The Devil’s Grip
The Devil’s Grip.
Adapted by Gavin Roach.
Based on the book by Neal Drinnan.
Directed by Christian Cavallo.
The Devil’s Grip:
A malformation of sheep that consists of an indentation near the withers and down behind the shoulder as if a string had been put round that part of the sheep and tightened.
Seven shots ring out in the silence of Geelong’s rolling Barrabool Hills. As the final recoil echoes through the paddocks, a revered sheep-breeding dynasty comes to a bloody and inglorious end.
The Devil’s Grip is an orgy of violence and abuse that wiped out three generations of the Wettenhall family. It portrays lurid scandals involving Darcy Wettenhall, the man behind the world famous Stanbury sheep stud, that would emerge from the aftermath.
The web of secrets and lies that led to this bizarre murder spree are unravelled with the help of Bob Perry, Darcy Wettenhall’s decade-long secret lover, prior to his murder. With queer themes at its heart, set in Geelong’s 1950s landscape, this piece highlights a dark and abusive history within the region’s industrial and farming industry.
From the bucolic majesty, privilege and snobbery of the Geelong region’s prized pastoral lands and dynasties to the bleak, loveless underworld of orphanages, rodeo stables and homeless shelters, The Devil’s Grip is a courageous and thought-provoking meditation on the fragility of reputation, the folly of deception and the power of shame.
Creative Development
Stage 1: Creative Development 1. (Two weeks, full-time/ Four weeks, part time)
A draft of the script has been completed.
This first development period involves collaboration across text and dramaturgy.
Stage 2: Creative Development 2. (Two weeks, full-time/ Four weeks, part time)
This second development period involves the collaboration meeting in a studio space to further the material originated from the first development period, including table readings with actors, writing and responding to the feedback gained in these sessions.
Stage 3: Workshop. (Two weeks, full-time/ Four weeks, part time)
Stage three requires a workshop period to build upon the staging of the piece, working with actors in a space to further inform the physicality of the work. This stage will also consider what creative elements, physical and audio, are required within the piece.
Live Performance Outcome — A staged reading.
Creative Team
Christian Cavallo
Director
Christian is a graduate of the Masters in Directing for Performance at the Victorian College of the Arts. He has directed numerous theatre productions around the Geelong and Melbourne region including H#SHED OUT, The Eight Reindeer Monologues, Kinky Boots, Heathers The Musical, Dusty The Original Pop Diva and more. In 2019, he took part in an international collaboration which culminated in presenting AMOK>>>>HALT at the Asia Pacific Bond in Vietnam. He is currently Director for Class Act Theatre in Education’s touring shows.
Through COVID-19, Christian was one the Creative Directors who delivered Hope. New Works Development Initiative, producing and facilitating the series of ten developments for theatrical work, as well as directing three. He is also currently developing The Rubble through Geelong Arts Centre’s Creative Engine.
He has a theatrical background encompassing musical theatre, plays, immersive performance, theme-park work, concert and cabaret, and more recently devised works. He has also sung in bands and recorded. With working relationships across regional and metro Victoria, Christian has worked extensively with community groups. He is Artistic Director of emerging company Bravo Arts. He also works as a freelance graphic designer, specialising in entertainment marketing.
Gavin Roach
Playwright
Gavin Roach has a Bachelor of Arts (Acting for the Screen and Stage), Bachelor of Arts (Acting for the Screen and Stage, Honours) CSU, Masters in Arts Management UTS & Masters in Writing for Performance VCA.
Gavin is the writer, performer & producer of Confessions of a Grindr Addict (Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Perth Adelaide, Launceston, Hobart & New Zealand), Any Womb Will Do (Sydney, Melbourne & New Zealand), I Can’t Say The F Word (Melbourne, Perth & New Zealand), The Measure of a Man (Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Hobart, Brisbane & Prague), All The Songs I Can’t Sing (Melbourne) & Your Silence Will Not Protect You (Melbourne.)
Gavin adapted and produced Beyond Priscilla: The Play & was the co-devisor & co-creative developer of We Were There, showcasing the stories of women during the HIV/AIDS crisis in Australia.
Gavin produced the Western Australian and Victorian premiere of Manwatching, the Victorian premiere of Lake Disappointment, All I See Is You, the World Premiere of Your Silence Will Not Protect You, Transgression and the immersive installation work, The Loneliness Project. In 2020 Gavin produced Awkward Conversations With Animals I've Fucked, The Campaign, Sink and Adam during the Midsumma Festival and Fringe World Perth.
In 2021 Gavin will produce and direct the Australian premiere of Bottom, A Hundred Words For Snow, Run, The Shy Manifesto, as well as producing My Wife Peggy, Daisy Moon Was Born This Way, Good Cook. Friendly. Clean, Normal and Meet Me at Dawn.