FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – MEDIA RELEASE
ROZ PAPPALARDO BRINGS HER ONE WOMAN SHOW ROSA TO QUEENSLAND CABARET FESTIVAL
ROSA – THE CONCERT VERSION
Singer songwriter Roz Pappalardo brings her Australian love story Rosa to the stage
in a special concert performance for Queensland Cabaret Festival. Rosa, the play
complemented by all original songs penned by Roz, is a joyous tale told through
song and storytelling that examines ties that bind while traversing through the
maternal ancestry from grandmother to granddaughter. Inspired by Roz’s own
family history, the show traces her grandmother’s journey from Sicily to Mena
Creek in Far North Queensland. The play was performed to a special season at JUTE
Theatre in 2011 and received rave reviews. This is the first time this theatre
production has been transformed into a live concert experience and audiences are
certainly in for a treat.
Roz Pappalardo needs no introduction to Queensland audiences. As part of the
incredibly successful indie duo women in docs, Roz has been on the Australian
touring circuit for decades. She also has an enviable solo career, with numerous
festival appearances under her belt. Creating Rosa was something a little different
for this talented performer and she is really looking forward to bringing the concert
version to the stage to share with audiences. She says the concert will be more
relaxed.
“Rather than me shifting between characters as I do in the formal play version, the concert version is more about me
telling the story of Rosa interspersed with songs, and every now and then one of the characters falls into the telling of
the story,” she says. “The characters sometimes just swoop up on me; it’s quite exciting in those moments. The characters
are so strongly developed and entrenched within me from the play version, and so closely based on my family that when
they appear, they make me cry, make me laugh, make me ponder. It’s fun and unexpected. Also the concert version has
an extra guitarist on stage, who I sometimes refer to as one of the characters, so that brings it more into the singersongwriter-cabaret world of telling stories, rather than a theatrical way of telling the story.”
Audiences will still be treated to the beautiful story behind Rosa. Rosa, Roz’s grandmother on her paternal side passed
away at a young age – 42 – years before Roz was born. Delving into her history to portray her ‘nonna’s’ story was a great
opportunity for Roz to find out more about her family. Rosa has fallen for Ginger Joe – the local roustabout, fisherman
and musician – much to the dismay of her family. Pressured by her family to take another suitor, one her family
like, and someone Rosa does actually grow fond of, she has a decision of who to choose. “Who becomes my
grandfather?” Roz asks. “You’ll have to come and see… The show tells the story of Rosa’s journey of keeping true
to her life goals, no matter what the obstacle – from a fresh young girl living in a small fishing village in Sicily, to
being a married woman with two toddlers, sailing across the sea to a life in a foreign land, on her husband’s
request.”
Delving into family history and sharing poignant personal stories with audiences is always a raw experience for an
artist, and it was no different for Roz. “It’s quite an emotional story to tell,” she says. “Sometimes I become quite
overwhelmed when I deliver the story. It gives me pleasure to share these characters. Many people, even if they
don’t relate to the Italian heritage can relate to how it feels to have family and perhaps a dusty skeleton in the
closet. I find that after I do Rosa, whether it be the play or concert version, people always track me down and want
to share their family story with me. I find that a huge privilege and honour to have that sort of story bestowed upon
me.”
Don’t miss this opportunity to share Roz Pappalardo’s family history as she tells the story of Rosa through song. Tickets
are on sale now. For more information, please visit www.rozpappalardo.com and www.qldcabfest.com.au
Saturday 14th June 2014 | 9pm
Visy Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse, BRISBANE QLD
www.brisbanepowerhouse.org | (07) 3358 8600
Saturday 7th June 2014 | 7.30pm
Studio 188, Ipswich Civic Theatre, IPSWICH QLD
www.studio188.com.au | (07) 3810 6100
MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Hot Off The Press Publicity | (03) 9014 1096 | (07) 4015 3205 | publicity@hotoffthepress.com.au