Play 'Logan St' Revives Adelaide's Forgotten 'Little Beirut' History

The play "Logan St" is bringing to light the forgotten history of a once-marginalized street in Adelaide, Australia, known as "Little Beirut." Writer and director Jacob Boehme developed the production over three years, delving into official records and personal stories to uncover the area's past.

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Logan Street and the surrounding streets, that south-west corner of Adelaide was known as Little Beirut.

Boehme's grandmother, Dulcie Sansbury, shared stories of the street's diverse inhabitants during the pre-war era, including her friendship with Gool Mahomet, an Afghan cameleer. The play highlights how Aboriginal people and non-European migrants were relegated to areas like Logan Street, facing significant social exclusion and restrictions.

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It was a slum and it was pretty much every brown person, including the Irish, was dumped into the south-west.

Actor Alexis West, portraying Dulcie, described the script as deeply moving, bringing to life a character based on Boehme's grandmother. Ali Ammouchi, playing Gool Mahomet, felt a profound connection to the role, even visiting Mahomet's grave as part of his preparation. The production emphasizes the cultural richness that existed in the area despite its socioeconomic challenges.

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The further I dug through city archives, state records, different publications in the library, the more I understood that there was a whole history that, as the city grew around it, had been lost to public memory.

"Logan Street had a history of being kind of the poor part of town, poor financially, but definitely not culturally," Boehme stated. The play seeks to counteract the loss of this history from public memory as the city has grown, offering a narrative of resilience and cultural significance.

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By the end of the reading, I was in tears.