The Secret River, National Theatre

Kate Grenville’s 2005 book The Secret River has become a seminal text in the Australian literary canon, taught in schools and a staple in bookstores across the country. The Sydney Theatre Company's multi-award-winning stage adaption of the novel comes to the National Theatre to throw us head first into 19th century Australia in a tense tale of early colonisation.

William Thornhill and his family are early Western settlers in New South Wales. Thornhill, an ex-convict, attempts to start afresh in this brave new world and build a new life for himself and his family. His dreams of owning a home are thwarted, however, when he clashes with the Dhurag people on the banks of the Hawesbury River, who assert that the land is not his to take.

Neil Armfield directs this deeply moving story with a large ensemble cast and live music is composed by Iain Grandage. The production has also been created in collaboration with Aboriginal artists and is performed in both Dharug and English. Divisions of race and culture are sure to be powerfully played out on stage to cataclysmic effect in this theatrical epic.