Accidental Guide to Sydney 2002…

‘Gods never drop things on the population without due cause…
accidents are not in the repertoire.”

An Accidental Guide… is a modern myth that takes the listener on a musical and sonic amble though the inner city streets of Sydney — Redfern, Central, Waterloo. Led by two ambivalent Angels, we shadow Murray — a young urban demigod, who is invited to a party of the gods, high above Sydney where the big decisions are made.

A little overwhelmed, Murray drops his whiskey glass out the window on his beloved city.

Zooming back down to earth the listener experiences a glimpse of the consequences—the ripples caused by this cataclysmic event—through the eyes of various characters out on the streets.

What emerges is an impressionistic sample of the longings, desires and disappointments of the little people left on the ground in a city ruled by big business from glass towers.

Producer: Gail Priest
Text: Caitlin Newton-Broad
Composition: Gail Priest
Engineer: Phillip Ulman

Duration: 30’10

Cast (in order of appearance)
Angel M - Steve Balbi (sung & spoken)
Angel F - Gail Priest (sung)
Murray - Brad Byquar
Circuit Girl - Melissa King
Suit Guy - Angelo D’Angelo
TJ - Nino Alessi
Unlucky Guy - Nicholas Cassim
Kiya - Hanna Furmage

This work was created as part of the Music Theatre for Radio Residency for an Emerging Artist funded by the Music Fund and the New Media Fund of the Australia Council, the Commonwealth Government's arts funding and advisory body, and by ABC Radio Performance & Features.