Theatre 180 production Sydney II: Lost and Found finds human side to Australia’s worst naval tragedy

Eighty years after German raider Kormoran sank HMAS Sydney off the coast of Carnarvon, Australia’s worst naval disaster will be brought to life with theatrical performances in cinemas. Focusing on the true story of able seaman Allan Rowe — one of 645 crew who lost their lives on November 19, 1941 — Theatre 180’s Sydney II: Lost and Found delves into the battle, subsequent controversies and 67-year search for the wrecks at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. Perth-born actor Tom O’Sullivan plays Rowe, who had recently wed and only just learned new wife Jessie was pregnant. He would never meet daughter Ellen, who held a wake for her father after the warship was finally located in March, 2008 thanks to the indefatigable efforts of the volunteer-run Finding Sydney Foundation. The sad tale of Rowe forms the heart of Sydney II: Lost and Found, directed by Stuart Halusz and written by Jenny Davis founder of Agelink Theatre, which creates theatre from oral history and evolved into Theatre 180. The production, which received financial support from the Federal Government’s RISE Fund, kicks off at Rockingham Ace Cinema on August 18, then goes around WA until a finale in Geraldton coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the devastating sea battle. Chatting from Dunsborough, where he moved with his young family last year, O’Sullivan says Sydney II: Lost and Found is “a great WA story to be part of”. The NIDA graduate found the hunt for the wreck as fascinating as the events leading up its sinking. “It was a real mix of science, best guess, heavy lobbying to get the funding for it and luck,” he says, add that he greatly admired the drive of the volunteers to get closure for the families of dead seaman. Finding Sydney Foundation chairman Ted Graham came into rehearsals for the play, and will be portrayed on stage by Myles Pollard, who plays nine different characters in the production. O’Sullivan also has multiple main roles, including the Kormoran captain Theodor Detmers, as does recent WAAPA graduate Morgan Dukes, who plays Jessie Rowe. Despite both having stints on Home and Away and both living in Dunsborough, O’Sullivan and Pollard have not worked together since they were in New Zealand shooting minor roles as lumberjacks for 2009 movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine. O’Sullivan’s most recent work in a blockbuster was being “the back of Michael Fassbender’s head” as a “dramatic double” in Alien: Covenant four years ago. While Sydney II: Lost and Found won’t have the same level of special effects, O’Sullivan said he was struck by how seamlessly live theatre blended with action on the silver screen when he saw Theatre 180’s debut adaptation of A.B. Facey’s classic novel A Fortunate Life last year. “I was blown away,” he says. “It was everything I love about cinema and theatre. The moments where it really works were quite profound.” O’Sullivan says Davis rose to the challenge of creating a love story that epitomised the human side to the tragedy within a 105-minute production. “There were 645 lives lost in the disaster and this is just one,” he says, adding that he enjoyed learning about the Sydney. “I think a lot of people will come and see this and want to know more.” Sydney II: Lost and Found runs at cinemas from August 18 to November 21. Visit theatre180.com.au for details.

Theatre 180 production Sydney II: Lost and Found finds human side to Australia’s worst naval tragedy

The No. 1 source of news for every West Australian

Everyday Digital

Everyday Digital + Weekend Papers