In the backyard of the Adelaide Mosque, an unlikely friendship takes root between an elderly Afghan cameleer and a young Aboriginal woman navigating life, loss and love on Kaurna Country.
That friendship sits at the centre of Logan St, the new work from Kaurna and Narungga theatre-maker Jacob Boehme, premiering with State Theatre Company South Australia at the Space Theatre from 24 July. Drawn from Boehme’s own family history, it honours the strength of his female ancestors, the legacy of the cameleers, and the spirit of resistance woven into the place now called Adelaide.
A friendship forged in ‘Little Beirut’
Logan St travels back to the 1940s and the south-west corner of the city colloquially known as ‘Little Beirut’ – a working-class pocket where migrants and those pushed to the margins built a community of their own.
It’s here that 16-year-old Dulcie, a character based on Boehme’s grandmother and played by Alexis West, meets Goolie (Ali Ammouchi), a 70-year-old Afghan cameleer and caretaker living behind the mosque. Their alliance grows across a decade, and as war, racism and bureaucracy press in from all sides, their bond – anchored in storytelling, cooking and kinship – becomes an act of survival.
“As the grandson of Dulcie, I carry the stories of Logan St not just as a writer, but as family,” says Boehme, who wrote and directed the work over three years of consultation and development. “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.”
“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.”
Two timelines, two languages
Woven through the central narrative is the story of Munarto, a Kaurna girl living through the devastation of colonisation in 1836. Her story unfolds as a musical and visual tale told through a 19th century-style paper theatre projected onto the set, with vocals by Sonya Rankine and musical direction and composition by Dale Cornelius.
Kaurna and Farsi are spoken and sung throughout the show, which also features vocals from Feroz Ansari, with surtitles embedded into the projections. Set and costume design by Kathryn Sproul and lighting by Nic Mollison frame an intimate, 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,” says State Theatre Company Artistic Director Petra Kalive. “This is a work that will stay with you long after you hear that final applause.”
How to see Logan St
Logan St runs for a strictly limited season at the Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre, from 24 July to 8 August 2026. The show runs for 90 minutes with no interval, and contains violent and sexual references.
For tickets:
