We acknowledge the unceded lands of the Kulin nation. We acknowledge their sovereignty and their songlines. We pay respect to their elders and their children. We embrace and celebrate the oldest culture in the world.
WELCOME
Welcome to Season 2025 at Malthouse.
We are delighted to open our 2025 with a bold new work that encompasses the type of theatre you can expect from Malthouse this year: powerful and rigorous theatre-making from intrepid storytellers.
Patricia Cornelius and Susie Dee are two of Australia’s most celebrated theatre-makers. Together, writer Patricia Cornelius and director Susie Dee have been electrifying Australian stages for years. TRUTHarrives almost forty years after the pair’s first collaboration at Malthouse – as actors in 1987’s Lilly and May, when Malthouse was still known as Playbox Theatre. This production was shown in the incompletely renovated Sturt Street theatre in what was effectively the first Malthouse performance, and we’re thrilled to be continuing their rich history of acclaimed collaborations.
Joining them is a fantastic ensemble: Emily Havea, Tomáš Kantor, James O'Connell, Eva Rees and Eva Seymour. Each is taking on the exciting but exacting task of portraying not just Julian Assange but the slippery nature of information itself in a dark and gritty world expertly brought to life on our stage by Matilda Woodroofe, Paul Jackson, Kelly Ryall, Meri Blazevski and their talented teams.
One of the many purposes of theatre is to examine complicated ideas; to hold them up into the light for an audience to inspect, interrogate and engage with. TRUTH holds many such ideas. It is an important story for Australia, one that changed our understanding of the world and how it operates – and one that has only grown in urgency as murky questions of surveillance, disinformation and the silencing of journalists and whistleblowers takes place on our international stage.
We hope you enjoy the show.
WRITER'S NOTE
PATRICIA CORNELIUS
This is a play to honour all those who speak out. Those who are unable to remain silent; who risk their jobs, their livelihoods, their lives for the truth to be out.
Because once you know, you know and there’s no unknowing it as much as you might like to.
Because to be complicit, to make no protest, not stamp one’s foot, to not act, how does one live with that?
Journalist/publisher, Julian Assange, and whistleblowers extraordinaire Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden play important parts in this work. Their contribution to transparency, to taking enormous risks to allow the public to know what’s going on behind our backs and the repercussions of doing that are breath-taking.
I have read many books, articles and essays and have learned a lot about bravery, about how the powerful will punish dissent, how it feels like the world needs those who speak out more than ever.
Particular thanks to Nils Melzer: The Trial of Julian Assange and to Suelette Dreyfus and Julian Assange: Underground.
I have worked with the director, Susie Dee for many years and as always am ever so grateful to her insight and ability to bring a text to life. She is hard-working, inspired and makes the work sing.
And more thanks to the cast and crew. What a delight!
"THIS IS A PLAY TO HONOUR ALL THOSE WHO SPEAK OUT."
PATRICIA CORNELIUS
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
SUSIE DEE
In TRUTH, Patricia has created a work that is truly unapologetic, daring and fuelled with a propulsive action that, for a director, is a joy to bring to life.
From the outset, my goal was to build a highly charged theatrical world – one that embraces and amplifies the voices and stories that demand to be heard.
To tackle this subject matter and give form to this world of truth tellers has been a great honour and a great challenge.
I am blessed to have five very courageous actors in TRUTH. The ensemble has attacked and embraced the physical style with gusto. Likewise, the creative team has been the backbone of this production, bringing their expertise, vision and relentless dedication to every element of the production.
What makes this play so exciting is that it confronts the idea of our complacency. Do we passively accept the status quo, or do we sit in silence and accept that our world is filled with corruption, tyrants, lies, genocide, racism, media manipulation and more.
Or do we speak up, take action? Are we brave enough…? At the heart of this work is a fundamental call to arms.
Maybe we can’t change the world, but let’s not stop trying.
Cast & Creatives
Photo of PATRICIA CORNELIUS
PATRICIA CORNELIUS
SHE/HER
WRITER
Photo of SUSIE DEE
SUSIE DEE
SHE/HER
DIRECTOR
Photo of EMILY HAVEA
EMILY HAVEA
SHE/HER
ENSEMBLE
Photo of TOMÁŠ KANTOR
TOMÁŠ KANTOR
HE/THEY
ENSEMBLE
Photo of JAMES O’CONNELL
JAMES O’CONNELL
HE/HIM
ENSEMBLE
Photo of EVA REES
EVA REES
SHE/HER
ENSEMBLE
Photo of EVA SEYMOUR
EVA SEYMOUR
SHE/HER
ENSEMBLE
Photo of MATILDA WOODROOFE
MATILDA WOODROOFE
SHE/HER
SET & COSTUME DESIGNER
Photo of PAUL JACKSON
PAUL JACKSON
HE/HIM
LIGHTING DESIGNER
Photo of KELLY RYALL
KELLY RYALL
HE/HIM
COMPOSER & SOUND DESIGNER
Photo of MERI BLAZEVSKI
MERI BLAZEVSKI
SHE/HER
VIDEO DESIGNER
Photo of JUSTIN GARDAM
JUSTIN GARDAM
HE/HIM
VIDEO ASSOCIATE
Photo of SPENCER HERD
SPENCER HERD
HE/HIM
ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER – Malthouse Artist Development Program
Photo of BAYLEY TURNER
BAYLEY TURNER
SHE/HER
INTIMACY COORDINATOR
STAGE MANAGER ASHLEIGH WALWYN
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER ROSEMARY OSMOND
MOVEMENT CONSULTANT LYNDALL GRANT
SCENIC ART PATRICK JONES
DIRECTING INTERN KARINA WHITE
AV INTERN AMY TODD
Malthouse Theatre and the creative team of TRUTH would like to thank:
ANTHONY BLAIR & STEVIE ANSWERTH FROM CAMERON’S MANAGEMENT
CATHERINE POULTON, CAMERON HOOPER, TANIA PATTI & SASHA DANSWAN FROM CP ARTIST MANAGEMENT
DIOR DEUMER & KAREN KING FROM EXPRESSION! ARTS MANAGEMENT
SHAUN GLADWELL AND PALAS
ALJIN ABELLA
DAMON BAUDIN
DARCY KENT
EMILY MILLEDGE
HARVEY ZIELINSKI
JESSE VASILIADIS
CONTENT WARNING
This production contains smoke effects, loud noises and flashing lights. Nudity, explicit language, mature themes, descriptions of sexual assault allegations, and graphic depictions of violence will be present. Detailed content information is available on our website.
DURATION
The running time for this production is approximately 80 minutes, with no interval.
NOTE
This play is a fictional imagining by the playwright, including true events in the life of Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning, Laura Poitras, Glenn Greenwald and Ewan MacAskill. It combines references to true events, extracts from published works, interviews and media, as well as fictitious commentary, opinions and characters. It includes some footage of the WikiLeaks release of “Collateral Murder” which is a true and shocking depiction of the US military killing of a group of Iraqi men in the streets. The real-life people featured in this play have not endorsed, nor had any artistic input into the production of this play. Any fictional characters that have resemblance to real-life persons is coincidental and not intentional.
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CHRIS TEH
JUSTINE CHARLES
JUDY MORTON
TAYLOR KANE
PATRICK CONWAY
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EXECUTIVE TEAM
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & CO-CEO Matthew Lutton
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER & CO-CEO Vivia Hickman
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jacob Varghese (Chair) Jada Alberts Jennifer Darbyshire Lindy Hume AM PhD Dr Anna Foley Alison Whyte Alan Wong
ARTISTIC & PROGRAMMING
SENIOR PRODUCER Annie Bourke PRODUCER Erica Browne CASTING MANAGER Rhys Velasquez, CGA NEW WORK ASSOCIATE – ARTIST DEVELOPMENT Jessica Arthur NEW WORK ASSOCIATE – SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT Keziah Warner
FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION
FINANCE MANAGER Liz White
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
HEAD OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Claire La Greca MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Emma Walsh MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST Aayushi Parikh MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Lauren Gallina PUBLICIST Common State GRAPHIC DESIGN Hours After
Paul Buckley Perri Cummings Claire Duncan Mellita Ilich Julia Landberg Joshua Lim Brigid Meredith Isa Munhos
EDUCATION
EDUCATION COORDINATOR Lyall Brooks
PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION MANAGER Blair Hart TECHNICAL MANAGER Baird McKenna OPERATIONS MANAGER Dexter Varley HEAD TECHNICIAN (LIGHTING) Rob Ballingall HEAD TECHNICIAN (SOUND) Edwin Cheah
HEAD OF WARDROBE Delia Spicer WORKSHOP MANAGER Goffredo Mameli SET BUILDERS Elizabeth Whitton, Lennon Fowler
PRODUCTION STAFF
Andrew Boswell Arielle Roberts Ashleigh Basham Chris Payne Claire Ferguson Connor Brown Dan Walkeden Darren Peet Darren Thao Em Van Dyk Eugene Mackinnon Gareth Sole Jodi Hope Josh Mackenzie Justin Gardham Kara Jaeger-Pound Khisraw Jones-Shukoor Mitchell Gunthorpe Micah Patson Nathan Burmeister Nathan Evers Nathaniel Sy Paddy Hay Rhys Pottinger Sasha Vulling Spencer Herd Suzy Brooks Taarani Charrett-Dunlop Tait Adams Will Palazzo
VENUE MANAGEMENT
FRONT OF HOUSE MANAGER Dani Goder
FRONT OF HOUSE ATTENDANTS
Aljin Abella Barney Spicer Chiara Gabrieli Ellie Roth Emma Shaw Fiker Gebrehana George Jefford Hayley Wolters Kate Washington Kenny Waite Kirra Niner Louisa Carpinteri Lucy Seale Mitch Brotz Molly Wilson-McKenna Ponie Curtis Sara Norman Sophie McCrae Texas Nixon-Kain Victoria Barlow Zoë Hadler
