Two of Australia’s finest theatre-makers have teamed up for this Julian Assange-inspired play

Australia's most awarded playwright, Patricia Cornelius, and acclaimed director Susie Dee have teamed up for a thought-provoking deep dive into the idea of surveillance and the cost of being a whistleblower. The play, aptly titled, Truth – is inspired by the life of Julian Assange, as well as whistleblowers Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning.

Those who are familiar with the work of Patricia Cornelius, will know that the play won’t just be a Julian Assange biopic. Cornelius’ work is often interested in dissecting class dynamics and the way that marginalised communities function in a society. 

The playwright, author and screenwriter recently adapted Who’s Afraid of the Working Class? (which she also co-wrote) into the film Blessed. The story follows fringe dwellers, living in an age of social, economic and moral deprivation. So it’s no surprise that she is drawn to a figure like Assange as subject matter.

“It’s interesting how most people refer to it as a work about Julian Assange,” Cornelius says in an interview for Malthouse Theatre.

“I would describe it as a play about being silenced.” 

Patricia Cornelius and Susie Dee have become a powerful duo in the theatre space over the last 35 years. They first came together as actors in a play Cornelius wrote called Lily and May. The production was performed in the incompletely renovated Malthouse Theatre in 1987, and was technically Malthouse’s first performance, as the company was previously known as the Playbox Theatre.

“Working with Susie is amazing, because sometimes there’ll be a scene… and I’ll think it’s terrific. And then she’s back in because she wants more from them,” Cornelius says of working with Dee. “She has a very fine sense of when something is underachieved.”

Expect to see Cornelius and Dee’s collective genius come together in this striking new play, featuring an ensemble of five brilliant young emerging actors who promise to bring a powerful sense of energy to the work.

Truth is playing at the Malthouse Theatre from February 13 until March 8. Ticket prices range from $50-$90, which you can purchase from the Malthouse website here.