In 'Rovers', two of the country's finest performers Roxanne McDonald and Barbara Lowing celebrate Australia's trailblazing women through true stories and wild machinations.
Writer Katherine Lyall-Watson created 'Rovers' to showcase Roxanne and Barbara's talents – it's a fast-paced, poetic night of theatre with some sections taken verbatim from interviews with the two ladies, some written from imagination and some created from research into bushranging women.
'Rovers' is a journey through the hilarious misadventures of the women who made Roxanne and Barbara who they are today.
Here, Roxanne McDonald has a chat with us about the show, presented by Belloo Creative and Critical Stages.
Tell us a bit about ‘Rovers’.
Ooh – gee! 'Rovers' is a play about adventurous women. It’s about Barb and me – and I guess that makes us adventurous women, too! It’s about the free spirit in us to hit the road and go. I think I’ve always had that spirit. It’s also about the memories and the love of our families that we can share with audiences – just to take them on that journey and share snippets about who we are as women and as actresses.
What do you think makes the show so well-received?
I think that audiences young and old get something out of it. I think it’s the joy we bring to the stories and giving people a look inside our hearts and inside our experiences.
What are you most looking forward to about presenting it to audiences?
I love the fact that we’re older artists and we’re still doing what we love. We might get a few aches and pains but we’re still sharing ourselves with audiences and letting them see who we are and the depth and breadth of what we’ve done and what we’re still doing – as long as the old body can hold up! I love performing and I love performing with my dear, dear acting buddy Barb! Just the thought of doing it with Barb again just fills me with excitement that we’re going to be sharing the stage together again. She’s my sister girl! On and off the stage.
If you could have dinner with three trailblazing Australian women, alive or dead, who would you pick and why?
Margaret Fulton – she changed the way we cooked, bringing a feast of new flavours from other countries to our tables – a lot of the shows we see on TV now have come out of her work. I would’ve loved to have sat down at her table.
Julia Gillard – because she was the first female Prime Minister and she was so staunch in her role and I think she made an amazing Prime Minister – her guts and daring to have a profession like that in such a male-dominated place.
Karla Grant – she’s an Indigenous woman and I see her everywhere on TV and I love how she’s trailblazed for our mob, in another profession that didn’t see too many Indigenous women. I’d love to have a yarn with her and just hear her knowledge about our culture.
What’s it been like to work with Barbara Lowing?
It’s a dream – because when I saw her in 'The Matilda Women' back in 1993, I went, “this woman, she’s so good” and, well, she’s a lot of the reason I was inspired to keep going in acting. We have this real connection – she’s like my sister from another mister! I couldn’t see myself performing this with anyone else but her. She’s such a beautiful woman, inside and out – when you talk to her she really listens. She has this amazing wit, she’s so smart. . . And funny!
What has been the biggest challenge for you being a part of ‘Rovers’?
It can be physically demanding at times. But I’m primed for it! Really, the biggest challenge is that I’ve got another show on at the moment so it’s trying to fit everything in – trying to learn two scripts at once! As an actor you have to take the work when it comes.
Is there anything you’ve learnt about yourself through the show?
I’ve learnt that we all have stories to tell. I didn’t think I did. But then when this idea came about, I realised that I actually had something to say. I’ve learnt that I have incredibly supportive people that I work with, namely Belloo. And I feel like I can really express myself honestly and I have the freedom to do that without judgement.
Describe the show in three words.
A wild ride (but that’s three words on its own!) Okay. . . Honest. Poignant. Joyous. Yes, that’s it. It’s joyous!
’Rovers' plays Redland Performing Arts Centre (Queensland) 8 July.
