UMAC presents Malthouse Theatre’s
Wake in Fright
Adapted from Kenneth Cook’s novel
By Declan Greene & Zahra Newman
Welcome to Bundanyabba, the best little town in the world! You’ll never want to leave. And even if you did … you can’t.
Well-heeled schoolteacher John Grant is en route to Sydney, when a layover in the mining town of Bundanyabba turns into a three-week freefall. Stranded and starving, Grant is forced to rely on the locals for survival. But as the beer flows and the nights wear on, he finds himself stripped of his money, his identity and his sanity.
In a ferocious solo performance, Zahra Newman (STC’s Dracula) returns to the twisted heart of Wake in Fright, Kenneth Cook’s cult Australian novel and, later, an iconic horror film. Directed by Declan Greene (Whitefella Yella Tree) and featuring a thrilling, bone-rattling score from friendships, this bold adaptation plunges you into a uniquely Australian kind of hell: full of booze, bravado and buried violence.
Returning to Melbourne for the first time since its acclaimed 2019 premiere, this is a descent you won’t forget.
★★★★½ “Miraculous” – The Sydney Morning Herald
★★★★½ “Brilliant, bold and deeply unnerving theatre” – The Age
★★★★½ “Powerful” – ArtsHub
★★★★ “Remarkable” – Time Out
★★★★ “Striking” – Limelight Magazine
Creative Direction: Susu Studio
Photographer: Brett Boardman
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