The initial concept for The Deep North came about while Matt was working on a play about Liberia and realised the most interesting stories about the African diaspora came from the performers themselves. Having worked in both Ghana and Uganda, he took inspiration from these countries when developing the production.
“The diverse cultures in Africa are a rich source of stories and theatrical styles. I was particularly struck by the harmonies and passion of the Ugandan choirs, that are the centres of their communities. Everybody sings! It’s as natural as breathing,” Matt said.
“I was also inspired by the Yoruba theatre that really beaks down the fourth wall between performer and audience. Its raw, passionate and real. Like Brecht, only a lot more fun. We want this show to be a celebration of African culture as it develops and grows in Australia.”
Pontsho said the African-Australian community in South Australia is amazingly talented and vibrant.
“Our people are really kicking goals in the music industry, with incredible artists like Elsy Wameyo and DyspOra. It’s been an amazing journey combining hip hop with afro-beat and other genres, as well as exploring the stories of our cast, where they’ve come from and how they’ve made sense of their environments.”
Pontsho admits however that that learning the realities of being a performing artist in the current industry has been challenging.
“It’s really hard work, but if you keep believing in yourself and what you really want to say, eventually you will find your voice and your audience. It’s a matter of gauging the circumstances and you can only do that when you’re in the game, so to speak. It’s also important to form and sustain relationships, not just with other artists, but venue managers, producers and arts administrators.”
Matt reiterated the importance of undertaking work-integrated learning, with many Flinders Creative Arts students going on to achieve great success in their careers.
“Kirsty Stark is now a producer with Kojo Productions. Benno Thiel is running his own video production company. Victoria Cox produced the award winning Wastelander Panda. Dario Russo wrote, directed and produced cult SBS comedy Danger 5. Sophie Hyde is running the major production company Closer Productions. The list goes on and on.”
“Working with industry leaders gives you confidence to express yourself in your own voice and it makes you future-ready.
“Flinders Creative Arts programs are hands-on and product-driven. We work with real clients and produce professional content. At the same time, we can analyse the impact of our work from an informed academic perspective. It is the ideal combination of research and practice.”
The Deep North launched on Wednesday, 10 March at the 2021 Adelaide Fringe Festival.
