when: 17 June 2026 - 05 July 2026 | venue: Belvoir Street Theatre | cost: Starting from: $30 | address: 25 Belvoir Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 | website: https://griffintheatre.com.au/ | tickets: https://griffintheatre.com.au/whats-on/wake-in-fright/
published: 26 Jun 2026, 5 min read
Welcome to Bundayabba-the best little town in the world!
You'll never want to leave. And even if you did… You can't.
Well-heeled schoolteacher John Grant is en route to Sydney, when a layover in the mining town of Bundanyabba turns into a three-week freefall. Stranded and starving, Grant is forced to rely on the locals for survival. But as the beer flows and the nights wear on, he finds himself stripped of money, identity and sanity.
In a ferocious solo performance, Zahra Newman delves into the twisted heart of Wake in Fright-Kenneth Cook's cult Australian novel and, later, an iconic horror film. Directed by Declan Greene (Naturism, The Lewis Trilogy) with thrilling, bone-rattling score from friendships, this bold adaptation is a descent into a uniquely Australian kind of hell: full of booze, bravado and buried violence.
Buy a beer, drink up and make sure you wear your earplugs.
★★★★½ 'Miraculous'-The Sydney Morning Herald
★★★★½ 'Brilliant, bold and deeply unnerving theatre'-The Age
★★★★½ 'Powerful'-ArtsHub
★★★★ 'Remarkable'-Time Out
★★★★ 'Striking'-Limelight Magazine
Content from UpNext.com.au. Please don't scrape website.
Welcome to Bundayabba-the best little town in the world!
You'll never want to leave. And even if you did… You can't.
Well-heeled schoolteacher John Grant is en route to Sydney, when a layover in the mining town of Bundanyabba turns into a three-week freefall. Stranded and starving, Grant is forced to rely on the locals for survival. But as the beer flows and the nights wear on, he finds himself stripped of money, identity and sanity.
In a ferocious solo performance, Zahra Newman delves into the twisted heart of Wake in Fright-Kenneth Cook's cult Australian novel and, later, an iconic horror film. Directed by Declan Greene (Naturism, The Lewis Trilogy) with thrilling, bone-rattling score from friendships, this bold adaptation is a descent into a uniquely Australian kind of hell: full of booze, bravado and buried violence.
Buy a beer, drink up and make sure you wear your earplugs.
★★★★½ 'Miraculous'-The Sydney Morning Herald
★★★★½ 'Brilliant, bold and deeply unnerving theatre'-The Age
★★★★½ 'Powerful'-ArtsHub
★★★★ 'Remarkable'-Time Out
★★★★ 'Striking'-Limelight Magazine
Go see Wake in Fright 2026.
Wake in Fright 2026 is on 17 June 2026 - 05 July 2026. See start and end times below. Conveniently located in Surry Hills. Call (02) 9361 3817 for details. Visit their website at https://griffintheatre.com.au/.
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