It's the smash hit musical that takes a cheeky and insightful look at life on the land, but behind the laughs, local production Kick off ya Boots has a serious message to share about mental health.
Written by local grain grower and playwright John Gladigau, in partnership with UniSA's ifarmwell* and performed by Little Town Productions, the highly acclaimed musical dinner theatre production returns to the stage this September, treating audiences to a celebration of what it means to live and work in a rural community.
Through the fictional Conner family of Kalmya Farm, Kick off ya Boots explores the sometimes-uncomfortable facets of rural living, such as succession planning, drought, and financial security, through song and theatrics to expose the unspoken discussions about farming life.
"It's really important when talking to farmers that you speak their language. As a farmer-playwright, the experiences that the Conner family face in the play are based on my own experiences, and those in the farming community around me, so they tend to connect well with the audience," Gladigau says.
"Farmers who have attended previous productions have said that they felt that they were in the story, and that their own lives were being lived out by the characters on the stage.
"We've even had people coming up to us saying, 'I'm 'Jack', I want to slow down but I don't know how'; or 'I'm 'Zoey', because I'm the second son who didn't get to come home on the farm'.
'We've found that a really effective way to engage with farmers is through humour, music, and good food - and I can personally vouch for that. So, what better way to share wellbeing messages than through lots of laughter, parody music and a hearty country meal!"
This year's production also weaves in themes from the ifarmwell module on building healthy relationships, with the cast showcasing ifarmwell's new Conversation Cards to assist and prompt conversations around difficult topics.
Dr Natasha Caulfield, ifarmwell's Program Manager says Kick off ya Boots explores tough themes in an entertaining and engaging musical setting.
"Confronting mental health problems head on can be challenging, so giving farmers the opportunity to engage with these themes through Kick off ya Boots is a good jumping point for further conversations," Dr Caulfield says.
"We know not everyone is going to do our online modules, so this play is another fun way of sharing evidence-based strategies to help farmers improve their wellbeing.
"It's so important that Australian farmers have easy access to mental health support - whether that be through a fun outlet like Kick off ya Boots, or the ifarmwell resources - and we're very proud to be a part of that."
Kick off ya Boots will perform five shows at the Loxton Lutheran Peace Hall throughout September, with four of the performances treating the audience to a hearty country meal while they enjoy the show alongside friends, family and neighbours.
The dinner shows cost $55 per person and will run between 6pm-10pm on Fri 20 Sept, Sat 21 Sept, Fri 27 Sept, and Sat 28 Sept. The cabaret show costs $25 per person and will run between 2pm-5:30pm on Sun 22 Sept.
Tickets are available online.
Notes to editors:
*ifarmwell is a free online wellbeing initiative designed by Australian farmers for Australian farmers. It aims to equip farmers with new tools that reduce the negative impact that stressful situations have on their lives, so they have more time and energy to focus on the things that make them happy.
The team would like to thank the James & Diana Ramsay Foundation for funding the ifarmwell relationships module, and the SA Drought Hub - Supporting SA farmers and regional communities for funding the Conversation cards.
