald Jordan in 1918. We remember the people who served, but we also remember the horses. Because they served too. They worked, they fought, they did their duty, they made the ultimate sacrifice. That is what this play looks at, in particular through the very human-like actor who embodies Sandy. Every soul on the battlefield was there for the same reason, to fight in a war that ultimately devastated the world.
This show was a hugely collaborative effort on all sides, to ensure we were authentic to the context of the First World War. This was challenging but rewarding. I thank actors Riley and Rob for embarking on this journey with me. I thank the playwright Rosemary for her input across email. To Elaine Brogan OAM for her emails too and her book “Minus his Head and Hooves”. Lastly to dramaturg Helen who provided some crucial focus that shaped what you see tonight.

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Playwright: R. Johns

Director, Designer & Producer: Lachlan Driscoll

Dramaturgy: Helen Strube

Movement Consultant: Sara Jane Aistrope

Sound Technician: Steve Maples

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Cast: Riley Finn Anderson & Robert Wainwright

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Performed at Trinity Hall, Fortitude Valley, as part of Anywhere Festival Brisbane, July 2024

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Reviews:

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"There is so much to highlight from this excellent production—particularly the soundscape, acting, and production design/direction. The soundscape is superb; evocative, and absolutely interwoven with the spoken word and movement. Driscoll is well-served by the cast, and also acknowledges the support by Helen Strube (Dramaturg), and Sara Jane Aistrope (Movement Consultant & Coach). Wainwright and Anderson communicate the fear and horrors of the journeys and battles, and build a real sense of the loving and trusting relationship established between each of the ‘boys’ and their horse." Catherine Lawrence, Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane

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"Once tickets are checked, audience members are invited into the hall, and to tread carefully onto the ‘trench boards’ that surround two of the three stages. Members of the preview audience each stood in their allocated spaces, completely absorbed by the unfolding tale—such that they often needed a gentle encouragement to move on to the next act.  The pathway is cleverly lit, but tickets sensibly include a reminder to wear flat, closed in shoes—and to expect to stand for most of the 70-minute show (there is limited seating available). This promenade device establishes a powerful sense of ‘witness’ to the horrors of war that includes ‘memories’ of hand-to-hand combat, gas, lice, and lingering deaths. Which meant that, at the end of the preview, we all applauded with great enthusiasm—and then left the Hall quietly, each pondering the stories we had together shared." Catherine Lawrence, Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane

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​"A remarkable and unexpected slice of Australia’s military history, As Told By The Boys Who Fed Me Apples was beautifully staged and stirringly performed. The movement in this work was exceptional, from Wainwright’s high-stepping gait, attentive tilts and disgruntled shakes of the head, and snorting breaths to Anderson’s performance as a determined wounded soldier, a disheartened veterinary officer, and a homesick groom and grave digger. A man playing the role of a horse through sheer physicality seemed like it might have an element of silliness, at least initially, but the convention was established early and Rob Wainwright brought such solemnity and sincerity to the role of Sandy that I found myself in tears by the end of the show." Elise Lawrence, Backstreet Brisbane

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"Driscoll’s design was unique and powerful, the Holy Trinity Church Hall an ideal space for the story. The play was divided into three parts, and Driscoll created three separate spaces to tell each story. Audiences were advised to wear flat shoes, as all but the third part required standing, but with a running time of one hour ten, this wasn’t too much of an issue. The audience moved along wooden plank-like walkways that surrounded each performance space, evocative of the duckboard tracks laid across the muddy war fields. Within each space the scene occurred, and either sand or dirt lined the ground, with the year cleverly written among the muck to depict the passing of time." Sarah Skubala, Theatre Travels​​​

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