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Wake in Fright single work   drama  
Adaptation of Wake in Fright Kenneth Cook , 1961 single work novel and Wake in Fright Evan Jones , 1971 single work film/TV
Note:

Adapted by Declan Green and performer Zahra Newman.
Issue Details: First known date: 2019... 2019 Wake in Fright
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'G’day. Welcome to the Yabba. Just passing through?

'It’s the best little town in the world. Things a bit grim? Chin up.

'John Grant is well-read, but an outback misadventure strands him—cashless and jobless—in a harsh and remote Aussie outpost, Bundanyabba.

'So, he makes new ‘mates’: they’re quick with a drink, but with every scull a dark violence lurches forward. Are these blokes fair dinkum, or is there something more sinister at the heart of this little Aussie town?

'On our Beckett Theatre stage, the entire world of Wake in Fright is conjured by the always-evocative Zahra Newman (The Book of Mormon) accompanied by a sonic assault from art-electronica band, friendships. Under the direction of Declan Greene, Kenneth Cook’s iconic work of Australian Gothic horror is felt in the flesh. Bring sunscreen, buy a beer and wear your ear plugs.

'Once we pierce the Yabba’s ocker veneer, you better be ready for the explosive brutality pent up inside.'

Source: Malthouse Theatre.

Notes

  • Adapted as a one-woman show, drawing on both the book and the film.

Production Details

  • Produced by the Malthouse Theatre, 21 June to 14 July 2019.

    Music: Friendships.

    Cast: Zahra Newman.

    Presented at the Sydney Opera House (as a Malthouse Theatre production), 11-15 February 2020.

    Music, Composition, and Multimedia Design: Friendships.

    Sound Designer: James Paul.

    Lighting and Production Designer: Verity Hampson.

    Cast: Zahra Newman.

    Originally set to to be presented by Black Swan State Theatre Company of South Australia at Studio Underground, 15 October - 1 November 2020.

    Director: Declan Greene.

    Music and Composition: Friendships.

    Sound Design: James Paul.

    Lighting & Projection Design: Verity Hampson.

    Cast: Alexandria Steffensen.

    Production cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

First known date: 2019
VIEW PUBLICATION DETAILS FOR ALL VERSIONS ()

Works about this Work

y separately published work icon Taking on an Iconic Australian Horror — Solo on Stage Michael Cathcart (presenter), Canberra : ABC Radio National , 2020 19731313 2020 single work podcast

'Stage performer Zahra Newman (The Mountaintop, The Book of Mormon, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) took a fairly straight route from drama school to the mainstage, Helpmann Award nominations and broad acclaim. With her highly charged one-woman retelling of Kenneth Cook's Wake in Fright (Malthouse, Sydney Opera House), co-created with Declan Greene, she's cemented her reputation as one of Australia's most compelling actors. The 1971 film Wake in Fright is streaming now on ABC iView.

'The megahit Broadway musical Hamilton won't hit the Australian stage until 2021, but a filmed version of the Broadway production is now streaming on Disney+. Claire Nichols from RN's The Book Show saw the production on stage and has now gathered her family together to watch it on TV.

'For the ABC's Your Mental Health initiative, voice and dialect coach and Stage Show regular Leith McPherson runs us through some exercises that help us to manage anxiety on and off stage.' (Introduction)
Best Stage Performances of 2019 Alison Croggon , 2019 single work column
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 21 December - 24 January 2019-2020;

'While Australian artists face challenging times, brilliant work is still being staged.'
Intended Sense of Moral Anxiety Pervades Stage Reinvention of Wake in Fright Chris Boyd , 2019 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian , 28 June 2019; (p. 16)
— Review of Wake in Fright Declan Greene , Zahra Newman , 2019 single work drama

'If you know Wake in Fright only from its screen adaptations, Kenneth Cook’s original novel is a shockingly modern thing. It has none of the malevolence that defines the 1971 movie and 2017 miniseries remake. Instead, there is a pervasive sense of moral anxiety.'(Introduction)
[Review] Wake in Fright Tim Byrne , 2019 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , August no. 413 2019; (p. 63) 'The idea of the outsider is, of course, a concept shared by all living beings; the jellyfish and the silverback gorilla alike have trained themselves to distrust a stranger. But there is something particular about the Australian suspicion of otherness, a ruddy and avuncular mask that hides an abiding, almost pathological, wariness. It’s a national quirk that Kenneth Cook’s 1961 novel Wake in Fright – set in the fictional town of Bundanyabba, and based on the author’s experiences in Broken Hill – so memorably mined, and one that playwright Declan Greene milks to almost uncanny effect in his new stage adaptation.' (Introduction)
Actress Zahra Newman Takes on Wake in Fright Emily Bitto , 2019 single work column
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 6-12 July 2019; 'Renowned Australian actor Zahra Newman knows what it feels like to be an outsider. In bringing that experience to the Malthouse Theatre’s one-woman adaptation of Wake in Fright, she shines a light on discrimination and toxic masculinity in our society. “Part of the thing that is nightmarish about Wake in Fright is the culture having to stomach the reality of that reflection without just lashing out against it.”'  (Article summary)
Intended Sense of Moral Anxiety Pervades Stage Reinvention of Wake in Fright Chris Boyd , 2019 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian , 28 June 2019; (p. 16)
— Review of Wake in Fright Declan Greene , Zahra Newman , 2019 single work drama

'If you know Wake in Fright only from its screen adaptations, Kenneth Cook’s original novel is a shockingly modern thing. It has none of the malevolence that defines the 1971 movie and 2017 miniseries remake. Instead, there is a pervasive sense of moral anxiety.'(Introduction)
A Radical New Adaptation Eviscerates the Dominance of Male Voices in Wake in Fright Denise Varney , 2019 single work column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 1 July 2019;

'Australian literary classics are currently enjoying a comeback at our major theatre companies. Over the past three years Cloudstreet, Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Drover’s Wife, among others, have been adapted for the stage. At their best, stage adaptations recognise the cultural value of the original texts, while offering fresh insights for new audiences through the medium of theatre. (Introduction)
Actress Zahra Newman Takes on Wake in Fright Emily Bitto , 2019 single work column
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 6-12 July 2019; 'Renowned Australian actor Zahra Newman knows what it feels like to be an outsider. In bringing that experience to the Malthouse Theatre’s one-woman adaptation of Wake in Fright, she shines a light on discrimination and toxic masculinity in our society. “Part of the thing that is nightmarish about Wake in Fright is the culture having to stomach the reality of that reflection without just lashing out against it.”'  (Article summary)
[Review] Wake in Fright Tim Byrne , 2019 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , August no. 413 2019; (p. 63) 'The idea of the outsider is, of course, a concept shared by all living beings; the jellyfish and the silverback gorilla alike have trained themselves to distrust a stranger. But there is something particular about the Australian suspicion of otherness, a ruddy and avuncular mask that hides an abiding, almost pathological, wariness. It’s a national quirk that Kenneth Cook’s 1961 novel Wake in Fright – set in the fictional town of Bundanyabba, and based on the author’s experiences in Broken Hill – so memorably mined, and one that playwright Declan Greene milks to almost uncanny effect in his new stage adaptation.' (Introduction)
Best Stage Performances of 2019 Alison Croggon , 2019 single work column
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 21 December - 24 January 2019-2020;

'While Australian artists face challenging times, brilliant work is still being staged.'
y separately published work icon Taking on an Iconic Australian Horror — Solo on Stage Michael Cathcart (presenter), Canberra : ABC Radio National , 2020 19731313 2020 single work podcast

'Stage performer Zahra Newman (The Mountaintop, The Book of Mormon, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) took a fairly straight route from drama school to the mainstage, Helpmann Award nominations and broad acclaim. With her highly charged one-woman retelling of Kenneth Cook's Wake in Fright (Malthouse, Sydney Opera House), co-created with Declan Greene, she's cemented her reputation as one of Australia's most compelling actors. The 1971 film Wake in Fright is streaming now on ABC iView.

'The megahit Broadway musical Hamilton won't hit the Australian stage until 2021, but a filmed version of the Broadway production is now streaming on Disney+. Claire Nichols from RN's The Book Show saw the production on stage and has now gathered her family together to watch it on TV.

'For the ABC's Your Mental Health initiative, voice and dialect coach and Stage Show regular Leith McPherson runs us through some exercises that help us to manage anxiety on and off stage.' (Introduction)
VIEW ALL WORKS ABOUT (6)
Last amended 29 Aug 2022 14:45:25
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  • Australian Outback, Central Australia,
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