A.B. Facey's A Fortunate Life
Event description
Door sales available on the night.
Western Australian theatre company THEATRE 180 and entertainment platform CinemaStage are thrilled to embark on a regional WA CircuitWest tour with their highly successful unique account of the beloved West Australian true story A Fortunate Life by A.B. Facey.
The award-winning live performance blended with a cinematic experience, which opened in Midland in 2020, has already toured extensively throughout the Perth metropolitan area and regional centres, but will now travel to new WA towns.
Stuart Halusz, Artistic Director THEATRE 180, says, that in a world that is undergoing such universal challenges, where people are questioning what really matters in their lives, it is pertinent to continue to tour A Fortunate Life and make the most of being able to enjoy live performance together.
In 2020, THEATRE 180’s production of AB Facey’s A Fortunate Life was the first live production to resume playing in front of audiences.
“We can learn so much from Bert Facey’s resilience, hope, courage and humility; qualities which epitomise the fortitude and ingenuity of our early pioneers and those generations who lived through two world wars,” says Stuart Halusz, Artistic Director THEATRE 180.
“Theatre also lives outside of theatre venues and I’ve always been passionate about site-specific works which extend the possibilities of audio-visual creativity as well as the talent of WA writers, actors, set and costume, lighting and sound designers.This exciting, new project marriesthe immediacy of theatre with the visual impact of cinema,” Stuart Halusz, ArtisticDirector THEATRE 180 said.
Adapted and written for the stage by Jenny Davis and Stuart Halusz and using the large screens in cinemas or a touring screen for alternate venues as the backdrop to re-create significant landscape scenes filmed by Green Man Media, the live performance from THEATRE 180 takes place with a cinematic backdrop as a cast of three bring to life the story of AB Facey’s much-loved and award-winning A Fortunate Life.
A Fortunate Life is an autobiography by Albert Facey published in 1981, nine months before his death. It chronicles his early life in Western Australia, his experiences as a private during the Gallipoli campaign of World War I and his return to civilian life after the war. A documentation of Facey’s extraordinary life of hardship, loss, friendship and love the story is a favourite amongst readers from all over the world and continues to be studied within the school syllabus.
Said Halusz, “A Fortunate Life is a perfect project for the evolution of the company addressing our vision for all three pillars and bringing the work of an entirely Western Australian project to a potentially greater audience in WA. It brings together our 30-year history of creating theatre from oral and written histories, our passion for narrative storytelling and deeply held belief in the power of theatre for audiences of all ages to connect with each other on a human level. Storytelling, through theatre and cinema is the best possible way to learn from our past, reflect on our present and imagine a better future.”
THEATRE 180 evolved from Agelink Theatre, a 30-year success story creating theatre from oral histories founded by Jenny Davis OAM and has added Main Stage theatre and Education pillars to the trajectory into a new and exciting future.
A Fortunate Life includes West Australian cast favourites: Rebecca Davis, Benj D’Addario and Michael Abbercromby.
Writers: Jenny Davis and Stuart Halusz | Director: Stuart Halusz | Composer: Ron Siemiginowski
Audiovisual Designer: Green Man Media | Sound Designer: Ben Collins.