Emma the Greek will sail the seas alone to save her father; Noah will search for his wife who flew off a bridge; Elise will fight the dragons snapping at her heels as she drives each night to lull her baby to sleep; Caleb, a curious misfit, will swim vast oceans to prove his love for Sylvia Wist; Sylvia Wist can climb up waterfalls and jump time and space. She may not be ordinary but then neither is love. At Sea, Staring Up is a richly poetic magical relationship drama that follows the journeys of five characters all motivated by love. Set over three continents and one vast ocean this richly poetic, thought provoking play weaves together a world of people who have lost, or are looking for love. (7 male, 3 female).
Finegan Kruckemeyer has had 71 commissioned plays performed on five continents and translated into five languages. To date, Finegan's work has enjoyed seasons in: over 70 international festivals; six US national tours; six UK national tours; all Australian states/territories; and at the Sydney Opera House, New York's New Victory Theater, Edinburgh's Imaginate Festival, Dublin's Abbey Theatre, Shanghai's Malan Flower Theatre, and DC's Kennedy Center. Finegan and his work have received (among others) the 2012 Helpmann Award for Children's Theatre, 2011 Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship, 2010 Rodney Seaborn Award, 2009 AWGIE Award (Best Australian Children's Play), 2008 Oscart (Best Children's Playwright), 2007 Oscart (Best Playwright), 2006 Jill Blewett Award, and 2002 Colin Thiele Scholarship. Finegan was Keynote Speaker at the 2013 One Theatre World North American TYA conference, and has spoken at conferences/festivals in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Denmark, England, Scotland, Sweden and the US, with essays published and his work studied in several US universities. He currently sits on the Australian Script Centre board, and Arts Tasmania's Assistance to Individuals, Tasmanian Literary Awards, and Artsbridge panels. He is committed to making strong and respectful work for children, which acknowledges them as astute audience members outside the plays, and worthy subjects within. Finegan lives in Tasmania with his wife Essie.
