A special high school preview of 'Holding the Man' - a showcase from QUT Acting.
Holding the Man is based on Timothy Conigrave's celebrated memoir of the same name, which won the 1995 UN Human Rights Award for Non-Fiction and was voted one of Australia's top 100 favourite books.
Tommy Murphy's stage adaptation faithfully captures the book's heart-wrenchingly honest portrayal of a fifteen-year relationship, but also succeeds in transforming it into a unique theatrical experience that is wholly his own. The play won multiple awards, including the 2007 Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting and 2007 Philip Parsons Young Playwrights Award, as well as having had seasons across Australia and internationally.
Holding the Man is a set text and a canonical piece of Australian queer history, and seeing it staged rather than read shows senior students exactly how a memoir is transformed into theatre: how a single actor becomes six characters, how thirty years compresses into two hours, how a chair becomes a hospital bed.
This performance contains strong and queerphobic language, adult themes, explicit sexual references and haze.
Given its content, the production is recommended for Years 11–12 only, and teachers should review the content warnings before booking.
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