Until Saturday, February 16, one word will echo throughout Petrie Terrace's Brisbane Arts Theatre: Miranda. It'll be yelled on the stage and become lodged in the watching audience's minds. After all, you can't mount a production of iconic Aussie tale Picnic at Hanging Rock without shouting after its enigmatic central schoolgirl when she goes missing during a Valentine's Day excursion to the Victorian landmark.
For those who haven't read Joan Lindsay's 1967 novel, seen Peter Weir's 1975 film or watched last year's television adaptation, the tale follows a picnicking group who suddenly vanish in 1900. It's a work of fiction, but because Lindsay originally framed it as being a true story, it's become one of the country's great myths. Of course, it's a narrative that lends itself to folklore anyway — and leaves viewers wondering about its enigmatic ending.
Brisbane Arts Theatre's season brings the classic to Brisbane's stage scene, enlivening what might just be the nation's biggest mystery. It plays from Thursday to Sunday across its month-long season.