National Interest

Black Swan State Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company present National Interest By Aidan Fennessy 5 May - 20 May World Premiere! Tony Stewart was just 21 when he was killed in Balibo in October 1975. 32 years after Tony and his television news crew were murdered, the ghosts of the past are awakened again during the coronial inquest. For Tony’s mother June, these ghosts are as real and as tangible as her daughter Jane, standing in the kitchen with her. Jane wants to lay the ghosts to rest but June can’t let go. Her anger and pain over what happened to her boy have not abated, no matter what the inquest findings are. Sitting in the kitchen one evening, Jane forces June to open up the old wounds and talk about her feelings. But can truth, time and love heal decades of pain? The fate of the Balibo Five shocked Australia in 1975 and the issues still reverberate today. National Interest personalises the headlines with a story of a family who lived through tragedy but refuse to be defined by it. “National Interest is a play about justice, time, love, personal reconciliation and the ghosts that we invent that both comfort and haunt us.” Aidan Fennessy “Balibo is a word and an issue that just won’t go away.” Sydney Morning Herald "Aidan’s personal connection to this story of international intrigue and domestic tragedy gives an authentic voice to those who lived through tragedy but refuse to be defined by it." Kate Cherry Venue: Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA Director: Aidan Fennessy Featuring: James Bell, Julia Blake, Grant Cartwright, Michelle Fornasier, Stuart Halusz, Polly Low Bookings: BOCS Ticketing, ph (08) 9484 1133, Groups 8+ ph (08) 9321 6831, www.bocsticketing.com.au/whats-on/689/national-interest/