An exciting fictional expose of the dark heart of evil lying beneath the surface of crime and its policing in present-day Melbourne.
The dismembered body of Junie Patel is discovered in a shallow grave in country Victoria. Detective Sergeant Peter Rowstone of Major Crime pins criminal Marlene Corchoran as the prime suspect. But there are many questions to answer. What was Rowstone doing at Broken River the night Patel was murdered? Is Rowstone’s investigation revealing the dark heart of the crime or is it an elaborate conspiracy? Who and what is ‘The Brotherhood’, the secret organisation of powerful men who engage in depraved rituals at an isolated lodge in north-eastern Victoria?
Those who talk, don’t know. Those who know, don’t talk…
– Carl Williams.
Content warning: This production contains a scene that depicts intense sexual violence
The Absence of Knowing is fast-paced and physical … under the expert guidance of Murphet. It will also shock you to see just how much physicality such text-laden material can allow. Murphet’s masterful direction is important.
-What Did She See review of The Absence of Knowing (La Mama 2017)
Writer: Tony Reck
Director: Richard Murphet
Set Designer: Jessie Keyes assisted by Juliette Whitney
Lighting Designer: Kris Chainey
Sound Designer: Raya Slavin
Stage Manager: Jackie Mates
Deputy Stage Manager: Diane Pereira
Cast: Adrian Mulraney, Carole Patullo, Adam Cass, Edward McCullough, George Munro, Jackson Trickett, Nick Stribakos, Allen Laverty
Image by Tony Reck
Mr Murphet’s mise en scène brings out the instances of fear, pride, evasion, aggression, psycho-sexual undertone and desperation – the last leading to the inevitable final exchange – or what the playwright Bernard-Marie Koltès considers inevitable.
-Stage Whispers review of In the Solitude of Cotton Fields (La Mama 2019)
