HANGING MAN by Andrew Upton
Channel: Australian Plays Transform
Date: 2015-03-06

In August 2002, Andrew Upton's 'Hanging Man' premiered at The Wharf 2 Theatre in Walsh Bay, Sydney. It examines issues of 'white privilege' as a legacy of our colonial past and explores how men relate within a family context – father to son, brother to brother. These are middle class men trying to face the legacy of a powerful father, in whose shadow they feel variously humiliated and resentful.

We are thrilled to welcome 'Hanging Man' to the Red Door imprint, a curated showcase of contemporary Australian playwriting, available exclusively at AustralianPlays.org

For a copy of the script, visit http://australianplays.org/script/ASC-1582

SYNOPSIS: Following the death of their mother, a family is faced with the future of their father’s estate, an esteemed painter who abandoned them and fathered a son with another woman.

A painting of Governor Davey’s 1816 proclamation to the Aborigines is at the core of the father’s legacy and its potential sale stirs controversy. As the family considers who stands to benefit most, the potential for political and cultural fallout raises questions about the right of the present to ‘whitewash’ the past.

“I admire Hanging Man because it tackles what I feel is one of the most challenging issues that will face white Australia in the next generation, which is this sense of patriarchy and priv