The Secret River (play)

The Secret River
Written by	Andrew Bovell
Date premiered	8 January 2013
Place premiered	Sydney Theatre
Original language	English
Subject	The Secret River by Kate Grenville
Genre	Drama

The Secret River is a play by Andrew Bovell, based upon the novel of the same name by Kate Grenville. Narrated by Dhirrumbin (originally played by Ursula Yovich), the drama is about a man who is exiled from London in the eighteenth century, and is sent with his family to a penal colony in the Hawkesbury River, New South Wales, where he hopes to make a new start, but its inhabitants, the indigenous Dharug people, are not willing to give up their land.

Produced by the Sydney Theatre Company, the play was first performed on 8 January 2013 at the Sydney Theatre. A 2016 remount toured Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Characters

English settlers

• William Thornhill,
• Sal Thornhill, Williams wife
• Willie Thornhill, William and Sal's eldest son
• Dick Thornhill, William and Sal's second son
• Smasher Sullivan, a settler on the Hawkesbury River
• Thomas Blackwood, an ex-convict and tradesmen
• Loveday, a settler on the Hawkesbury River
• Dan Oldfield, Williams childhood friend
• Mrs Herring, a mid-wife and nurse
• Sagitty Birtles, Smasher Sullivan's crony
• Captain Suckling, alcoholic and landowner

Dahrug people

• Dhirrumbin, a guide
• Dulla Djin
• Gillyagan
• Muruli
• Garraway, friend of Dick
• Yalamundi, tribe elder
• Buryia, female tribe elder
• Ngalamalum
• Wangarra, tribal warrior
• Branyimala, tribal warrior
• Narabi, friend of Dick
• Turnkey

Original cast

• Nathaniel Dean - William Thornhill
• Anita Hegh - Sal Thornhill
• Jeremy Sims - Smasher Sullivan
• Colin Moody - Thomas Blackwood
• Ursula Yovich - Dhirrumbin/Dulla Djin
• Miranda Tapsell - Gillyagan/Muruli
• Bruce Spence - Loveday
• Bailey Doomadgee and Kamil Ellis - Garraway
• Lachlan Elliott and Callum McManis - Willie Thornhill
• Rory Potter and Tom Usher - Dick Thornhill
• Roy Gordon - Yalamundi
• Daniel Henshall - Dan Oldfield
• Ethel-Anne Gundy – Buryia
• Trevor Jamieson - Ngalamalum
• Rhimi Johnson Page - Wangarra/Branyimala
• Judith McGrath - Mrs Herring
• James Slee - Narabi
• Matthew Sunderland - Sagitty Birtles/ Captain Suckling/Turnkey
• Source:

Awards and nominations

Helpmann awards

Year	Award Ceremony	Category	Nominee	Result
2013	13th Helpmann Awards	Best Play		Won
		Best New Australian Work		Won
		Best Direction of a Play	Neil Armfield	Won
		Best Male Actor in a Play	Nathaniel Dean	Nominated
		Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play	Colin Moody	Won
		Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play	Miranda Tapsell	Nominated
		Best Original Score	Iain Grandage	Won
		Best Musical Direction	Iain Grandage	Won
		Best Costume Design	Tess Schofield	Nominated
		Best Scenic Design	Stephen Curtis	Nominated
		Best Lighting Design	Mark Howett	Nominated