Cover Image: Actors perform real Bunbury stories in the places they happened. Image supplied.

THIS IS WHERE…Not the Who’s-Who Guide, but an intimate Site-Specific show that champions grass-roots history.

In This is where… Siobhan Maiden has cast her net wide in the search for local stories with nuance and diversity, and the audience response has been unprecedented. Attracting people who might not ordinarily frequent Bunbury’s major civic centre BREC (Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre). This is Where… has piqued the curiosity of those who have travelled from near and far to not only see the show but attend the pièce de résistance of the production: Pat’s Snack Bar.

Locals have flocked to share memories and eat burgers – with that special burger bun and cabbage to boot – made to the original recipe! Add a fire pit as per the old premises and a voice over calling order numbers recorded by prior Pat’s Snack Bar Owner Doreen Roney, and you get a loving recreation of this Bunbury institution that operated between 1956 to 1997. Local Bunbury crowds flocking up on opening night said it all: “When you know you know”. Familiarity plays a part in the production and fondness for the replica of Pat’s Snack Bar evokes palpable pleasure and goodwill with strangers and old friends alike rocking up to snack bar in the BREC’s cordoned off carpark!

Pat’s Snack Bar was just the start. This is Where… is a large-scale production of Bunbury history told from an ordinary punter’s lens. It’s about a city in transition (Yes! Bunbury became a city in 1979 and is Western Australia’s third most populous city). This is no parochial telling of ye olde tales of bygone times. The theatre show – with walking as an essential element – reveals a treasure trove of subcultural remnants that might otherwise have remained untouched, were it not for artist/storyteller/journalist, Siobhan Maiden’s desire to infuse her day-to-day with more curiosity and understanding of local life.

Maiden’s simple idea to understand that place she’d moved to, was born of an insatiable curiosity. As a journalist and storyteller, originally trained in documentary film making, she holds a passion for understanding people. This curiosity and desire to bring people together began to snowball, over 100 locals were interviewed, generating reams of verbatim material at the ready for the project to become an epic telling of small stories. With the assistance of Fiona de Garis, an ally in the project from the get-go, This is Where… was formed. It was a bid for greater camaraderie and understanding between Bunbury’s diverse demographics – a fostering of empathy and a richer affinity between people from different walks of life. Maiden’s love of people, and the stories that even the most ordinary among us have within, planted a seed for the project as COVID-19 started to go into full swing. Aligned with BREC’s desire to create more locally embedded work, This Is Where… has become a game‑changer for both the venue and the community.

The local piece of theatre inspired by five years of research and community interviewing provides a wholesome, heart-felt and deeply historic experience and one that Bunbury folks from all walks of life can’t get enough of. Hundreds of people attended Pat’s Snack Bar as well as the production within the first few nights of opening!

Ten scenes each spanning 8-12 minutes are the bread and butter of the production. Following a Welcome to Country unlike any I’d seen before – an emotionally affecting audiovisual experience featuring stories by Aunty Phyllis Bennell, assisted by Charmaine Councillor—the audience encounters two contrasting stories in BREC’s theatre. One about two anti-deforestation protestors, unsung heroes of local environmentalism who find themselves confronted by local authorities, each treating the other with kindness despite their ideological differences. The second was about an Iranian family who move to Bunbury and are met with unerring support from their neighbours. Shakiba is the original storyteller and also performs her story herself, which is delightfully heartwarming!

Groups of eleven are then led to 8 other locations in the CBD. Some of the following stories we listen to through headphones. For example, Sam Gomme telling the story of her family’s shoe shop – puberty and rebellion in a small place is not easy – and the details are endearing and fascinating. Also, the stories of Amanda and Wally Yip who create a legacy by starting the first Chinese restaurant on Victoria Street. The stories include tales of young people who were affected by mental illness, or some who were taking a stand, and those who were met with the kindness of strangers. Notably, stories of the subcultural scene of souping up cars despite regulations and how that knowledge played out with the cops.

Maiden had numerous instances of insight and support dramaturgically and it has been people like Michelle Hall, James Berlyn, Russell Thorpe and numerous other who have supported the production and shown allegiance to regional arts! Maiden attests to Performing Lines’ Kolyang Program and the power of artist-led spaces to cross-pollinate work!

This is Where… is an incredible walking theatrical experience and an ode to the magic of the intimate, locally focussed storytelling. It shouts loud and clear from the top of the Milk Carton – Bunbury CBD’s unmistakable high rise – that small towns need not be parochial. Across all ten stories, protagonists call upon a reservoir of courage to display acts of micro-rebellion. Rifts, social cliques, and many other divides melt like butter at the hands of Maiden’s direction and labour-intensive research. And it is clear that Bunbury wants more! More of this kind of kaleidoscopic look at the rich social, industrial, and subcultural viewpoint that local artists have to offer.

This is Where… by Siobhan Maiden was presented and co-produced by Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre. For more information, go to www.bunburyentertainment.com