22 April - 14 May
[Past Event]
Playhouse, QPAC$55 - 86Buy tickets
Season tickets
In a nutshell
The great new Australian play by one of our greatest writers
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Who are we, what are we doing here, and why is it so? Faced with the loss of a parent, do we rage against the universe, search for connection or hope for an epiphany?
On the beaches of northern New South Wales, theatre director Will has planned to share a restful, halcyon Christmas with his recently-widowed mother. But then she falls ill. During a bedside vigil, Will is forced to piece together the splintered shards of his own life, questioning his role as an artist, as a son, as a citizen of the world.
Artistic Director Sam Strong marks his Queensland Theatre directorial debut with this heartfelt work by playwright and former Artistic Director Michael Gow. At once intimate and sweeping, balancing warmth with wrath, Once In Royal David’s City is a life-affirming story about family, loss, purpose, politics, and the endless possibilities of art.
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Reviews
The extraordinary skills of Queensland Theatre artistic director Sam Strong and designer Stephen Curtis combine to produce scenes with maximum physical and emotional impactThe Australian
Beautifully nuanced... expertly crafted... a show of joy and lightStage Whispers
there’s plenty to chew over, and much to enjoy…uniformly excellentThe West Australian
'Once in Royal David's City' the best play Brisbane hasn't Seen YetQnews
theatre that makes you think, and laugh, and feel.Australian Stage
…a play with genuine, well-crafted, touching scenes, and ponders on the human conditionCool Perth Nights
Cast includes
Adam Booth, Penny Everingham, Emma Jackson, Jason Klarwein, Toni Scanlan, Adam Sollis, Kaye Stevenson and Steve Turner.
Director
Sam Strong
Designer
Stephen Curtis
LX Designer
Matt Scott
Composer/Sound Designer
Ash Gibson Greig
Choreographer & Movement Director
Nerida Matthaei
Singing Coach
Jason Barry Smith
Dialect Consultant
Melissa Agnew
Stage Manager
Kathryn O'Halloran
Assistant Stage Manager
Heather O'Keefe
Director Observation
Katrina Irawati Graham
Director Observation
Matthew Seery
Runtime:
100 minutes with no interval