"If we carry enough hope, we can heal the world."
Samuel is afraid of the war in Maren and yearns to escape it. In the glow of moonlight, he is lured into the world within an unrolled piece of paper ...
Claire hopes to heal the world. Comforted by the memory of her father, she draws a fantastical picture with a secret life of its own ...
Doris desires the guidance of light to help her daughter Claire to survive the war. Frantically searching for her son Samuel, she is unaware of Claire's secret ...
In her inspirational article: Theatre Playscapes of Hope, award-winning Susan Marshall argues that a young person's autonomy can be further developed through a sense of comfortability with the way one carries oneself and shares their own personal presence in their lifeworld. Referring to her extensive research of World War II in Gozo and Malta (along with her own family story), she discusses how she used her new Theatre Playscapes theatrical style to create All the Hope We Carry.
In this play, All the Hope We Carry, we witness Susan's work with the Theatre Playscapes style in practice. Susan has developed a play that respects the war survivor, who faced with the traumas and turbulence of war, must find ways to carry themself and to survive. Susan uses her exceptional ability to distil and transcend vivid, dream-like moments, which evoke the spirit of the war survivor on a compelling and fantastical journey of hope. All the Hope We Carry will linger with you long after you have read it.
Author Biography:
Susan Marshall is a contemporary Australian novelist, fiction writer, poet, dramatist, essayist and theatre practitioner. She is renown for her unique attunement to the energetic motions of her lifeworlds (her playscapes) and how they set the spirit alight. Her body of work involves her drawing from such inspiration and blurring the distinctions between classical and contemporary writing and performance art techniques.In her role as a theatre practitioner, Susan has acted, devised and directed a range of dramatic stage productions in Australia, including her portrayal of the protagonist in Virginia Baxter's "What Time is This House?" for the Melbourne Fringe Festival and her role in devising, scripting and acting in "Orb.IT", directed by Brett Adam for the Melbourne International Arts Festival. Susan also had the privilege of stage directing the Australian premiere production of Timothy Daly's "Beach: A Theatrical Fantasia" with a young cast. She has been trained by renowned professional performing artists in Australia, such as: Di Gagen, James Wardlaw, Geoff Wallis, Richard Keown, Geoffrey Milne and Julian Meyrick.In 2013, Susan released her first professional theatrical play: "Broken World," published by RMDesigned, which was launched at the AATE/ALEA National Conference in Melbourne and positively reviewed by the Children's Book Council of Australia. This was followed by her second play, "Indigo's Haven," also published by RMDesigned in 2016.Susan is an honoured recipient of the prestigious "Award for Special Civic Service," presented to her by the Mayor of Richmond, Victoria, for her extensive civic contributions to the city of Richmond and the Richmond City Council. The Award particularly recognises her outstanding efforts in assisting young people through her work on the Richmond Youth Work Project and the Richmond Youth Council.During the COVID-19 pandemic, Susan expanded her writing repertoire, completing a range of poetry and fiction that were published at Vocal Media in the U.S.A. Most notably, her short story: "Peonies for Masha: Her Journey Home" was shortlisted as a finalist in the Vocal+ Fiction Awards in 2022.In 2020, Susan founded Story Playscapes, her professional writing and publishing business. It is there that she runs her My Story Meadow project, which involves her providing global literacy development opportunities as she shares her poetic and fictional �tudes with a global readership. At Story Playscapes, Susan also collaborates with the world-renown book designer, Ryan Marshall on the professional production of her written publications.In 2023, Story Playscapes published and released Susan's professional play publications: "Fleur of Yesterday" and "All the Hope We Carry". As the first two plays released in Susan's new Theatre Playscapes series, they officially present her monumental achievement: her new Theatre Playscapes theatrical style, developed for young performers, to readers and theatre makers around the world.In 2024, Story Playscapes will release Susan's novel: "Adira and the Dark Horse." It is the first book for adults in the new Adira Cazon Literary Mystery series. An atmospheric and gripping page turner, it unravels private detective Adira Cazon's journey as she attempts to outwit the dangerous dark horse. Story Playscapes will also release Susan's exclusive collection of 30 poems for adults: "Bare Spirit: The Selected Poems of Susan Marshall," where she further reveals how her attunement to the energetic motions of her lifeworlds, enables her to set the spirit alight. Susan's sensual verse draws upon breathtaking imagery to distil and transcend single moments, which can arise the 'bare spirit' from within.
