The Morning After – The Shadow King

Sometimes, the best part of seeing a show is the conversation it sparks. Our series of ‘morning after’ breakfast events invites you to join a selection of writers, critics and arts lovers to dissect selected Melbourne Festival shows, sharing views on what worked, what didn’t – and why.
Each Morning After session will pair one or more of our creative writers with established critics to talk about what they’ve seen. Come and debrief in a relaxed, informal atmosphere – the perfect way to share ideas and inspiration about art.
This morning, we’ll be talking about The Shadow King, an explosive Indigenous reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy, King Lear.
A powerful melding of Shakespearian pathos with Aboriginal language, music and dance, The Shadow King recasts King Lear as a sprawling, blood-soaked tale of two Indigenous families in Australia’s north.
Download the podcast: (mp3 – 53m47s / 25.8mb).
Read our writers’ reviews and join the discussion around The Shadow King on this website.
Featuring

Simon Abrahams is a strategic arts and cultural leader, dynamic programmer and experienced producer whose work has been recognised nationally and internationally. He is Chair of Theatre Network Victoria, and a freelance arts consultant and performer. Previously, Simon served as the Wheeler Centre’... Read more

Born in Hamilton in western Victoria in 1953, Shane Maloney is one of Australia’s most popular novelists. His award-winning and much-loved Murray Whelan series – Stiff, The Brush-Off, Nice Try, The Big Ask, Something Fishy and Sucked In – has been published around the world. In 1996, The B... Read more

Alison Croggon is an award-winning novelist, poet, theatre writer, critic and editor who lives in Melbourne, Australia. She works in many genres and her books and poems have been published to acclaim nationally and internationally. She is arts editor for The Saturday Paper and co-founder of the per... Read more

Melissa Lucashenko is a Goorie writer whose work celebrates Aboriginal people and others living around the margins of the First World. Her latest novel, Too Much Lip, won the Miles Franklin Literary Award and the Queensland Premier’s Award for a work of State Significance. Her novel Mullumbi... Read more
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