Wake in Fright: Page, Stage and Screen
About the session
At what point does a work of horror transcend genre, and become a classic?
Join Professor Adam Lowenstein from the Horror Studies Centre at the University of Pittsburgh, Associate Professor Wendy Haslem, and Co-Creators of Malthouse Theatre's stage adaptation of Wake in Fright, Zahra Newman and Declan Greene as they explore the nature of horror, Australiana, and the art of adaptation with Dr Seth Robinson. The panel discussion will be followed by a screening of the 1971 film.
What to expect:
A 40-minute panel discussion followed by a screening of the film, Wake in Fright.
Content warning
This film contains animal violence, disturbing themes, strong language, and scenes that may distress some viewers. Recommended for ages 15+.
This event is presented by the Melbourne Public Humanities Initiative, in collaboration with University of Melbourne Arts and Culture (UMAC), to celebrate their return season of Malthouse Theatre’s acclaimed Wake in Fright stage adaption. Professor Adam Lowenstein has generous support from the Tristarr LLC Fund for Nontraditional Education in Horror Studies.
About the speakers
Declan Greene
Declan Greene is a playwright, dramaturg, director, and screenwriter. He is currently Artistic Director of Griffin Theatre Company, and was previously Resident Artist at Malthouse Theatre. His credits as a director include: for Griffin Theatre Company: 'The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin', 'Dogged', 'Green Park', 'Naturism', 'Sex Magick' (co-directed with Nicholas Brown), 'The Lewis Trilogy', 'Whitefella Yella Tree' (co-directed with Amy Sole); for Sydney Theatre Company: 'Hamlet: Prince of Skidmark', for Griffin Theatre Company and Hayes Theatre Co: 'Flat Earthers: The Musical'; for Malthouse Theatre: 'Wake in Fright'; for Malthouse Theatre and Sydney Theatre Company: 'Blackie Blackie Brown'; for ZLMD Shakespeare Company: 'Conviction'. As a playwright: 'Eight Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography', 'The Homosexuals, or 'Faggots'', 'Pompeii L.A. Moth', and the stage adaptation of Lars Von Trier’s 'Melancholia'. Declan co-founded queer experimental theatre company Sisters Grimm with Ash Flanders in 2006, and has directed and co-created all their productions to date, including: for Griffin Independent and Theatre Works: 'Summertime in the Garden of Eden'; for Malthouse Theatre and Sydney Theatre Company: 'Calpurnia Descending'; for Melbourne Theatre Company: 'Lilith: The Jungle Girl'; and for Sydney Theatre Company: 'Little Mercy'.
Associate Professor Wendy Haslem
Dr. Wendy Haslem is an Associate Professor in Screen Studies. Her research is dedicated to developing new approaches to film history with a particular focus on screen optics. She is currently developing the Media Memory Lab, a project that brings traditional research into alignment with applied methods of photographic and moving image conservation. She is the author of 'From Méliès to New Media: Spectral Projections' (2019), 'A Charade of Innocence and Vice: The Gothic Films of the 1940s' (2009), the co-author of the new media exhibition catalogue 'Experimenta: Playground' (2007) and a co-editor of the anthologies 'Superhero Bodies: Identity, Materiality, Transformation' (2019) and 'Super/Heroes: From Hercules to Superman' (2007). She is also the author of more than 50 research articles.
Professor Adam Lowenstein
Adam Lowenstein is the founding director of the Horror Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh, where he is also Professor of English and Film & Media Studies. His research on the horror film has been supported by a Guggenheim Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and a Macgeorge Fellowship from the University of Melbourne. His most recent book is 'Horror Film and Otherness', and he serves on the board of directors for the George A. Romero Foundation.
Zahra Newman
A graduate of VCA, Zahra Newman has built an extensive list of theatre, television and film credits. Zahra’s theatre credits include 'Dracula', 'Fences', 'A Raisin in the Sun', 'Julius Caesar', 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof', 'Love and Information'; for Sydney Theatre Company: 'Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar And Grill'; for MTC/Belvoir/STCSA: 'Random', 'The Blind Giant is Dancing', 'Ivanov', 'The Government Inspector', 'Private Lives'; for Belvoir: 'Miss Julie', 'The Effect', 'The Mountaintop', 'The Cherry Orchard', 'Clybourne Park', 'The Drowsy Chaperone' and 'Richard III'; for Melbourne Theatre Company: 'Well Behaved Women'; for Hayes Theatre Company: 'Girl from the North Country'; for GWB: 'The Book of Mormon'; for GFO: 'The Hate Race'; for Malthouse Theatre and the critically acclaimed 'Wake in Fright' for Malthouse/Sydney Opera House, which she also co-created. Zahra’s film credits include 'Long Story Short', 'Thirteen Lives', 'Addition', 'Truth', 'I Met A Girl', and most recently 'Leviticus' and 'Insidious: Out of the Further'. Television credits include 'Pieces of Her', 'Spreadsheet', 'Diary of an Uber Driver', 'Sisters', 'Wentworth', 'Neighbours', 'Rosehaven', 'Childhood’s End' and 'Rush'. Zahra was recently seen in the SBS anthology series 'Erotic Stories', ABC’s 'Austin' and Netflix's 'Heartbreak High'. She will next be seen in the upcoming thriller series 'Last Seen' for Apple TV+. Awards include an AACTA for Best New Talent, a 2017 Sydney Theatre Award for 'The Book of Mormon', a Green Room Award, CGA Award and multiple Helpmann nominations.
Dr Seth Robinson
Seth Robinson is an award-winning writer, producer, and academic. He is the author of the novel 'Welcome to Bellevue' (2020). His work has featured in publications such as 'The Saturday Paper', 'Kill Your Darlings', 'Aurealis Magazine', 'TEXT', 'Meniscus', 'The Ultimo Prize Anthology', and 'The Mascara Literary Review', among others. In addition to his work with the MPHI, Seth lectures at the University of Melbourne. He currently sits on the board of literary journal 'Going Down Swinging', and is a guest reviewer on ABC Radio National's 'The Bookshelf'. He regularly appears at Australian writers festivals and conferences.
Further information
Image: courtesy of Brett Boardman and Susu Studio.
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