The Children

I don’t know how to want less.

In a small English coastal cottage, former nuclear scientists Hazel and her husband Robin are enjoying a quiet retirement, despite living just outside the exclusion zone of a dangerously crumbling nuclear power plant.

She practices her yoga, while he tends to his cows and, bar the rolling blackouts, their lives seem mostly untouched by the chaos outside – until a visit from an old friend and colleague with hidden intentions shakes their peaceful existence, forcing them to confront their secret jealousies and their past and future.

From award-winning playwright and “the most rewarding dramatist of her generation” (The Independent) Lucy Kirkwood, The Children is a storm-gathering exploration of survival, desire, friendship and duty, premiering in Adelaide following acclaimed productions in London, New York, Melbourne and Sydney.

A trio of Australia’s most celebrated and beloved actors – Tina Bursill (Doctor Doctor, The Moodys), Genevieve Mooy (Wellmania, The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race) and Terence Crawford (1984, Girl From The North Country) – grace the stage in this tender and provocative production directed by Corey McMahon (The Bleeding Tree, After Dinner).

Like HBO’s Chernobyl and in the tradition of our other recent climate change-focused work like Hibernation, The Children grapples with seismic questions about the future of the planet and the moral dimensions of humanity. What responsibility does each generation have for the next?

“It’s engrossing, disturbing, funny and nightmarish. Recommended!” – Stage Noise

“A witty, slippery play of debate as well as an engaging character study.” – The Stage

“This is sci-fi kitted out with real people, real dilemmas, real scope. It’s really good.” – Time Out

Content
Contains adult themes, mild coarse language, mild sexual references, and the use of herbal cigarettes.

If you wish to read detailed content notes, please download our “What to Expect” guide here. *Please note that this guide contains spoilers.

Should you have any questions or concerns, or would like to request more details about the content of this production, please email us at marketing@statetheatrecompany.com.au.

Run Time
Approx 100 minutes with no interval

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Single Ticket Prices

PREVIEW/MATINEE
Adult $85.00
Concession $75.00
Under 30, Full Time Student $39.00

EVENING
Adult $95.00
Concession $85.00
Under 30, Full Time Student $49.00

All bookings incur an $9.25 transaction fee.
Visit the Ticket Price page for the full list of subscription and single ticket prices.

Audio Described Performances and Pre-Show Briefing for blind and vision impaired patrons
Saturday, 10 February, 1.00pm (briefing), 2.00pm (performance)
Monday, 12 February, 5.30pm (briefing), 6.30pm (performance), with a post-show Q&A

Captioned Performances for deaf and hard of hearing patrons
Wednesday, 14 February, 11.00am

Wheelchair access & Companion Cards
Wheelchair accessible seats, companion cards and other accessible bookings can be made via phone on 08 8415 5353 (Monday – Friday, 9.00am – 5.00pm), or via email at tickets@statetheatrecompany.com.au.

Visit the Access page for more information on our Access Program.

Subscriber Briefing
2024 Subscribers are invited to join us for an exclusive Subscriber Briefing to learn more about the creation of the show.
– Monday, 29 January, 6.00pm

Post Show Q&As
We hold Q&As with our artists and creative teams so that you can ask questions about the production.
– Monday, 12 February
– Wednesday, 14 February (matinee performance)

A Date with State
Supported by the Office for Ageing Well and Seniors Card, join us for our 2024 A Date With State program, with pre-show tea and coffee before the performance and a post-show Q&A.
– Wednesday, 14 February, 10.00am (pre-show tea and coffee), 11.00am (performance)

Venue Access

This show will be performed at the Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre.

The recommended Dunstan Playhouse and Space Theatre drop off zone is at the northern end of the Riverbank Footbridge on War Memorial Drive (walk across the Footbridge to Dunstan Playhouse) or at the Intercontinental Hotel (walk north between the Intercontinental Hotel and Railway Station along the lane way to the Riverbank). There is also a drop off area and two accessible car spaces on lower Festival Drive, accessible from the west via Montefiore Road.

Getting to the Venue

Adelaide Festival Centre is easily accessible by public transport, including the tram (stop at Railway Station), trains, buses and a free bus service that operates on a loop throughout the city and North Adelaide with stops on the corner of King William Road and North Terrace.

For more information visit adelaidemetro.com.au.

For information about parking visit the Adelaide Festival Centre website.

Dining Options

Malt Shovel Taphouse
Located at the Adelaide Festival Centre at the end of the Adelaide Oval footbridge
Open Wednesday 3pm-11pm and Thursday – Sunday 11.30am-late

The Strathmore Hotel
Located 5 minutes from the Dunstan Playhouse at 29 North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000
Open 7 days, 11am – 3am