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Grace

  • Season

    13 Feb — 6 Mar 2010

  • Venue

    Victoria Hall 179 High Street Fremantle

“Pacy, scary, dripping with atmosphere.” The Times
“Grace is like a flare of hope in an empty sea.” The Mercury

Grace finds herself pursued by a stalker. He haunts her in cinemas, writes psychotic letters and breaks into her flat. Losing her boyfriend, her job and nearly losing her mind, she flees the city and goes into hiding in a crocodile park in the Kimberley. Meanwhile her father unearths an ancient skeleton that brings into question the very origins of the human race…

Part thriller, part-road movie, part film-noir, this is an epic tale that travels from inner-city Sydney to the Great Sandy Desert. Adapted from the celebrated novel by Robert Drewe, this new theatrical feast is wryly satirical and heartbreakingly moving. GRACE is a gripping story with heart, humour and passion.

With a cast of some of WA’s finest actors including Kirsty Hillhouse in the title role of Grace and George Shevtsov as her bone-collecting father, this was a fantastic season loved by audiences and critics alike!

GRACE

Click here to see Kirsty Hillhouse talk briefly about her character Grace

Click here to see Artistic Director Chris Bendall talk about the cast members for GRACE

“Bendall manages to grab the threads of such complex issues and weave them into a theatrical feast that is wryly satirical and heartbreakingly moving. His direction is brave, bold and ballsy which rewards the audience with a production that is challenging, thought provoking, and carefully thought out, from the casting to the simple set and lighting design to the music” – The Fremantle Herald

See snippits from the Artists Talks between author Robert Drewe, adapter Humphrey Bower and Artistic Director Chris Bendall on the making of GRACE!

“There’s quite a lot going on in the world of Grace, and Humphrey Bower’s adaptation does not shy from tackling it all… The thriller ending is remarkably well done” The West Australian

“. . . a hard hitting play . . . thought provoking . . . uniquely Australian and worth seeing” Australian Stage

“Hillhouse is an attractive, feisty Grace, and her performance is affecting as she and the hunted Afghan refugee (engagingly played by newcomer Ismat Akbarzada) console each other….demented pursuer Carl played to creepy perfection by Russ Pirie” The Australian

“The formidably impressive George Shevtsov, plays Grace’s Father John with a quiet dignity and presence on stage that few actors have… Kirsty Hillhouse as Grace was exceptional” Australian Stage

“There is a lot to applaud in this multi – stranded narrative, it’s visually exciting and intellectually stimulating…” Sunday Times

“It is wonderful to see contemporary Australian stories as part of the texture of our Festival. It is vital that we support the creation of new Australian work such as this which reflects our culture and our times.” Shelagh Magadza, Artistic Director

“This adaptation by Humphrey Bower of Robert Drewe’s novel Grace is pacy, well realized, and engrossing in its theatrical dimensions and depth of human experience” Gillian Clarke artsHub

Director

Chris Bendall

Written By

Adapted by Humphrey Bower from Robert Drewe's novel GRACE

Composer

Ash Gibson Greig

Starring

Kirsty Hillhouse, Ismat Akbarzada, Polly Low, Leroy Parsons, Russ Pirie, George Shevtsov and Steve Turner

Sound Designer

Kingsley Reeve

Lighting Designer

Andrew Lake

Video Designer

Kirrilly Brentnall

Stage Manager

Jenny Poe

Production Manager

Joseph Mercurio

*Artwork supplied by Bevin Design House