Smurf in Wanderland

Smurf In Wanderland premiered at Riverside Theatres on the 20th April. The show then had a season at Griffin Theatre Company from 2-13 May.

Smurf in Wanderland is one man’s insightful and hilarious examination of football, tribalism, belonging and identity. David Williams – acclaimed documentary theatre maker, writer and football fanatic – is the ‘Smurf’.

For the uninitiated, ‘Smurf’ is the nickname given to a Sydney Football Club Fan and ‘Wanderland’ is the home ground of the Western Sydney Wanderers. Williams is a long-suffering Sydney FC fan, who frequented Western Sydney Wanderers’ games on their home turf in Parramatta. Kitted out in his Sydney FC sky-blue jersey, Williams-the-Smurf stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the sea of red and black. Instead of fearing for his life he found a beautiful and profound unity amongst the ritual and fierce loyalty of the Wanderers fans.

A must see show for Wanderers and Sydney Football Club fans this is a story that breaks down the barriers of geography and debunks the myths of hooliganism at the football. It tells a tale of loyalty and unity integral and familiar to all football fans.

Dates & Times
Thursday 20 April 7.30pm – Preview
Friday 21 April 7.30pm – Opening Night
Saturday 22 April 2pm
Saturday 22 April 7.30pm
Wednesday 26 April 7.30pm
Thursday 27th April 11am
Thursday 27 April 7.30pm
Friday 28 April 7.30pm
Saturday 29 April 2pm
Saturday 29 April 7.30pm

*Warning – this show contains course language
* Please note – there is a 10 minute lock-out for this show

Written by
David Williams

Directed by
Lee Lewis

Starring
David Williams as the Smurf

Set and Costume Designer
Charles Davis

Lighting Designer
Luiz Pampolha

Sound Designer and Composer
James Brown

Dramaturg
Kate Worsley

Creative Futures Participant
Nick Atkins

Stage Manager
Kirsty Walker

Production Manager
Damion Holling

David Williams
David Williams is a leading Australian theatre artist whose productions open spaces for public conversation about political and social issues. David was the Curator of ATF 2015: MAKING IT, and has worked for 20 years as a director, writer, producer, dramaturg, and performer with companies across Australia including Ilbijerri, Griffin, Queensland Theatre, Merrigong Theatre Company, Vitalstatistix, Belvoir, Branch Nebula, Sidetrack Performance Group, Sydney Theatre Company, Urban Theatre Projects and pvi collective.

He is a past winner of the Marten Bequest Traveling Scholarship for Acting, a graduate of the Australia Council’s Emerging Leaders Development Program, a member of the 2015 Griffin Studio, and his theatre works have won Helpmann, Green Room and Drovers Awards. David was the founder and artistic leader of the performance group version 1.0, and co-created and produced all of the company’s work from 1998 until parting ways with the company in 2012. These works included: The Tender Age (with ATYP), The Disappearances Project, The Table of Knowledge (with Merrigong Theatre Company), The Bougainville Photoplay Project, THIS KIND OF RUCKUS, A Distressing Scenario, Deeply Offensive and Utterly Untrue, The Wages of Spin, CMI (A Certain Maritime Incident), From a Distance and The Second Last Supper. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of New South Wales, an Honours degree in Theatre from UWS (Nepean), and is currently an Honorary Associate at the Department of Performance Studies, University of Sydney, a committee member of SAMAG, and the Producer/ Programmer at the Seymour Centre.

Under the banner DW Projects, David Williams creates theatre works of social relevance, aesthetic rigour and emotional impact from research, interviews, transcripts and public documents. Current and upcoming DW Projects include: Quiet Faith (national tour April-July 2018), Smurf in Wanderland (National Theatre of Parramatta & Griffin Theatre Company) and Grace Under Pressure (Seymour Centre & The Big Anxiety). Smurf in Wanderland is David’s first work for National Theatre of Parramatta.