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

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.