ON ROBERT SIDEWAY: BRETT RADKE
Playbill from Sideway’s Theater, 1796
In Our Country’s Good, I play two characters, Captain David Collins and Robert Sideway. Both characters are based on real life people, and it has been intriguing to dig into their stories through history as well as through the world of the play. Where do these two versions of Collins and Sideway overlap and when do they not? Today, I would like to share a bit about Robert Sideway.
Robert Sideway was a convict and part of the “First Fleet” sent to the penal colonies in what is now known as Australia. In the script, the first time we see Robert Sideway is in the opening scene when he is being brutally flogged on the ship. The next time we see him, and the first time he has any text, is during an audition for The Recruiting Officer, the play that Lieutenant Ralph Clark is looking to present. Sideway enters with a “flourish” and introduces himself to Clark with a monologue that offers a window into his life before the play begins. The monologue is a gushing display of memories, images, and desires. We quickly learn that he was a “pickpocket born and bred in Bermondsey” who relished living in London. The architecture, the people, and most importantly the theatre are cherished by Sideway. He lingers in images of Drury Lane, “The coaches, the actor’s scuttling, the gentleman watching, the ladies tittering, the perfumes, the clothes, the handkerchiefs.” Throughout the play, his love of theatre is expanded upon, and he dreams of one day owning his own “Sideway Theatre.”
Historically, Robert Sideway was born in Shoreditch in the east end of London in 1758. He was of working class, and at the age of 24 was indicted for having been convicted of grand larceny, eventually sentenced to death, but was instead transported to Australia for life. Sideway was described in Ralph Clark’s journal as a “daring and villainous fellow.” He eventually received a full pardon, and went on to build the first theatre in Sydney. When he died in 1809, the Sydney Gazette described him as a philanthropist and a respected member of society.
In that first introduction to Clark, Robert Sideway says, “I was once a gentleman. My fortune has turned. The wheel…” While we don’t see Sideway’s real life ending in the course of Our Country’s Good, as an actor it is deeply satisfying to know that Sideways “possible future” did indeed come full circle.