Press Release
For Immediate Use
The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Malthouse Theatre Melbourne, and Black Swan State Theatre Company present
Picnic at Hanging Rock
By Tom Wright adapted from Joan Lindsay’s novel
Directed by Matthew Lutton
13 – 28 January 2017
Press night: 14 January, 7:30pm
UK Premiere
Photo by Pia Johnson
· This, the original cast, includes Harriet Gordon-Anderson, Arielle Gray, Amber McMahon, Elizabeth Nabben, and Nikki Shiels.
· Making its UK debut, the play is directed by Malthouse Theatre Melbourne’s Artistic Director, Matthew Lutton, and has been adapted from Joan Lindsay’s novel by Tom Wright, who has also adapted The Trial, Ghost Train, and Babes in the Wood. He is currently Artistic Associate at Sydney Theatre Company.
· The production is co-created by Black Swan Theatre Company, based in Western Australia and responsible for celebrated productions including the world premiere of a trilogy of new works, Rising Water, Signs of Life, and Shrine, by international award-winning novelist Tim Winton.
· Production trailer can be viewed by clicking this link and entering the password ‘picnic’
“This retelling of the Joan Lindsay cult classic proves the book’s postcolonial theme remains relevant – and will terrify the pants off you.” - The Guardian Australia
Celebrating its UK premiere, renowned Australian companies, Malthouse Theatre and Black Swan State Theatre Company, bring Picnic at Hanging Rock, a haunting, iconic Australian bush tale, to The Lyceum stage in January 2017. Directed by one of Australia’s brightest young creative talents, Matthew Lutton, this retelling follows three Australian schoolgirls who, having grown tired of their classmates and yearning for adventure, abscond to the nearby Hanging Rock, never to be seen again…
A cult classic in its native country - originally a novel by Joan Lindsay (1967) and subsequently a film directed by Peter Weir (1975), the 2016 stage production was a huge hit with audiences in Melbourne and Perth. Described by Australian Book Review as ‘a genuinely frightening experience’, this highly physical rendition honours and enlivens a piece of Australian mythology that has cemented itself in the national psyche for fifty years.
Adapted by award-winning playwright Tom Wright (The Trial, Ghost Train, Babes in the Wood), this chilling revision follows five performers as they struggle to solve the mystery of the missing girls and their teacher in the vast Australian Outback. Euphoria and terror reverberate throughout Appleyard College, as the potential for history to repeat itself becomes nightmarishly real.
Picnic at Hanging Rock is infused with the distinctive and unique culture of the Australian landscape and further solidifies Matthew Lutton’s unique talent for developing contemporary adaptations of iconic Australian works.
Matthew Lutton, Artistic Director of Malthouse Theatre and Director of Picnic at Hanging Rock says: ‘Lindsay is one of Australia’s most revered writers. Her 1967 novel has haunted the Australian psyche for decades, inspired a legendary film, and speaks to Australia’s ongoing and uneasy relationship with colonialism and landscape. Malthouse Theatre is thrilled to be playing its re-imagining of Lindsay’s nightmare for audiences in Edinburgh and to be part of David Greig’s inaugural season at The Lyceum.’
The production stars the original cast, Harriet Gordon-Anderson (Moving On Inc., Perth Fringe; Never Hurt Anyone, Griffin; The Staffroom, Sydney Fringe); Arielle Gray ( co-founder of The Last Great Hunt theatre company, where she’s performed It’s Dark Outside and Falling Through Clouds); Amber McMahon (Optimism, Malthouse; North by Northwest, MTC/Kay & McLean; Angel in America, Belvoir); Elizabeth Nabben (Antigone, ‘Tis a Pity She’s a Whore, Malthouse; Dance Better at Parties, STC; The Crucible, MTC; Triangle, The Trouble with Harry, MKA), and Nikki Shiels (Night on Bald Mountain, The Dragon and Elizabeth, Almost by Chance a Woman, Malthouse; The Cherry Orchard, True Minds, Top Girls, Don Parties On, MTC; The Unspoken Word is ‘Joe’, Griffin/MKA/La Mama; M+M, Melbourne Festival).
Ends
For further media information, please contact Harriet Mould on / 0131 2484 822 / 0745 481 6116
Full Listings information
Picnic at Hanging Rock
By Joan Lindsay
Adapted by Tom Wright
Directed by Matthew Lutton
Set and Costume designed by Zoë Atkinson
Sound designed by J. David Franzke
Composed by Ash Gibson Greig
Lighting designed by Paul Jackson
Address: Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Grindlay Street, EH3 9AX
Box Office: 0131 248 4848
Website: lyceum.org.uk
Performance Dates: 13 – 28 January 2017
Opening performance: Saturday 14 January
Times: evenings,7.30pm, matinees,2pm
Prices: £30.50 - £10.00
Post-Show Discussion: Tuesday 24 January 2017 (FREE, no ticket required)
Audio Described: Thursday 26 January, 7:30pm (touch tour – 6:15pm); Saturday 28 January, 2pm (touch tour – 12:45pm)
BSL Interpreted: Wednesday 25 January, 7:30pm
Captioned: Saturday 28 January, 2pm
Join the conversation: #PicnicatHangingRock
Notes to Editor
Malthouse Theatre Melbourne is a home for performing arts that offers alternative perspectives. Based in a dedicated venue, The Coopers Malthouse in Melbourne, the company is driven by the belief that theatre should be inventive, provocative, and entertaining: a unique human experience that sparks conversation about our place in the world.
Malthouse Theatre is a major performing arts organisation that works closely with all levels of the local industry and builds pathways for independent artist.
Black Swan Theatre Company is Western Australia’s state theatre company, committed to creating exceptional theatre that nurtures Western Australian audiences and artists and promotes their artists within the stage, nationally and internationally.
Since its inception in 1991, Black Swan has earned both critical and popular acclaim for its world premiere productions and highly distinctive reinterpretations of international theatre classics – all of which are infused with the unique culture of Western Australia.
Having recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company is a crucible of Scottish talent and the best of world theatre with a strong reputation for developing Scotland’s considerable indigenous artists while presenting the best of international drama. With a strong reputation for excellence in both classical and contemporary work, The Lyceum is committed to developing Scotland’s indigenous theatre talents and presenting the best of international drama from its home in a magnificent, intimate Victorian building in Edinburgh’s West End.
Internationally celebrated playwright David Greig became the 8th Artistic Director of The Lyceum in 2016, following Mark Thomson’s superb 13 year reign.
In recent years, The Lyceum has staged co-productions with Theatre Royal, Bath; The Bush Theatre, London; Nottingham Playhouse Theatre Company; National Theatre of Scotland; Citizens Theatre; Dundee Rep; Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse; Chichester Festival Theatre and the Lyric Hammersmith.
In addition, The Lyceum also runs an award-winning, ambitious and acclaimed Creative Learning programme which engages with over 16,000 young people across Scotland annually.
For more information, please visit lyceum.org.uk