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'Uncle Jack Charles is an Australian legend: veteran actor, musician, Koori elder and activist, but for a good portion of his nearly 70 years he has also been an addict, a thief and a regular in Victoria’s prisons.'
'From Stolen Generation to Koori theatre in the 70s, from film sets to Her Majesty’s prisons, JACK CHARLES V THE CROWN runs the gamut of a life lived to its utmost. Charles’ unswerving optimism transforms this tale of addiction, crime and doing time into a kind of vagabond’s progress – a map of the traps of dispossession and a guide to reaching the age of grey-haired wisdom.'
'This fleet-footed, light-fingered one-man show is a theatrical delight and a celebration of Black Australia’s dogged refusal to give up on getting on.' (Source: Ilbijerri Theatre Company website)
Teaching Resources
Production Details
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CAST AND CREW
Performed by Jack Charles.
Director: Rachael Maza.
Dramaturge: John Romeril.
Musical Director: Nigel Maclean.
Script Consultant Melanie Beddie.
Set & Costume Designer: Emily Barrie.
Lighting Designer: Danny Pettingill.
Audio Visual Designer: Peter Worland.
PERFORMANCE HISTORY
2018 - Shizuoka Arts theatre, Japan, 6 May 2018.
2014 - The Barbican, London, 11-15 February; Samuel Beckett Theatre, Dublin, 8-12 October.
2013 - The Amphitheatre, George’s Green, Darwin Festival, 16 – 18 August; Canberra Theatre, Centenary of Canberra, 17-19 July.
2013 National Tour (1 May 2013 – 18 August 2013)
Frankston Arts Centre (Frankston); Whitehorse Arts Centre (Nunawading); Esso BHP Biliton Wellington Entertainment Centre (Sale); West Gippsland Centre (Warragul); Clocktower Centre (Moonee Ponds); The Drum Theatre (Dandenong); Altona Theatre (Altona); The Butter Factory Theatre (Wodonga); Illawarra Performing Arts Centre (Wollongong); Glen Street Theatre (Belrose); Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre (Bathurst); Orange Civic Theatre (Orange); Cessnock Community Performing Arts Centre (Cessnock); Glasshouse Arts, Conference and Entertainment Centre (Port Macquarie); Nambour Civic Centre (Nambour); Griffith Regional Centre (Griffith); Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre (Wagga Wagga); Plenty Ranges Art Centre (South Morang); Chaffey Theatre (Renmark); Hopgood Theatre (Noarlunga); Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre (Mt Gambier); Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre (Bunbury); Mandurah Performing Arts Centre (Mandurah); Queens Park Theatre (Geraldton); Matt Dan Cultural Centre (Port Hedland)
2012 - The Space Theatre, Adelaide Cabaret Festival, 23 June; Albay Entertainment Centre, Perth Festival, 15-23 February.
2011 - Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane Festival, 7-10 September; Upstrairs Theatre, Belvoir Street Theatre, 30 March -17 April.
2010 - Arts Centre, Melbourne International Arts Festival, 12-17 October.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Crossing to Stream
2021
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— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 4-10 September 2021; 'Amid the gloom of an industry largely left to fend for itself through the pandemic, digital seasons of live performance are a sign of hope. By Robert Reid.'(Introduction)
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Theatre Legend Jack Charles
2021
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— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 3-9 July 2021;'A former thief and heroin addict, theatre legend Uncle Jack Charles has been part of some of the most important movements in Australian theatre history. By Jacob Boehme.'
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On Jack Charles
2018
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— Appears in: Overland , Winter no. 231 2018; (p. 8)'The life of Jack Charles has been told in the film Bastardy (2008) and the theatre production Jack Charles V the Crown, which has toured nationally and internationally for several years. Aspects of Jack’s life have been horrific. He is a member of the Stolen Generations, taken from his mother, family and community. Jack spent the young years of his life in institutions and foster care, where he was subject to the levels of violence and torture that accompany colonial repression. Jack’s subsequent years spent in prison are well documented, as is his remarkable contribution to Australian art and culture – in theatre, on the screen and, vitally, within the Aboriginal community.' (Introduction)
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Stolen Moments
2014
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— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 16-22 August 2014; (p. 30)'...It's not easy to draw a man like Jack - to newly see someone so very looked-at. I ask him about the documentary experience: how it feels to be laid bare...'
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Review : Jack Charles v The Crown at the Barbican
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: KangRooviews 2014;
— Review of Jack Charles v The Crown 2010 single work drama 'Veteran Aboriginal actor Uncle Jack Charles speaks nothing by the truth in his deeply personal stage production Jack Charles v The Crown, play at the Barbican until 15 February...'.
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Untitled
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 24 October 2010; (p. 19)
— Review of Jack Charles v The Crown 2010 single work drama -
Inside the Thinking of Two people Worlds Apart
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian , 18 October 2010; (p. 16)
— Review of Jack Charles v The Crown 2010 single work drama -
A Talented Life Rediscovered
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 14 October 2010; (p. 23)
— Review of Jack Charles v The Crown 2010 single work drama -
True Man of the Earth
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 9 September 2011; (p. 72)
— Review of Jack Charles v The Crown 2010 single work drama -
A 'Mongrel' on a Mission
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 13 - 14 August 2011; (p. 14)
— Review of Jack Charles v The Crown 2010 single work drama -
Blanche's Boy
2010
single work
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— Appears in: The Monthly , October vol. 61 no. 2010; (p. 16-17) -
The Resurrection of Jack
2010
single work
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— Appears in: The Age , 6 October 2010; (p. 21) -
Rough Life Flowers into One-Man Show
2010
single work
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— Appears in: The Australian , 14 July 2010; (p. 3) -
Indigenous Attractions at the 2011 Brisbane Festival
2011
single work
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— Appears in: National Indigenous Times , 10 August vol. 10 no. 232 2011; (p. 65) -
One-Man Show Hits Belvoir St
2011
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— Appears in: Koori Mail , 6 April no. 498 2011; (p. 49)