16 years ago, Australian playwright Mary Anne Butler lost a dear friend in a boating accident on Sydney Harbour, prompting her to drive down in her campervan all the way from Darwin.
She turned her journey into a play which has been put on stage again and again in the 10 years since it was released.
Now, it’s making its way to Riverside, with a very special twist.
When Butler lost a friend who she describes as an ‘extraordinary young woman’ in 2008, she said she spent a long time pondering her death, surrounded by the grief of their wider community in Darwin.
In part to get away from this, and to feel more connected, she decided to take a road trip down to Sydney a year later, where the accident took place.
“I think I just needed to see where she died, and make peace with it somehow,” she said.
“I remember putting my hand in that water, and really strongly feeling her DNA.”
From here, Butler went straight into an intensive five-day writing workshop with Jenny Kemp, who she credits as one of her greatest contemporary inspirations. Of course, having experienced what she just did, the words just spilled out of her.
“The story just came out, and I had my first draft in those five days, having had taken copious road trip notes and photos to refer back to,” she said.
What resulted was ‘Highway of Lost Hearts’, a play described as being half gritty road journey, half magic realism and all heart, with the main character not only trying to find a piece of her own, but being an allegory of a country which has lost it altogether, calling back to the communities Butler connected with along the way in her own journey.
“I realised how much, if we make the effort to connect with people, like really make the effort, that’s how a lot of that grief can heal,” she said.
“My connections to completely random strangers became really important.”
Butler performed in the original version of the play, which toured Australia almost a decade ago. She said she always loves seeing it done, but this particular iteration by Bathurst’s own Lingua Franca, starring theatrical powerhouse Kate Smith, is extra special.
“I think this one just finds its way into my heart, it really does,” she said.
“It’s completely nailed that essence of loss and grief.”
What makes this version of the production unique is that it has a musical element to it, performed live by alt-country duo and Central West icons, Smith & Jones.
“Smith & Jones, the musicians, have just done such a stunning soundtrack,” she said.
“They capture the nuances of the play perfectly, so it’s kind of like a shadow in the background of a dream. They do it so beautifully.”
Given that it stars talent from regional Australia, Butler said she can’t wait to see the show make its way to Parramatta – so much so that she’s even making the trip herself.
“I live in Melbourne now, but I’m coming over for it, which I’m excited about,” he said.
‘Highway of Lost Hearts’ will be on at Riverside Parramatta on Friday, June 14 and Saturday, June 15. Tickets start at $46. For more information or to book, visit http://www.riversideparramatta.com.au.
Cassidy Pearce is Parra News' entertainment journalist and beauty columnist. She is a graduate of the University of Technology Sydney.