"Astonishingly beautiful to look at, languid in its storytelling and deeply affecting… Essential viewing."
The Secret River
Sydney Theatre Company & Bangarra Dance
Theatre
The Secret River is a stirring adaptation of Kate Grenville’s award-winning novel.
Directed by Neil Armfield, The Secret River is a story of two families divided by culture and land. William Thornhill arrives in New South Wales a convict from the slums of London. His family’s new home offers him something he hadn’t dare dream of: a place to call his own. On the banks of the Hawkesbury River, he plants a crop and lays claim to the soil in which it grows.
But the Hawkesbury is already home to another family. A family from the Dharug people, whose existence depends on that land. As Thornhill’s attachment to the land deepens, he is driven to a terrible decision that will haunt him for the rest of his life.
Director Neil Armfield
Artistic Associate Stephen Page
Set Designer Stephen Curtis
Costume Designer Tess Schofield
Lighting Designer Mark Howett
Composer Iain Grandage
Musical Director Isaac Hayward
Sound Designer Steve Francis
Tour Director Kip Williams
Dramaturg Matthew Whittet