The theatre is proud to present Sugarland by Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP), toured by Performing Lines, on Thursday, June 9 at 7.30pm.

Written by Rachael Coopes and Wayne Blair and Directed by Fraser Corfield and David Page, Sugarland will provide a glimpse into a teenage Australia that feels like a foreign country.

This exceptional new play will make you laugh, cry and stay with you long after you leave the theatre.

Over two years from 2011, ATYP and playwrights Rachael Coopes and Wayne Blair (The Sapphires; Redfern Now; Gods of Wheat Street) spent two months undertaking residencies in Katherine, Northern Territory.

They wanted to create a story that would give young people an understanding of what life is like growing up in remote Australia.

Manager of Griffith Regional Theatre and Art Gallery Raina Savage said Sugarland explored an unseen world of big responsibilities and simple pleasures, of complex issues and elusive solutions and gives insight to lives rarely seen on the Australian stage.

“This is a beautiful play about friendships in unexpected places, and their power to save a life,” Ms Savage said.

“Sugarland is a compelling new Australian work that is both haunting and humorous, providing audiences an insight into what it is like being young and growing up in remote Australia.

“Sugarland confronts important issues such as depression, domestic violence and drug use, has a wide audience to reach whether it is young people, parents or just your everyday theatre lovers.”

The story follows the unlikely friendship between Nina and Erica. Nina’s good at school but that’s not important – she needs a house to live in and she needs it soon.

Nina’s living at her Auntie’s so she can go to school in town but it’s not working out.

Erica’s dad is in the RAAF so her life is transplanted every few years. She moves so often she’s stopped even trying to fit in.

The only thing the girls have in common is the music they listen to. But sometimes that’s enough. 

The Theatre will be offering a special schools performance the following day on Friday 10 June at 11am, along with several Community Engagement workshops.  

Griffith Regional Theatre encourages the community to get behind this great production. For school bookings, tickets will be only $15 per student. The play is closely aligned with the National Curriculum’s Indigenous Perspectives and cross curriculum priorities, with many resources readily available for schools to help unpack the production and address the key themes raised.

Tickets are available online at www.griffithregionaltheatre.com.au or by calling the Box Office on 6962 8444, or in person at 1 Neville Place Griffith.