His Own Special Friend
A Brown’s Mart event presented as part of Sugarbag
His Own Special Friend by Dr Dino Hodge was a one-hour performance about the history of homosexual men in Darwin, presented at Brown’s Mart in 1993. An insight into the rubbing edge between frontier men of diverse sexuality and the development of gay sensibility in one of Australia’s most multicultural cities, the play’s content includes historical records and oral histories in an essay style verbatim performance which contributed to Dino’s process in writing his remarkable book Did you Meet Any Mulagas: a Homosexual History of Australia’s tropical capital. We’ll look back on the script, the men, and the town it was staged in in this special retrospective event that is part performed reading, part show-and-tell, and part Q and A.
Hosted by Cj Fraser-Bell in conversation with Dr Dino Hodge.
This Event is presented as a double bill with Keep Him My Heart. Single show and double bill tickets are available for purchase until sold out.
Saturday 1 June, 7.30PM
Duration 60 minutes
Production note Contains use of projection, with dialogue that is sometimes through a microphone.
Content Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders are warned that this event will contain the names and photos of people who have died. His Own Special Friend discusses themes of sex, sexuality, gender, and race, as well as utilising language typical for the time period from 1890-1990 in regards to race, sexuality, and gender that modern audiences may find distressing.
Pay What You Can If ticket price is a barrier for any Brown's Mart show, please contact Sophia at ceo@brownsmart.com.au to discuss price options to match your circumstances.
Box Office Tickets are available for purchase online, over the phone or on the door if not already sold out.
Access his show is wheelchair accessible and has seats at floor level and up-stairs. If you require floor seats alert Front of House for priority entry. CLICK HERE to read more about our venue's accessibility. This event will be interpreted in Auslan.
About the Writer
Dr Dino Hodge was introduced to fluidity in identity and intimacy through his Greek cultural heritage, and was an active gay activist in Darwin throughout the 80s and early 90s. His publications include 'Did You Meet Any Malagas?' (1993), an oral history book about intersections of racial and sexual identities in Darwin's gay community, 'Don Dunstan, Intimacy and Liberty' (2014), a biography of South Australia's great reformist premier, and ‘Colouring the Rainbow: Blak Queer and Trans Perspectives’ (2015). He is a contributor to Living and Loving in Diversity, An anthology of Australian Multicultural queer adventures (2018). Dino has been instrumental in the sharing and archiving of Darwin’s Queer history, and has been an active contributor to arts and cultural activity and research in the region for decades. He now lives in naarm.
