The moving, enthralling and Green Room Award-winning story of ‘Driftwood The Musical’ comes to Melbourne and Sydney through The Umbrella Foundation.
After a hugely successful season at Chapel Off Chapel, ‘Driftwood’ returns there this May before heading to various venues in Sydney, and then it's off to New York later this year. It tells the inspirational story of the renowned Austrian/Australian sculptor Karl Duldig and his artist-inventor wife, Slawa Horowitz-Duldig. Their lives are followed through pre-war Vienna, the family’s narrow escape from Nazi Austria, Slawa’s ingenious invention of the foldable umbrella, and the incredible chain of events that took place after miraculously escaping the Holocaust and rebuilding their careers as artists in Melbourne.
The story of ‘Driftwood The Musical’ covers three continents and three generations. It has been adapted for the stage by award-winning playwright Jane Bodie, and is based on the original memoir by Eva de Jong-Duldig.
‘Driftwood’ captures the universal narrative of seeking safety for yourself and your family, the lingering effects of intergenerational trauma and inspiringly shares the contribution one family has made to the nation. The plight of refugees during wartime and the themes of loss, escape, migration, internment and resettlement remain relevant in modern Australia.
They are dramatically illustrated through this uplifting true story of survival and add to its universal appeal. The themes also mirror today’s growing global dislocation, division, uncertainty and isolation, increased surveillance, fear, lockdowns, and closed borders, as well as the loss of community and connection that threatens our social fabric and, ultimately, our humanity.
‘Driftwood The Musical’ plays Chapel Off Chapel (Melbourne) 3-20 May, Glen Street Theatre (Sydney) 24-28 May, Riverside Parramatta (Sydney) 31 May-4 June, and Eternity Playhouse (Sydney) 7-18 June.
