Tasmania. Sometime in the 1930’s. Alison and Beatie’s livelihoods are tied to the fate of two Tassie Tigers yipping and yapping just beyond reach. Beatie treks the dense bushland of the Tasmanian wilderness while Alison navigates an even more dense landscape of bureaucracy that falls on Hobart’s Beaumaris Zoo following the death of her father, the zookeeper.
We know their quest is doomed from the outset, but their resistance, persistence and drive to defend the overlooked Thylacine tells a story of hope and heartbreak. They Saw A Thylacine by Sarah Hamilton and Justine Campbell is a haunting Australian play performed as a bush ballad. Following its breakthrough presentation at Melbourne Fringe and subsequent national tour, this production reimagines the two-hander as a performance for two choruses of actors.
Content warning: Strong language.
Andrea (Baihui) Han
Caitlin Beckwith
Chelsea McGregor
Danni Fenech
Elizabeth Cornwall
Erin Golden
Sophia Tudman
Cinnamon Howearth
Emma Johns
Gaby Whalland
Grace Cooper
India Middleton
Tate Fong
Cheryl (Yue) Wang
Zoe Berg
Mark Mitchell // Production Manager
Paul Matthews // Designer
Nick is a writer, director, and producer. He is currently working on a commission with Performing Lines & Australian Plays Transform and completing a practice-based PhD program with the Creativity and Cognition Studios (UTS). He leads the creative studio, Operated Coin, where he’s focused on the creation of new stories for emerging forms.
Nick has held senior artistic and advocacy roles within small to medium arts organisations. This includes as director, new work for Q Theatre, chair of Theatre Network NSW, member of Create NSW’s Artform Advisory Board (Theatre), co-artistic director of Crack Theatre Festival (TiNA) and board member of PACT. He has completed cultural fellowships for the City of Parramatta, Create NSW and has been an artist in residence with Urban Theatre Projects, Performance Space, Blacktown Arts Centre, Bundanon, UNSW, Centre D’Art Marnay Sur-Seine (France) and NES Artist Residency (Iceland).
As a writer his first commission was in 2011 with Riverside Theatres where he created ‘Unsex Me.’ He was awarded Mardi Gras’ Best Performing Arts Event (2015) for his play, ‘A Boy & A Bean’, ATYP’s Foundation Commission (2016) for ‘Wonder Fly’ (dir. by Sophie Kelly) and Gasworks Playtime initiative (2018) for ‘Out of the Bars’ (dir. Katrina Douglas). Readings of his play ‘Boom’ were presented for the National Play Festival 2019 and Sydney Festival 2020. Nick directed ‘Daisy Moon Was Born this Way by Emily Sheehan, AWGIE award winning ‘Yellow Yellow Sometimes Blue’ by Noelle Janaczewska and devised work, ‘The Ugliest Duckling’ for Q Theatre, Penrith. He’s also directed new works made in collaboration with young artists and artists living with disability in partnership with organisations such as ATYP, Shopfront and PACT.
