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Premier's praise for play project

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has praised the “creative and powerful way” Australian Catholic University (ACU National) advanced arts drama students have helped bring the memories of older Queenslanders to life in a play.

The play was created by students workshopping the memories of residents of the Golden Years Seniors’ Centre in Brisbane’s northern suburbs.

“Skating on Sandgate Road is a play that depicts the life stories of Nundah’s treasured locals, performed passionately and respectfully by a new generation,” Premier Bligh said. “They are stories of love, life and death, world wars and the Great Depression, and the joys of parenthood.”

Supported by award-winning playwrights Margery and Michael Forde, ACU National School of Arts and Sciences Senior Lecturer Dr Tracey Sanders, and Don Rudd from the centre, the project has also received Q150 Community Funding.

“Skating on Sandgate Road encapsulates what our state’s 150th anniversary celebrations are all about: the past informing the present and shaping the future,” Premier Bligh said. “Enjoy the show!”

It will be performed at the centre in Nundah on Saturday 23 May at 2pm and 6pm.

Michael and Margery Forde, known for their community-based plays, including Snapshots from Home, X-Stacy, Way Out West and Milo’s Wake, described this project as “a particularly golden opportunity”.

Dr Sanders believes meaningful drama relies on strong and direct contact with the subjects of the work. “This is an extraordinary opportunity to connect students with our elders, to bridge the generation gap, and to develop a whole new framework of respect and understanding,” Dr Sanders said.

Read the Queensland Premier's endorsement, (PDF, 43kb)