Deceptive Threads tells the extraordinary true stories of David Josephs grandfathers -- one a Tivoli singer turned ASIO spymaster who vetted unwanted arrivals, the other an early Lebanese immigrant who had to lie about his birthplace to gain Australian naturalisation. In this award-winning solo show, Joseph explores race, belonging, history, and national identity to theatrically illuminate the personal in the political. Deftly untangling the threads linking his familys connection to Australias racist past and its present dilemma over asylum seekers, he explores the nexus between the government control of immigration and the unwelcome immigrant.
David Joseph is a professional multi-skilled physical performer with over 30 years experience in the performing arts. He works as an actor, musician, physical performer and teacher and has toured extensively in Australia and internationally. He plays drums for the ARIA winning 26-piece Melbourne Ska Orchestra, as well as being a trained cook and gardener. In 2016 he completed a Masters of Applied Theatre Studies at the University of New England, for which he received the Philip Parsons Prize for best performance-as-research project (ADSA). He is currently studying Landscape Design at Melbourne Polytechnic.
