As we celebrate the end of our season of “The Paige Turner Bookshop”, we have been reflecting on one particularly special morning at the theatre.
On Sunday 18 October, acclaimed Brisbane author Trent Dalton joined us for a performance of the show before generously facilitating a Q&A with our cast, playwright Harry Fritsch and director Virag Dombay.
Having Trent in the audience felt especially meaningful for a production so deeply connected to Brisbane and to the power of stories, given his excellent work putting the city on the literary map thanks to books such as “Boy Swallows Universe”, “Love Stories”, and “Gravity Let Me Go”.
The Paige Turner Bookshop follows six young people who enter a mysterious neighbourhood bookshop and discover that the right story can sometimes arrive exactly when you need it. Throughout the play, books become a way for the characters to understand themselves and the people around them.
That love of storytelling has also been such an important part of Trent’s work. His novels have brought Brisbane streets and communities to readers around the world, finding extraordinary stories within places that many of us recognise from everyday life.
After the performance, Trent sat down with the young cast and creative team to explore how “The Paige Turner Bookshop” came together. The conversation covered the development of the story, the rehearsal process and what it was like for our performers to help bring an entirely new Brisbane play to the stage. Our cast also had the opportunity to share their own experiences of working on the production and what their characters mean to them.
We are incredibly grateful to Trent for giving his time so generously and for approaching the conversation with such warmth and curiosity.
To celebrate the conclusion of our season, we are now sharing the full Q&A for everyone to enjoy.
Head over to the Play on Stage YouTube channel to watch the complete conversation with Trent Dalton, Harry Fritsch, Virag Dombay and the cast of The Paige Turner Bookshop.