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presents
THE COLLOQUY OF
JG AND THE GIRL
April 29 - May 3, 2015
La Mama Theatre
THE COLLOQUY OF JG AND THE GIRL
We wish to acknowledge the Kulin Nation’s people and their stories, the original custodians of the
land we call Melbourne on which we perform.
Direction: Vanessa Chapple
Performance: Nikki Rydon
Co-creation/written by: Nikki Rydon and Vanessa Chapple
Initial concept: Nikki Rydon
Set/Lighting concept and design: Nikki Rydon and Vanessa Chapple
Light Boxes - design and construction: Nikki Rydon
Sound concept and design: Vanessa Chapple
Lighting and Sound Operator: Chris Payne
MUSIC CREDITS
Peter Knight – Residual, Brighter Later – The Wolves, Bing Crosby, Chet Baker, Debussey – The
Little Shepherd, Jeremy Sinderland – The Oxford Camerata, Nat King Cole – Red Sails in the
Sunset, The Music of Persia Soosan Aslani.
PERFORMER’S NOTES
It was five years ago when I started asking Gran (JG) more about her life. I wanted to know more.
I had become acutely aware that soon her stories would be lost, as at that time her memory was
beginning to decline with the onset of dementia.
My interest was born of a hunger for information about who’s who in the family, friends and feuds,
landscapes travelled, jobs done to feed the clan, sexual mores of the time.
As I’ve been caring on and off for Gran over the past 3 years, travelling alongside her dementia,
I’ve become more interested in memory and it’s relationship to the senses, fascinated by what we
hold onto and what we let slip, molding our life stories.
This is my gift to her.
Nikki Rydon
DIRECTOR’S NOTES
Nikki came to me with the idea of making a solo show late November 2014. We had worked
together for many years in The Melbourne Playback Theatre Company and share a great love
of storytelling in theatre. I have been drawn to making work with the autobiographical stories of
women over my career as a director – The Colloquy of JG and The Girl is the 6th solo piece with
a female actor-creator.
Again it has been a very nourishing experience – researching, provoking, sharing and collaborating.
I have not yet met the real JG and I would like to pay my respects to her. She has been ever present
in this process – as we aimed to honour all that is true while at the same time make theatre magic.
Sometimes it is hard to tell the difficult bits while someone is still alive. I am looking forward to
a cup of English breakfast tea in her lounge room soon. I would also like to acknowledge all the
artistry of the composers and musicians whose works we have used as our bed of sound. The
show wouldn’t exist without these wonderful pieces.
I hope you enjoy the show and that your senses will in some way be enlivened by the experience.
Vanessa Chapple
Nikki Rydon
Nikki has been creating/devising, writing and performing theatre for the past 12 years with a
particular interest in physical expression and story telling. Her devising practice consists mainly
of improvisation utilising a combination of methods drawn primarily from Viewpoints, Grotowski,
Suzuki, Butoh and Playback Theatre techniques. Nikki trained at Victoria University (2003-6) and
later in 2009, during which she travelled to The Grotowski Institute (Brzezinka, Poland) to study
the Grotowski Method in an Atelier led by director Gzregorz Ziolkowski. Nikki worked with The
Melbourne Playback Theatre Company from 2007-2012 as a permanent ensemble member. During
these years she worked as an actor and workshop facilitator in numerous corporate, community
and educational environments.
Since 2007, Nikki has been co-creating and performing sensory theatre with Roundangle
(Melbourne). Most recent highlights include Potion at the Red Gallery, Melbourne Fringe Festival
(2013), co-devising and performing a series of interactive sensory performances and workshops
for the Museum of Singapore (2011), Tasting Treasure at the Melbourne Museum for the Melbourne
Food and Wine Festival (2011), and Edible Garden, MFWF (2010). Nikki has also worked as an
actor with OPE (Melbourne 2007-2012), performing and touring environmental educational theatre
to schools, festivals and events.
In 2012 Nikki co-wrote, devised, produced and acted in No If’s or But’s (The Three of Us), performed
in Adelaide. As a drama tutor Nikki has worked in Adelaide with Urban Myth Theatre Company
(2010-2014), Tutti (2012-ongoing) and SAYarts (2014-ongoing).
Currently she works in Adelaide as a freelance actor, tutor, maker, producer and project manager in
theatre, and as Creative Producer for design company Rodeo (Adelaide 2014 – ongoing). Her solo
show THE COLLOQUY OF JG AND THE GIRL had its debut recently at the Adelaide Fringe Festival
(2015) in which it received The Melbourne Fringe Tour Ready Award, supporting an upcoming
season in September.
Vanessa Chapple
Vanessa is a Melbourne based theatre artist who works in the disciplines of theatre, dance,
improvisation, sound art and music. Her directorial work has received Green room awards (Haul
Away, 2007; Her Secret Face, 2005; This Skin, 2006) and she has been recipient of ArtsVic
funding for many projects including Haul Away, Company13 - Black Dog, and Full Tilt funding
with Kate Hunter for Nautilus, (2006). Vanessa’s dramaturgical credits include Recovery, (creative
development with choreographers/dancers Shannon Bott and Natalie Cursio, director Simon
Ellis) and The Artist and the Model, (National Gallery of Victoria, 2010). Her work includes the
creation and direction of Coco’s Lunch award winning children’s show A Frog in my Throat (Arts
Centre, Melbourne, 2005) and recently April Underhill: Toothfairy, (adapted from Bob Graham well
loved children’s book) which received Melbourne Fringe Best Children’s show, 2014. Vanessa is a
founding member of physical theatre company Company13 and continues to work as an educator
in performance studies (Federation University, Woodleigh Secondary School, National Theatre St.
Kilda, Victorian University of Technology, John Bolton Theatre School NZ). She collaborates with
sound artist Catherine Clover in the performance ensemble The Birds. (Liquid Architecture, 2013.)
Vanessa recently held the role of Director of Community Performance for Play Me I’m Yours, (Arts
Centre Melbourne, 2014) and as artistic director of The Art of Play project at Women’s Circus,
funded by VicHealth (2013-2014).
Vanessa holds a BA (Honours in Psychology), University of Melbourne and graduated from The
John Bolton Theatre School in 1997. She studied a Graduate Diploma in Movement and Dance
(University of Melbourne, 1998), holds a Diploma of Theatre Studies (2011, Victoria University
of Technology) and has recently completed post graduate studies in voice at VCA. Vanessa is
engaged in ongoing research pertaining to the exploration of voice and the moving body in relation
to the experience of identity and sense of belonging.
Chris Payne
Chris works professionally as a freelance Lighting designer/technician. He is a tech at Theatre Works,
St Martins Youth Theatre. He has had the pleasure of working on shows such as flowerchildren
and OZ Made with Magnormos Productions and on events for Australia Day, the Queen’s visit and
parades such as the AFL Grand Finale and Melbourne Cup working with Event Logistics. Last year
he had the pleasure of touring with Eureka Entertainment as the touring Lighting Designer on their
Irish dance show Celtic Illusion. Chris has also completed a Bachelor Of Production at the Victorian
College of the Arts and a Diploma in Live Production Theatre and Events at Box Hill Institute.
THANK YOU’S
Firstly a very large and warm thank you to my Gran, Joyce Griffiths, who continually inspires me
with her strong will and determination, support and boundless love.
A special thanks to my dad Dave Rydon for his unwavering support and generosity.
Without the love and support of all these people this show would not have been possible..
Jules Rydon, Bec Seidel, Georgia Rydon, Annetta Fetzer, Ev Lorden, Feona Kennedy, Dan Cad,
Tanya Weiler, Sam Chisholm and Tobin Lush - Rodeo, Alex Sangster, Bec Pannel - SAYarts, Heidi
Milford, Cam Moore, Mike McEvoy, Ernie Gruner, Peter Knight, Steph Kehoe, Buff, Ornette and
Reuben Farnell, Poppa and Granny Chapple, The PLP, and Olivia, Matt, Sam and Hannah ChappleCorby and all the amazing staff at La Mama.
Office Phone: (03) 9347 6948
Office Hours: Mon – Fri
10:30am – 5:30pm
Level 1, 205 Faraday Street, Carlton VIC 3053
www.lamama.com.au
info@lamama.com.au
www.facebook.com/lamama.theatre
Our sincerest thanks to the many volunteers who generously give their time in support of La Mama.
La Mama’s Committee of Management, staff and its wider theatrical community acknowledge
that our theatre is on traditional Wurundjeri land.
The La Mama community acknowledges the considerable support it has received in the past
decade from Jeannie Pratt and The Pratt Foundation.
La Mama is financially assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council – its
arts funding and advisory body, the Victorian Government through Arts Victoria - Department of
Premier and Cabinet, and the City of Melbourne through the Arts and Culture triennial funding
program.