Tell us about the play.
“All My Friends Are Returning to Brisbane is a sequel to the film – and play – All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane. It’s set over a decade after the events of the original and focuses on the lead character of Anthea, who returns to her home town of, guess where, after living in London.”
All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane hit cinemas in 2007 and now it’s 2023.Why the long gap sequel?
“Well, I’m always a sucker for a long gap sequel. It’s not quite up there with Bambi vs Bambi II or The Hustler vs Color of Money, but it’s close. And, of course, Oz cinema has a long rich tradition of delayed sequels – Wog Boy 3, Mad Max Fury Road, Melvin Son of Alvin – so it was nice to pay tribute to that.”
Seriously, why the long gap?
“Look, the film did very well for something made on a $42,000 budget – it got a cinema release, had a great run on DVD, launched a bunch of careers – but it wasn’t as though financiers were banging down my door for All My Friends are Leaving Brisbane: Maverick. I have had the notion of a sequel in the back of my mind for ages – it’s a logical progression – but I didn’t really have a reason to write it. I had to leave Brisbane, have various adventures, and come back myself. I reconnected with my friends who inspired the original play, and I thought it was interesting to see how they – and I – had changed. And also, to be honest, when work dried up during COVID, I figured I should write a spec so I did this.”
Is it a sequel to the film or the play?
“The film and play are slightly different, as probably no one on Earth remembers except for me. The play ended unhappily, the film ended happily. The lead characters fell in love in the film whereas they didn’t in the play. This one follows more from the film… but you don’t have to have seen either to enjoy it.”
Have all your friends moved back to Brisbane?
“Mostly. It’s weird, when I was making the film, they’d all gone, but now they’ve come back. They’re living in the same suburbs they grew up in too. Sometimes, when we’re together, it’s like nothing has changed – other times, it’s very different. People have gotten married, divorced, had kids, not have kids, made too much money, not enough money, but everyone’s kind of still the same, though you have to squint at times to see it. I thought there was a story in that.”
Do any cast from the original film return?
“No. Everyone was pretty much either not living here or busy doing other things. However, Tammy Tresillian, who plays Kath, was in the original stage production, and she reprises her stage performance, which is lovely. Tim Jackman was also in the original stage show and he’s in this one, though he plays a different role. They’re both fantastic, as are all the other actors: Simon Chugg, Marcus Oborn, Jaz Robertson, Sharnee Tones, and Willem Whitfield. There’s a hell of a lot of acting talent in Brisbane.”
You’re directing this one?
“Yeah, sorry about that, cast! There were two directors I wanted. The first was Paul Osuch, who directed the original stage production of All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane back in the day, as well as the live reading of All My Friends Are Retuning to Brisbane held last year. He was going to do it this year, but then got snowed under in his day job – he runs the Brisbane Fringe Festival – though he’s still heavily involved in the production as he runs the venue where we’re holding it. My other choice was Louise Alston who directed the film, but she was busy on her day job, directing a film in Oklahoma. So, that meant I had to go to my third-choice director, myself, but at least I’ve known know the author for a long time.”
Any plans to turn All My Friends Are Returning to Brisbane into a film or TV series?
“Film, no, TV series, yes, though I’ll try to do that one via the proper route of applications and rejections rather than myself. We did the first film as a DIY, and I think those days are past me now. I do think there’s a lot more stories to be told about these characters.”
Any plans for a third installment in the franchise, to make it a trilogy, Before Sunrise style?
“Well, I have an eight year old daughter now so I can imagine writing something like All My Children Are Leaving Brisbane and they won’t even call their father to let them know they are okay even though they are happy to dip into the emergency expenses fund I set up for them which was meant to only be used in case of emergencies. So, who knows? And I stress, like most writers I’ll write anything for cash!”
You’ve managed to carve out a career over the years. Any thoughts on the future of film, TV and theatre in Oz?
“The best, most inexpensive way to secure a thriving, diverse, sustainable industry that tells Australian stories that appeal to the maximum amount of Australians is to use quotas for local stories across the board – film, theatre, TV, streaming, whatever has yet to be invented. It’s been that way for the past 150 years and will be that way for the next 150 but some people still need convincing. Just set the quotas and stay out of the way!”
All My Friends Are Returning to Brisbane is at the Fringe Brisbane Building from November 30 until December 2. For more information and tickets see https://anywhere.is/event/all-my-friends-1-dec-730pm/
