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Creative Team
Created by Slingsby's Flying Squad
Edgell Junior, Alexis West, Jennifer Stefanidis, Delia Olam, Elleni Karagiannidis & Joshua Campton
Director Andy Packer & Clara Solly-Slade
Composer Quincy Grant
Designer Slingsby’s Flying Squad & Wendy Todd
Lighting Designer Darian Tregenza
Lighting & AV Realiser Mark Oakley
Writer's Note
By Edgell Junior
To me storytelling is everything. What I mean by that is, since the beginning of time, our old people and knowledge keepers used stories to teach our forefathers. Knowledge is passed on orally through stories, singing, sand drawing and cultural ceremonies. These things were passed on to our fathers and mothers who read the night skies, moon, wind, the birds’ and animals’ behaviour, so that we, their sons and daughters are prepared for what each new day brings. Through these teachings, we learn when it is the right time to go fishing or hunting, to plant new crops, or if a cyclone or bad weather is coming.
We are taught everything we need to know to survive in our homeland and look after our families. Nothing was written down. When schools were introduced to us, we were forced, for the first time, to open books, to learn the alphabet, reading, writing and modern history. In these books, we read about how Captain James Cook discovered Vanuatu, about the Queen of England, about Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and how Neil Armstrong landed on the moon. We read many things about many foreign places, were told we were learning the true history and that this was the way forward. But the real knowledge our children need about our culture and way of life, is not in these books and is not taught at school.
One thing we know for sure is that when something is written down, it can be lost, misplaced, or if in the wrong hands, be changed or deliberately misinterpreted for personal gain. When a story is told to you, it can never be lost or misplaced, it becomes a part of you, it runs through your veins, enters your DNA and is with you forever, until the day you die.
One day I asked Boss Man (Slingsby’s Artistic Director, Andy Packer) if he had ever heard of a tale about a river that ran uphill. He had not, but he said that 'the river that ran uphill’ would be a great title for a theatre show. When we were still rehearsing our last show, one day we were talking about disasters and Cyclone Tracey that hit Darwin in the 80s, came up in the conversation. Boss Man asked me if natural disasters were big in Vanuatu as well. I said yes and that there were volcanic eruptions, landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, and cyclones in Vanuatu. I explained that I had experienced all of these disasters, but the one that would always stay with me was Cyclone Pam. Partly because it was a devastating category 5 cyclone and partly because during this destructive storm, I witnessed something that l didn’t fully understand and until this day, is still strange and mysterious to me.
During Cyclone Pam, I also witnessed the fickle world of foreign aid and apparently well-meaning expats and international volunteer workers.
I told Boss Man my story, my experience of Cyclone Pam, and once I had finished, he said that this story would be our next show. The task of writing my story in English was not easy. It was much easier for me to tell my story than write it down. English is not my first language; it is my fourth language. Secondly, I am a storyteller, not a script writer, so now you understand my starting point, where I am coming from. Once I handed over my written story, I thought it would then be given to a script writer and be developed into a theatrical script. I was surprised to learn that my written story became the script. At first, this did not sit right with me; it is not how I am used to working. I had to trust the process, which is not easy for me (trusting people....hahaha). But with Boss Man’s guidance and vision, I knew we would get there.
I want to thank my Wan Smolbag Theatre family in Vanuatu and in particular Artistic Director Peter Walker (Olfala Man). I would also like to thank my partner Sasha Zahra and my family in both Vanuatu and Australia for their love and support. Big thanks go to Slingsby, the Flying Squad and Boss Man Andy Packer for believing in me and giving me this opportunity.
It is a blessing to be able to share my experience and story. Thank you for coming. Thank you for listening.
Director's Note
By Andy Packer
Within the first few weeks of commencing work with Slingsby’s Flying Squad ensemble, Edgell asked me “do you know the story of the river that ran uphill?” I didn’t but I was instantly intrigued! Edgell later told us about his incredible experience of surviving Cyclone Pam in 2015. Vanuatu and the Pacific community are on the frontline of the impact of the climate crisis, and it is an incredible privilege to have Edgell share his first-hand experience of living through a category 5 cyclone and how his community came together to support each other.
I hope that through sharing his story, we can provide both a wake-up call and a glimmer of hope, that if we follow the example of the Ni Vanuatu community, and work together, we may find a way to survive the challenges that are now upon us.
The River That Ran Uphill offers a chance to reflect on the climate crisis, while at the same time providing a message of hope through illustrating how the Ni-Van community came together to face the full force of its impact.
About Slingsby's Flying Squad
Slingsby’s Flying Squad is a team of five multi-skilled artists, travelling around South Australia, collaborating and sharing performances and workshops with remote, regional and metropolitan communities.
The Flying Squad is a co-investment made by the Federal Government's RISE Fund and the Government of South Australia’s Arts Recovery Fund, as a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the recognition that modern theatre requires innovation and highly adaptable ways of working.
The Flying Squad explores, creates, performs and facilitates, engaging with audiences and participants of all demographics through workshops and performances.
About Slingsby
Website | Donate | Climate action
Founded in 2007, Adelaide-based theatre company Slingsby creates emotionally powerful storytelling that invites audiences of all ages into immersive theatrical realms. Each Slingsby show is an invitation into a magical world, transporting audiences to a time and place that is at once breathtaking, and familiar. By telling stories of wonder, hardship and hope, Slingsby builds connections and joy within our community.
With an international reputation as a distinctive and cherished company with seasons at some of the world’s most prestigious festivals and venues including repeat invitations to New Victory !eater, New York, Dublin theatre Festival, Edinburgh International Children’s Festival and Sydney Opera House. Ten of Slingsby's original productions have now toured regionally, nationally and/or internationally across Australia, USA, Canada, Singapore, China, India, Norway, UK, Ireland, New Zealand. A brace of local, national, and international industry awards is testament to the company's renown for excellence in theatre making and life long impact on the lives of audiences of all ages.
Edgell Junior
Edgell Junior is a proud Ni-Vanuatu man (from Pentecost Island), now living in Adelaide. From 2011–2019, Edgell was a core ensemble member of internationally-renowned Wan Smolbag theatre (Port Vila, Vanuatu), who work year-round producing, devising and touring plays, films, short videos, workshop programs and educational resources. Vanuatu-based NGO Wan Smolbag theatre plays an important role in Edgell Junior's life, story and experience of Cyclone Pam.
Alexis West
Alexis West has worked as a dancer, choreographer, performer, voice talent, writer, director, producer, researcher, dental assistant, pot pig, poet, theatre maker, filmmaker and collaborator over the past 28 years. A Birri Gubba, Wakka Wakka, South Sea Islander and Caucasian woman living on Kaurna Country, Alexis is passionate about First Nation voices, the stories of people with disability, oppression, diversity and collaboration. She has worked as an Artistic Director with Karrikarrinya Theatre Collective, co-written with Elena Carapetis for State Theatre Company South Australia, written and collaborated for Kurruru Youth Arts and No Strings Attached. She has worked with and for SA Writers' Centre (now Writers SA), Spirit Festival, Our Mob, Art Gallery of SA, SA Film, Media Resource Centre, NITV, and Adelaide Fringe.
Delia Olam
Delia Olam is an award-winning actor/dancer, director, singer-songwriter, mum of three, theatre designer, and playwright who has collaborated locally and internationally since graduating. For over a decade, she has created and toured diverse cabaret works with live original music elements. Sharing stories that empower and unite are Delia’s raison-d’etre.
Jennifer Stefanidis
Jennifer Stefanidis (στις Έλληνες, Ευγενία Στεφανίδη) is a multidisciplinary Greek-Australian artist working on Kaurna Country, South Australia. A recent alumnus of the Flinders University Drama Centre, she has continued her collaborative, ensemble-based practice as a touring member of Slingsby’s Flying Squad. Jennifer undertook a directorial secondment with State Theatre Company South Australia on Antigone (2022), for which she performed various offstage roles before stepping in as an understudy. Her acting credits include The River That Ran Uphill and This Tree is a Story (Slingsby), The Seagull, Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again., Reckless, Our Town and Pre-Paradise Sorry Now (Flinders Drama Centre).
Josh Campton
Josh Campton is a Larrakia (NT), Wadaman/Karajarri (WA) & Guilidjan (Vic) actor, dancer and poet. He has performed with SA First Nations Dance Collective, OSCA, No Strings Attached, Tutti Arts, Act Now and Restless Dance, and studied with Tutti Arts. He acted in Maurice’s Symphony (2016), Jeremy the Dud (2017) and Mutt (2017). Josh received an Australia Council for the Arts Jump Mentorship in 2012.
Elleni Karagiannidis
Elleni Karagiannidis is a local artist living and working on Kaurna land, Adelaide. As a first generation Australian from a Greek Cypriot family, Elleni has always been surrounded by music, dance, and stories of wondrous places both afar and home. It was therefore inevitable that her fascination for storytelling would lead her to a love for the theatre. Since graduating from Flinders University Drama Centre in 2007, Elleni has utilised her skills, knowledge and passion for the arts as an actor, puppeteer, director, facilitator and program coordinator. Elleni has recently returned to Adelaide with her new family after living in Melbourne for five years. She is thrilled to be working with Slingsby as an ensemble member of The Flying Squad, bringing new, captivating, and beautiful theatre to audiences around our gorgeous state.
Creative Team
Andy Packer
Artistic Director
Andy Packer is a director of theatre, music theatre and opera. He has also worked as creative producer of multidisciplinary arts programs, producer of large-scale events and festival director. In 2007, Andy co-founded Adelaide-based theatre company Slingsby. The company’s productions have received 16 industry awards and toured to more than 100 theatres in over 70 cities and towns across 12 countries. Andy is renowned for creating original live performance moments that are emotionally powerful and visually bold. His work across theatre for young audiences, opera, cabaret, music theatre and symphonic concerts has pushed him to develop a distinctive theatrical form that is at once personal and epic.
Clara Solly-Slade
Rehearsal Director
Clara Solly-Slade trained at the Adelaide College of the Arts (2013) then undertook further training at the Acting Shakespeare Course at RADA, London. In 2017, she trained in La Mama Experimental Theatre Company at their Umbria Symposium. Clara was awarded the Helpmann Academy’s Neil Curnow Award (2018) where she interned in the USA (The H.E.A.T. Collective, Working Classroom and La Mama Experimental theatre Company). Clara has worked as a facilitator and director with young people for ActNow Theatre, Australian Theatre for Young People, Australian Refugee Volunteers and Western Sydney Migrant Resource Centre. Clara worked for two years full time as an Emerging Director Fellow with State Theatre Company South Australia and State Opera South Australia. In 2021, Clara directed at Adelaide College of the Arts in Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons and for DreamBIG Children’s Festival with Everything they Ever Said with Fingers Crossed Behind their Backs for the SAYart’s Youth Ensemble.
Quincy Grant
Composer
Quincy Grant’s work includes music for plays such as The Tragical Life of Cheeseboy and When The Rain Stops Falling, many works for orchestra that have been played in Germany, Canada, and by leading Australian orchestras, and soundtracks for films and documentaries broadcast on the ABC and SBS. He also writes for concert performance and film and plays in many groups - from rock to new music and most recently, wild gypsy music with Golonka.
Wendy Todd
Set Designer
Wendy Todd is an Adelaide-based designer of theatre, events and spaces. Recent productions with set and costume design by Wendy include Lighthouse (set only, Patch Theatre), North/South (Australian Dance Theatre), Picaresque (Robyn Archer, Adelaide Festival), Seashore (Sally Chance Dance/DreamBIG), Rabbits (Steel & Brown, State Theatre Company South Australia), Emil & the Detectives (set only, Slingsby), Long Tan (Brink Productions/State Theatre Company South Australia), The Young King (Slingsby), Touch’N ’Go (Sally Chance Dance), Cabaret Opening, Closing & Family Galas 2018 & 2016 (Adelaide Festival Centre), BlincBar Adelaide Festival 2015.
Darian Tregenza
Lighting Designer
Darian Tregenza is a lighting, vision, and multiskilled technician and designer from South Australia. Since graduating from Adelaide College of the Arts’ technical production course, he has gained valuable experience through his time working in local venues, with local theatre and dance companies, at festivals, on installations, and events. He has toured nationally with shows such as Patch Theatre’s Yo Diddle Diddle, Anna Goldworthy’s Piano Lessons, Slingsby’s The Young King, Emil & the Detectives and The Boy Who Talked to Dogs.
Mark Oakley
Lighting and AV Realiser
Mark Oakley is 6’5 and is not British. He is a technical designer working on Kaurna Yerta and around the world. His most recent designs include Cathedral (State Theatre Company South Australia, 2022) Di, Viv and Rose (Rumpus, 2022), Blood, Sweat and Karaoke and Clock for No Time (Rumpus, 2021), Claire Della and the Moon (Madness of Two, 2020), Limit (State Theatre Umbrella Production, 2019) 30,000 Notes (Under the Microscope, 2019) and The Executioners (Anya Anastasia, 2018/19). He has spent numerous years touring with Slingsby (The Young King, Emil and the Detectives) and continued travelling up to Woodford Folk Festival, where he was responsible for set electrical effects. Mark spent the 2018 Fringe season as resident lighting designer for The Lab at Queens Theatre and has also spent several years working at Co Opera during which he designed and toured shows interstate including Cosi Fan Tutte (2015) and Magic Flute (2015). Mark graduated from Brighton Secondary School in 2011.