'Australia Day: A day off work, an excuse to fire up the barbeque, an opportunity to drink copious amounts of beer and, most importantly, a celebration of our national identity... whatever that is.
'For the members of the Australia Day committee in the small country town of Coriole, the issue of cultural identity is prickly to say the least. If they could agree on what kind of Australia they are celebrating, they might be able to tackle the really big questions: Does a sausage sizzle code as monocultural? And should the special needs kids be forced to perform their dance routine on the national day?
'Suffice to say that with a committee comprising of an ambitious Liberal Mayor, a Greens Councillor, a bigoted builder, an Australian-born Vietnamese school teacher and a member of the CWA, rolling out the Australia Day celebrations will be as complex and controversial as carbon pricing.
'This wickedly funny new play from stalwart of political satire, Jonathan Biggins, was inspired by his own experiences as an Australia Day Ambassador, and will be realised by the comic genius of veteran director, Richard Cottrell.
'In a period when political correctness has overwhelmed us, Biggins' fearlessness is refreshing, but even when he is pointing out our ugliest features he does so with affection and quintessentially Aussie good humour.' (Source: Sydney Theatre Co. website)
2013 Helpmann Award nominations include:
Valerie Bader : Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play
A co-production by the Melbourne Theatre Company with the Sydney Theatre Company and Allens Arthur Robinson, 21-26 April 2012 at the Playhouse, Arts Centre, Melbourne.
Director: Richard Cottrell.
Also produced at Riverside Theatres, Parramatta, NSW, 22 August 2012 and Drama Theatre (Sydney Opera House) Sydney, NSW 7 September - 27 October 2012.
Produced by the Queensland Theatre Company, Playhouse, South Brisbane, QLD 25 January - 16 February 2014.
Director: Andrea Moor.
Designer: Simone Romaniuk.
Lighting Designer: David Walters.
Sound Designer: Tony Brumpton.
Assistant Director: Margi Brown Ash.
Assistant Sound Designer: Imogen Millhouse.
Cast: Chris Betts (Wally), Paul Bishop (Brian), Louise Brehmer (Helen), Barbara Lowing (Marie), Lap Phan (Chester), and Bryan Probets (Robert).
Produced at Brown's Mart Theatre, Darwin, NT 10 July - 14 July 2015.
'Members of the Indigenous community in the New South Wales and Victoria border towns of Albury and Wodonga have condemned a local theatre company's plans to stage a play by satirist Jonathan Biggins, best known for The Wharf Revue by the Sydney Theatre Company.' (Introduction)
Melanie Cheng's Australia Day is a' bittersweet, beautifully crafted collection' about the conflicts and realisations that occur when people of different backgrounds are brought together. She spoke to interviewer Hilary Simmons. (Summary)
