Melissa Merchant

There is something strange happening on Leighton Beach in Western Australia. A little toy zebra has washed up on the shore and Chitty-Chitty, the Willy-wagtail, has heard his child crying for him. With her friends - the forgotten toys in the Museum, Hanneen, Mous and Pauline, and an unexpected arrival, Raggedy Annie - Chitty-Chitty embarks on a journey to save him and return him to his child before the magic fades and the toys must return to their long, deep sleep. The Great Snottygobble, whose powers have summoned them all, has given them a difficult task to perform and they’re not sure they are up to it. For, alarmingly, Mugga, the Tasmanian Tiger, is on the loose, also summoned it seems by the Great Snottygobble. With the magic fading fast, they have to rescue the little zebra … but can they do it in time?

No Names, No Pack Drill is set in the Sydney summer of 1942 and looks at the effect of the so-called “Yankee invasion” during World War II. The story focuses on Kathy, a young married woman who lives in Kings Cross, who wakes up the morning after a party to find a US marine asleep on her couch. He is absent-without-leave, looking for a way back to the US – and what happens next changes the trajectory of both their lives.

The Lindy and Azaria Chamberlain story is fascinating, not just for the details of the case (which make compelling reading) but also for the way Australia and the world reacted at the time, during the subsequent inquests and trial, and through until today. This is a complex story and Alana Valentine has chosen to tell it in a complex way – through the more than 20,000 letters sent to Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton since Azaria’s death, and with a cast of a total of four performers (one who plays Lindy and three who play the remaining thirty plus characters). From a director’s perspective, this is a tricky script – how to do you ensure you honour the memory and contributions of those who are represented? How do you depict real people, many of whom are still alive? Particularly challenging was representing the voices of Indigenous Australians, who were a crucial part of the Lindy and Azaria story. Casting was a critical for this production and I was privileged to have a cast that not only understands the nuances and complexities of this story, but who are also committed to telling it in an authentic and genuine way. Ultimately, what has surprised me with this script, and this cast, is the light that can be found in the darkest of places. If nothing else, I hope this production encourages you to think critically about what you see and read.