THE UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP THAT LIVES ON IN ADELAIDE’S LOGAN ST: HISTORICAL NEW WORK STEEPED IN KAURNA HISTORY PREMIERES THIS MONTH STARRING ALI AMMOUCHI AND ALEXIS WEST
In the backyard of an Adelaide Mosque, an unlikely friendship brews between an Afghan cameleer and young Aboriginal woman navigating life, loss and love on Kaurna Country.
From the visionary Kaurna and Narungga theatre-maker Jacob Boehme comes LOGAN ST, a sweeping tale honouring the enduring strength of his female ancestors, the legacy of the cameleers, and the spirit of resistance etched into this place now called Adelaide.
Premiering with State Theatre Company South Australia in July, LOGAN ST travels back to 1940s Adelaide and the south-west corner colloquially known as “Little Beirut”, a working-class area where migrants and those pushed to the margins formed a community. It is here that 16-year-old Dulcie – a character based on Jacob’s grandmother and played by Alexis West – and 70-year-old Goolie, an Afghan cameleer and caretaker living behind the Mosque (Ali Ammouchi) form an alliance that grows across a decade. As war, racism and bureaucracy press in from all sides, their bond — anchored in storytelling, cooking and kinship — becomes an act of survival.
Woven through this tender contemporary narrative is the haunting story of Munarto, a Kaurna girl who lives through the devastation of colonisation in 1836. Her story, presented through a 19th century-style paper theatre projected on to the set, unfolds as a musical and visual story with vocals by Sonya Rankine and musical direction and composition by Dale Cornelius. Kaurna and Farsi language spoken and sung throughout the show, which also features vocals from Feroz Ansari, will appear as surtitles embedded into the projections.
Set and costume design by Kathryn Sproul and lighting by Nic Mollison frame this intimate and domestic world where past and present echo and collide.
“I get goosebumps talking about this beautiful and gentle work, which is all about resilience, culture, the cost of silence and how a friendship can be a quiet revolution,” Artistic Director Petra Kalive says. “This is a work that will stay with you long after you hear that final applause.”
Writer and director Jacob Boehme, who developed the work over three years of consultation and development, says LOGAN ST is deeply personal.
“As the grandson of Dulcie, I carry the stories of LOGAN ST not just as a writer, but as family. This work is an act of remembrance, saying the names of my grandmother, the Afghan cameleers, and our Kaurna ancestors so they are not lost to silence,” he says.
“LOGAN ST carries the message that in times of conflict and division, sometimes the most radical act is to sit at a table, share food and listen. “It is where personal memory meets forgotten history, ensuring these legacies live on in their descendants and in this place now called Adelaide. It is an honour to be joining State Theatre Company South Australia’s 2026 season with a story about friendship, survival and resilience, grounded in this country, Kaurna Yarta.”
LOGAN ST was developed with Major Project Commissioning Support from Create SA, alongside early development support from Creative Victoria. The music element of LOGAN ST was developed with the support of the Adelaide City Council.
24 Jul – 8 Aug 2026 Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre
CONTENT Contains violent and sexual references. RUN TIME 90 minutes with no interval.
Logan St – State Theatre Company
