247:, stating that media coverage of the play was "unfortunately" focusing on Leigh's murder instead of the play's message, also stating that some people reporting on it in this manner had not even watched the play. Enright stated that while the comparison to Leigh's murder was of interest to the media, the play was actually about how any group of boys abuse any girl, and how they came to do it. Nevertheless, many viewers considered the play to be a factual account of the murder. Even though the rape and murder were not shown in the play, the audience were said to be able to fill in their blanks from their knowledge of Leigh's killing.
134:, Australia in 1989. The plays were both well received critically but attracted criticism from both Leigh's family and the media because of the fictionalisation of an actual murder. Despite repeated statements from Enright that the plays were a work of fiction, they have both often been considered by viewers to be a factual account.
186:
Jared's silence leads to the breakdown of his relationships with both Rachel and his mother, Diane. In the play's last scene Jared confesses to Diane that he witnessed the three youths raping Tracy, but he did not intervene. He is unsure why he did nothing but he believes it was out of loyalty to the
309:
continued to be performed at the Sydney
Theatre Company throughout 1995, and performed a sold-out season at Wharf I in 1996. It has since had many productions throughout Australia, including being performed by a Newcastle-based theatre company, Tantrum Theatre, in 2010. The 2010 version contained a
282:
commissioned
Enright to develop the original 45-minute play into a full-length production. Blackrock retained the original four characters but also added nine others. It also extended the length of the play, and was considered to be a more fictionalised version of Leigh's murder, though many viewers
227:
Leigh's family, who had found out about the play, attended a private screening of it; some of them had not seen each other for two years. Leigh's mother Robyn objected to the fictionalisation of her daughter's murder, stating she would have preferred a documentary account. The rape and murder victim
174:
is popular among youths like Jared. He has his first serious girlfriend, Rachel, who comes from a much wealthier part of the city. One day Ricko, the local surfing legend, returns from an eleven-month trip. Rachel's brother Toby holds his 18th birthday party at the local beach club a few days later,
367:
was being adapted into a film, Joyce expressed regret that the media continually drawing connections between the play and Leigh's murder had caused additional suffering for Leigh's family, as he had initiated the play with the intention of aiding in the healing process of all the people affected by
232:
was named Tracy, which Leigh's family also objected to, as 'Tracey' was the name of Leigh's cousin and best friend. One of Leigh's aunts asked Brian Joyce to change the character's name out of respect for the family, however, the name remain unchanged, even after the play was rewritten and retitled
215:
as a subject for a play. Enright initially refused, but Joyce argued that the actual subject of the play would be the victim's peer-groups. Enright agreed, after being convinced a play could be made out of the conflicting responses to the crime. The title was taken from a quote in the psychological
178:
Three youths from the party, Davo, Scott, and Toby, tell Ricko that they raped Tracy but left her alive. The three boys are later arrested for the sexual assault. Ricko confesses to Jared that he killed Tracy. He says he was attempting to have sex with her when she bit him and kicked him, so in a
216:
report that was made on Mathew
Webster, the man who murdered Leigh, in preparation for his trial. The first decision regarding the play was to omit the criminal acts and the actual murder from it, instead focusing on the drama, its participants and the aftermath of the murder.
352:
in Sydney and I didn't see it as any different whatsoever. It was happening 20 years ago when I was young. I remember there was violence, there was rape, there was party rape and there was party rape with alcohol and a lot of violence associated with
250:
Despite the controversy, the play was shown at various high-schools in the
Newcastle area, and following its positive critical reception, was shown nationally at high schools across the country over a period of eighteen months. However
183:. Jared is torn between telling the truth and protecting his friend. After witnessing Ricko's abusive behaviour towards their friend Tiffany, Jared decides to tell the truth. Ricko is detained by police and hangs himself in his cell.
175:
and Jared decides to merge a 'welcome home' party for Ricko with the event. The party is unsupervised, with alcohol freely available. The following morning, it is revealed that 15-year-old Tracy Warner was killed at the party.
335:
gave a favourable review of the play, also stating that the decision to transform the play from its original educational environment to a mainstream audience was a "bold move" that was "triumphantly successful."
283:
still considered it to be a factual account of the crime. The narrative and emphasis were reshaped for an adult audience outside of a specifically educational environment, also shifting the plays focus. While
241:
faced "mounting disapproval", and attempted to distance themselves from Leigh's murder. Both
Enright and Freewheels chairperson Sharon McMillan respond to the growing controversy. McMillan wrote in
211:, a theatre-in-education piece written for Freewheels Theatre in Education in Newcastle which premiered in 1992. Enright was approached by the director of Freewheels, Brian Joyce, who suggested the
29:
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179:
moment of rage he grabbed a rock and hit her with it. He has already told police that he was with Jared all night and asks Jared to confirm his alibi in the name of
344:
for Best Play in 1996. When the play was shown in Sydney, Joyce expressed disappointment at how it was misinterpreted as being about Leigh and "that community".
378:
is to be "initiated into
Newcastle’s history, to learn that along with the mines and the beaches, the death of Leigh Leigh too is your ambivalent inheritance."
855:
374:
likened the actors performing in the play to several of the initiation ceremonies that occur in the play itself, stating that to perform in
1314:
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143:
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People came up to me after and said "Is it really like that in
Newcastle?" ... I was very disheartened because I grew up on the
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935:
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103:
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giving him his van, but Jared asks his cousin Cherie to dump the keys to the van in the ocean when she goes out surfing.
1131:
385:
support website hosted curriculum material for high school classwork on both plays, prior to its decommission in 2016.
256:
982:
252:
665:"Based on a True Story': The problem of the perception of biographical truth in narratives based on real lives"
672:
291:
was said to focus on the boys involved in the crime, portraying them as victims of the society they live in.
255:, where both Leigh and Webster had been students, declined to book the play. The play was also shown at the
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The local media reported on the family objections to the play, and the day after the play opened,
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the murder. Reviewing a version of the play that was performed in 2010, Caroline Wake from
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8:
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The suburb of
Blackrock is fictional and is not to be confused with the similarly-named
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that was first performed in 1995. It was adapted from a 1992 play by
Enright,
1303:
816:
McCallum, John (26 July 2005). "Between community and the mainstream stage".
486:
477:
were still being finalised, Enright started working with first-time director
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301:, on 30 August 1995. It also played at the Australian Theatre Festival in
28:
315:
151:
447:
423:
260:
139:
897:
Worthington, Jane (7 September 1996). "Blackrock: Too Close to Home".
510:
302:
180:
773:
Reel tracks: Australian feature film music and cultural identities
731:
Journal of the
Association for the Study of Australian Literature
705:
McMillan, Sharon (15 August 1992). "Blinkered response to play".
171:
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Blackrock is an Australian beachside working-class suburb where
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who portrayed Jared in the play was cast as Ricko in the film.
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New South Wales Department of Education and Communities
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New South Wales Department of Education and Communities
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All other roles were played by members of the company.
383:
New South Wales Department of Education and Communities
481:
to produce a film version, which would also be titled
219:
1143:"In Her Death She Remains as the Limit of the System"
1068:
Hessey, Ruth (25 April 1997). "Silence of the LADS".
870:
826:
608:
297:
was first performed at Wharf I, a theatre run by the
745:
575:
199:
597:Squires, Tony (26 August 1995). "Bearing witness".
1301:
957:McCallum, John (1 September 1995). "Blackrock".
914:Edwards, Amy (13 May 2000). "TODAY: the word".
310:few minor updates, such as referring to surfer
1179:
270:
1141:Morrow, Jonathon; San Roque, Mehera (1996).
187:boys who were his mates. Ricko left Jared a
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776:. John Libbey Publishing. pp. 23, 24.
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287:focused on the possible motives for rape,
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489:reprised her role as Cherie in the film.
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265:New South Wales Premier's Literary Award
144:New South Wales Premier's Literary Award
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1049:from the original on 9 December 2016
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396:premiere production was directed by
1315:Australian plays adapted into films
760:
400:, and featured the following cast:
116:is a play by Australian playwright
13:
858:from the original on 16 March 2016
537:Baillie, Rebecca (31 March 2003).
530:
485:. Blackrock was released in 1997.
462:
257:National Institute of Dramatic Art
14:
1331:
985:from the original on 6 April 2016
727:"Urban Shocks and Local Scandals"
663:Brien, Donna Lee (October 2009).
207:The play originated as Enright's
1193:
933:
473:While the revisions to the play
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363:When interviewed in 1996 while
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1:
673:Central Queensland University
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160:feature film of the same name
1037:"Curriculum Support Website"
443:Marian/Glenys: Julie Godfrey
440:Stewart/Len/Roy: John Walton
126:, which was inspired by the
7:
1096:. Sydney, New South Wales:
10:
1336:
466:
1272:
1226:
1201:
1071:The Sydney Morning Herald
725:Brien, Donna Lee (2000).
600:The Sydney Morning Herald
437:Tiffany: Kristina Bidenko
97:
89:
81:
71:
61:
53:
45:
35:
26:
496:
1094:Who Killed Leigh Leigh?
770:Coyle, Rebecca (2005).
165:
154:for Best Play in 1996.
851:Sydney Theatre Company
361:
299:Sydney Theatre Company
285:A Property of the Clan
280:Sydney Theatre Company
230:A Property of the Clan
222:A Property of the Clan
209:A Property of the Clan
202:A Property of the Clan
136:A Property of the Clan
123:A Property of the Clan
454:Angela Punch McGregor
346:
253:Newcastle High School
213:murder of Leigh Leigh
158:was developed into a
128:murder of Leigh Leigh
917:The Newcastle Herald
900:The Newcastle Herald
846:"The Wharf Theatres"
708:The Newcastle Herald
539:"Tribute to Enright"
515:Black Rock, Victoria
244:The Newcastle Herald
16:Play by Nick Enright
979:Australianplays.org
946:on 20 January 2019.
389:Premiere production
329:John McCallum from
23:
1320:Fiction about rape
1235:The Venetian Twins
975:"Blackrock (Play)"
936:"Dark Inheritance"
695:, p. 154-155.
551:on 28 October 2014
21:
1297:
1296:
1151:Sydney Law Review
1107:978-0-09-183708-2
1090:Carrington, Kerry
783:978-0-86196-658-5
428:Scott: Teo Gebert
271:Redevelopment as
259:in 1993, and was
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108:
104:978-0-86819-477-6
93:Print (Paperback)
82:Publication place
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1092:(24 July 1998).
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1024:
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1017:on 30 April 2016
1013:. Archived from
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942:. Archived from
934:Wake, Caroline.
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547:. Archived from
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469:Blackrock (film)
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350:Northern Beaches
305:that same year.
73:Publication date
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20:
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960:The Australian
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835:, p. 490.
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819:The Australian
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806:, p. 153.
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624:, p. vii.
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920:. p. 12.
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903:. p. 13.
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572:, p. 84.
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487:Rebecca Smart
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479:Steven Vidler
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412:Rebecca Smart
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322:Reception of
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146:in 1993, and
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1254:
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1195:Nick Enright
1155:
1149:
1119:
1098:Random House
1093:
1082:Bibliography
1081:
1080:
1074:. p. 4.
1069:
1063:
1051:. Retrieved
1040:
1031:
1019:. Retrieved
1015:the original
1008:
999:
987:. Retrieved
978:
969:
958:
952:
944:the original
939:
915:
909:
898:
880:Enright 1996
860:. Retrieved
849:
840:
828:
817:
811:
799:
787:. Retrieved
772:
757:, p. i.
755:Enright 1996
735:. Retrieved
730:
706:
700:
688:
676:. Retrieved
668:
629:
622:Enright 1996
598:
577:
565:
553:. Retrieved
549:the original
542:
532:
505:
491:Simon Lyndon
482:
474:
472:
458:
406:Simon Lyndon
393:
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375:
369:
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278:In 1994 the
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189:suicide note
185:
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122:
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118:Nick Enright
112:
111:
110:
40:Nick Enright
18:
1273:Screenplays
1242:Summer Rain
1100:Australia.
833:Morrow 1996
582:Morrow 1996
418:Paul Bishop
394:Blackrock's
358:Brian Joyce
342:AWGIE Award
316:Wendy Botha
314:instead of
267:that year.
261:shortlisted
200:Origins as
195:Development
152:AWGIE Award
140:shortlisted
1310:1996 plays
1304:Categories
1249:Variations
1122:. Sydney:
1053:9 December
1021:11 January
862:16 January
737:13 January
602:(Spectrum)
525:References
448:Kym Wilson
424:Dan Wyllie
239:Freewheels
235:Blackrock.
22:Blackrock
1288:Blackrock
1217:Blackrock
1120:Blackrock
733:: 115–121
511:Melbourne
483:Blackrock
475:Blackrock
376:Blackrock
365:Blackrock
338:Blackrock
324:Blackrock
307:Blackrock
295:Blackrock
289:Blackrock
273:Blackrock
162:in 1997.
156:Blackrock
148:Blackrock
113:Blackrock
85:Australia
62:Publisher
1227:Musicals
1118:(1996).
1047:Archived
983:Archived
856:Archived
446:Rachel:
410:Cherie:
356:—
303:Canberra
181:mateship
150:won the
132:Stockton
46:Language
989:24 June
789:24 June
678:12 July
555:24 June
513:suburb
452:Diane:
416:Ricko:
404:Jared:
340:won an
172:surfing
49:English
1130:
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780:
431:Toby:
422:Davo:
263:for a
142:for a
36:Author
1202:Plays
1146:(PDF)
497:Notes
353:that.
54:Genre
1158:(4).
1128:ISBN
1102:ISBN
1055:2016
1023:2015
991:2010
864:2015
791:2010
778:ISBN
739:2015
680:2014
669:Text
557:2010
381:The
166:Plot
138:was
99:ISBN
77:1996
57:Play
228:in
130:in
1306::
1156:18
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