Starring in Disorderly & Defiant are Brigid Dullard, who plays Claudia, Lauren Douglas (Lottie), Alisha Beavis (Gertie), Suzanne Spencer (Mrs Unwin) and Wendy Bennett (Mrs Maloney). Photo: Tamara Cadd
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Echuca-Moama Theatre Company is set to bring a story rooted in local history to life later this month.
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Disorderly & Defiant is an original comedy written and directed by EMTC member Francie Finn, who was inspired by police court reports from the Riverine Herald and the struggles of women fighting for suffrage in the late 19th century.
“After learning of one woman’s feisty courtroom retort to her husband’s accusations, I knew there was a play in it,” Ms Finn said.
Ms Finn’s extensive research included court records from the Echuca Historical Society, academic studies into details on female incarceration in Victoria, and the stories of tenacious women who fought for the right to vote in Victoria during the late 19th century.
“While this was sombre reading, I remembered the words of that gutsy woman who had inspired me, and knew she’d want it to be a comedy,’’ she said.
Pete Gibson plays the stern Magistrate Barton in the new show. Photo: Tamara Cadd
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‘’Although the story and the characters are fictional, the play is rooted in fact, both the comic and tragic.’’
Set in the 1890s, Disorderly & Defiant follows the story of Gertie Hogan, a mother living in Echuca’s hard-up Shinbone Alley, who finds herself arrested after a confrontation with local businessmen.
Charged with being ‘drunk and disorderly’, Gertie’s fate rests in the hands of the local court, presided over by a businessman with no legal training.
With the help of two brave prostitutes and the unexpected support of police Sergeant Unwin’s wife, Gertie fights for her dignity and justice.
“Gertie’s arrest and trial reflect the harsh reality for women who found themselves entangled in the legal system at the time,” Ms Finn said.
“While many of Australia’s early colonial laws were designed to keep convicts in their place, the practical use of these laws, still in place 100 years later, often meant women, like Gertie, first came before the courts on charges of ‘public order offences’.
“My research into the criminal records of Victorian women shows how women like Gertie were often first imprisoned for ‘crimes of poverty’, such as vagrancy or begging.”
The play marks the culmination of Ms Finn’s studies in theatre and performance and brings her vision of a dynamic, community-driven performance to the historic heart of Echuca.
“At its heart, Disorderly & Defiant is a celebration of women’s strength and resilience,” she said.
Five performances of Disorderly & Defiant will be held at The Foundry Arts Space, Murray Esplanade, from Thursday, October 24, to Sunday, October 27.
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