THE SPOOK

BY MELISSA REEVES

26 MARCH – 9 APRIL 2022

“Of course you don’t want to be a communist. No-one in their right mind wants to be a communist.”

It’s 1965, and things are a bit slow in the South Bendigo branch of the Communist Party of Australia.

Sales of The Tribune have slumped, no one’s very interested in the resident Maoist’s slide nights about life in China, and lighting a revolutionary fire in the belly of rural Victoria isn’t progressing too well.

Enter Martin, a young and eager recruit, whose zeal is welcomed by the group, including Greek couple George and Eli Tassakis, even as his mum despairs of his long hair and his rejection of church and army reserve.

But Martin has a secret: he’s been recruited by ASIO to spy on the comrades, and he’s about to get his new friends into serious trouble.

Inspired by a true story, Melissa Reeves creates a whimsical study of small-town Australia, Cold War fear-mongering, friendship and betrayal, laced with dry humour and keenly observed relationships.

Reeves is an unashamedly left-wing writer, with a bent for political theatre which includes a stint at the Melbourne Workers Theatre where she co-authored Who’s Afraid of the Working Class, produced at New Theatre in 2001. Her idols include Bertolt Brecht, Franca Rame and Dario Fo, and she believes left-wing theatre makes the best theatre!

In light of New Theatre’s own fraught history with ASIO’s ‘spooks’, it’s rather fitting that this marvellous contemporary Australian political satire is being given its Sydney revival on our stage.

Winner: 2005 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award – the Louis Esson Prize for Drama
Winner: 2005 AWGIE Award for Best New Play

“Reveals as much about modern politics as it does about our past” The Age

Creative team

Director Rosane McNamara
Set Designer Tom Bannerman
Lighting Designer Michael Schell
Costume Designer Aibhlinn Stokes
Sound Designer/Assistant Director Glenn Braithwaite
Production Manager Louise Fischer
Stage Management Team Talia Benatar, Robyn Arthur, Texas Nixon-Kain
Lighting & Sound Operator Ricci Costa

Cast

Tristan Black, Lib Campbell
Zoe Crawford, Sage McAteer
Jack Elliot Mitchell, Laura Munro
Jodine Muir, Emmanuel Nicolaou
Mark Norton, Nicole Michel Toum

dates & times

Thursday – Saturday 7:30pm
Sunday 5pm
Final performance: Sat 9 April 2pm

Running time: 2hrs 45mins (including interval)

tickets

Full $35
Concessions, Groups (6+) $30
New Theatre Members $22
Thrifty Thursdays $22

BOOK TICKETS

COVID- Safe protocols:
QR code and vaccination checks are no longer required.
Face masks are not mandatory, but recommended.

3.5 stars“A very well performed production…Set in at the fag-end of the Menzies era but makes some salient points regarding perceptions of dissent and loyalty in this day and age. It’s definitely worth seeing.” Audrey Journal

“Director Rosane McNamara pulled out not only the political intrigue of Reeves’s script but also the intricate social commentary on the time when the friends, coworkers, or acquaintances you trusted could ruin your life … The characters and their motives were convincing with a balance between silliness and sinister … Now, in 2022, with Russia and China back again in Australian news cycles, how much has changed since those days of suspicion and betrayal?” Night Writes

“Just the sort of subversive theatre that should attract a wide and enthusiastic audience” Sydney Arts Guide

“Guarantees a lot of fun in its playful mockery of banality and ego-driven myopia, but Reeves makes clear that political action is both necessary and significant … This is a brilliant team offering some wonderful performances.” Theatre Red