“The first thing that strikes you is the ominous set design by Matilda Woodroofe. An imposing metal gantry and wire fencing dominate the rear of the stage, above which hangs a screen displaying bold text. The edges of the stage are littered with microphones and cameras. The only other staging consists of five desks with old-fashioned computer monitors and keyboards. The cast dashes around and through this set with the clandestine fervour of a spy drama or revolutionary guerrilla war.”
“The set design by Matilda Woodroofe combined with the video design by Meri Blazevski highlight this terrifying paranoid world.”
Malthouse Theatre 2025
Set & Costume Design Matilda Woodroofe
Direction Susie Dee
Writer Patricia Cornelius
Lighting Design Paul Jackson
Photos Pia Johnston
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Melbourne, 1980s. A group of misfit teenagers break into forbidden fortresses.
The Pentagon. Stanford. NASA. There is no theft. No profits. No harm. They just want to look around. But when you’re storming castles, not everyone gets out unscathed.
Australia’s most awarded playwright, Patricia Cornelius (Who’s Afraid of the Working Class?, Do Not Go Gentle), returns with a zeitgeist-defining investigation into the price the powerful will pay to control the truth and why the children once forced to live with lies become their greatest adversaries. The ones who wanted to change the world.
This is the story of Julian Assange. Edward Snowden. Chelsea Manning. It is a story about the costs of not staying silent.
“Matilda Woodroofe’s set may be cold and confronting, with shades of Guantánamo, but it’s capable of variation and visual impact. ”
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