It’s Toby's 18th, and he’s having a party down at the beach—that should mean heaps of drinking, dancing and fun. But by the morning a young girl is found dead in the sand. Who is responsible? Blackrock is a powerful and intimate drama examining community, class, and the impact of social influence on Australia’s youth.

In 1992, Nick Enright wrote The Property of the Clan, a short theatre-in-education play which was based on the sexual assault and murder of 14-year-old Leigh Leigh in 1989. Enright’s play was later redeveloped into a full-length play for a wider audience in 1995 and was retitled as Blackrock.

Blackrock exists because a violent crime was committed against a young woman. Examining the persisting relevance of Enright’s confronting, honest text, Director Olivia Staaf (2020 Winner, Melbourne Fringe Access & Inclusion Award) brings Blackrock to Geelong with an ensemble of emerging, of-age actors embodying the complex authenticity of Enright’s play. Of Blackrock, Staaf describes it as a play that “delves into the devastating consequences of perpetuating toxic masculinity through privilege, peer pressure and habit.” By working with a troupe of young actors, Staaf’s Blackrock places these social conversations back in the hands of the people it affects the most, making for a challenging and refreshingly inspired approach to the text. The world of the play is quietly insidious, defined by unspoken truths and the omnipresent sand and dust, a reminder of the beach and hold over each of the characters’ intersecting lives.

Supported by Platform Arts, Blackrock presents an exciting collaboration between Melbourne and Geelong based creatives and performers to bring one of the first full scale productions staged in the Platform Arts theatre since the start of the pandemic to fruition.

Audience accessibility information (document)

The 2.00pm performance on Saturday, 25 June will provide open captioning.

Content Warnings:

This presentation contains references to murder, sexual assault, suicide and cancer. Contains depictions of physical violence. If this raises feelings of distress or anxiety for you please contact:

Lifeline: 13 11 14

1800 RESPECT

Headspace: 1800 650 890