Parramatta Girls

‘Parramatta Girls’ is by the multi-award winning, Redfern playwright, Alana Valentine. This poignant play, with wonderful dialogue, is regularly on the High School Drama Syllabus. Her work earned around a dozen awards, including a 1999 AWGIE Award, a nomination for a 2007 Helpmann Award for Best New Australian Work and Best Play and a 2011 Queensland Premier's Literary Award.

This play was first produced by Company B at the Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney in 2007; now this production is proudly presented by the Old Mill Theatre, Corner Mends Street and Mill Point Road, South Perth. Curtain up for this two and a half hour play is 8.00 pm nightly, with shows until Saturday 26^th May. There is a Sunday Matinee at 2.00 pm on the 20^th May.

           We jump forward 40 years to 2003, and a smartly dressed middle-aged woman enters the school courtyard and looks around. She is Melanie (Susan Lynch), who was one of Parramatta’s most streetwise girls and an inmate at this ‘education’ establishment. Soon another, the successful – but at what cost? - Judi (Eva Calderwood) arrives for this school reunion. As they smile and warmly greet each other, another woman their age arrives, she is the distraught and deeply troubled, Gayle (Yvette Wall). Gayle ignores them, preferring to be alone.

          Back in time we see the arrival of the optimistically innocent Marlene (Dionne Hall). Because her parents are struggling to cope financially, the authorities have decided to put her in ‘care’ – and what care! She is soon befriended by two other youngsters, one still considered 'a piece of fauna', young Aboriginal girl, Kerry (Rebecca Garlett) and the sustainer and bright light, Coral (Andrea Fernandez). They fondly care for Marlene.

         Finally, disturbed and distressed, Lynette (Marsha Holt) nervously joins the group. She is very near tears. Repeatedly we return to the schooldays, intended to help mistreated or needy children, however the mental, physical and sexual abuse is prevalent. Some of the girls are ex-remand school, being prepared for the ‘real world’; others were taken from single parents and ‘looked after’ by the male superintendents. The treatment was draconian, with dehumanising brutality resulting in vivid nightmares. There was no love or privacy; many just buried their thoughts deeply. 

       Is there anything that they can do to improve their lot? Why is Maree not at the re-union? Will this get together help acceptance and closure?

I am pleased to see that this play is on the school list, as anyone in their thirties was alive when this obscene school was in still in action. The school changed its name a couple of times after 1974, not closing until 1980, but for the ten generations and hundreds of pupils, it will still be the dreaded Parramatta Girls’ School! For this reason I recommend that the young, as well as the old, see this outstanding production and understand how lucky they are today.

The direction by Finley nominee Siobhán O’Gara, assisted by Mary Wolfla, is exceptional. The pace for these short cameos is punchy and the performances that they have achieved with their extraordinarily talented cast are amazing and faultless. The photographs and the lighting (Geoff Holt and Ben Anderson) help convey the colossal depth of feelings. At 140 minutes, this is not an easy play the watch, but it has some optimism and humour and is certainly one of the year’s best. Try and see it, but take some paper tissues.

Many congratulations to all concerned.