As I was chatting to New South Wales Governor Bourke about the 2 day bullock ride from Parramatta to Bella Vista Farm for the performance to which he was escorting me, I knew I was in for a treat. A history play performed by convicts about and on Bella Vista farm on a Sunday afternoon as the light dies over the Seven Hills. Yep, this is going to be good. An enamel mug of tea and damper with cockie’s joy. Wonderful.

Then one of those bloody female convicts stole my tea and scarpered off into the corner of the shed. Next a wanton strumpet came looking for male companionship asking my friend if she could borrow her husband. The poor urchin looked aghast when she said “you can have him” and scuttled away. A rather handsome male convict then tried to sell me a branch. Just a branch he had broken off a tree. A charming captain in a blood red cloak and holding a cat-o-nine-tails shooed him away to our relief.

CONVICT FOOTPRINTS AT THE FARM begins as this immersive experience and then settles into a wonderfully entertaining afternoon of historical storytelling. Ostensibly written and performed by convicts, the show looks at the history of the area in which it is enacted. A brief introduction to colonial life and transportation cleverly develops into an account of land through the experiences of Mrs Elizabeth Macarthur. To my shame, I had no idea how influential she was. In her husband’s long absences, she spent many nights away from the comfort of Elizabeth Farm in Parramatta to oversee the Merino breeding and farm development in the Seven Hills area under the ‘vast blazing sky’.

Solidly researched and written with that delicate balance of entertainment for a traditional theatre goer yet with enough detail enough for the lover of history, the story rollicks along. The conceit of the show being created by the convicts gives licence for the antics and a fun licentiousness. This is not one for any kiddie who can rhyme a sailor’s ditty or knows how a ram can behave! But it’s not all craziness; the script has moments of pure pathos and stillness which are so well performed by the ensemble cast. This is especially true of the lovely relationship between John and Elizabeth Macarthur which forms the heart of the story.

They all work incredibly hard to bring this story to life. It’s a very physical show. There’s water and falling including some spectacular dying. And there is buffoonery and lots of running around as befits a big tale performed in a big space. And there is real skill and craft to be appreciated in cast of convict performers. Each interprets a convict character beneath the other people they inhabit and their work with the physical props and delineating costume is flawless.

The colonialists we meet are broad and seen through the eyes of the convict. The Aboriginal people speak with an upper-class British accent mixed with other stereotypes …a sure sign of being witnessed by the ‘other’. Norfolk Island gets a hard time as does Joseph Banks. There are bushrangers and squatters and rebellion. Everything you want to bring history to life.

This current show is playing at the Bella Vista Farm until January 15. It is just a fabulous, fun afternoon which is a pure delight to experience. My friend and I laughed all the way home vaguely wishing we were in a horse and sulky rather than my Hyundai. We will try and arrange something for the next show, the sequel, which I am greatly looking forward to.

The coming production, CONVICT FOOTPRINTS ON THE FARM : THROUGH THE YEARS will feature an even more intimate performance that will take the audience through a tour of the farm and tell the story of successive owners up to the present day. This production will take place between the 5th and the 14th February.

For more information visit http://www.convictfootprints.com.au