Family anger
February 2013
1988 was the 200th anniversary of white settlement in Australia, and in an attempt to celebrate, the Australian Bicentennial Commission distributed grants for artists to create work about Australia.
Many artists at the time boycotted the grant, but Stephen Sewell decided to take one. With that money he wrote Hate, a controversial play about fear, deceit and violent anger in Australia, particularly in its politics.
Now 25 years later, the play is being put on again at the Malthouse Theatre.
“It’s so relevant,” says William Zappa, who plays the lead in the play. “With the corruption that’s going on in New South Wales and all the stuff that goes on in our national politics, it could have been written this week.”
The play centres around Zappa’s character John Gleason, a shadow minister in a coalition party, and the patriarch of his wealthy, powerful family. The Gleason family all come together for Easter at their country homestead, where John will divide up his empire.
It is soon clear that the family has gained their wealth through vicious corruption and deceit, but has lost a great deal in the recent financial crisis.
“This was all written soon after the financial crisis of the mid 80s, which is very similar to what’s happening now,” says Zappa. “This is why the company wanted to put this play on; it’s like what goes around comes around. Some of the names have changed is all.”
A storm erupts shortly after their arrival, hemming them in, building tension and cutting off the phone line. “In 1988 they couldn’t reach the outside world. In 2013 they would all have mobile phones. That’s the only thing that’s different,” Zappa adds.
As the family members are pitted against each other, ancient bruises start to show, the emotions become violent and the ‘Hate’ becomes very clear.
“It’s exciting… there are some epic aspects of the play that are almost Shakespearean; it’s goodness being corrupted.”
The play is going to be ‘theatre in the round’ style, so that all members of the audience can see the tensions, deceit and manipulation as they swell and then explode.
“Stephen’s stage directions are very abstract. There’s something like 24 scenes; some in the hallway, some in the family room, some in the bedroom,” says Zappa. “So even on a normal stage you would have to do something symbolic in the way it’s presented. It’s basically a big empty space. But one of the wonders of theatre is lighting, light can define space as well.”
Although the title might put some people off, the play will keep you enthralled. Zappa ensures us, “It’s more exciting than it is depressing or dark, there’s a storm that goes through the whole piece, there’s the intensity of being horrified by how awful these people are. And it’s been a fantastic play to work on – it’s really challenging playing this character that nobody likes. The task is to enjoy not being liked.”
Although the play may be centred on a wealthy family that is easy to dislike, Stephen Sewell’s message may well apply to the broader nation. In a foreword to the reprint of Hate last year, he wrote about the ‘angry, visceral rage’ of Australian political discourse.
“And the answer is not, of course, for us all to be nicer to one another… but for the inequalities and injustices that we have allowed to fester in our nation to be properly addressed, starting with the appalling discrimination and terrible violence still being perpetrated against the aboriginal people,” he wrote.
“Until that problem is decisively and honestly dealt with, Australia will remain the nation of Hate.”
Hate shows at the Malthouse Theatre from February 20 to March 8.
Photos by: Lachlan Woods.
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