The Secret River (play)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Secret River | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Andrew Bovell |
| Date premiered | 8 January 2013 |
| Place premiered | Sydney Theatre |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | The Secret River by Kate Grenville |
| Genre | Drama |
The Secret River is a play by Australian playwright Andrew Bovell,[1] based upon the 2005 novel of the same name by Kate Grenville. It premiered in Sydney on 8 August 2013.
Narrated by Dhirrumbin, the drama is about a man who is exiled from London in the eighteenth century, and is sent with his family to a penal colony in the Hawkesbury River, New South Wales, where he hopes to make a new start, but its Indigenous inhabitants, the Dharug people, are not willing to give up their land.
Production
The play was first produced by the Sydney Theatre Company (STC).[2]
Choreographer and then artistic director for Bangarra Dance Theatre, Stephen Page, was artistic associate for the production.[2]
Performances
2013
The STC production of The Secret River had its world premiere on 8 January 2013 at the Sydney Theatre[3] as part of Sydney Festival.[2] The cast included Nathaniel Dean, Trevor Jamieson, Daniel Henshall, Miranda Tapsell, and Ursula Yovich.[3]
2016
A 2016 remount toured Sydney,[4] Melbourne,[5] and Brisbane.[6]
2017
In March 2017, a co-production of the State Theatre Company of South Australia and the Sydney Theatre Company, co-directed by Neil Armfield and Geordie Brookman, was staged at Anstey Hill Quarry as part of the Adelaide Festival.[7] The show was a record-breaking success, selling out all performances over its 18 nights, with an audience of 800 each night.[8]
2019
It was scheduled to tour to Edinburgh International Festival and the Royal National Theatre in London in 2019.[2]
Characters
English settlers
|
Dharug people
|
Original cast
The cast for the 2013 production included:[9]
- Nathaniel Dean - William Thornhill
- Anita Hegh - Sal Thornhill
- Jeremy Sims - Smasher Sullivan
- Colin Moody - Thomas Blackwood
- Ursula Yovich - Dhirrumbin/Dulla Djin
- Miranda Tapsell - Gillyagan/Muruli
- Bruce Spence - Loveday
- Bailey Doomadgee and Kamil Ellis - Garraway
- Lachlan Elliott and Callum McManis - Willie Thornhill
- Rory Potter and Tom Usher - Dick Thornhill
- Roy Gordon - Yalamundi
- Daniel Henshall - Dan Oldfield
- Ethel-Anne Gundy – Buryia
- Trevor Jamieson - Ngalamalum
- Rhimi Johnson Page - Wangarra/Branyimala
- Judith McGrath - Mrs Herring
- James Slee - Narabi
- Matthew Sunderland - Sagitty Birtles/ Captain Suckling/Turnkey