Two ageing nuclear scientists in an isolated cottage on the coast, as the world around them crumbles, receive a visit from an old friend with a frightening request.

6 performances in the Lieder Foyer Theatre

Wednesday 7th, Thursday 8th, Friday 9th and Saturday 10th September at 7.30pm.
There will be a matinee commencing at 2pm on Saturday 10th and 2pm on Sunday 11th September.

Directed by Chrisjohn Hancock

Please note: this production includes adult themes, smoking, and haze effects.

THE LIEDER THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS THE CHILDREN BY LUCY KIRKWOOD
Write-up by Greg Angus

“Retired people are like nuclear power stations. We like to live by the sea.”

In a cottage by the coast, two retired nuclear scientists, Hazel and Robin, are enjoying the quiet life. Nearby, a nuclear power plant has been torn apart by a Fukushima-like disaster. Their world is in chaos, electricity is being rationed and Geiger counters are needed to simply go outside.

While trying to enjoy simple pleasures of yoga and farming, as though nothing has changed, everything shi]s when an old friend, Rose, knocks on their door. Something doesn’t feel right as they brace for truly unpredictable fallout.

The Children is an honest and charming depiction of 3 people struggling with environmental issues on a global scale and a close interpersonal level. The moral dilemma at the heart of the story is a far-too-familiar question: “What are we actually doing for future generations?” Director Chrisjohn Hancock is excited about staging The Children in the Lieder’s foyer theatre space. “Our foyer theatre offers the intimacy and focus that this story deserves. It is an extremely well-written play. The characters try to digest differing opinions about environmental issues, with great humour and wit. Lucy Kirkwood’s storytelling delivers an enormous punch in its own uniquely gentle way. The Children is suitable for everyone. Even our youth- theatre actors who are working on this production have been very moved by the themes in The Children, leading to incredible discussions about the future of our world. Everyone can connect to this play.”

“The Children has been waiting on my shelf for the right people to come along. With Annie, Jennifer and David, we have all the right elements”. Jennifer Lamb has been a longtime Lieder performer, playwright and former director of the Goulburn Regional Art Gallery. Annie Bilton is an accomplished playwright, director, and performer with a long career of developing theatre on the Central Coast. David O’Halloran, who began performing with the Lieder Theatre Company in the 1980s, has returned to the Lieder this season a]er decades of theatre experience in the Northern Territory and Southern Highlands. “This ensemble is something very special” says Hancock.

The Children premiered in London’s Royal Court Theatre in 2016 to rave reviews and critical acclaim. It was nominated in 2017 for two Tony Awards during its New York run. In 2019, The Guardian placed The Children on a list of the 10 greatest theatrical works since 2000.