SUGARLAND: BEHIND THE SCENES
OVERVIEW
↔ This is straight
from the National
Curriculum – cross
curriculum
perspectives
SUGARLAND: CONTEXT
COUNTRY/PLACE
VIDEO: The Place
Talks about: The geography of Katherine, pool, skate park, low level hot springs fishing
Tourists, fighting, homelessness, drinking , smoking, crime
NEED:
Images of the RAAF compound
Resource:
provide a map of Katherine that highlights the places the kids hang out.
The locations in the play. The climate
Create:
Your own version, a map of your country/ a map of the special places you
go, hang out etc. Explain your world to the young people in Katherine.
Comprehension activity that includes facts from the video and some
research. Statistics about Katherine the place and the people
PEOPLE
VIDEO: The People
Talks about: types of tribes in Katherine (salt/fresh/desert), Iraq, anglo, multicultural,
transient population
NEED:
-
more info on the RAAF base, community, kids
Resource:
Visual representation of the types of people in Katherine
Statistics on homelessness and employment?
Drama exercise on the TRANSIENT nature of the population. Discuss how
this would impact on friendships, school, relationships, sense of self etc.
CULTURE
VIDEO: Shame
Talks about: what is shame? – Can we EDIT OUT “I’m sick of it”
Include actors talking about shame – footage of scenes that deal with shame
Need advice about how to create a resource for this!!
Watch the insight episode about shame
NEED:
VIDEO discussion around indigenous cultural aspects – WAYNE??
-
family
-
cousins
Ask:
-
sorry day
-
death?
How does culture link with identity? In Katherine? In the play? In your life?
This might be a question for later but it links in the syllabus to
country/place/culture
SUGARLAND: THE PLAY
SETTING
NEED:
VIDEO Wayne and Rachael discussing the process of how the play was
written, where it was set and how it relates to life in Katherine.
Photos of the actual places next to excerpts from the script?
THEMES

Escape – deal with this driven by character

Death – how do we unpack the idea of cutting and choking?

Pain – what leads to characters feeling physical pain/emotional pain in the play

Happiness -

Friendship / connection/ technology – city vs country – technology vs face to face
Identify places for teachers to go for HELP if discussions about cutting/choking/death get
too much in the classroom.
CHARACTERS
How do the characters address the themes?
How do the characters relate to the Map of Katherine. Who hangs out where? Where
and when do the places overlap?
How are the characters trying to escape?
-
Map the methods of escape for each of the characters. Are they what you
would have expected??
SUGARLAND: THE PRODUCTION
In Rehearsal
Designers Perspectives
(two locations) set, costume, lighting
Director’s Perspectives
approaches to character, text, collaboration
Writer’s Perspectives
research, links to the community, approaches to character,
basing the story on real life (setting, themes, characters –
above) talk about the choking scene.
Actor’s Perspectives
character, text, collaboration, advice
Shame, choking,