The Secret River
Written byAndrew Bovell
Date premiered8 January 2013
Place premieredSydney Theatre
Original languageEnglish
SubjectThe Secret River by Kate Grenville
GenreDrama

The Secret River is a play by Australian playwright Andrew Bovell, based upon the novel of the same name by Kate Grenville.

Synopsis

Narrated by Dhirrumbin (originally played by Ursula Yovich), 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.

Performances

Produced by the Sydney Theatre Company, the play was first performed on 8 January 2013 at the Sydney Theatre.

A 2016 remount toured Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

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.[1] The show was a record-breaking success, selling out all performances over its 18 nights, with an audience of 800 each night.[2]

Characters

Original cast

Awards and nominations

Helpmann awards

Year Award Ceremony Category Nominee Result
2013 13th Helpmann Awards[4] Best Play Won
Best New Australian Work Won
Best Direction of a Play Neil Armfield Won
Best Male Actor in a Play Nathaniel Dean Nominated
Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play Colin Moody Won
Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play Miranda Tapsell Nominated
Best Original Score Iain Grandage Won
Best Musical Direction Iain Grandage Won
Best Costume Design Tess Schofield Nominated
Best Scenic Design Stephen Curtis Nominated
Best Lighting Design Mark Howett Nominated

References

  1. ↑ "The Secret River". AusStage. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  2. ↑ Cameron, Ben (31 March 2017). "The rags-to-riches tale behind Anstey Hill quarry, spectacular stage of Adelaide Festival's record-breaking The Secret River". Adelaide Now. Messenger. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  3. ↑ "Perth Festival 2013 - The Secret River" (PDF). Perth Festival 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  4. ↑ "Helpmann Awards > Winners". HelpmannAwards.com.au. Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
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