STC's THE SECRET RIVER Coming to Arts Centre Melbourne in 2016

A stirring and ambitious adaptation of Kate Grenville's award-winning novel, Sydney Theatre Company's 2013 landmark production, The Secret River can be seen at Arts Centre Melbourne's Playhouse from 10 - 19 March 2016.

Directed by Neil Armfield and adapted by Andrew Bovell (When the Rain Stops Falling, Lantana), 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. A family 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.

Grenville's story confronts the brutality which ensued with this collision of cultures, and the stage adaptation expands the emphasis to the experiences of both the Dharug people and the European settlers. The staging also gives a voice to the land and the river, demonstrating how human stories are uniquely shaped by their environment.

The Secret River depicts a turning point in the development of Australia; a fork in the road with the chosen path resulting in consequences we all live with today.

Winner of six Helpmann Awards, including Best Play, Best Direction and Best New Australian Work, The Secret River was heralded as "a stunning, shattering piece of theatre that goes to the heart of our history" (The Sunday Telegraph).