Big hART's Namatjira, at IPAC 21 - 24 Sept 2011

Opening to full houses and standing ovations at Sydney's Belvoir St Theatre in 2010, this premiere production is a beautiful and lyrical work about one of Australia's most important cultural icons.

Albert Namatjira's descendants - third generation watercolour artists themselves - fill the stage with a huge landscape drawing of their desert country as his extraordinary life story unfolds. At the height of his fame, Namatjira's shows sold out within minutes. He later supported over six hundred members of his community, lost two of his ten children to malnutrition, was forbidden to own land, was imprisoned for having a drink with his friends, and died a broken man.

His exquisite watercolours introduced suburban Australia to the beauty of the central desert. Similarly, this sweeping narrative acts as a window through which we can see ourselves and our nation, capturing the intense beauty, depth, opportunism, mateship and injustice that has shaped this country. Namatjira is more than a night at the theatre, it is art come to life.

"Wonderfully playful, sincere and moving... Jamieson's is a great virtuoso performance" - The Australian

"We rose to applaud Namatjira without hesitation on opening night, brought to our feet by this generous and enlightening production" - The Sydney Morning Herald

Recommended for ages 12+

WINNER 2010 Sydney Theatre Award for Best New Australian Work and Best Newcomer (Derek Lynch).

Original co-production by Big hART & Company B Belvoir, co-directed by Scott Rankin and Wayne Blair.

Image: Trevor Jamieson, Photographer: Michael Corridore

Pricing:
Adult: $62; Adult Early Week Special: $57; Conc/Group 10+: $57; Conc/Group 10+ Early Week Special: $52; Student Rush: $25 (Transaction fees apply to phone and internet bookings.)

Performance Times:
Wed 21 Sep 8pm, Thurs 22 Sep 11am & 8pm, Fri 23 Sep 8pm, Sat 24 Sep 2pm & 8pm. Meet the Artists: Thurs 22 Sep 8pm. Captioned Performance: Sat 24 Sep 2pm.

Running Time:
Approx 2 hrs 20 mins (incl interval)

For more information visit: http://merrigong.com.au/shows/namatjira.html

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• IPAC
• Merrigong
• theatre
• Big hART
• Namatjira
• Albert Namatjira
• art
• painting
• indigenous
• icons
• Trevor Jamieson
• Derik Lynch
• Scott Rankin
• Wayne Blair