Stuff Happens
Seymour Centre, Sydney
July 20, 2005
Comedy Theatre, Melbourne
August 24, 2005
On 11 April 2003, while Baghdad was being pillaged in the aftermath of invasion, Donald Rumsfield, the American Secretary of Defense, held a press conference at which he said, “Stuff happens … and it’s untidy, and freedom’s untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things.”
Stuff Happens by David Hare is both a gripping account of recent history, and an edge-of-your-seat human drama about the frustrations of leadership and the limits of diplomacy, as Hare delves into what really happened behind the closed doors of power. The key players on the world scene: George W Bush, Tony Blair, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice are presented in the context of a historical narrative and a human drama about the frustrations of power and the limits of diplomacy.
Directed By Neil Armfield from Company B, Scenic Design by Brian Thompson, Costume Design by Jennifer Irwin, Lighting Design by Damien Cooper and Sound Designer by Jeremy Silver
“Neil Armfield’s splendidly realised production is clear, purposeful and near-seamless.”
Sydney Morning Herald
“One of the more exciting pieces of theatre... This year”
Sunday Age
“One of the best large casts assembled in Sydney for many years”
The Australian
“Stuff Happens is immediate, brilliantly crafted and riveting”
Sydney Morning Herald
“(David) Hare is one of the greatest political playwrights of the past four decades”
The Australian
“Whatever your opinion…. See Stuff Happens”
The Sun Herald
“One of the most captivating productions we have seen in a long time”
The Age
Producers: Newtheatricals in association with Lunchbox Theatrical Productions by arrangement with the National Theatre of Great Britain with Company B Belvoir