FEARLESS is a one hour documentary about the inspirational 92 year old playwright Julia Britton.

Written, directed and produced by Rob George and Mark Poole.

At the age of 92, you’re supposed to be planning a move to the next world, not a trip to London to put on your next play. Yet this is what playwright Julia Britton is doing.

Julia is lively, outspoken and engaging – a true free spirit. She has constantly reinvented herself over her 90 years, working as a journalist in South Africa, teaching classics in Adelaide before beginning a new life writing plays after her husband died.

Filmmakers Rob George and Mark Poole follow Julia and her crew to London, to see if it pans out to be a brilliant move or a massive folly…

FEARLESS takes us on an intriguing journey that explores the incredibly productive life of an amazing woman, and her volatile relationship with collaborator Robert Chuter, who directs her plays.

Production Details

Fearless was produced over two years with funding from the Australian Film Commission, Film Victoria, and Ovation.

Rob George has known Julia Britton for many years, since they both lived in Adelaide, South Australia. Rob and Mark interviewed Julia and Robert Chuter a number of times before hearing of their proposed trip to London to take the British theatre scene by storm.

With initial funding from the Australian Film Commission, Rob and Mark followed Julia and her entourage to London. The play, Fresh Pleasures, had mixed success.

Upon returning to Australia, Rob and Mark secured the interest of Ovation, the pay TV arts channel, and further funding from the AFC and Film Victoria. This enabled them to complete the film.

Artist ANTHONY BRESLIN produced the initial artwork that forms the opening title of the film, and he was engaged to create more art that forms a number of animated sequences throughout the film. Anthony is clearly a highly talented artist, and his work has substantially contributed to the finished film.

Editor ROSIE JONES was brought on board to complete the editing of the film, and her contribution was considerable. She provided invaluable insights into the material as the ‘fresh pair of eyes’ and her work is why the film flows as well as it does.

Once the film was locked off, Rob and Mark travelled to Adelaide to spend a week with composer QUENTIN EYERS, whose fluency and creativity with the guitar and piano in particular have lifted the film to another level. It was quite an experience working with Quentin, who wouldn’t rest until each piece of music was perfect. Quentin’s QEM Studios also mixed the film.

Direct from sell-out shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the oldest swingers are back in town, hot-to-trot with their award-winning comedy. Don’t be caught nana-napping!

At the Jurassic Park retirement village our motto is ‘never say die’ and growing old disgracefully is the only way to go!

Boogie on down to some hip-replacement hop, enjoy vintage angst with The Leader of the Geriatric Pack and get your lippy on for grab-a-granny night!

‘The surprise hit of the festival!’
The Scotsman

‘Delightfully filthy, silly and entertaining!’
Three Weeks

‘Much laughter about the ridiculous aspects of getting older’
Broadway Baby

‘The audience guffawed and cheered. Hilarious!’
The Age

Available to tour.

Enquiries to roomoo2@ozemail.com.au

Technical Requirements.

Stage: Minimum stage area required 8m x 4 m or thereabouts. Loading access for small set (2.4m x 1.8m sections)

Lighting: Sufficient to delineate 3 separate stage areas with a centre special spot.

Projection: High quality A/V projector with cabling for Macbook Pro and screen – preferably at least 3m x 2.4m. Alternative music and AV source is a DVD player with screen amplification. 

Audio: Minimum of five audio channels. 3 quality microphones plus stands (preferably old fashioned). 

When the wireless was the centre of the entertainment universe, Ada and Elsie’s unique brand of comedy was broadcast around Australia for sixteen years.

Ada & Elsie: Wacko the Diddle oh! recreates the spirit of 1940s live radio entertainment. The glamour, the music, the live sound effects, the off-air drama—including being banned by the Postmaster General! According to a 1953 ‘Radio Roundup’ Ada and Elsie were `ribald in a ladylike way and most genteely vulgar. And very, very funny! One of the brightest listening spots of the week? Before Kati, & Kim, before Eddy & Patsy, there was Ada & Elsie!

The Original Ada and Elsie

Ada and Elsie was a top-rating comedy act during the golden age of Australian radio, the 1940s and 50s.

Created in 1942 by Dorothy Foster, who played Ada opposite Rita Pauncefort as Elsie, Ada and Elsie broke boundaries for women in radio and comedy. They performed alongside the famous names of Australian radio – Dick Bentley, Jack Davey, Roy Rene, Willie Fennell – in the jewel-in-the-crown of the Colgate Palmolive radio unit, Calling the Stars.

This lavish variety show ran for over ten years, broadcast nationally from the Trocadero Ballroom in Sydney in front of a live audience of 2,000 people, complete with orchestra, glamorous vocalists in evening dress and dashing announcers in dinner jackets. Ada and Elsie in their demure frocks, gloves and spectacles with their hair tucked under plain little hats, were introduced as ‘those two old-fashioned girls’. But whilst their demeanour was sweet, wide-eyed naivety, the scripts written by Dorothy, were bursting with innuendo.

According to a 1953 ‘Radio Roundup’ Ada and Elsie were, “ribald in a ladylike way and most genteely vulgar. And very, very funny!” Their act was considered “one of the brightest listening spots of the week.”

Ada and Elsie have the distinction of being banned from broadcasting for three months in 1945 by the Postmaster General for being obscene! And in an uncanny parallel with recent radio events, the offending script involved a reference to royalty. In 1948 they starred in the first public demonstration of television in Australia.

For 16 years Ada and Elsie ruled the airwaves on Calling the Stars, The Cashmere Bouquet Show, The Cadbury Show and finally their own thirty minute sit-com, The Ada and Elsie Show. They became part of the lexicon – any pair of scatterbrained middle-aged women who mangled metaphors was dubbed Ada and Elsie; pets were named after them; lottery syndicates took their name; they were popular fancy dress subjects and they were impersonated on talent shows.

Cast

Carole Yelland as Ada/Dorothy Foster.

Carole graduated from NIDA in 1970. During the past 40 years she has performed and toured with many major theatre companies, including the Old Tote and the Melbourne Theatre Company. On television she worked in Prisoner, Homicide, Matlock Police, Division 4, The Sullivans, Neighbours and Cop Shop.

For the ABC Carole appeared most recently in Something in the Air and over the past years has featured in The Fast lane, Inside Running, Janus and Phoenix. Carole has been seen recently as a guest performer with the critically acclaimed Red Stitch Theatre Company in Melbourne and has toured extensively with Alzheimer’s the Musical – A night to remember!

Maureen Sherlock as Elsie/Rita Pauncefort

Maureen performed around Australia with Circle Theatre Co and The Stage Co and produced her own cabaret shows Molls and Housewives’ Playtime whilst a director of Theatre 62. TV appearances range from 49 episodes of News Free Zone for ABC, The River Kings, The Shiralee, Robbery Under Arms, to guest roles in MDA, Blue Heelers, Something in the Air, Wilfred and Kath & Kim.

Writing credits include TV dramas Blue Heelers, Chuck Finn and Wormwood, the ABC quiz show Flashback, Million Dollar Minute for the Seven Network, The Music Shop for Network Ten, Here’s Humphrey for the Nine Network, animations Ketchup, Gasp, The Woodlies and The Odd Family. She has written several successful comedy cabaret shows, including the award-winning Alzheimer’s the Musical – A night to remember! and Tragic at their Age, as well as Don’t Touch Me There for The Fabulous Singlettes.

Maureen has had four children’s books published and collaborated with Rob George on several projects including the successful stage plays Percy & Rose and Lovers & Haters which premiered at the 2008 Adelaide Festival of Arts.

Malcolm Hansford as Jack Davey

Malcolm is a Melbourne-based actor and musician who is a well-known face around Festivals and Corporate events as an MC, solo artist and also as a member of various ensembles, including Living Stories, Howdie Cowdies and The Gram-o- Phonie Brothers.

Malcolm is also the Musical Director of Ada & Elsie: Wacko-the-Diddle-oh where his skills as a singer and multi-instrumentalist (piano, keyboard, guitar, accordion, spoons and ukelele) are put to great use.