Lightning Ridge

Created by multi–award winning theatre company Catherine Wheels with text by Robert Alan Evans (The Voice Thief, Tiger Tale, Tiger), Lightning Ridge is a new one–woman show for families performed by Catherine Wheels Artistic Director, Gill Robertson (White, WhirlyGig).

Lightning Ridge is based on “Pobby and Dingan”, a short story by Ben Rice set in the Australian outback. It is about a boy called Ashmol who lives in Lightning Ridge, a small mining town, with his mum, dad and sister Kellyanne. Kellyanne has two imaginary friends, Pobby and Dingan. One day, Pobby & Dingan disappear, and Ashmol is happy that they are finally out of his life but Kellyanne becomes sick. As Kellyanne becomes sicker, Ashmol tries to find them, and he asks the people of Lightning Ridge to help.

On one level Lightning Ridge is about imaginary friends; on a deeper level it is about the belief and hopes of one family. It is about finding the strength to survive when everything seems to go wrong; and the passion, belief and commitment of one 12 year old boy.

“Lightning Ridge is an adaptation of the novella Pobby and Dingan by Ben Rice. When I first read it, I was engrossed, shocked and a little bit heartbroken; it is a short story, which pulls a huge emotional punch. It is also a funny, smart and authentic family drama. I love this story. I love that it is set in the strange world of opal mining in the Australian outback. I love that you meet the oddball characters who spend their lives looking for something they may never find. And I love that you follow this tale with no idea where it is going but hooked every step of the way.” Gill Robertson, Artistic Director of Catherine Wheels and Co-Creator Lightning Ridge