{"id":144408,"date":"2023-02-08T07:30:09","date_gmt":"2023-02-07T21:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/?p=144408"},"modified":"2023-02-08T07:30:09","modified_gmt":"2023-02-07T21:30:09","slug":"wittenoom-red-stitch-theatre-theatre-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wittenoom-red-stitch-theatre-theatre-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Wittenoom (Red Stitch Theatre) &#8211; theatre review"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wittenoom, the former town and declared contaminated site in the Pilbara region of Western Australia was, in short, a death trap.\u00a0During the 1950s and early \u201860s, it was Australia\u2019s only supplier of deadly blue asbestos. The mine was shut down in 1966.\u00a0Wittenoom, the play \u2013 a work of fiction \u2013 uncovers just how toxic an environment the place was \u2026 in chilling detail.\u00a0The world premiere production is a superb piece of work, brilliantly conceived and executed.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_144409\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-144409\" style=\"width: 560px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-144409 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rsz_wittenoom004-min.jpg?resize=560%2C784&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"784\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rsz_wittenoom004-min.jpg?w=560&amp;ssl=1 560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rsz_wittenoom004-min.jpg?resize=214%2C300&amp;ssl=1 214w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-144409\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photos by Jodie Hutchinson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dot (Caroline Lee) works in Wittenoom and loves the constant flow of new men into the region.\u00a0Sexually charged, she takes full advantage of the situation in the full knowledge of her 15-year-old daughter Pearl (Emily Goddard).\u00a0The last thing Dot wants is a permanent male fixture in her life, but \u2013 as she says \u2013 a woman has needs.\u00a0While the money is good, the risks of being a part of the community are immense and increasingly more and more people are becoming sick.\u00a0The company abrogates its responsibilities to its workers and the workers don\u2019t stand up to the company.\u00a0And then Dot\u2019s world comes tumbling down.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-144412 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rsz_wittenoom012-min.jpg?resize=560%2C839&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"839\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rsz_wittenoom012-min.jpg?w=560&amp;ssl=1 560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rsz_wittenoom012-min.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mary Anne Butler has written a deeply moving and engaging play, with authenticity at its core.\u00a0The scene is set from the opening poetic monologue.\u00a0At times there is a cheeky lilt or a lighthearted story about the good times, but \u2013 more often than not \u2013 that is interwoven with the deep distress of the situation at Wittenoom.\u00a0There is detail about the symptoms of illness, of diagnosis and impending doom \u2026 of men coated in poisonous dust, of tiny, floating fibres entering the lungs.\u00a0By then, time is measured in months, not years \u2026 and dreams shattered.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-144414 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rsz_wittenoom016-min.jpg?resize=560%2C400&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rsz_wittenoom016-min.jpg?w=560&amp;ssl=1 560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rsz_wittenoom016-min.jpg?resize=300%2C214&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The narrative is heartbreaking, the performances superb.\u00a0Dot is fiercely independent and brings up Pearl to be the same way.\u00a0At the start, Dot embraces life and the possibilities of a financially secure future, but soon enough the nightmare eviscerates that.\u00a0Ambition and stoicism are weighed down by the harsh reality of what confronts her and her daughter.\u00a0Caroline Lee and Emily Goddard are deftly able to insert nuance into their characterisations, to switch temperament in the blink of an eye.\u00a0They lay it all on the line. It is raw. It is confronting. It is oh so compelling.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-144410 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rsz_wittenoom001-min.jpg?resize=560%2C840&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"840\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rsz_wittenoom001-min.jpg?w=560&amp;ssl=1 560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/rsz_wittenoom001-min.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ian Moorhead\u2019s sound design heightens the tension, while Rachel Burke\u2019s lighting design adds a layer to the stifling heat of the Pilbara.\u00a0The set is a ripper. It is highly evocative.\u00a0Dann Barber gives us a large, dilapidated, dusty, wooden \u201cwelcome to Wittenoom\u201d sign, with many of the letters missing. Beneath it lies wattle that has fallen from trees.\u00a0Visceral theatre at its finest, this world premiere production is magnificently directed by Susie Dee.\u00a0Brace yourself, because the horrors of Wittenoom stay with you long after you exit Red Stitch.\u00a0Sixty-five minutes without interval, it is playing until 19<sup>th<\/sup> February, 2023.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Alex First<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wittenoom, the former town and declared contaminated site in the Pilbara region of Western Australia was, in short, a death trap.\u00a0During the 1950s and early \u201860s, it was Australia\u2019s only supplier of deadly blue asbestos. The mine was shut down in 1966.\u00a0Wittenoom, the play \u2013 a work of fiction \u2013 uncovers just how toxic an&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":144413,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[801],"tags":[6405,3,8402,8401,8403,3231,1347,8400],"class_list":["post-144408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-theatre","tag-caroline-lee","tag-drama","tag-emily-goddard","tag-heartbreak","tag-mary-anne-butler","tag-red-stitch-theatre","tag-susie-dee","tag-wittenoom"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Wittenoom (Red Stitch Theatre) - theatre review -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wittenoom-red-stitch-theatre-theatre-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wittenoom (Red Stitch Theatre) - theatre review -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Wittenoom, the former town and declared contaminated site in the Pilbara region of Western Australia was, in short, a death trap.\u00a0During the 1950s and early \u201860s, it was Australia\u2019s only supplier of deadly blue asbestos. 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Consent.\u00a0That is US writer Clare Barron\u2019s Shhhh, which has its Australian premiere at Red Stitch Theatre.\u00a0Bold, confronting and, on occasions, perplexing, it is a play that concerns itself with sexual assault, rape culture, mental and physical wellbeing, and the sisterhood. Playwright Shareen (Jessica\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Theatre&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/rsz_dsc2726_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/rsz_dsc2726_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/rsz_dsc2726_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/rsz_dsc2726_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":161833,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/your-name-means-dream-red-stitch-actors-theatre-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":144408,"position":1},"title":"Your Name Means Dream (Red Stitch Actors&#8217; Theatre) &#8211; theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"November 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Just how far can artificial intelligence take us? Can it deliver genuine companionship and more for the lonely, elderly and ailing? Those questions are answered in the resounding affirmative by playwright Jose Rivera in his dramatic and comedic work Your Name Means Dream. Aislin (Caroline Lee), of Polish Irish extraction\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Theatre&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/rsz_hero_image_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/rsz_hero_image_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/rsz_hero_image_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/rsz_hero_image_1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":112553,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/single-ladies-red-stitch-theatre-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":144408,"position":2},"title":"Single Ladies (Red Stitch Theatre) &#8211; theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"February 10, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"As I see it, Single Ladies is a variant of a shaggy dog story ... in more ways than one.\u00a0This world premiere production marks the return in this COVID-19 era of Red Stitch Theatre.\u00a0Set in the inner city Melbourne suburb of Collingwood, three disparate women with issues connect over a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Theatre&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/rsz_1caroline_lee__andrea_swifte_photo_credit_jodie_hutchinson.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/rsz_1caroline_lee__andrea_swifte_photo_credit_jodie_hutchinson.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/rsz_1caroline_lee__andrea_swifte_photo_credit_jodie_hutchinson.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/rsz_1caroline_lee__andrea_swifte_photo_credit_jodie_hutchinson.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":164346,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/honour-red-stitch-actors-theatre-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":144408,"position":3},"title":"Honour (Red Stitch Actors&#8217; Theatre) &#8211; theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"March 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"It is such a clich\u00e9, but trust the magnificent wordsmith in Joanna Murray-Smith to give it so much edge and polish. I speak of an older man leaving his long-term wife for a younger woman. In this case, it is a feted journalist married to a writer \u2013 a poet,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Theatre&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/rsz_dsc08423-enhanced-nr.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/rsz_dsc08423-enhanced-nr.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/rsz_dsc08423-enhanced-nr.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/rsz_dsc08423-enhanced-nr.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":166431,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/super-red-stitch-actors-theatre-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":144408,"position":4},"title":"Super (Red Stitch Actors&#8217; Theatre) &#8211; theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"June 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I went to watch this play, like I do all others, without knowing anything other than its title. I never read the blurb on the website about what I am heading into, nor the program, which sometimes has playwright and director\u2019s notes. In fact, Super\u2019s program does contain playwright Emilie\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Theatre&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/rsz_super_productionimage_approved8.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/rsz_super_productionimage_approved8.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/rsz_super_productionimage_approved8.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/rsz_super_productionimage_approved8.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":136747,"url":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/the-cane-red-stitch-theatre-theatre-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":144408,"position":5},"title":"The Cane (Red Stitch Theatre) &#8211; theatre review","author":"Alex First","date":"April 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Power and control shift constantly in the drama The Cane, which is set in England.\u00a0On the verge of retirement after 45 years in the job, Edward (Dion Mills) is a deputy school head.\u00a0It is Sunday and his wife, Maureen (Caroline Lee) \u2013 who also used to be a teacher \u2013\u00a0has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Theatre&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Theatre","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/category\/theatre\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/rsz_hooded.jpg?fit=800%2C571&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/rsz_hooded.jpg?fit=800%2C571&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/rsz_hooded.jpg?fit=800%2C571&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/rsz_hooded.jpg?fit=800%2C571&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144408\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/144413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}