The Sapphires (play) facts for kids

The Sapphires is an exciting Australian play. It was written by Tony Briggs and directed by Wesley Enoch. The story takes place in 1968. This was a year after a big vote in Australia that helped give more rights to Aboriginal people.

The play tells the story of a singing group called The Sapphires. They are four Yorta Yorta women. They travel to Vietnam to perform for soldiers during the war.

The play is based on a true story. Tony Briggs's mother, Laurel Robinson, and her aunt, Lois Peeler, really did tour Vietnam as singers. Laurel remembered it was very scary. She said, "One night a bomb went off, the bed fell down and the place shook."

Even though the play talks about serious topics like Aboriginal rights, it's also full of fun and laughter. This mix makes it very entertaining for everyone.

The Play's Journey

First Shows

The play The Sapphires first opened in 2004. It was shown by the Melbourne Theatre Company. After that, it moved to Company B in Sydney in 2005. The first actors in the play included Deborah Mailman, Rachael Maza, Ursula Yovich, and Lisa Flanagan.

Later Performances

The play was brought back to the stage in 2010. This time, it was by Black Swan and Company B. New actors joined the cast, like Christine Anu, Casey Donovan, Hollie Andrew, and Kylie Farmer.

In 2010, the show traveled to the Daegu International Music Festival. There, Casey Donovan won an award for Best Supporting Actress. The play also went to the Adelaide Festival. In 2011, the main cast included Casey Donovan, Lisa Maza, Ngaire Pigram, and Megan Sarmardin.

International Shows

The Sapphires even went to London! It played at the Barbican Centre for two weeks in March 2011. The same four lead actors from 2011 performed there. Peter Farnan, a musician from the band Boom Crash Opera, was in charge of the music for the show.

The Movie Version

A movie based on the play started being made in 2011. Some of the main actors in the film were Deborah Mailman (who was in the original play), Jessica Mauboy, Shari Sebbens, and Miranda Tapsell. Casey Donovan, who was praised for her role in the 2010 play, tried out for the movie but was not chosen.

Awards for the Play

The play The Sapphires won some important awards:

• 2005 Helpmann Award - Best Play (This award is for the best play in Australia.)
• 2005 Helpmann Award - Best New Australian Work (This award is for the best new play created in Australia.)