Tantrum's production of emotional play Good Mourning a good sign for local arts

Good Mourning, written by Sonia Dodd and directed by Sarah Armstrong, will run September 22-23 at the Civic Theatre Playhouse as part of the City of Newcastle's cultural festival, New Annual.

Nel Kentish, creative director of Tantrum Youth Arts, which is producing Good Mourning, says, "It's been a dream of mine for Civic to come on board and support the show. And we're doing it, it's exciting."

Good Mourning tells the true story of four young siblings and their Dad's cancer diagnosis. While the children come to understand what the "C-word" means, Mum and Dad make themselves busy with appointments, to-do lists and plans for their final three months together. The family embark on a farewell tour through Canberra, Newcastle and the Gold Coast, promising each other to reincarnate as magpies, and building final memories of a man they are only just getting to know.

While the play is not new - this will be its third season - it certainly is connected to Newcastle.

"Hannah Armstrong and Sonia Dodd are the creators of the work," Kentish says. "They were studying together at Charles Sturt [University] in 2019. As part of my work. I was a lecturer there. This work was beautiful, very well presented, ready to have its second life, beyond a student piece."

The play won the Blair Milan Touring Prize, enabling a second season in March 2020.

"When I came to Tantrum at beginning of 2022, Hannah [Armstrong] was there," Kentish says. "I said to Hannah, 'what are you doing with Good Mourning. It's perfect for the Playhouse.' I was just wanted it to come to life again,: Kentish says.

The nature and content of work has Kentish convinced it deserves to reach a much wider audience.

"We have all sorts of aspirations of touring this show," she says. "This show is about the families, a real life trip from Canberra through Newcastle to Queensland -. the farewell tour to the family all up the coast.. The scenes are happening in regional areas.

"We would love to map that journey with this show. It would be incredibly emotional, personal. We would love to see how far we can share this story."

The show is tightly cast, with only four actors.

"The four actors and the four characters are really fluid," Kentish says. "They play the four children in the family, but then they jump into mum and dad, they jump into doctors, they jump into teachers, and little kids in their kindergarten class. They have to jump around so much and create that characterisation in a really quick way, it's really, really challenging for a lot of actors."

The production is much more than a play.

"It's important for Hannah and Sonia to share the stories," Kentish says. "It is about Hannah's experience as a child. When you share this kind of story, it's important to hear back.

"Sometimes it's a writing workshop, about stories of loss and grief... or sometimes little pop-ups at markets, that encourage people to come."

One of the vehicles of expression for this show is handwritten stories on A4 paper, Kentish says. They become an art installation, woven into a sculpture installation in the foyer of the Playhouse, so when audiences come, they have time to peruse that exhibition, get into the world of heavy subject material - losing a father when you are a child.

"Although this show is sad in some places, it is the most joyful, fun, high-energy silly show at the same time," Kentish says.

Kentish suggests the show is best for ages 16 and up. "It is a story of loss, death, cancer. We would want audiences to know that going into the show. Everyone has been touched by cancer in some way. For audiences, they can put themselves in these places, these positions, moments in the family's lives. There is so much in there that is relatable."