The Great Fire

Belvoir The Great FireA comedy, a family, ten actors, a landscape (view of the Adelaide Hills), a great deal of conversation about politics and life, Christmas, large hopes, five tons of love. The Great Fire is a big new play about us – middle Australia in 2016.

Many years ago, in the 1970s, in pursuit of a good life and a sustainable future, Judith and Patrick built a house in the Adelaide Hills. They raised the kids here. As time wore on, bit by bit, the family drifted both from the house and the dream it was born from.

Now it’s Christmas, the first grandchild is on the way and all three generations have gathered again. In the tinderbox heat of summer, Judith is at a crossroads: can the life they pursued in the first place come good again?

Warm, funny, deeply felt, The Great Fire is the work of a brilliant new writing talent, Kit Brookman (Small and Tired), who is building a reputation for crafting plays that gently but thoroughly examine the intricacies of how families really interact behind closed doors. In this play he lets loose on the epic canvas of this multi-generational dynasty.

We present it here as a kind of companion to The Blind Giant is Dancing – a pair of plays a generation apart about family, about holding your course, about what will survive of the fading triumph of Australian social democracy.

Director: Eamon Flack Featuring: Sarah Armanious, Peter Carroll, Lynette Curran, Eden Falk, Sandy Gore, Shelly Lauman, Marcus McKenzie, Geoff Morrell, Yalin Ozucelik, Genevieve Picot Set Designer: Michael Hankin Costume Designer: Jennifer Irwin Lighting Designer: Damien Cooper Composer & Sound Designer: Steve Francis Associate Sound Designer: Michael Toisuta Assistant Set Designer: Charles Davis Stage Manager: Mel Dyer (rehearsals) Stage Manager: Luke McGettigan Assistant Stage Manager: Gina Bianco

The Great Fire
Belvoir St Theatre, 25 Belvoir Street, Surry Hills (Sydney)
Season: 6 April – 8 May 2016
Bookings: (02) 9699 3444 or online at: www.belvoir.com.au

For more information, visit: www.belvoir.com.au for details.

Image: Sandy Gore, Lucky Jim, Genevieve Picot, Geoff Morrell, Sarah Armanious and Peter Carroll feature in The Great Fire – photo by Brett Boardman