Janis Balodis – November 18 2018

World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims – November 18 2018

Janis is as a freelance playwright, director and dramaturge. He majored in drama at Townsville Teachers’ College and holds a Doctorate from QUT. After working as a primary school teacher, Janis pursued a varied acting and directing career based in Brisbane and later in London, where he was a director and tutor at E15 Acting School. Janis has been an Associate Director of both the Melbourne and Queensland Theatre Companies, has served as a member of the Literature and Theatre Boards of the Australia Council and was Dramaturge-in-Residence and Artistic Associate at Queensland Theatre Company 1995-1996. Since returning to Australia he has worked predominantly in the theatre but has also written for television and radio. His published plays include Wet and Dry, Red Cap (with composer Iain Grandage) and Perfect Skin, his adaption of Nick Earl’s novel. His most recent work, inspired by a Korean fable, is The Tale of Samulnori, a collaboration between the innovative Australian company Legs On The Wall and South Korea’s AsiaNow with fellow artists Patrick Nolan, Rick Everett, Bree Le Cornu, Uitae Lee, Kathryn Puie and So Kyoung-Jin.

Engine
Currency Press, 2011; ISBN 9780868198897
Full length play; 1 female 1 male
Every week somewhere in Australia news headlines proclaim yet another tragedy of young lives lost in a car wreck. Communities are shocked, politicians duck for cover and families are torn apart … the same story again and again. Set a month after the crash, Engine is the story of “Grumpop” who lost a grandson and Natasha who lost a brother. Engine is a highly charged theatrical event about family, friends and cars and of fixing what’s broken and celebrating life.

The Ghosts Trilogy
Currency Press, 1997; ISBN 9780868195049
Too Young for Ghosts: full length, 3F 6M – The first major Australian play to deal with post-war immigration, it draws a parallel between the story of the explorer Ludwig Leichhardt and the arrival of a group of displaced persons from war-ravaged Europe.
No Going Back, full length, 4F 6M – The second play in the trilogy continues the exploration of the intrigues of a group of young Latvians who emigrated to North Queensland in 1948.
My Father’s Father, full length, 4F 6M – The final play in the trilogy explores the relationships and experiences, over 45 years, of a group of young Latvians who emigrate to North Queensland in 1948.