The Children
Dunstan Playhouse, 2 – 17 Reb
From award-winning playwright and “the most rewarding dramatist of her generation” (The Independent) Lucy Kirkwood’s acclaimed and award-winning The Children is a storm-gathering exploration of survival, desire, friendship and duty each generation holds for the next. It deals with big themes in a beautiful, thought-provoking, witty and ultimately very human outlook.
Having wowed audiences from the West End to Broadway, Adelaide audiences can now see this exhilarating new production starring Australian theatrical royalty Tina Bursill (Doctor Doctor, The Moodys), Genevieve Mooy (Wellmania, The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race) and Terence Crawford (1984, Girl From The North Country) and directed by one of our finest theatre makers, Corey McMahon (The Bleeding Tree, After Dinner).
What an incredible chance to see a trio of Australia’s most celebrated and beloved actors grace the stage in this tender and provocative production that will make you think about the planet, and your personal relationships.
Blue
Scott Theatre, 23 Feb – 16 Mar
An outstanding first play by rising star Thomas Weatherall, Blue dives deep into the beauty, joy and pain of growing up.
Written by AACTA and Logie-Award winner Kamilaroi man Weatherall, who audiences will know from Heartbreak High, Blue stars one of Australia’s most talented actors, Wiradjuri man Callan Purcell, who was recently on stage as Aaron Burr in Hamilton.
When Mark moves out of home, he writes letters to his mum, also a writer, to stay connected. One day his mum’s letter brings painful news, and he seeks solace in the ocean as well as in the words that have cascaded around him throughout his life.
This beautiful production shows at once the vulnerability and strength it takes to come of age when life hits you with out of the blue with the unexpected.
The Questions
Space Theatre, 26 Jul – 17 Aug
Directed by State Theatre South Australia’s Artistic Director Mitchell Butel, The Questions is inspired by a true story from the COVID-19 pandemic. As two people with polar opposite tastes soon realise their blind date is doomed, an outside catastrophe is looking and a lockdown order forces them to bunker down in what becomes the longest first date ever.
Then there’s the frustrated rock band rehearsing in the apartment next door, increasingly adding to their rising anxiety and tension. Desperate to end the constant quarrelling, the turn to The Questions, a real-life psychological questionnaire researchers promise can build intimacy between anyone. That is, only if you’re ready for the truth.
Starring Charles Wu (Doctor Doctor) and a cast of singer-actor musician dynamos, this is a show that taps into the zietgest following a worldwide lived experience of lockdowns, and hilariously observes modern intimacy and the way we connect. Will chaos and disaster reign or will our two protagonists find meaningful connection locked away from the world.
Julia
Dunstan Playhouse, 16 – 31 Aug
In 2012 Australia’s first female Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, gave a speech that reverberated across the world. More than a decade later, esteemed Australian playwright Joanna Murray-Smith brings the human story behind that speech to the stage.
Starring one of Australia’s most recognisable faces, the amazing Justine Clarke, in the role of a lifetime, will dazzle audiences in this profound, wry and intoxicating exploration of gender, privilege and power.
To reveal the person behind the public mask in Julia is to see a reflection of what it is to be a woman in contemporary politics. Combining genuine excerpts from Gillard’s speech with Murray-Smith’s incredible dramatic imagination, Julia combines history and art with aplomb.
Following sell-out seasons in Sydney and Canberra, don’t miss Julia, an empowering reminder of where we’ve come and the challenges ahead.
