Announcing the 2024 University Library Creative in Residence – Dr Carl Caulfield
Special Collections
Dr Carl Caulfield – Special Collections Reading Room May 2024
Announcing the 2024 University Library Creative in Residence – Dr Carl Caulfield
The University of Newcastle Library is excited to introduce Dr Carl Caulfield, a distinguished Newcastle playwright, actor, and director, as our first-ever Creative in Residence.
The judging panel – including Rosemarie Milson, Dr Keri Glastonbury, and Dr Caelli Brooker – selected Carl for his compelling project proposal that promises to captivate the community and his impressive record of award-winning playwriting.
Dr Caulfield’s Drama Productions in Newcastle (N.S.W.)
Carl’s plays are produced in Newcastle by Stray Dogs Theatre Company and include Seems Like Old Times, Dante’s Dream, Human Resources, Shakespeare’s Fools, The Anatomy of Buzz, Where Late the Songbird and Hecuba Reimagined.
As a lecturer in Drama at the University of Newcastle (from 1991 to 2010,) he wrote plays for his students.
In 2003, Carl was commissioned by ABC Newcastle 1233 to write and direct The Night They Nearly Nobbled Nobbys, which went live-to-air at Newcastle City Hall.
He has won the City of Newcastle Drama Award for Best New Play five times.
In 2002, he was awarded the Newcastle City Council award for outstanding achievement in Newcastle theatre for his work as an “actor, writer and director in keeping Newcastle professional theatre alive and its standards high”.
His new musical play, Karma Kafé, will be produced in October 2024 as part of the Upstage season at the Civic Playhouse.
Joseph Lycett – The Sugar Loaf Mountain near New Castle, New South Wales. (Click for a larger image)
Bringing Convict Artist Joseph Lycett to Life
During his residence at the Auchmuty Library’ Special Collections, Carl will be working on a dramatic performance piece on the life and work of Joseph Lycett (1774-1828), a convict and artist known for his topographical views of major Australian towns and dramatic landscapes, but especially his candid paintings recording Aboriginal culture in Newcastle and the Hunter Region.
Carl writes,
“I have been interested in Lycett’s work for a while, but the material housed in the Special Collections surrounding Lycett and that period in Newcastle would open up any number of strong dramatic possibilities. I am excited at the possibility of forging dramatic techniques to tell the Lycett story in a live performance before a contemporary Newcastle audience. Aside from his obvious talent as a meticulous painter, Lycett was also a very colourful, flawed character – a forger and con man with alcohol problems. There is opportunity here for drama, passion, and insights into Newcastle in the time of his arrival, circa 1814. “
[Corroboree at Newcastle / oil painting by Joseph Lycett] Courtesy of State Library of N.S.W.“It is clear from much of his work (especially Corroboree at Newcastle, 1818) that he gained the trust of Aboriginal Communities to witness rites-of-passage, affording him a unique intimacy into their customs. How did he gain that trust? How did he forge those relationships? More importantly, who were they?”
University and Community Collaborators
To gain this perspective, Carl will consult closely with the University’s Wollotuka Institute and Community stakeholders. During his residency, he will use archives and rare books in the Library’s Special Collections to explore the colonial context of Lycett’s life. These include examples of Lycett’s prints, engravings, and records relating to Biraban and the Reverend Threlkeld.
Joseph Lycett – Newcastle, New South Wales.
Onsite Performance Scheduled for Late 2024
As the Creative in Residence, Carl will write and research his work at the Auchmuty Library over the next six months, culminating in a live onsite performance in late 2024, which will be an open community event. Manager of Special Collections Paige Wright states,
“The team and I are very excited to have Carl researching and writing in our spaces. We have a passion for preserving Newcastle and the Hunter region’s history. It’s encouraging to see projects like this, where our collections’ rich stories will be unearthed.”
