If This Is the Highway (I’ll Take the Dirt Road)

About the Book

An actor, presenter, producer, and director, David Branson was a dazzling fountain of energy whose artistic endeavors throughout Australia enlivened and advanced the careers of many performing artists. In this book, many of those share intriguing encounters with this particularly individual figure of inspiration, reflecting upon and revealing how he—and they—helped to shape the grass-roots avant-garde of the performing arts in Australia. Author Joel Swadling, who worked with Branson, highlights how Branson gained fame throughout Australia as one of the founders of Splinters Theatre of Spectacle, a twelve-year experiment in multimedia, cross-discipline outdoor ritual, and through other endeavors. After Branson’s death, the avant-garde excitement of Canberra faded for a time without his spirit and guidance. If This Is the Highway (I’ll Take the Dirt Road) celebrates and illuminates the impact of one of the avant-garde’s most talented titans.

About the Author

Joel Swadling was raised in Sydney and Canberra within a Uniting Church family framework. He majored in film study, drama, and literature at Narrabundah College in the ACT. He earned a Bachelor of Creative Arts in creative writing, theatre, and film production at the University of Wollongong and completed a graduate degree in writing and editing at the University of Technology, Sydney. He worked with David Branson on multiple CIA productions. He lives in Canberra and is a performer and director-in-training with Rebus Theatre Company.