Cirrus@Austlit

'Inspired by the best-selling, award-winning memoir by Caribbean-Australian writer Maxine Beneba Clarke, The Hate Race is an unflinching exploration of the complexities of race in Australia, and the universal search for belonging. Making its theatrical premiere on the Malthouse stage, this powerful story stars Zahra Newman (Wake In Fright), who embodies all characters from the book with astonishing honesty and theatricality. 

'The Hate Race follows Maxine’s childhood in Sydney’s western suburbs, as she navigates the sting of otherness. From everyday street encounters to schoolyard battles, Maxine’s story exposes the realities of growing up the child of Black migrants in a predominantly white society. This inventive re-imagining, filled with poetry, music and beats, invites audiences to experience Maxine’s world —exposing biases, challenging societal norms, and asking us to foster empathy and understanding as we seek an inclusive future. 

'The Hate Race is more than a theatrical experience—it is a call to action. This is how we change.'

ARTISTS

'A joyous illustrated tribute to bookshops everywhere, and the special place they hold in children's hearts and minds, from of one Australia's most beloved writers.

'We know a place that's mysterious-magic,

a window to lives you can't even imagine.

We know a secret world-wakening secret,

a brain-boggling secret, on Ballarat Street.

'Every Saturday, when the chores are done, two children set out on a journey to their local bookshop, a magical place where sneaky stories escape as you peep in the door and there's plentiful magic for each and for all. Monsters, giants, trolls and pirates ahoy! But what happens when some cheeky creatures follow the children home one day?

'A playful love letter to those wondrous places where secrets and magic live around every corner and between every cover.' (Production summary)

'It's the Sound of the Thing is an exciting collection of poetry for children and teens from Maxine Beneba Clarke, one of Australia’s most innovative and celebrated poets.

'This extraordinary collection celebrates the joy of language and features evocative, enticing poems about everyday life – the sounds of the block, the boredom of detention, and the happenings in the schoolyard. About candy, peanut butter and puddles. About a big brother’s messy room, a grandfather’s fading memory, and a grandmother’s garden magic. Through haiku, sonnets, narrative verse, rhyming couplets, limericks, free verse and more, Maxine invites children and young teens to fall in love with the wonder that is poetry.' (Publication summary)