The Secret River - Sydney Theatre Company

Overview

Turning a novel into a play is no easy feat — the laws of written fiction can be very different to those of onstage drama. But Andrew Bovell's adaptation of Kate Grenville's hit novel, The Secret River, was so popular when it debuted in 2013 that it returned for a Sydney encore, and now heads to Brisbane. Not only did the production sell out, it won a slew of awards, including six Helpmanns — Best Play, Best Direction and Best New Australian Work among them.

With Neil Armfield in the director's chair, the play tells the story of two families and one landscape. The first is that of William Thornhill. A convict from the dark, crowded, desperately poor slums of London, he thinks he has found a home for himself and his family on the Hawkesbury River. And he can't believe his luck.

The other family is one of the Dharug people, who have lived in the area for thousands of years and whose survival — physical and spiritual — depends on their surroundings.

Unable or unwilling to relinquish his hold on the land, Thornhill makes a horrific decision, which he carries with him for the rest of his life.