1.

By David Brown

Performance Notes for Educators

Prepared by Education Liaison Officer, Katie Stewart and on secondment from University of
Queensland, Jamie Ackworth

The purpose of this document is to provide Queensland educators with information and resources
for Queensland Theatre Companys production of Eating Ice Cream With Your Eyes Closed. The
activities and resources contained in this document are designed as the starting point for
educators in developing more comprehensive lessons for this production. Katie Stewart is
seconded to Queensland Theatre Company from Education Queensland as an Education Liaison
Officer.

Assisted by the Commonwealth Government through

the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

Queensland Government (Education Queensland) and Queensland Theatre Company 2009. Copyright protects this
publication. Except for the purposes permitted by the Copyright Act, reproduction by whatever means is prohibited.
However, limited photocopying for classroom use is permitted by educational institutions that have a license with the
Copyright Agency Limited (CAL). This material includes work from the Education Liaison Officer and is reproduced with the
permission of the owner, Department of Education, Queensland, PO Box 33, Brisbane Albert Street, Queensland, Australia,
4002. Any inquiries should be addressed to the Education Liaison Officer, Youth & Education Program, Queensland Theatre
Company, PO Box 3310 South Brisbane BC Queensland 4101.
Produced by Queensland Theatre Company and Education Queensland.

By David Brown

Table of Contents
How to Act at the Theatre

Synopsis & Artistic Team

Curriculum Connections

Video Space

About the Playwright

Directors Insight Joseph Mitchell

Designers Insight Simone Romaniuk

10

Actors Insight Chris Betts

11

Interview with Playwright David Brown

12

Warumpi Band

15

Glossary of Australian Slang

16

Article Tensions in Indigenous Theatre and Policy

18

1)

A Cultural revolution

20

Post Performance Discussion Questions and Websites of Interest

21

Useful Resources

22

Script Excerpts Eating Ice Cream With Your Eyes Closed

23

1)Script Excerpt One

23

2) Script Excerpt Two

24

3)Script Excerpt Three

25

Classroom Activities

27

Suggested Assessment

28

Set Model Box

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By David Brown

How to Act at the Theatre (when youre not on stage)

We recommend that you read through the following points so you get maximum entertainment
value when you come along to one of Queensland Theatre Companys productions.

Be in your seat five minutes before the show starts

Food and drinks are not permitted in the theatre

Be respectful to other audience members

TURN OFF all electronic devices before entering the theatre

Save note taking and discussion for AFTER the show

Feel free to laugh, cry and applaud

By David Brown

Synopsis Eating Ice Cream With Your Eyes Closed by David Brown
Eating Ice Cream With Your Eyes Closed is set in the bus shelter of a
small town in regional Australia. One by one three men Macca,
Dayne and Doug arrive to wait for a bus. The reasons they are drawn
to this bus shelter, in the middle of the night, are as different as they
are. However, after some time spent drinking, fighting and talking,
these men discover their shared experiences of alienation and
isolation and journey closer to accepting and understanding each
other.
David Brown has written a humorous and hopeful play that addresses
serious issues affecting marginalised males in rural Australia, such as
unemployment, identity, sexuality, mental health and conflict in
personal relationships.

Artistic Team
Chris Betts
Nick Cook
Damion Hunter

Doug
Dayne
Macca

Joseph Mitchell
Simone Romaniuk
Ben Hughes
Tony Brumpton
Guy Gimpel
Niki-J Witt
Melissa Agnew

Director
Designer
Lighting Designer
Sound Designer
Assistant Sound Designer
Fight Director
Voice Consultant

Sophia Dalton
Shaun ORourke
Sarah Kennedy

Stage Manager
Assistant Stage Manager
Stage Management Secondment (QUT)

By David Brown

Curriculum Connections
Themes / Ideas

Australian idea of masculinity

Mateship
Cultural difference
Prejudice

Performance / Dramatic Elements

Contemporary Australian Drama

Comedy and Naturalism
Indigenous issues
Physical comedy styles

[R
R] 100 minutes, no interval (90 minute show and 10 minute Q&A)
[LL] Frequent course language
[V
V] Simulated violence
[S
S] Sexual references
Suitable for Year 10 to 12 students this play is humorous and hopeful, and addresses serious
issues affecting marginalised males in rural Australia, such as identity, sexuality, and conflict in
personal relationships. It is a valuable resource for students studying Australian Drama.

By David Brown

Video Space
Visit the following link at Queensland Theatre Companys website to view interviews with the
actors from Eating Ice Cream With Your Eyes Closed:
http://www.qldtheatreco.com.au/photo_video/videos/

By David Brown

About the Playwright David Brown

David Brown has worked in professional theatre as an

actor, writer, director and producer since 1987

He has worked extensively with Queensland Theatre

Company, Sydney Theatre Company, Q Theatre, Hunter
Valley Theatre, New England Theatre, TN! and New Moon
Theatre

1998 David was commissioned to write and direct Keep

Everything You Love (KEYL), for the Brisbane Festival

1999 Successfully produced and directed a touring season

of KEYL

2000 David was commissioned by Freewheels Theatre

Company in Newcastle to write three plays dealing with the issue of bullying for
kindergarten children to year 7 students

The plays toured primary schools throughout Queensland, NSW and Victoria as well as
high schools in NSW

2002 The Queensland Arts Council commissioned David to write and direct In a Mosh Pit

No One Can Hear You Scream

2002 Queensland Theatre Companys Writing Program, The Works, commissioned David
to complete his play, Eating Ice Cream With Your Eyes Closed

2003- In a Mosh Pit No One Can Hear You Scream toured high schools throughout
Queensland

2003 Eating Ice Cream With Your Eyes Closed workshopped at the Australian National
Playwrights Conference under the direction of Michael Gow

The play was published by Playlab and was short-listed for the 2003 Patrick White
Playwrights Award

2003 Dog Day Moon produced Davids first bi-lingual (Italian/English) play Cultura e

2004 Eating Ice Cream With Your Eyes Closed short-listed for the NSW Premiers
Literary Awards

2004 Eating Ice Cream With Your Eyes Closed also received the Best Production, Acting
and Directing awards in the Brisbane Matilda Awards

Caffe

By David Brown

2006 The Estimator won the Queensland Premiers Drama Award Theatre in Public
Life

2007 - Queensland Theatre Company produced The Estimator

2007 Tantrum Youth Theatre commissioned David to write Boy Called Flag as part of
their production Riot!

2007 David was a recipient of the New Dramatists New York Playwriting Exchange for

David is highly recognised for his commitment to developing theatre as a tool for
community awareness in various social issues as well as for his contributions to the
performing arts industry

The Estimator

By David Brown

Directors Insight Joseph Mitchell

Why did
did you choose this play for Queensland Theatre Companys
Companys
Education Performance?

Eating Ice Cream With Your Eyes Closed is a considered introduction

to adult content and themes for students in years 10 12. Some of the
themes tossed around in the play include mental illness, violence,
sexuality, heritage and race. We programmed this play because the
themes presented are not resolved neatly and the audience is
required to extract their own interpretation of the characters and
discover their own resolution in terms of where these characters are
going in their lives.
What is your vision for the production and why?
Initially, Eating Ice Cream With Your Eyes Closed appears to be a realistic play. The location and
characters are real and the play unfolds in real time. But the closer one looks at the play, it also
becomes evident that the play is a constructed fable about three men living on the fringes of
Australian society. My vision for this production has been to allow for the writing to present the
naturalistic tendencies of the situation and then use visual imagery to hint at the fable-like quality
of the play at the same time. At first glance our set looks quite realistic however, there are many
signifying images which also suggest that this is not exactly reality. For example there is no bus
stop sign, the walls of the bus shed dont actually sit together and there is only a mens toilet sign
in the set.
What challenges have you faced and overcome during the rehearsal period?
The main challenge for me on this production has been to find the balance in rehearsal between
allowing the actors to get comfortable with character and lines while also piecing together the
staging to ensure that we get all the detail and timing just right.

By David Brown

Designers Insight Simone Romaniuk

What was the inspiration for your design?
This play has very specific requirements; the set needs to be a
believable bus stop in a small country town. When researching this I
looked at many different types of bus shelters and drew different
elements together to create the space.
The corrugated iron and barbed wire wall, the faded zebra crossing
and the gravel, have a somewhat dilapidated feel, possibly bringing to
mind an older, isolated town with a falling population. In contrast to
this is the new, very generic bus shelter, with fluorescent lighting and glossy Perspex, massproduced and installed in regional towns across the state.
This shelter is confined by a path of gravel, which trails off into the distance leaving darkness all
around. The three incongruous characters, from different generations and diverse backgrounds,
are drawn together into this bright spot in the night.
What are some of the important factors you have to consider when designing a set?
Requirements of the script are an important factor; is the play naturalistic or will it be better
supported by an abstract set, is it interior or exterior, in what time period is it set?
The concepts that are dealt with in the play are extremely important and considering how various
moods and atmospheres are created and how they can support the actors.
You also need to consider practical factors; the theatre itself, whether or not there is a proscenium
or if the venue is a small space; orientation of the set within the space; the audience seating and
sightlines, are the audience looking down on the stage, or up at the actors, is it in the round or a
letterbox; and of course the budget for the production.

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By David Brown

Actors Insight Chris Betts

What role do you play and how have you prepared for this role?
I play Doug. As with any play, the initial preparation is found in the text.
We mine the text, find all the information about the character there, and
then research other material that we think is relevant to the time and
place of where the action takes place.

What did you find challenging during rehearsals and how did you
overcome these challenges?
The most challenging thing for me, was trying to find solutions in regards to revealing the themes
that the playwright is discussing. There is a lot of humour in this play and if we are not careful,
while that is a lot of fun, we skim over the ideas that the playwright wants to share with the
audience.

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By David Brown

Interview with the Playwright David Brown

Martina Lipton talks with David Brown about the prevalent issues and concepts contained in the
play.
MARTINA:

What is Eating Ice Cream With Your Eyes Closed about?

DAVID:

Three blokes in a bus shelter. They meet, they drink, they talk about life, love and
eapolitan ice cream.

MARTINA:

What inspired you to write the play?

DAVID:

It was something I was involved in. It was an occurrence on a train. The XPT. But
then what often occurs when you are inspired by an event is that you then
transpose what inspires you into the way in which you communicate as an artist.
There are all these other things that occur, many of them are filters but a lot of
them are, I suppose, just experiences and the political context in which you find
yourself in the world, in contemporary Australian society. So all of those things, I
suppose, are what distil the inspiration and then it comes through the medium
which, for me, is writing.

MARTINA:

So was there an immediate response or did that take a while to percolate and sit
in your mind, while you thought about how youre going to actually transpose it?

DAVID:

No, the immediate response to witnessing an event is: is this really happening? Is
this a play or is this real life? It would be interesting if this happened in a play but
would anyone believe it? So, as a writer youve got to use your skills and
techniques to turn it into something dramatically interesting. I rely on my past
experiences and the people I know and have met in my life who have made an
impact on me. Somehow they reverberate through to assist me in developing the
characters, certain archetypes that Im working on at the time.

MARTINA:

Can you highlight the changes in the plot, themes or character development since
your initial concept of the play to its staging by Queensland Theatre Company in
2004?

DAVID:

From working with Michael Gow at the Australian National Playwrights

Conference I realised that the things that became interesting dramatically were
the questions not the answers. They were those parts of the characters that were
hinted at or were mysterious, rather than blatantly shown. Part of the job of
theatre is to deconstruct preconceptions and stereotypes but I also know that an
audience is creating their own narrative and trying to jump ahead of the writer
and go Oh I know whats going to happen I know who he is, I know who she is,
I know what theyll do. I provide information about the characters to assist
audiences in thinking about them and where they come from. We hear little bits
about their lives, but a lot of it is unshaped and just suggested at, so that
audiences can build images that are free, based on their own interpretation of
what they see and hear in the play.

MARTINA:

Music is a common motif in Eating Ice Cream With Your Eyes Closed. Can you
explain the significance of the songs?

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By David Brown

DAVID:

Music works to shift mood. It provides moments in which dramatic tension is

eased and things settle down. It gives an audience the opportunity to relax and
take a breath, the action rests and they can listen to the words of the songs,
connect those poetic words which the action that has preceded them and with
what they know and feel about a character such as Macca. These associations
may be random and may not occur in every audience member but you put them
out there because, for me, thats what playwriting is about I think, putting images
and sound, words and action, up for people to take.

MARTINA:

Can you discuss the physical absence of women in the play and their
representation by Macca, Dayne and Doug?

DAVID:

My experience is that these men, who I know very well, do talk about women
sometimes in a way that can appear to be very discriminatory and very sexist.

MARTINA:

These men seem estranged from women.

DAVID:

Yes, well its a male thing. The estrangement from everything because men are so
competitive, men dont talk about how their relationships are working out. They
talk about personal issues in the third person. I know Im generalising and there
might be guys out there who have no difficulty communicating their innermost
feelings to each other. But, for the most part, in my experience men dont talk
about personal stuff. Its the alpha male thing; men cant expose themselves, or
their perceived inadequacies, by revealing their feelings or secrets.

MARTINA:

How would you describe the similarities and differences in the journeys of Macca,
Dayne and Doug?

DAVID:

Its the questions that I enjoy, the fact that the characters stories seem to bubble
on after the closing of the play. I think: What will happen? Will Dayne get on the
bus or will he go home? Will Macca and Doug get on the bus or will they let the
bus go without them? Will they continue drinking or will they all go back to
Daynes parents place for breakfast?

MARTINA:

Can you envisage the bus shelter transposed to the city, in Fortitude Valley for
instance?

DAVID:

Yes I think thats possible. But in a city or town the characters would have access
to venues such as nightclubs. I suppose I was more interested in the isolation of
living in a country town and the issues affecting regional men in particular.

MARTINA:

Were you working from a personal perspective or did you research a specific
country town?

DAVID:

Writers work in different ways. I love to talk to people. I love to meet people. I
suppose that is my research.

MARTINA:

And we all know what it is to eat ice cream. But where did that symbol or
metaphor come from?

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By David Brown

DAVID:

I was on the XPT and this thing happened and there was a lot of turmoil on the
train and then it all quietened down after a few minutes. Then I looked around to
see what was left after most people had returned to their seats and I looked back
and there was I think he was an English backpacker but he was eating a chocolate
heart and he had his eyes closed. And I watched him eat the entire ice cream with
his eyes closed and I thought Eating Ice Cream With Your Eyes Closed you cant
actually experience taste in the theatre but people all know it. People all know
the experience of eating ice cream, so it became a wonderful metaphor for me to
explore in the play.

MARTINA:

Do you feel there is any credence to the idea that Macca is a reconciling figure
and takes on a female nurturing role, protecting Dayne whilst acting as a catalyst
for their bonding with Doug as a quasi family?

DAVID:

When youre in the sort of situation that Macca, Dayne and Doug are in, the
expectation might be, from a theatrical perspective, that someone ends up
stabbed. But what a boring evening in the theatre that would make! I thought that
this is not a play about someone getting hurt. I had the opportunity to show how
three men from very different backgrounds can pull their shit together and
survive. Macca is the central character who shows maturity and some insight into
life. That insight, I would hope the audience realises, comes from the school of
hard knocks. It doesnt come from the general experience of the mainstream
population. It comes from a pretty hard, run a-round, knock-about kind of life.
What Macca represents is dignity, generosity and survival.

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By David Brown

Warumpi Band
The Warumpi Band originated in the Aboriginal settlement of Papunya in the central desert region
of the Northern Territory in the early 1980s. They toured the Northern Territory and Kimberley
region playing to develop their sound and writing much of their material on the road.

Blackfella, Whitefella
Blackfella, Whitefella. It doesnt matter what your colour as long as you are true fella as long as
long as you real fella.
All the people of diffrent races with diffrent lives in diffrent places.
It doesnt matter what your name is
Weve got to have
Lots of changes
We need more brothers,
If were to make it.
We need more sisters
If were to save it.
Are you the one whos gonna stand up and be counted.
Are you the one whos gonna be there when we shout it.
Are you the one whos always ready with a helping hand.
Are you the one who understands the family plan?
Blackfella, Whitefella, Yellafella, Any fella. It doesnt matter what your colour As long as you are
true fella.
All the people of diffrent rances with diffrent lives in diffrent places.
It doesnt matter which religion. Its all the same when the ships sinking.
We need more brothers,
If were to make it.
We need more sisters If were to save it.
Are you the one whos gonna stand up and be counted.
Are you the one whos gonna be there when we shout it.
Are you the one whos always ready with a helping hand.
Are you the one who understands the family plan?
Stand up. Stand up and be counted. Stand up. Stand up and be counted. Are you the one whos
always there with a helping hand. Are you the one who understands the family plan?

Blackfella, Whitefella words and music by N. Murray and G. Djilaynga Rondor Music/Universal
Music Publishing. Reprinted with permission.

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By David Brown

Glossary of Australian Slang

Acid

To take LSD

Aggro

Aggressive; dominating. Violence

Ambo

Ambulance officer

Battler

A typical member of the working class in Australia

Blackfella

An Aborigine; a dark-skinned person. Can be an offensive term

depending on the context of how the term is used

Blind

Drunk

Blower

Telephone

Blue

To fight, dispute or argue

Bro

A Brother. A close male friend, especially a member of ones gang

Buggered

Tired out; exhausted. Broken; wrecked.

Cop/Copper

A police officer

Cop flak

Receive a barrage of heavy criticism or abuse

CowCow-cocky

Cattle or dairy farmer

Deadly

Excellent; fantastic; cool

Dunny

Toilet, especially an outside one

Durry

Hand-rolled cigarette

FairFair-dinkum

Genuine; real; authentic; cannot be faulted; the truth

Fair go

Plea for fair treatment or reason. Fair, equitable and just conditions

Fella

Man; person; bloke.

Fully

Very strong, totally

Grouse

Very good

Kitty

A common fund, usually of smaller amounts of money

Mate

Term of address among men (sometimes in aggression)

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By David Brown
Missus

Ones wife. Female owner of a country property or station

Pissed

Drunk; intoxicated, (pissed off) annoyed, irritated; angry

PissPiss-poor

Unsatisfactory; second-rate; worthless

Put the bite on

Request, pressure for a loan, favour; cadge

Quid

The sum of one pound before decimal currency

Rave

A long and animated conversation

Servo

Service Station

Shoot through

Go, depart, especially without proper formality

Spin

Tale. A false or improbable story or version of an event

Square head

Dull, old-fashioned, conservative person

Sweet

Satisfactory; okay; all right; in order. Anything that is easy to perform

Take the piss

Humble, degrade, belittle (someone) by getting the better of him

TightTight-arse

Parsimonious, mean, miserly person

Up shit creek

In difficulties; in dire straits; in extremely different circumstances

Wog

A person of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern extraction. Can be an

offensive term depending on the context of how the term is used

REFERENCES:
Johansen, Lenie. The Dinkum Dictionary. Penguin Australia. 1998.
Lambert, James Ed. The Macquarie Book of Slang. Macquarie Library. 2000.

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By David Brown

Article Tensions in Contemporary Indigenous Theatre and Policy

By Hilary
Hilary Glow and Katya Johanson
Indigenous performing artists face a number of tensions in the relationship between their art and
the infrastructure put in place to support it. A tension exists between the necessity to be
representative, consultative and responsible to community on the one hand, and to seek highquality production outcomes on the other. Sam Cook of Yirra Yaakin commented: From the
ground up the community are involved at all stages, and what we tend to want to promote is that
community doesnt sit separate from performing excellence. The views of community elders
about protocols and matters of representation figure prominently in the accounts that Indigenous
artists give of their work and its raison dtre. On the need for the work of the theatre company to
remain closely tied to the stories of the community, John Harvey; the general manager of Ilbijerri,
says: [The theatre] is providing a place to nurture stories from the community. Weve got loads of
stories, but not a lot of scripts. For us, it is about empowering the voice of Indigenous people
through theatre, and providing professional development opportunities for artists and arts
workers.
Wesley Enoch, award-winning playwright and director, agrees that the community background of
Indigenous artists is inseparable from their creative work: As an Indigenous artist you are
absolutely connected to your community and you have ways of thinking about that and you create
work from that perspective. He notes that tensions can arise for the artist who wishes to explore
and develop their work as a creative individual. Enoch asks: Am I a servant of my community and
therefore shall do whatever the community wants me to do, or am I an autonomous being? These
are not mutually exclusive alternatives, and Enochs aim is to assimilate ideas and create a vision
which reflects the community, but isnt servant to it.
Indigenous artists need the right, like all artists, to choose to develop work informed by a critical
or political stance. Enoch argues that while Indigenous communities are essential in shaping the
work and perspectives of Indigenous artists, there is a need for a degree of autonomy, so that the
lines of debate and the framework of the drama can be determined by the artist on the outside
looking in. For Enoch, then, there is a tension for the Indigenous artist who must be both an
insider (a member of a community) and an outsider (an artist with the freedom to look critically at
his/her community):

The danger is that the work we develop requires a tussle, a conflict, between at least two
sources, and that we constantly put the white man in that role of the antagonist, and we
refuse to look at what is going on behind closed doors: the discussion, the debate, the
tensions within Aboriginal communities. You have to step outside of it, you have to make
a play about it or you make a documentary about it, or whatever. You cant worry about
the reception from the audience, you have to think, Ive got to make the best piece I can
here and tell a story that needs to be told. So you just take personal responsibility for it.
Ultimately, it requires someone to step up and say something, and then the debate just
takes off. If you disagree with me, make another play which disagrees with me. At least
then theres dialogue.
Audiences
For Kylie Belling, the Aboriginal community in which and for which Ilbijerri performs is the
companys most important audience. Playing to them is a political act: [Its] about teaching our
young ones our history, because they dont learn any other way, Denise Andrews explains that
Indigenous artists are often motivated by the specific pleasure of performing for their own
community: They know the subtleties of the humour, and its just a different feeling. As an
Indigenous performer, performing for your own mob is fabulous; it just puts you on a high. To
encourage attendance from within Indigenous communities, many companies organise community
nights with cheaper tickets.

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By David Brown
But, Andrews continues, From a career base, youve got to look wider. Several artists emphasise
the importance of working on productions for a general audience. The overall long-term health
and complexity of our sector is at risk, Chris Mead believes, unless we find ways to engage with
all of Australia, and ensure that Australia in its fullest sense talks to itself, so that our new plays
can talk to the world. Enoch described a Sydney Theatre Company policy in regard to Aboriginal
playwright Kevin Gilberts The Cherry Pickers, which Enoch directed in 2000. The policy was to
ensure that at least 25 per cent of the audience was Indigenous, so that the quality of the
experience for the entire audience would be improved: This [] meant that [the general audience]
could see the dynamic of the work with Indigenous audiences and try to place it within a cultural
reality.
A National Indigenous Theatre Company?
The unresolved tensions within the Indigenous performing arts sector over many of the issues
discussed here are illustrated in the debate surrounding the proposal for a National Indigenous
Theatre Company, floated by a small group of freelance Indigenous performing artists. The group
has begun lobbying state and federal governments to provide seed funding for such a company.
The proposal has been hotly debated within Indigenous communities around the country and at
this stage it is unclear whether the government funding agencies will support it. The proposal
comes from Indigenous artists who are at the mid-point of their careers and are anxious to see
their work produced on the main stage. It addresses the need for Indigenous stories to reach
national and international audiences and seeks a funding mix from both government and nongovernment sources. Encapsulating ideas about where the sector is heading, it constitutes a move
away from thinking about Indigenous performing arts in terms of the needs of emerging artists,
and focuses instead on the professional development and artistic goals of artists at mid-career.
This is a move away from thinking about Indigenous performing arts in terms of community and
social-justice goals, in favour of aesthetic and political-professional outcomes. This proposal is by
no means a fait accompli and does not necessarily have the support of all stakeholders. Nor is it
without precedent: the Blak Stage Alliance is a national Indigenous theatre network which links a
group of theatre companies: Yirra Yaakin (WA), Baru Kadal (NT), Ilbijerri (VIC), Kooemba Jdarra
(QLD) and Kurruru (SA). The network has no formal infrastructure (and no extra funding to pay for
its activities), but has worked to develop international connections with Indigenous companies in
Canada and New Zealand and black performing arts companies in the United Kingdom.
Some members of the Blak Stage Alliance have serious misgivings about the proposal for a
National Indigenous Theatre Company. Yirra Yaakins Sam Cook, for example, believes it risks
becoming a one stop Indigenous theatre shop, which would then marginalise the existing
theatre companies:

There are over 800 Aboriginal tribal groups in Australia, and there needs to be more than
one Aboriginal theatre company to be able adequately to tell the stories of our people
with their own level of cultural authority. For example, someone based in Western
Australia doesnt have the cultural authority to barge into Central Australia and start
telling their stories without any level of respect. So what gives anyone else the right to
think they can speak for us? Its here that Blak Nationalism isnt the best fit, and this is
where further dialogue across all stakeholders is about a collective, prosperous and
respectful way forward.
Indigenous performing artists are working with a number of competing issues. The need for
training and the professional development of creative personnel remains a vital concern. Another
is the issue of balancing the broader social-welfare goals with the aesthetic goals of theatremaking. A third is the question of who constitutes the theatre works intended audience and how it
should be funded. That such concerns are strongly felt by Indigenous performing artists indicates
that perceptions about the value and purposes of the Indigenous performing arts are fracturing
and evolving.

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By David Brown
Reference: Hilary Glow and Katya Johanson. Tensions in contemporary Indigenous theatre and
policy. Your Genre Is Black: Indigenous Performing Arts and Policy. Platform Papers No 19.
January 2009.

A Cultural Revolution
By Lyndon Terracini
The cultural climate in Australia today is very different from that of thirty years ago. At that time
the very idea that one might make a career as an opera singer was utterly preposterous. Today,
such a choice would no longer provoke ridicule. We have an opera house that is world famous, and
every state has its own symphony orchestra, state theatre company, ballet and opera company.
But do these organisations really reflect the cultural preferences of most Australians? Or are we
clinging to the last vestiges of the European art forms to which some of our parents and
grandparents were so attached? With the dramatically changing demographic that characterises
contemporary Australia, and with the shift in population centres, has come a shift in cultural and
artistic preferences.
Some of these changes relate to the movement of the demographic centre of Sydney to Parramatta
and the western suburbs of Sydney, and of the fifteen hundred people who migrate from
elsewhere in Australia to Brisbane and south-east Queensland every week. These are dramatic
population shifts. What might the impact of this be on the cultural balance of Australia?
If Queenslands cultural identity continues to develop as it has done, very differently from that of
Victoria, then the balance of current practice will be challenged. It will begin a revolution in the
way the community demands that cultural activity should be supported. We may well find that an
opera company is not as essential to every Australian city as was previously thought.
In twenty-first-century Australia, will a citys artistic credibility still be dependent on whether it has
a symphony orchestra and an opera company? Or will this change in demographic distribution
mean that, say, Chinese opera is more culturally relevant? Perhaps there is already a different
cultural heritage calling for attention, and which is part of a broader cultural and artistic
landscape. We need to be awake to these possibilities in looking to the future.
The cultural pyramid will provide the foundation for a new model of cultural and artistic
democracy, one that is much more sympathetic to Australian thinking than the hierarchy we have
at present and one that will insist that our cultural identity be defined by the community. Some
of the responses will be dictated by demographic shifts and very different cultural preferences.
Some will be governed by artistic necessity.
However, for the cultural life of Australia to genuinely connect to the broadest possible
community, and for those communities who at present feel disenfranchised to know that they are
culturally and artistically represented, we all need to feel ownership of a national cultural
laboratory. A state where, artistically, anything is possible, where art is valued, where
experimentation is respected, where the cultures of numerous regions and areas are encouraged
to raise their voices and where uniqueness is prized, not ridiculed.
The world seen from Cooktown is very different from that seen from Brisbane and its important for
us all to recognise and to value that difference, if our regional state of mind is to become a
state of cultural and artistic maturity. It should be sophisticated in form and methodology and
responsive to the simplest needs of its community, but essentially it should be culturally
democratic and artistically resplendent.
Reference: Terracini, Lyndon. A culture Revolution. A Regional State of Mind: Making art outside
Metropolitan Australia. Platform Papers No 11. January 2007.

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Post-Performance Discussion Questions

In what ways is masculinity represented dramatically? Think about the relationship

between the characters.

How is Macca represented? Consider the Indigenous issues that the play discusses.

What are important elements of Australian Drama? Discuss how these elements are used
in Eating Ice Cream With Your Eyes Closed.

The play discusses serious contemporary issues. Provide examples of these issues from
the play.

What are the similarities and differences between the characters? Do you think that their
socio-economic status is relevant to their behaviour?

Choose a character that you particularly enjoyed. Why did you like him? Did he represent
a contemporary Australian man?

What scene stood out to you? Why? Consider mood, lighting, and the actors
performances.

Websites of Interest
www.dramaaustralia.org.au Drama Australia Journal
www.ampag.com.au Australian Major Performing Arts Group
wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au/ReadingRoom/dremtpt2.htm Indigenous Issues
www.australiacouncil.gov.au/ Australia Council for the Arts
www.theatre.asn.au Theatre Australia
http://www.asauthors.org/lib/ASA_Papers/ASA_Writing_About_Indigenous_Australia.pdf
More than Words: Writing Indigenous Culture & Copyright in Australia
http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/ Australia Council for the Arts

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Useful Resources
These resources can be found in The State Library of Queensland and University of Queensland
Library collections

Carroll, Dennis. Australian Contemporary Drama. Currency Press, 1994.

This is a resource for a general critical history of twentieth-century Australian drama. It has a
sustained examination of what are distinctly Australian themes. Carroll brings comprehensive
general theatre knowledge to bear on his analyses, and he makes useful comparisons between the
subject material and international works. It focuses on structure, style and thematic features of
Australian Drama and contains a bibliography of plays and criticism.

Bollen, Jonathan, Bruce Parr and Adrian Kiernander. Men at Play: Masculinities in
Australian Theatre since the 1950s. Rodopi, 2008.

This book, aimed at teachers and students of high school and university level, discusses how
masculinities are enacted in Australian Theatre. It pays particular attention to how playwrights
depict masculinities in the past and present, beach and bush, city and suburbs. Gender issues and
male relationships are also discussed including father-son relations, romance and intimacy,
violence and bullying, mateship and homosexuality, race relations and experiences of war and
migration.

Gilbert, Helen. Sightlines: Race, Gender and Nation in Contemporary Australian Theatre.
University of Michigan Press, 1998.

This resource focuses on the material aspects of the theatre; the visual elements of costume,
movement and scenography. Although the book is specifically about performance, there is also
discussion of historical and political contexts. The book also pays particular attention to the
representation of Aboriginality in Australian theatre.

Milne, Geoffrey. Theatre Australia (un)limited: Australian Theatre since the 1950s. Rodopi,
2004.

Milnes text takes a comprehensive look at theatre over the past 50 years. It is filled with statistical
information and examines major theatre companies, government bodies and cultural trends that
have shaped Australian theatre. There is a detailed discussion of the three waves of Australian
theatre. This is a resource for general understanding of Australian theatres political and economic
context.

Fotheringham, Richard. Community Theatre in Australia. Currency Press, 1999.

This text presents a critical analysis of works of Australian playwrights. It includes a number of
experiences, ideas and opinions about recent trends in Australian theatre since the 1980s. It has a
particular focus on community theatre but also touches on multicultural theatre and Aboriginal
dramatists. This is an excellent resource for students to gauge why Australian theatre is the way
that it is today and how it became so.

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Script Excerpts Eating Ice Cream With Your Eyes Closed

Script Excerpt One
Page 61 to 62
MACCA:

(to Dayne) How would you describe yourself?

DAYNE:

ErasDave?

MACCA:

Whatever. Just, how would you describe yourself?

DAYNE:

I dunno.

MACCA:

Put it this way, What do you do?

DAYNE:

I(laughing) I dunno, I do stuff.

DOUG:

He makes pavlova bongs.

MACCA:

(to Doug) Hey, this is a fairdinkum psych test, man. Let him concentrate. (To
Dayne) Just got to answer, dont think.

DOUG:

I think about not thinking all the time.

MACCA:

(to Dayne) You have to say, quick as you can, what you do and how you do it.
NowWhat do you do?

DAYNE:

I do(he laughs) what do you mean?

MACCA:

Here, try it on me, you ask me.

DAYNE:

What do you do?

MACCA:

I do what I want.and now you got to ask me how do you do it?

DAYNE:

How do you do it?

MACCA:

I do it when its hard.

They laugh
Now come on, What do you do?
DAYNE:

I do my best.

MACCA:

(laughing) You sound like a boy scout.

DAYNE:

I do it my way.

MACCA:

(laughing) Now you sound like Frank SinatraHow do you do it?

DAYNE:

(laughing) I do it like theres no tomorrow.

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Script Excerpt Two

Page 83 to 84
DAYNE:

Im going to Surfers. Get some work and a place to live.

DOUG:

Sounds like a clich.

DAYNE:

I know what Im doing.

DOUG:

Im sure you do.

DAYNE:

Im old enough.

DOUG:

Yeah.

DAYNE:

I can do what I want.

DOUG:

You can.

DAYNE:

Its my choice.

DOUG:

Of course it is.

DAYNE:

Stop agreeing with me.

DOUG:

Sweet.

Macca returns.
Here he is. We thought youd got lost. Having a bit of a look around, were you?
MACCA:

Yeah.

DOUG:

You want some chips?

MACCA:

Yeah, Im staving.

Macca moves to get some chips.

DAYNE:

Theyre barbecue.

MACCA:

Oh.

Macca sits back down.

DOUG:

Am I the only one who likes barbecue?

MACCA:

Looks that way.

DOUG:

More for me.

Doug eats more chips.

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Script Excerpt Three

Pages 94 to 96
DAYNE:

Where are you from?

MACCA:

Mars.

DAYNE:

Wheres your family?

MACCA:

In the circus. The freak show.

DAYNE:

What do you want?

MACCA:

What do I want?

DAYNE:

What do you want?

MACCA:

I know what I need, but thats not the same thing, eh?

DAYNE:

Do you know you usually answer a question with a question?

MACCA:

Do I?

DAYNE:

There you go.

MACCA:

You sure?

DAYNE:

And again!

MACCAY:

You reckon?

DAYNE:

Stop! Now, Im gonna ask you a question and you got to answer it, okay? And not
with another question.

MACCA:

Go for it.

DAYNE:

Whats your name?

MACCA:

you know that one.

DAYNE:

Answer the question!

Beat
MACCA:

What was the question?

DAYNE:

Whats your name?

MACCA:

Peter McDonaldbut you can call me Ronald.

DAYNE:

What do you like to drink?

MACCA:

(hold up his can of Fanta) Fanta when it tastes this good.

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DAYNE:

What do you like to eat?

MACCA:

(laughing) Ice Cream.

DAYNE:

(laughing) How do you like to eat it?

MACCA:

With my eyes closed!

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Classroom Activity
RESPONDING AND PRESENTING

Play the game that the men do in the play. Look at the script excerpts on pages 23, 24
and 25, to read examples of the game.

Working in pairs, take turns at asking each other What do you do?, How do you do it?,
etc. The other person should respond with the first thing that comes into their mind.

Keep asking simple questions according to the persons answers.

Example:
Q: What do you do?

A: Eat Ice Cream

Q: How do you do it?

A: With my eyes closed

Q: Why with your eyes closed?

A: Because it tastes better

After a minute or two, switch roles and repeat the process.

The important thing is to be quick with the questions and answers. Its all about
improvisation and seeing where the scene takes you.

Afterwards, discuss the process and what came out of it? Consider dramatic elements
such as pace and timing. How did it create dramatic tension?

RESPONDING AND PRESENTING

PRESENTING

Ask students to form groups of 4 5.

Assign each group one of the following themes: language, race, gender or sexuality.

Students are to think about how these can be used to distinctly express Australian
culture.

Groups are to choose a scene from the play, or one of the play excerpts on pages 23, 24
and 25. Your excerpt should be chosen according to how well your theme can and or is
used in that scene.

For example, if the theme is sexuality, students could choose a scene where Daynes
sexuality is questioned by Doug.

Students rehearse the scene. (Lines do not have to be exact. The scene is based on the
chosen excerpt). When blocking the scene, students are to consider ways in which the
theme can be made clear to the audience. Remember, that it should reflect Australian
culture.

For example, Doug is uncomfortable with Daynes sexuality. Consider this when blocking
the scene. Perhaps Doug is nervous around Dayne, or stands away from him, etc.

Students present their scene to the class. Discuss with the class which theme each group
used in their scene and what dramatic devices they used to achieve this.

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Suggested Assessment
FORMING TASK
After reading the article on page 18, students can write a short 800 word play. They are to consider
issues that are relevant to a community that they feel they belong to or that they are interested in.
The play should represent issues relevant to their chosen community. Ask students to consider
their own experiences within their chosen community, like David Brown demonstrates in the
interview on page 12. Or perhaps through research students may read other peoples experiences,
which inspire the storyline for their short play.
RESPONDING TASK
After viewing Queensland Theatre Companys production of Eating Ice Cream With Your Eyes
Closed, write a critical essay that reflects, analyses, evaluates and synthesises what the play
suggests is important about masculinity in contemporary Australian culture and society.
Using the characters from the play to demonstrate your ideas, compare regional Queensland and
urban centres and discuss the similarities and differences in male cultures and their relationships.
How did the production use space, relationships and roles to exemplify Australian masculinity?
Forming your own dramatic perspective of the dramatic meaning and action in the production, use
appropriate language conventions and specific examples from the play to communicate a justified
position.

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Set Model Box

Front Elevation

Plan View

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