Barbara and the Camp Dogs is a rock musical by Ursula Yovich and Alana Valentine with songs by Valentine, Yovich, and Adm Ventoura.
Premise The work concerns Barbara, an Aboriginal pub singer trying to make it in Sydney, and her cousin and foster sister René. When the health of Barbara's mother deteriorates, they embark on a pilgrimage back home to country in the Northern Territory.
Productions The musical's libretto was written by Ursula Yovich and Alana Valentine, with songs by Valentine, Yovich, and Adm Ventoura.
Barbara and the Camp Dogs premiered at the Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney in December 2017, featuring Yovich (Barbara) and Elaine Crombie (René). The production was directed by Leticia Cáceres and produced by Belvoir in association with Vicki Gordon Music Productions.
It returned for an encore run at the Belvoir in April 2019 before touring the country that year, including Brisbane, Melbourne, Wollongong, and Canberra.
Awards Wins 2019: Winner, four 2019 Helpmann Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score
Nominations 2018: Nomination, AWGIE Award for Music Theatre 2019: Shortlisted, New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards' Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting 2019: Shortliste, Victorian Premier's Literary Awards' Prize for Drama
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