A Belloo Production

BACK TO BILO

Produced by Performing Lines

A true-life testimony to people power and persistence

Priya and Nades left war-torn Sri Lanka and found each other in regional Queensland. They married, had two daughters, worked hard and settled into a simple but happy country life.

The community welcomed them with open arms — but four years later came a knock at the door and they were ripped away in a dawn raid.

Their story could have ended there, but a brave band of Biloela women weren’t giving up on them so easily.

Fighting alongside the young refugee family, they launched a grassroots, people-powered campaign that galvanised hundreds of thousands of ordinary Australians to demand the family be brought back to Bilo. This is the remarkable true account of one family’s ordeal in the nightmare limbo of immigration detention, a story of how love is stronger than fear and of how persistence and togetherness can win against crushing odds.

Back to Bilo is a profoundly moving new play from celebrated local company Belloo (Boy, Lost) and is made with — and from — the heart of regional Queensland.

"A must-see production about the triumph of the human spirit and the power of community." — Cathy Hunt, Women of the World Festival

Creatives

Writer Katherine Lyall-Watson
Director Caroline Dunphy
Original Concept Matt Scholten
Dramaturg Kathryn Kelly
Production Design (Lighting & Set) Govin Ruben
Costume and Props Design Keerthi Subramanyam
Sound Design Guy Webster
Composers Guy Webster & Menaka Thomas
Video Designer Mic Gruchy
Videographer (Biloela Video Content) Shaun Charles
Tamil Cultural Consultants Sudhesh Somu & Vashini Jayakumar
Assistant Director Janaki Gerard
Producer Performing Lines
Producer (Belloo) Kristen Maloney
Foyer Installation Artist Charlotte Haywood
Design Associate (Set) Max Bowyer

Production Manager Jason Thelwell
Stage Manager Mikayla Hosking
Assistant Stage Manager Tia-Hanee Cleary

“Matt Scholten has been working for over two and a half years on a theatre project that tells the true story of my family and my home community of Biloela. Matt has the permission and support of my family and the people of Biloela who have supported us and helped us receive permanent visas to remain in Australia. I have fully supported Matt and Katherine’s work so far and hope that they will be able to keep working on the project and wish them every success.”  - Priya Nadesalingam

February to March 2024

From February 19 to 28, Belloo and the creative team spent eight inspiring days in the studio at Shake & Stir Theatre, collaborating with talented artists including Leah Vandenberg, Matt Domingo, Janaki Gerard, Zoe Houghton, Hsiao-Ling Tang, Michael Tuahine, Jessica Veurman, Guy Webster, Esther Elder, and Kathryn Kelly. After this intensive studio period, we traveled to Biloela, joined by Peter Cossar, Shaun Charles, and the project’s originator, Matt Scholten. From February 29 to March 3, we hosted a well-received gathering in Biloela, culminating in a rehearsed reading at the Anzac Club on March 2.

In Biloela, we had the honour of sharing our work-in-progress with Priya, Nades, Simone, Angela, Bronwyn, and the Bring Priya, Nades, and Their Girls Home to Biloela community. We are profoundly grateful for the warm welcome and the insightful conversations that emerged.

May to June 2024

HAVEN: HOME TO BILO (working title) had its third public reading at Queensland Theatre and the Biloela WOW Festival.

Following a two-day rehearsal at Queensland Theatre, we traveled to Biloela, where HAVEN: HOME TO BILO (working title) proudly opened the WOW Festival on May 31.

Creatives
Writer & Co-Creator Katherine Lyall-Watson
Director & Co-Creator Caroline Dunphy
Originator & Co-Creator Matt Scholten
Tamil Cultural Advisors and Translators Vashini Riswan & Thinesh Thillainadarajah
Composer & Sound Designer Guy Webster
Dramaturg Kathryn Kelly
Associate Producer Emily Coleman

2024 Development Cast
Priya & Ensemble (South Asian) Leah Vandenberg
Nades & Ensemble (Sri Lankan) Matt Domingo
Vashini & Ensemble (Sri Lankan) Janaki Gerard
Bronwyn & Ensemble Zoe Houghton
Angela & Ensemble Hsiao-Ling Tang
Simone & Ensemble Jessica Veurman
Politicians & Ensemble Michael Tuahini

Photos from the March 2024 rehearsed reading in Biloela.

December 2024

In the lead-up to the holiday break, Belloo held a two-week design development for Back to Bilo at Queensland Theatre. This intensive process brought together Co-Composer and Sound Designer Guy Webster, Production Designer Govin Ruben, Video Designer Mic Gruchy, Costume and Prop Designer Keerthi Subramanyam, Director Caroline Dunphy, Assistant Director Janaki Gerard, and Writer Katherine Lyall-Watson to explore how this powerful story could be brought from page to stage.

The December development placed a spotlight on the design process—an essential phase in realising a theatrical work. Back to Bilo integrates original score and video design with live performance, a transformative set, and detailed costumes and props to create an experience that brings audiences into the heart of the family's journey.

Creatives
Written by Katherine Lyall-Watson
Directed by Caroline Dunphy
Original Concept by Matt Scholten
Tamil Cultural Advisors Sudhesh Somu & Vashini Jayakumar
Produced by Performing Lines
Producer (Belloo) Kristen Maloney
Dramaturg Dr Kathryn Kelly
Assistant Director Janaki Gerard
Production Designer (Lighting & Set) Govin Ruben
Costume & Props Designer Keerthi Subramanyam
Co-Composer and Sound Designer Guy Webster
Co-Composer Menaka Thomas
Video Designer Mic Gruchy
Biloela Video Content Shaun Charles
Production Manager Katherine Harch

Images by Jade Ellis Photography.

regional development 2023

The rehearsed reading of the first draft of HAVEN: HOME TO BILO (working title) took place at the Biloela ANZAC Memorial Club on the 20 of July, 2023, for an invited audience of Home to Bilo campaigners and the Nadesalingam family. This was followed by an excerpt of the play shared at the Flourish Festival in Gladstone on the 22 of July, 2023.

The cast for this development were Stephen Geronimos, Zoe Houghton, Monica Kumar, Steven Rooke, Hsiao-Ling Tang & Jessica Veurman.

Dramaturg Kathryn Kelly; Video Artist Shaun Charles; Tamil Cultural Advisor and Translator Vashini Riswan.

Photo Credits: Shaun Charles, Caroline Dunphy, Matt Scholten & Chelsea August.

Creative development 2022

Brisbane City Council's Creative Sparks program funded a creative development in 2022. We were thrilled to have Simone Cameron from the Home to Bilo campaign team join us in the development room and to have Priya Nadesalingam and Bronwyn Dendle join us via Zoom. 

The cast for the 2022 creative development were Kerith Atkinson, Barbara Lowing, Michael Mandalios, Steven Rooke & Jessica Veurman.

SUPPORTERS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Major Festivals Initiative, managed by the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, in association with the Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals Inc commissioned by Brisbane Festival, Darwin Festival, Perth Festival and Queensland Theatre.

The foyer installation and cultural consultancy were supported by the Dr Don Batchelor Award, granted by the Creative Industries Faculty at Queensland University of Technology.

Back to Bilo Mentorship Program is supported through the Australian Cultural Fund and received matched funds via the ACF Boost Program.

The WOW Festival play reading in Biloela was supported by WOW Australia and Brisbane Festival.

The 2024 regional development and showing was supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and Queensland Theatre.

The 2023 trip to Biloela and Gladstone was made possible thanks to a Festivals Australia Grant from the Australian Government.

The 2022 development was supported by Brisbane City Council’s Creative Sparks program, a partnership between the Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council to support local arts and culture in Brisbane.

In 2022, Katherine Lyall-Watson and Matt Scholten were also supported by the Australian Plays Transform Duologue Program.