Merrigong Theatre Company

Sex, lies & dirty deals... The sold out hit of 2011 returns for one final season.

10 Apr – 14 Apr

On December 5th 2006, officers of the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) raided the administration building of Wollongong City Council, forcing staff to vacate their posts, sealing a floor of the building and leaving hours later with boxes of documents, files, and computer hard drives. This was the first indication the community of Wollongong had of ‘Operation Atlas’, the ICAC investigation into allegations of corruption involving local developers, Councillors and former staff of Wollongong City Council.

The resulting scandal had reverberations far beyond expectations and culminated in the sacking of the entire Council. ICAC exposed sexual obsessions, envelopes full of cash, and a group of powerful men that met regularly outside a local kebab shop, at a plastic table they called ‘the table of knowledge’.

When news broke of these events, Merrigong, as Wollongong’s local theatre company, considered how best to respond to a story that has deeply affected our town and region. To this end, we approached the acclaimed Sydney-based company, version 1.0 (last seen in Wollongong in 2009 with Deeply Offensive and Utterly Untrue), to co-produce an original theatre work. The result is a frank, theatrically innovative, and at times moving account of the Inquiry and its subsequent fallout, with the script almost entirely provided by the actual words of the central characters, as recorded in the Inquiry transcripts.

Come and participate in a dynamic theatrical dialogue about corruption, power and democracy.

“Most theatre companies aim to give us a good night out. Version 1.0 goes the extra mile: it entertains, informs and then contributes to the betterment of our democracy” - The Sun Herald

"Scandalously funny" - The Sunday Telegraph

"Often wildly funny... this is vital, engaging theatre that serves an invaluable function in helping to purge the canker." - The Sydney Morning Herald

Recommended for ages 15+

Contains strong language and adult themes

^{Image: Kym Vercoe Photographer: Heidrun Lohr}

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