Meet the Cast: Interview with Tina Bursill, Genevieve Mooy and Terence Crawford

We spoke with Tina Bursill, Genevieve Mooy and Terence Crawford, the stars of the upcoming The Children by Lucy Kirkwood, and asked them each a lightning round of questions about what drew them to the play, their favourite thing to do in Adelaide, and if they would have their character from the play over for dinner!

What was your first big break?

Everything I did was a break because it was the beginning! I was rejected from NIDA but my first big break was probably launching into the world of television. It was in a TV series called Skyways in 1979. That was the beginning of alternating between theatre and screen work.

Do you have any favourite roles or memorable experiences?

It sounds cliché but they’re all special because it’s a pathway to the next one. I’ve just come from playing Madame in Cinderella and the reason it was a highlight was, with all the years of experience of doing all the other things, I was in a musical and it was absolutely wonderful. Previously, I also had a wonderful role playing Meryl in a tv series called Doctor, Doctor and she was just a force of nature.

What do you love about the play The Children?

The writing and the story telling, the way it’s written by Lucy Kirkwood. It’s the access into all the multiple layers of men and women that are at a particular time in their lives, with reflection and responsibility, enabling them through the play to seek, understand, and explore the legacy and responsibilities we have.

Would you have dinner with your character (Rose) from the play?

I’d want to pick her brain! Rose is unfathomable initially, so to engage with her is to observe her and to receive the little snippets of information she’s willing to impart. Rose has a mission, so does anybody that you meet, and that entices you to ask, seek and learn more.

What’s your favourite thing to do in Adelaide?

I’ve worked in Adelaide many times in the past. I love the coast, being near the beaches and the water. I love wine from Clare Valley, I seem to enjoy that wine very much. I need to reacquaint myself with all the Adelaide wines and eateries.

What was your first big break?

The first big break I had was Frontline for the ABC. I played an interesting, eccentric kind of character. The head of publicity, Jan Whelan. She was great fun and they really got into the fun of playing her, because that’s what they loved to do and they’re very good at that.

Do you have any favourite roles or memorable experiences?

I did this fantastic show for Kate Gaul called Queen C. It was a Swedish play that had been translated and I played this completely barking crazy queen character. I had a train that went to the end of the building, and I had to sort of manoeuvre it. But it was in a very small space and very expressive, overt, poetic and funny.

What do you love about the play The Children?

Its very intricate, extremely detailed, highly technical, very specific with the language. You really can’t afford to lose a word. Its scintillatingly funny and its devastating. It’s a whole mixture of elements that are very powerful and it has a wider resonance. What seems like a domestic environment turns into something else.

Would you have dinner with your character (Hazel) from the play?

I know quite a lot of people that are like Hazel, but I think you’d just have a dinner and leave early. You’d say, oh I’ve got work tomorrow. She’s pretty intense. Once she gets on her roll, she’s pretty dogged but she means well. She’s coming from a good place.

What’s your favourite thing to do in Adelaide?

Swimming, going into the ocean. Going to the gardens and walking in the Belair National Park or the national park at Waitpinga. The beach there is really wild.

What was your first big break?

Maybe it was the moment that the first professional theatre person I met when I was 17 gave me the astounding opinion that I might be a professional actor. That’s a funny way to describe a big break and not what people think of a big break but when I think about what lead me to being an actor for 43 years, I guess it started there.

Do you have any favourite roles or memorable experiences?

I loved a number of productions I did when Geordie Brookman was at State Theatre Company South Australia, and we worked on about 5 shows over 5 years. That was a very rewarding period, and I was very proud of the work in Hedda Gabler, Romeo and Juliet and Speaking in Tongues. Also, King Lear was a very special production. I was reunited with John Gaden and Victoria Longley who I went to NIDA with. Victoria was probably the best female actor in Australia of her generation.

What do you love about the play The Children?

I was pretty knocked out when I read the play because I thought that you just don’t come across plays this good that often. I love work that’s smart and worldly and is big and reaching for significant things. And its also funny, that’s the other thing that’s remarkable about it; It’s also a very witty script.

Would you have dinner with your character (Robin) from the play?

I think he’s louder and more demonstrative than I am and therefore I might find him a bit of a bore. He’s witty, charming, decent and somewhat depressive, I’m not sure it would be a great night, but I don’t think he’d be any worse company than I am!

What’s your favourite thing to do in Adelaide?

Walking along and swimming with my wife at Carrickalinga beach on a beautiful day.

Below is a photo gallery celebrating the previous work of Tina, Genevieve and Terence.