True West - Four Deaths in the Life of Ronaldo Abok November 17, 2011

With Abraham Ajok, Akol Deng, Amer Achiek, Awek Akech and Johnson Ngor

A life is a strange thing, nephew. It is never half here. It is everything, and then it is gone. If you are cranky about something, either fix it, or forget about it.

In June 2011, Ronaldo Abok’s life is in chaos. It should be a time for joyous celebration – South Sudan, the homeland he was forced from is about to be become the world’s newest nation. But Ronaldo is torn in too many directions.

Four Deaths in the Life of Ronaldo Abok is the third instalment in the True West Theatre season of independent theatre at Riverside Theatres and is playing from Thursday, 17 November to Saturday, 26 November.

Ronaldo Abok is studying filmmaking, working his part-time job at the cinema, ferrying Aunt Mary and her kids around town and visiting Uncle Atem in hospital. And although Ronaldo’s certain he’s the next Tarantino, he can’t get his films off the ground – in Australia you need English to have a voice. Then he meets Rachel – a girl who knows her mind but questions whether Ronaldo knows his. Will he be a Lost Boy forever, or will he find peace?

Four Deaths in the Life of Ronaldo Abok is a funny, moving and beautifully uplifting new work from local playwright Ian Meadows, whose television writing credits include Spirited, Offspring and Slide. This is Meadow’s debut Sydney production before his mainstage premiere of Between Two Waves at Griffin Theatre Company in 2012.

At the heart of the work are a team of Southern Sudanese Australian artists who have passionately contributed stories, history, song and dance through a series of development workshops facilitated by Small Things Productions. The performers bringing the work to life include Abraham Ajok, Akol Deng, Amer Achiek (The Slaves), Awek Akech (My Name is Sud) and Johnson Ngor (Ben-Hur – The Stadium Spectacular).

Small Things Productions staged the sell-out run of Ladybird in the Downstairs Theatre at Belvoir as part of the 2009 B Sharp season. They are a group of artists committed to producing compelling, entertaining and socially urgent storytelling.

Over the course of 2011, True West Theatre has presented three assisted theatre productions in an inaugural season of work chosen to give voice to Sydney’s west. The program encourages new Australian plays, drama and comedy, multimedia and hybrid theatre forms, devised performance, music theatre or physical theatre that is text based and culturally specific works. Each production is assisted with a financial and marketing package for a two-week season each in Riverside Theatres. Supported by a grant from Arts NSW and supplemented by Riverside Theatres, True West is also sponsored by the Sydney Morning Herald.

The first in the True West season for 2011, Unsex Me was created by Parramatta based company Shh and drawing on dance, physical theatre, burlesque and text, was a cheeky and voyeuristic observation of the human mating ritual. Unsex Me played at Riverside Theatres from August 8 to 20. The second production was RU4ME, which played at Riverside Theatres from October 20 to 29. Written by Annie Byron, who plays Connie, a woman of a certain age who sets out to explore the heart hazards of social network dating. Directed by Wayne Harrison, RU4ME is based on the bestselling book Kissing Frogs by Andee Jones.
FOUR DEATHS IN THE LIFE OF RONALDO ABOK
With ABRAHAM AJOK, AKOL DENG, AMER ACHIEK, AWEK AKECH AND JOHNSON NGOR
Writer IAN MEADOWS
Co-Directed IAN MEADOWS and ADAM BOOTH
Lighting Designer TEEGAN LEE
Sound Designer STEVE TOULMIN

Four Deaths in the Life of Ronaldo Abok
at Riverside Theatres, cnr of Church and Market Streets Parramatta
DATES: Thursday, 17 November (Preview), Friday, 18 – Saturday, 26 November
TIME: 7.30pm
TICKET PRICES: Adult $25; Conc $22*;
BOOKINGS: Riverside Theatres Box Office on 8839 3399 or www.riversideparramatta.com.au
*Transaction fees apply