Blackrock (play)
| Blackrock | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Author | Nick Enright |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Play |
| Publisher | Currency Press |
Publication date | 1996 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| ISBN | 978-0-86819-477-6 |
Blackrock is a play by Australian playwright Nick Enright.[1] It was inspired by the real-life rape and murder of schoolgirl Leigh Leigh[1][2] in Stockton, near Newcastle, Australia on 3 November 1989.
It is published by Currency Press[3] and won the 1996 AWGIE Award for Best Play.[4]
Origins
The play had its origin in 1992 as Enright's A Property of the Clan, a theatre-in-education piece written for Freewheels Theatre in Education in Newcastle, New South Wales. It was also shown at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1993.[5] Enright subsequently developed it at Sydney Theatre Company into Blackrock, where it was performed in 1995 and 1996.[5] While the new play retained at least three of the main characters, the narrative and emphasis were reshaped for an audience outside of a specifically educational environment.
Plot
Blackrock was set in a fictional Australian beach side working-class suburb called Blackrock, where surfing was popular among youths like Jared. He had his first serious girlfriend, Rachel, who came from a much wealthier part of the city. One day Ricko, the local surfing legend, came back after an eleven-month odyssey, and Jared gave him a 'welcome home' get together. A few nights later it was Rachel's brother Toby's birthday party which was held at the local beach club.Unsupervised and with alcohol freely available, tragedy soon arrived - Jared witnessed a girl called Tracy being raped by three youths (Davo; Scott; and Toby, Rachel's brother). After which she was murdered by Ricko with a rock. And Jared did nothing to stop the attacks.
Ricko and the community would soon be scrutinized by news bulletins across the nation. The locals reacted differently: The surfers continued their lives as if nothing had happened. Cherie, who also happened to be Jared's cousin, resorted to violent behaviours; Rachel had to face the news that her brother Toby was one of the accused. Jared was torn between the need to reveal what he saw for the sake of justice, and the desire to protect Ricko, Toby and the other rapists in the name of 'mateship'. His silence eventually led to the breakdown of his relationships, not only with Rachel, but also with his mother Diane, who was recovering from breast cancer.
Premiere Production
Blackrock was first produced by the Sydney Theatre Company at Wharf I on August 30, 1995, with the following cast:
JARED: Simon Lyndon
CHERIE: Rebecca Smart
RICKO: Paul Bishop
DAVO: Dan Wyllie
SCOTT: Teo Gebert
TOBY: Joel Edgerton
TIFFANY: Kristina Bidenko
STEWART/LEN/ROY: John Walton
MARIAN/GLENYS: Julie Godfrey
RACHEL: Kym Wilson
DIANE: Angela Punch McGregor
[All other roles were played by members of the company]
Directed by David Berthold
Set designed by Daniel Tobin
Costumes designed by Genevieve Blanchett
Lighting designed by Nigel Levings
It also played at the Australian Theatre Festival in Canberra that same year.
It has since had more many productions throughout Australia, the most recent being a Newcastle based theatre company, Tantrum Theatre, presenting the play in 2010.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Baillie, Rebecca (31 March 2003). "Tribute to Enright". The 7.30 Report. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
- ↑ Baillie, Rebecca (31 March 2003). "Tribute to Enright". The 7.30 Report. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
- ↑ Enright, Nick (1996). Blackrock. Sydney: Currency Press. ISBN 978-0-86819-477-6.
- ↑ "Blackrock (Play)". Australianplays.org. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Coyle, Rebecca (2005). Reel tracks: Australian feature film music and cultural identities. John Libbey Publishing. pp. 23, 24. ISBN 978-0-86196-658-5. Retrieved 24 June 2010.