A new play about wartime Brisbane will premiere at Mercury Theatre Company in Wynnum, drawing on playwright Jim Loftus’s family memories of the period.
York Street follows a young girl coming of age in Brisbane during the Second World War, when American servicemen arrived in the city and families lived with the uncertainty of loved ones serving overseas.
Loftus based the play on stories told by his mother about growing up in York Street, Coorparoo. The production looks at an ordinary Brisbane family living through the darker realities of wartime, while also showing the humour, warmth and family connections of everyday life.
The play revisits a city of dirt roads, backyard chook pens, horse-drawn carts and conversations over the back fence, as Brisbane began changing from what was often regarded as a large country town into a modern city.
Loftus has previously written four novels, including Celtic Blood, and co-wrote the Brisbane-filmed feature film Underdog’s Tale. The production will be directed by Brisbane theatre director Sherryl-Lee Secomb, whose credits include a Matilda Award nomination for Fun Home.
For older audiences, the play offers a way to revisit a Brisbane that has largely disappeared. For younger people, it provides a view of how the Pacific war affected ordinary families and their daily lives.
- Where: Mercury Theatre Company, Wynnum
- Bookings: Tickets are on sale through TryBooking
Sat, Nov 14 – Sat, Nov 21 – Sat, Nov 28