'Uncle Jack Charles is an Australian legend: veteran actor, musician, Koori elder and activist, but for a good portion of his nearly 70 years he has also been an addict, a thief and a regular in Victoria’s prisons.'
'From Stolen Generation to Koori theatre in the 70s, from film sets to Her Majesty’s prisons, JACK CHARLES V THE CROWN runs the gamut of a life lived to its utmost. Charles’ unswerving optimism transforms this tale of addiction, crime and doing time into a kind of vagabond’s progress – a map of the traps of dispossession and a guide to reaching the age of grey-haired wisdom.'
'This fleet-footed, light-fingered one-man show is a theatrical delight and a celebration of Black Australia’s dogged refusal to give up on getting on.' (Source: Ilbijerri Theatre Company website)
Teaching Resources prepared by theatre company for 2013 national tour.
CAST AND CREW
Performed by Jack Charles.
Director: Rachael Maza.
Dramaturge: John Romeril.
Musical Director: Nigel Maclean.
Script Consultant Melanie Beddie.
Set & Costume Designer: Emily Barrie.
Lighting Designer: Danny Pettingill.
Audio Visual Designer: Peter Worland.
PERFORMANCE HISTORY
2018 - Shizuoka Arts theatre, Japan, 6 May 2018.
2014 - The Barbican, London, 11-15 February; Samuel Beckett Theatre, Dublin, 8-12 October.
2013 - The Amphitheatre, George’s Green, Darwin Festival, 16 – 18 August; Canberra Theatre, Centenary of Canberra, 17-19 July.
2013 National Tour (1 May 2013 – 18 August 2013)
Frankston Arts Centre (Frankston); Whitehorse Arts Centre (Nunawading); Esso BHP Biliton Wellington Entertainment Centre (Sale); West Gippsland Centre (Warragul); Clocktower Centre (Moonee Ponds); The Drum Theatre (Dandenong); Altona Theatre (Altona); The Butter Factory Theatre (Wodonga); Illawarra Performing Arts Centre (Wollongong); Glen Street Theatre (Belrose); Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre (Bathurst); Orange Civic Theatre (Orange); Cessnock Community Performing Arts Centre (Cessnock); Glasshouse Arts, Conference and Entertainment Centre (Port Macquarie); Nambour Civic Centre (Nambour); Griffith Regional Centre (Griffith); Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre (Wagga Wagga); Plenty Ranges Art Centre (South Morang); Chaffey Theatre (Renmark); Hopgood Theatre (Noarlunga); Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre (Mt Gambier); Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre (Bunbury); Mandurah Performing Arts Centre (Mandurah); Queens Park Theatre (Geraldton); Matt Dan Cultural Centre (Port Hedland)
2012 - The Space Theatre, Adelaide Cabaret Festival, 23 June; Albay Entertainment Centre, Perth Festival, 15-23 February.
2011 - Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane Festival, 7-10 September; Upstrairs Theatre, Belvoir Street Theatre, 30 March -17 April.
2010 - Arts Centre, Melbourne International Arts Festival, 12-17 October.
(Introduction)
'A former thief and heroin addict, theatre legend Uncle Jack Charles has been part of some of the most important movements in Australian theatre history. By Jacob Boehme.'
'The life of Jack Charles has been told in the film Bastardy (2008) and the theatre production Jack Charles V the Crown, which has toured nationally and internationally for several years. Aspects of Jack’s life have been horrific. He is a member of the Stolen Generations, taken from his mother, family and community. Jack spent the young years of his life in institutions and foster care, where he was subject to the levels of violence and torture that accompany colonial repression. Jack’s subsequent years spent in prison are well documented, as is his remarkable contribution to Australian art and culture – in theatre, on the screen and, vitally, within the Aboriginal community.' (Introduction)
'...It's not easy to draw a man like Jack - to newly see someone so very looked-at. I ask him about the documentary experience: how it feels to be laid bare...'
