“I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.”

About

A criminal lawyer with a cool head and a passion for logic, David wakes up to find himself confined to a small, sparsely furnished room, unable to remember what happened the day before. With the help of his doctor, David begins to coax memories out of the darkness, before the details of a terrible secret emerge.

Razor sharp and tourniquet tight, The House on the Lake is a psychological thriller so crafty it’s criminal. Mired deep in layers of deception, it’s a puzzle of a play certain to engage the intellect and assault the nervous system.

The House on the Lake is a twisting labyrinth of playwright Aidan Fennessy’s devising. Director Kim Hardwick leads the way through.

Commissioned by Black Swan State Theatre Company and developed with the assistance of Playwriting Australia. 

Cast & Creatives

Director Kim Hardwick
Designer Stephen Curtis
Lighting Designer Martin Kinnane
Composer Kelly Ryall
Stage Manager Edwina Guinness
With Jeanette Cronin, Huw Higginson

Performance Times

PERFORMANCE DATES
Previews 15, 16, 18, 19 May
Season 22 May – 20 June

Meet the Artists after the performance on 26 May

PERFORMANCE TIMES
Monday – Friday 7pm
Saturday 2pm and 7pm
New mid-week matinee: Tuesday 16 June 1pm

RUN TIME
Approximately 90 minutes no interval.
Please be aware that there is a complete lock-out in effect on this production, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to settle in and buy a drink in time for the show.

Reviews

“Kim Hardwick directs an absorbing production… Higginson is superb as David, giving a subtly shifting performance…Cronin offers strong support playing Alice with a brusque, reserved professionalism” ★★★★ Sunday Telegraph

“Higginson, the ex-pat British actor familiar to many from….The Bill, reveals himself to be a stage animal of considerable range and quickness…[Cronin] matches him step-for-step in what becomes an enjoyable battle of wits.” ★★★ 1/2  Sydney Morning Herald

“…the sharpness of the writing in the lead-up is matched by the sharpness of every element in this taut, engrossing production directed by Kim Hardwick.”  ★★★ 1/2  Daily Review, Crikey

“Martin Kinnane’s inquisitorial lighting and Kelly Ryall’s moodily atmospheric score contribute a great deal to this clever exercise in genre.” The Australian

“This is a play and production that invites you to attend to it and rewards you with a satisfying old fashioned contentment to a story well told, with deliciously primed artistry from all. Entertainment assured.” Kevin Jackson

“Fennessy sustains the audience’s engagement entirely through the intricate plot.” Stage Whispers

“Martin Kinnane’s lighting shades and contrasts from clinical blue to stark white accentuates the mood as does the aural notes of Kelly Ryall’s sound design, with a predominant pitch piercing sonic doom effect.” Australian Stage

Blog Posts

The House on the Lake: Aidan Fennessy

10.05.15

As we approach opening night for The House on the Lake , playwright Aidan Fennessy talks about the particular nuances of writing a crime narrative.  My ambition when writing this play was twofold; engage an audience with an intricate narrative and...

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The House on the Lake: Director Kim Hardwick

08.05.15

As we approach opening night, The House on the Lake director, Kim Hardwick writes ‘around’ the play and examines why the thrill of discovery never gets old. I would like to write nothing about this play.  No Director’s Notes. The...

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2015 Griffin Studio: Kim Hardwick

17.07.15

We talk to 2015 Griffin Studio Artist Kim Hardwick about new writing, The House on the Lake, drive-ins and peddling Choc Tops and Chiko Rolls. As a little girl I dreamt of being a nun, a ballerina or the mother of...

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