The Dictionary Of Lost Words 2023

THE DICTIONARY OF LOST WORDS

Adapted by Verity Laughton from the novel by Pip Williams
Directed by Jessica Arthur

Discover the secret power of words

Pip Williams' award-winning New York Times bestseller and book club favourite, The Dictionary of Lost Words, will be brought to vivid life in a new adaptation for the stage by Verity Laughton and directed by one of Australia's best directors, Jessica Arthur (Grand Horizons, Wonnangatta).

It's 1886 and the very first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary is being compiled. Four-year-old Esme Nicoll has a front row seat. Well, she's hiding under the sorting table, anyway. As her father and his male colleagues decide which words stay and which go, Esme collects the discarded (often gendered) scraps to compile her own far more radical, far more magical dictionary.

A sweeping historical tale in the spirit of The Harp in the South, The Dictionary of Lost Words follows Esme from her childhood in the 1880s, into adulthood at the height of the women's suffrage movement and the beginning of the First World War.

This novel captured the imagination of hundreds of thousands of readers around the globe, and was recommended by book club trendsetters like Reese Witherspoon. In 2023, Verity Laughton's adaptation will unfurl this beautiful and transportive reflection on the love between a daughter and her father, at a time when the women's rights movement was first gaining traction, into a delectable and warm night of theatre.

Approx. duration 2 hrs 20 mins (including interval). Subject to change. More info.
Content Strong language. Subject to change. More info.

Ticket Information

2023 Ticket Packages
This play is currently only available as part of a 2023 ticket package. Book a ticket package of 3 or more plays to save on tickets, pay no fees and more.

Season Ticket prices
Saturday evening A Reserve $98
Adult A Reserve $93
Seniors cardholder $89
Pensioner/Student $70
Under 30 $51
Preview $51

Mini Package prices
Mon - Thu performances
Adult A Reserve $98
Seniors cardholder $94
Pensioner/Student $74
Under 30 $54

Friday & Saturday performances
A Reserve $103

Preview performances
All tickets $54

Single tickets
Single tickets for this show go on sale on Thu 2 Feb. Sign up to our enews for early access to tickets.

Transaction fees may apply
Season Ticket bookings: no fees
Single ticket bookings: $8.50 online; $8.50 telephone; $0 Box Office counter

Prices are correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection.

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