When The Secret River – Andrew Bovell's adaptation of the Kate Grenville novel – premiered in 2013 at the Sydney Theatre Company, it was instantly recognised as a deeply important play in addressing the need for greater understanding of colonialisation and recognition of Australia's painful history. Three years on, the stage adaptation has been remounted, with director Neil Armfield at the helm once more, for a national tour. It will stay in Melbourne for nine days only, and if you missed the production the first time around, make sure you don't make the same mistake again.
The play follows the story of William Thornhill (Nathaniel Dean); a recently pardoned convict who finds himself settling into his own plot of land on the banks of the Hawkesbury River in 1813. As Thornhill begins to interact with other white settlers, he also finds himself in the presence of a family from the Dharug people – a group of people lead by elders Yalamundi (Kelton Pell) and Buryia (Frances Djulibing) who have long lived on the land. As the relationship between settlers and the Dharug people begins to break down, the audience must come face-to-face with the devastating sense of inevitability of ensuing tragedy.