Razor sharp and tourniquet tight, Aidan Fennessy’s The House on the Lake is a psychological thriller, so crafty it’s criminal. Mired deep in layers of deception, it’s a puzzle of a play certain to engage the intellect and assault the nervous system, at the SBW Stables Theatre from 20 May 2015.
David, a criminal lawyer with a cool head and a passion for logic, wakes up to find himself confined to a small, sparsely furnished room, unable to remember what happened the day before. With the help of his doctor, he begins to coax memories out of the darkness, before the details of a terrible secret emerge.
Devised by playwright Aidan Fennessy, The House on the Lake had its world premiere at Perth’s Black Swan State Theatre Company in 2014. Aidan is a past winner of the Griffin Award, winning in 2010 for his work Brutopia, and his work, Chilling and Killing My Annabel Lee, was part of Griffin’s 1999 season. His work has also been produced by Melbourne Theatre Company, Queensland Theatre Company, HotHouse Theatre, Playbox, Rock Surfers Theatre Company and Black Swan State Theatre Company.
“Crime narrative will always, eventually, concern itself with the truth and theatre is the perfect platform in which to examine the binary oppositions of truth and lying, “says Fennessy. “The great paradox of theatre is that it is a tightly constructed lie designed to reveal truth.”
“It’s been estimated that we can now expect to be lied to between 10 and 200 times on any given day. Lying is the new black, part of our social fabric, part of our survival mechanism. If you can’t lie you are not going to survive in this very complex world we live in.”
The House on the Lake will be directed by Kim Hardwick, who recently directed the Griffin Independent production of Unholy Ghosts in 2014, and will feature Jeanette Cronin and Huw Higginson.
Jeanette Cronin has appeared in several Griffin productions including The Boys, Quack, Bug and Holding the Man. She recently starred as iconic movie goddess Bette Midler for God-Bod Theatre’s Queen Bette. Her film and television credits include The Boys, Terra Nova, Janet King, Crownies and Rake.
Huw Higginson appeared in Griffin’s 2014 pantsguys/Griffin Independent production On the Shore of the Wide World. He is best known for playing PC George Garfield in ABC/ITV’s The Bill, and has appeared in East Enders and Heartbeat.
Director Kim Hardwick says “Theatre is a parade of personas where the tensions between what is revealed and concealed, what is true and false, what is seen or imagined, continually fascinates both the creators and the audience. The thrill of discovery never grows old.”
Director: Kim Hardwick Featuring: Jeanette Cronin, Huw Higginson Playwright: Aidan Fennessey Designer: Stephen Curtis Lighting Designer: Martin Kinnane Composer: Kelly Ryall Stage Manager: Edwina Guinness
The House on the Lake
SBW Stables Theatre, 10 Nimrod Street, Kings Cross (Sydney)
Season: 20 May – 20 June 2015
Bookings: 02 9361 3817 or www.griffintheatre.com.au
For more information, visit: www.griffintheatre.com.au for details.
Image: Huw Higginson in The House on the Lake – photo by Brett Boardman