Rags was Kris Stewart's thesis show while studing at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Perth.

"Like all college experiences, I suppose, I have these incredibly nostalgic feelings about my time directing it. It was the perfect thing to do in a training establishment, where we could spend a lot of time and put a lot of resources towards what is a very ambitious idea. We really tried to create a world that spoke evocatively of that moment in history - the teeming masses downtown, the new world being created around them, the oppressiveness and the hope.

"It's about a decade ago now, but it is still a show that I think was one of the best pieces I have ever directed. Who knows - maybe it is. The show is flawed, as I suppose folks know, but the talent and effort that we were about to focus in this environment made it a spectacular success."

"It is a heartening experience to see such a dynamic, innovative production as the WA Academy production of Rags ... (visually) it is a masterpiece, with its railway pylons, smoking streetgates and forbidding corrugated iron barriers. Under Kris Stewart's skilled direction the scenes are played with an extraordinary realism and power ... Rags is a rare opportunity for Perth audiences to see a big Broadway musical that doesn't cost an arm or a leg at the ticket office. Everyone deserves a standing ovation - not just members of the cast, but also the designers, managers and director." CLYDE SELBY (June 13, 1998), "The West Australian".


hey || if you need to contact me || you can always email kris@krisstewart.com