Name: THE FIRST TRAIN
SKU: ASC-1238
Availability: InStock

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THE FIRST TRAIN

$5.40 – $10.00

The First Train is a story told by a cobbler who mends children's shoes. A pile of small, worn shoes grows in the front of the stage, an ominous reminder of the countless victims of the Holocaust and ethnic cleansing.

The story is the recollection of a young boy who watches as the train for deportation arrives in his town. He recalls only his mother, her flight with him, her hiding him in a factory box, her words telling him to wait until she returns, and then the sounds of struggle, destruction, and finally the train departing.

Daniel Keene's collaboration with director Ariette Taylor—the Keene/Taylor Theatre Project—was critically acclaimed both locally and overseas.

The First Train was first performed as part of KTTP Season 13 in 2001.

Form/Style: monologue, epic drama
Length in minutes: 20
Cast: 1 total
Roles: 1 male identifying
Cast age groups: 18+
Audience age: young adult, adult
Publisher: Australian Script Centre

GALLERY
LINKS & DOWNLOADS
PRODUCTION HISTORY

TWO TAKES ON TRUTH AND LIES

FIONA GRUBER, THE AUSTRALIAN, OCTOBER 2008

Whilst discussing the 2008 production of ' Lower Depths' by Maxim Gorky, Director, Ariette Taylor and the Australian's Fiona Gruber reflect on the aesthetic influences of the Keene/Taylor project, in particular a furniture repository belonging to the Brotherhood of St Laurence that was a cornerstone of many Keene/Taylor productions.

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA

Keene Taylor Theatre Project : programs and related material collected by the National Library of Australia, accessible for research purposes.

45 DOWNSTAIRS

A brief history of 45 Downstairs, host to a number of productions included in the Keene/Taylor Theatre Project.

MELBOURNE THEATRE: THE WITNESS

RICHARD MURPHET, REAL TIME ISSUE #43, JUNE-JULY 2001

Richard Murphet's survey of Melbourne's theatre scene in the early 2000s, in which he discusses the Keene/Taylor Theatre Project.

DANIELKEENE.COM.AU

Daniel Keene's website, containing interviews, extracts, introductions and production histories.

KITCHEN TABLE INTERVIEW: DANIEL KEENE

ALISON CROGGON, THEATRENOTES.BLOGSPOT.COM.AU, NOV 2010

"For the first time I can remember, Daniel Keene has two productions on at once in his home town... Since he lives in the same house as I do, I sneakily exploited our proximity to ask him some questions. And, eventually, he answered them."

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