David Burton delivers heart-warming speech on 'The Time Is Now' Opening Night

I’d like to join others in acknowledging the Turrbal and Jagera people. The show you’re about to see was entirely conceived on their land, and we give respects to elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded, and there is still no treaty. 

Something interesting happens around the age of 12. We’ve been talking about it in rehearsal. At 12 a child is no longer judged by their own developmental milestones and their natural evolving capacity (although I fear this age is getting drastically younger). Instead, in adolescence we judge individuals by how far they are from becoming a ‘successful’ adult. A 9 year old saying something profound is cute or even revelatory. A thirteen year old is too dramatic. Easily dismissed. A cry for attention. We dismiss them out of hand. A lot of this is because of how we were treated when we were 13, 14 or 15. We felt pretty crappy about the people we were then, and we weaponise it against others now.

When I was 15 years old, my drama classroom saved my life. That’s not hyperbole. This show talks a lot about privilege and political identity - and I am certainly wildly privileged, but I was an intensely unhappy teenager with an abusive home life and a tendency to isolate and shut down. Drama offered me safety and freedom of expression. It taught me how to articulate my beliefs, how to collaborate in teams, and the tenets of good leadership.

"When I was 15 years old, my drama classroom saved my life."

It’s easy to forget that theatre is more than just musicals, or even 400 year old plays about misogyny. There are thousands of artists working across the country in the broad church of ‘community arts’ with links into pedagogy, health, social work and much more. The links to empowerment, wellbeing and community cohesion are clinically proven. And I applaud and welcome La Boite’s now long-standing ambition to find ways to take this work onto the mainstage. There’s a lot to talk about. The right economic models, skills development for non-actors, and, of course, audience development strategies. And this is where you come in. 

I’ve had the privilege and honour of creating this show with my two friends and colleagues Ari Palani and Aleea Monsour. Together, we believe that theatre can transform lives - and that goes for being in the show and watching it. As I stand before you, it’s difficult to believe that I met this group of ten young people just two months ago. But in the space of just two months, we created a show. We worked with them to create political speeches that felt relevant and urgent to them personally. We had conversations and transcribed them. Sometimes we put on music and let them explore issues with their bodies and their words. While Aleea, Ari and I are credited as co-creators on the show, it’s more accurate to say there are over a dozen co-creators, with the young cast at the centre. The result is The Time Is Now, a show that we hope is important AND entertaining, and not only pushes you to have interesting conversations in the courtyard after the show, but encourages you to take to your networks and promote the living daylights out of it. 

"While Aleea, Ari and I are credited as co-creators on the show, it’s more accurate to say there are over a dozen co-creators, with the young cast at the centre."

It’s also worth pointing out La Boite’s loyalty and advocacy here. And I want to make sure to note the plethora of Queensland talent on tonight’s stage. The crew, the designers, Aleea, Ari and myself are all from Queensland. I am sincere when I say this: we’re grateful to be in work, and we’re grateful to be at La Boite, which has an almost 100 year tradition of showcasing Queensland arts. 

"I am sincere when I say this: we’re grateful to be in work, and we’re grateful to be at La Boite, which has an almost 100 year tradition of showcasing Queensland arts."

The show is a living animal, part performance and a lot of conversation. Every night is different, thanks to the inclusion of a singular adult cast member, who is invited to watch and respond to the work live on stage. It’s a different adult every night. As I speak to you now, an adult – a leader in business, politics or education – is meeting the participants right now.

And out of everything, that’s what I’m most excited for. I just want you to meet these young people. Believe me when I say they are pumped to see you. For many of them, this is their very first time performing. They’ve come straight from school to be with you. You will hear their stories tonight, all of them are real. I sincerely hope you have a fantastic evening.