Belvoir Announces THE GREAT FIRE

A comedy, a family, ten actors, a landscape (a view of the Adelaide Hills), a great deal of conversation about politics, theatre and life, Christmas, large hopes and five tonnes of love. The Great Fire is a big new play about us - middle Australia in 2016.

Belvoir presents THE GREAT FIRE as a kind of companion to THE BLIND GIANT IS DANCING - a pair of plays a generation apart about family, about holding your course, about what will survive of the fading triumph of Australian social democracy. Where The Blind Giant is a political thriller about the corrupting force of power,The Great Fire is a meditation on the tragedy of a generation that, despite its best ambitions, is leaving the world in a worse state than they inherited it.

Back in the 1970s, in pursuit of a good life and a sustainable future, Judith and Patrick built a house in the Adelaide Hills. They raised their kids here. As time wore on, bit by bit, the family drifted both from the house and the dream it was born from. Now it's Christmas, the first grandchild is on the way and all three generations have gathered again. In the tinderbox heat of summer, Judith is at a crossroads: can the life they once pursued come good again?

Warm, funny, deeply felt, THE GREAT FIRE is the work of a brilliant new writing talent, Kit Brookman (Small and Tired). He is building a reputation for crafting plays that gently but thoroughly examine the intricacies of how families really interact behind closed doors. In this play he lets loose on the sprawling canvas of this multi-generational dynasty. Belvoir commissioned The Great Fire when Brookman won the Philip Parsons Fellowship for Emerging Playwrights in 2012.

THE GREAT FIRE boasts a brilliant ensemble cast of ten actors, an unprecedentedly large cast for a brand new Australian play, and what a cast they are: Sarah Armanious (Wonderland, Network Ten), Peter Carroll (Seventeen), Lynette Curran (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), Eden Falk (A Christmas Carol), Sandy Gore (Small and Tired), Shelly Lauman (As You Like It), Marcus McKenzie in his Belvoir debut, Geoff Morrell (The Blind Giant is Dancing), Yalin Ozucelik (Ivanov) and Genevieve Picot (Small Poppies).

THE GREAT FIRE is a continuation of director Eamon Flack's commitment to presenting rich and complex stories with great heart that reflect who we are as a society.

The show runs from 2 April - 8 May 2016. Previews are on 8pm Saturday 2 April, 6.30pm Sunday 3 April and 8pm Tuesday 5 April with Opening Night on 8pm Wednesday 6 April.

There will be an Unwaged Performance on 2pm Thursday 21 April, a Captioned Performance
2pm Saturday 23 April and an Audio Described Performance on 2pm Saturday 30 April with a Sunday Forum on 3pm 8 May.

Show times are Tuesday 6.30pm, Wednesday to Friday 8pm, Saturday 2pm & 8pm, Sunday 5pm

Tickets prices are full from $72, Seniors/Industry/Group $62, Concession $49, Previews $40, 30 Down $47, Student Saver $37
* Belvoir's ticket prices can be dynamically adjusted either up or down without notice. This can apply to a small number of tickets in response to demand for a specific performance date or time.

The Venue is located at the Upstairs Theatre, Belvoir St Theatre 25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills.

Box Office can be reached at 02 9699 3444 or at www.belvoir.com.au

Photo Credit: Brett Boardman.