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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'In the 1870s a girl is born under a tree - her birth tree - chosen to give her strength and wisdom. When the tree is cut down she follows it into the white man's world, working as a cook for the big house on the island. Her tree has become a kitchen table, one she will pass down through successive generations as a legacy - a way of carving out her family stories. Now, generations later, a young man and his mother fight for ownership of the table.'
Source: back cover, Currency Press imprint (2007)
Notes
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Developed during a 2002 residency at Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris.
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Known under the title 'Cookie's Table' until 2006.
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This play was assisted through HotHouse Theatre's A Month in the Country residential program, funded jointly by Arts NSW and Albury City. A HotHouse Theatre commission assisted by: Nelson Meers, Myer Foundation, Arts NSW, Besen Family Foundation and with support from: Arts NSW Indigenous Strategic Projects, City of Sydney and Rio Tinto Aboriginal Fund.
Production Details
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Featured, but not workshopped, at the 2005 Australian National Playwright's Conference.
Produced in Tokyo, 1-7 November 2006 as part of the Dramatic Australia Festival at the Repertory Theatre KAZE. Performed in Japanese with translation by Keiji Sawada and Rei Sudo.
Australian premiere production produced by Griffin Theatre Company at SBW Stables Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales, 10 August - 22 September 2007.
Director: Marion Potts.
Designer: Bruce McKinven.
LX Designer: Luiz Pampolha.
Composer & Sound Designer: Brett Collery.
Cast: Roxanne McDonald, Leah Purcell, Russell Smith, Ben Dennison, and Blake Herczeg.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Serving the Living Land : Place and Belonging in Australian Aboriginal Drama
2014
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Enacting Nature : Ecocritical Perspectives on Indigenous Performance 2014; (p. 151-164) 'European settler fear and distrust of the physical environment has been a notable feature in Australian literary writings since the nineteenth century...In contrast, Indigenous Australians traditionally have a strong, positive and multi-layered relationship with their historical homelands...' -
Celebrating Indigeneity: Contemporary Aboriginal Playwriting in Canada and Australasia
2011
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Theatres in the Round 2011; (p. 91-108) -
Spotlight Falls on Theatre
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 14 February 2011; (p. 45) -
Trip Turns Out to Be One-Way Journey
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sunday Mail , 10 October 2010; (p. 13)'Former Queensland girl Leah Purcell, talks about acting, babies and working hard at giving her characters depth'
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[Review] The Story of the Miracles at Cookie's Table
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: Australasian Drama Studies , October no. 57 2010; (p. 233-235)
— Review of The Story of the Miracles at Cookie's Table 2006 single work drama
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Eat, Drink, and Take Heart
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 18-19 August 2007; (p. 23)
— Review of The Story of the Miracles at Cookie's Table 2006 single work drama -
Laying It on the Table
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 19 August 2007; (p. 25)
— Review of The Story of the Miracles at Cookie's Table 2006 single work drama -
Welcome Return
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: Brisbane News , 13 -19 October no. 805 2010; (p. 33)
— Review of The Story of the Miracles at Cookie's Table 2006 single work drama -
Voicing his Link to the Past
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 9 - 10 October 2010; (p. 16)
— Review of The Story of the Miracles at Cookie's Table 2006 single work drama -
Comedy Cloaks Power
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 19 October 2010; (p. 46)
— Review of The Story of the Miracles at Cookie's Table 2006 single work drama -
Saga of Four Generations Wins Patrick White Award
2006
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 29 May 2006; (p. 14) -
More Than Just Table Talk
2007
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 5 August 2007; (p. 22) -
Cookie's Table Lays Platform
2007-2008
single work
column
— Appears in: Artery , Summer no. 5 2007-2008; (p. 4) -
Act One
2010
single work
biography
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 16 - 17 October 2010; (p. 24-27) -
Trip Turns Out to Be One-Way Journey
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sunday Mail , 10 October 2010; (p. 13)'Former Queensland girl Leah Purcell, talks about acting, babies and working hard at giving her characters depth'
Awards
- 2008 nominated Deadly Sounds Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music, Sport, Entertainment and Community Awards — Excellence in Film & Theatrical Score Nominated for Enoch's script.
- 2008 shortlisted Victorian Premier's Literary Awards — Prize for Drama
- 2008 shortlisted New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting
- 2005 winner Patrick White Playwrights' Award