Beloved autobiography A Fortunate Life to be brought to life on stage in upcoming regional tour

A beloved Western Australian story blending live performance with a cinematic experience is set to take to the stage as part of an extensive tour of regional WA. Theatre company THEATRE 180 and entertainment platform CinemaStage are set to venture to several South West towns presenting a unique telling of A Fortunate Life by Albert Facey in April. The production will be showing at the Boyup Brook Town Hall on April 2, the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre for two performances on April 5, and Nannup on April 14. First published in 1981 nine months before his death, A Fortunate Life chronicles Albert Facey’s early life in Western Australia, his experiences as a private during the Gallipoli campaign of World War I and his return to civilian life after the war. The documentation of Facey’s extraordinary life of hardship, loss, friendship and love is a favourite among readers from all over the world and continues to be studied in schools. Theatre 180’s stage adaptation of the award-winning autobiography brings the story to life with a cast of three along with the recreation of significant landscape scenes on large screens providing the cinematic backdrop. Theatre 180 artistic director Stuart Halusz said A Fortunate Life is a “perfect project for the evolution of the company” addressing their vision of bringing the work of an entirely Western Australian project to a potentially greater audience in WA. “It brings together our 30-year history of creating theatre from oral and written histories, our passion for narrative storytelling and deeply held belief in the power of theatre for audiences of all ages to connect with each other on a human level,” he said. “Storytelling, through theatre and cinema is the best possible way to learn from our past, reflect on our present and imagine a better future. “Theatre also lives outside of theatre venues and I’ve always been passionate about site-specific works which extend the possibilities of audio-visual creativity as well as the talent of WA writers, actors, set and costume, lighting and sound designers. “This exciting project marries the immediacy of theatre with the visual impact of cinema.” A Fortunate Life has already enjoyed extensive tours throughout Perth and regional WA since opening in Midland in 2020 prior to the COVID-19 lockdowns. After the production became one of the first live productions to resume playing in front of audiences, Halusz said it was “pertinent” to continue touring the show and make the most of being able to enjoy live performance. “We can learn so much from Bert Facey’s resilience, hope, courage and humility; qualities which epitomise the fortitude and ingenuity of our early pioneers and those generations who lived through two world wars,” he said. A Fortunate Life is touring regional WA as one of CircuitWest’s Shows on the Go for 2023.