renee palmer

Wake in Fright, based on the iconic Australian novel by Kenneth Cook, was adapted for the stage by Bob Pavlich over the course of eight years. After four successful seasons in Melbourne, Brisbane and the UK, Yabba Productions is taking Wake in Fright to the Adelaide Fringe Festival 2014. With a cast of eight and a crew of four, a stack of chairs, rusty corrugated iron and three bloody heavy tables, touring this production is a hell of a challenge!!

The play explores how the traditional notion of mateship is turned into a cruel game exposing the ugly side of Australia. The play is focused around a young schoolteacher, John Grant, as he tries to get to Sydney and eventually to England. Grant becomes stranded in the rough mining town of Bundanyabba, losing his entire wage in a game of two-up. Over the subsequent five days he sinks into a cycle of drunkenness, hangovers, fumbling sexual encounters, 'roo shooting' and increasing self-loathing. Trapped in a hellish limbo, the once ordinary world of rural Australia becomes the setting for his grotesque and at times a surreal nightmare.



A ground breaking, original drama, depicting the raw, ugly, masculine energy that exists in the outback, both the film and the novel have had a cult following for over 40 years. Audiences have described the play as 'Wolf Creek On Stage'...."exposed to red hot outback sand, and country towns like the Yabba" and given "insight into parts of our culture that we have not been exposed to, and that we might normally choose to ignore." It is an honest, brutal depiction that deserves to be embraced and seen by many. (Casey Bradley, Farrago).


We're so excited to be taking the show to Adelaide. So excited, in fact, that 50% of the proceeds from our last season have been reinvested by cast and crew to keep this show on the road...
WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP!!! By supporting us, you are supporting a passionate group of independent theatre makers, keeping this incredibly significant piece of Australian cultural history alive.

Set $300
Transport $300
Accommodation $400
PR $300
Costumes/Props$200

Taking a large set interstate- we need to hire a trailer and pay for petrol to get it there.
At Fringe Festivals there's always lots to see. We need to make sure we have good PR to get people though the door.
Finding free accommodation for 12 people is hard! We've squeezed all the favours we can and we still need to find beds for a few people.