Depression-era rural stigma comes to life in this adaptation of James Aldridge's novel.
Gaining the rights to 'The Untouchable Juli', artistic director of Fractal Theatre, Brenna Lee-Cooney set about adapting it for the stage. Focusing on the trials and tribulations of Juli, a mystic young man who wafts into a rural town with his mother and is immediately seen as a threat through his inherent difference to the townspeople with his 'genius' level musicality and sensitive nature. Sam Valentine plays Juli and fills us in on the play and why it still matters today.
“The play is an original adaptation of a novel written by James Aldridge who was originally an Australian playwright. The story of the play is it takes place in a remote Australian community and tells the story of a young boy called Juli, no one really knows where he came from, but they recognise that he's different and that he stands out. The play tells the events of Juli growing older and navigating the relationships he forms in the town. There aren't too many stories that tell tales of young Australian boys who don't fit in, and may never have a chance to fit in that kind of community, and the real pressure it places on them. The question becomes who is going to give – is Juli going to adapt or is the community going to adapt to him? And also asking is that the right way to do things.”
Juli is, it seems, a rather mysterious character, but Sam has found plenty of aspects of his personality to relate to, as well as pointing out Juli's wider connection to the over-arching themes of the play.“Especially from my perspective growing up as a young thespian, I sympathise with Juli, and I think we all went through a point in our lives where were a little bit awkward and we started to identify the things within ourselves that are unique and whether we like them or not. The play is quite a pertinent social commentary, which is still relevant given the way Australia is today. It questions how we are contributing to and supporting the minorities, how much we are giving to the artistic expression of today. And so despite it being set in the 1930s, in the Great Depression and in a rural community the audience definitely needs to see Juli could be anyone, and connecting to him as an individual also allows you to connect to the greater schemes the play is grappling with.
“When you perform a piece that's been written by a great Australian and has been adapted by someone like Brenna who is an incredibly experienced playwright, there's a certain calming effect. You know that a lot of expertise has gone into the crafting of the character and you know you're going to be dealing with something really deep and rich that you can sink your teeth into.“This is my first time being involved with Fractal Theatre, I know Brenna from around the tracks but this is my first major production... There are definitely plans for this production, part of getting ready for Ipswich is to prepare for taking it on tours on a national scale. There are plans to take it out to regional Queensland and we'll just see what happens.”
'The Untouchable Juli' plays at Studio 188, 16-25 July.
