The air is freezing. The night is dark. The bush is endless. And there’s no certain way home.
On the lands of alpine Victoria, on Gunaikurnai country, a story of familial bonds unfolds.
Faced with the looming foreclosure of her family’s property, a farmer’s daughter is on the hunt in the rugged Australian bush—on territory that by rights isn’t hers to travel through. From deep between the eucalypts, another woman—a mother dingo—searches desperately for her lost pups. She howls into the night, run ragged by hunger and grief.
Over the course of one long night, the Woman and Dingo forge an alliance to claw closer to the things they ache for… but it’s a dangerous deal to make.
Witness a total transformation of the SBW Stables stage as you tumble down the dingo’s den into a work of sheer Australian Gothic, brought to you by the collaborative collision of playwrights Andrea James (Sunshine Super Girl), AWGIE-winner Catherine Ryan and director Declan Greene (Wake in Fright).
Dogged is a bloody parable painted with electric movement, jaw-dropping design, and a story that stares you straight down the barrel—and trust us, it’s quite unlike anything you’ve seen before.
In association with Force Majeure
Want to go deeper? View the online program
Content Warning
Dogged contains depictions of violence, sexual abuse, and racism. It includes use of guns & weapons, loud/dynamic sound, naked flames, strobe lighting, and heavy use of theatrical smoke, fog and haze. Dogged contains depictions of racial violence that may be disturbing to Indigenous audience members.
Director Declan Greene
Associate Director Danielle Micich
Movement Director Kirk Page
Set Co-Designer and Costume Designer Renée Mulder
Set Co-Designer & Mural Artist Peter Waples-Crowe
Lighting Designer Verity Hampson
Sound & Composition Steve Toulmin
Stage Manager Ella Griffin
Assistant Stage Manager Nicola Stavar
Assistant Mural Artist Jessica Johnson
With Blazey Best, Sandy Greenwood, Anthony Yangoyan
Preview 30 April – 4 May
Opening Nights 5 & 6 May
Season 7 May – 5 June
Performance Times
Monday – Friday 7pm
Saturday 1pm & 7pm
Meet the Artists
Tuesday 11 May
Captioned Performance
Tuesday 1 June
Run Time
80 minutes
Latecomers
Please note, there is a complete lock-out on all performances and latecomers won’t be admitted, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get to us, grab a drink, and get settled.
Tickets
| Full | $62 |
| Senior, Preview, Groups 8+ | $52 |
| Concession | $46 |
| Under 35 | $38 |
| Monday Rush | $20 |
2021 Subscription
| 5 Play | 4 Play | 3 Play | |||
| Full | $255 | Full | $216 | Full | $168 |
| Senior, Preview | $205 | Senior, Preview | $172 | Senior, Preview | $138 |
| Concession | $190 | Concession | $160 | Concession | $126 |
| Under 35 | $170 | Under 35 | $140 | Under 35 | $108 |
| 5 Play | |
| Full | $255 |
| Senior, Preview | $205 |
| Concession | $205 |
| Under 35 | $170 |
| 4 Play | |
| Full | $216 |
| Senior, Preview | $172 |
| Concession | $160 |
| Under 35 | $140 |
| 3 Play | |
| Full | $168 |
| Senior, Preview | $138 |
| Concession | $126 |
| Under 35 | $108 |
| 2 Play | |
| Full | $116 |
| Senior, Preview | $96 |
| Concession | $88 |
| Under 35 | $70 |
| 2 Play | |
| Full | $116 |
| Senior, Preview | $96 |
| Concession | $88 |
| Under 35 | $70 |
We’re now accepting Dine & Discover vouchers. Please see below how you can save money when booking in for upcoming performances.
How to use your Dine & Discover voucher for Dogged:
To use your voucher for Andrea James and Catherine Ryan‘s show at Griffin, call or email our friendly box office team with the below information on hand:
Please note that only one voucher can be use per transaction.
Production Shots
Images by Brett Boardman
Meet the Playwrights | Andrea James & Catherine Ryan
Trailer
Meet the Mural Artists | Peter Waples-Crowe & Jessica Johnson
“Relentless and electrifying, Dogged is a gothic masterpiece of guttural poetry that heaves up a repressed history from the mud with a sinewy arm and slams it on the walls to leave them dripping with ancient blood, from crimes still fresh and recurring.” ★★★★1/2—Kate Prendergast, Limelight Magazine
“A tough and gripping work of theatre, Dogged will leave its mark on you.” ★★★★—Jason Blake, Audrey Journal
“The action-packed production incorporates energetic sequences choreographed by adept movement director Kirk Page, providing an exquisite dimension of visceral excitement to the narrative.”★★★★—Suzy Wrong, Time Out
“Dogged is a powerful work of poetry, and a bold piece of theatre.”—Harriet Cunningham, Sydney Morning Herald
“It is a brilliantly conceived, powerfully realised and deeply confronting parable.” Catherine Skipper, South Sydney Herald
“As always, Griffin gives us new Australian work and the story behind Dogged, however uncomfortable it may make some of us feel, needs to be told. Loudly.”—Carrie Kablean, Sydney Arts Guide
“If you can, make it to the theatre to see this one before it closes – this is a show that cries out to be seen, and I hope you answer its call.”—Rosie Niven, Theatre Travels
“Andrea James and Catherine Ryan weave a tale that will leave you spellbound and questioning your own self, as both a metaphorical and physical flashlight is shone in your face.”—Parker, ATYP
“A must watch, this play is as if Shakespeare meets gothic, with the added beauty of a true Australian story of our connection with nature.”—Chiara, ATYP
Supported by Griffin’s Production Partner program:
Production Partners
Lisa Barker & Don Russell
Darin Cooper Foundation
Robert Dick & Erin Shiel
Lyndell & Daniel Droga
Danny Gilbert AM & Kathleen Gilbert
Rosemary Hannah & Lynette Preston
Bruce Meagher & Greg Waters
Richard McHugh & Kate Morgan
Julia Pincus & Ian Learmonth
Pip Rath & Wayne Lonergan
Dogged was originally commissioned by Malthouse Theatre. It has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body, and the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria. It received further support from Playwriting Australia, Regional Arts Victoria, and Castlemaine State Festival.
Dogged is supported by Griffin’s Production Partner program.
We pay our respects to the Gunaikurnai on whose land this play is set. Andrea James & Catherine Ryan would like to thank cultural consultants Ron Murray, Tim Paton and Glenys Watts. Thanks to dramaturg Peter Matheson and Playwriting Australia for their crucial roles in the play’s development. And to Arnum Endean, Daydd Kelly, Xanthe Ryan, Erik-dog and Lucy-dog. And all the other dingoes, dogs and people who shared their selves and stories, especially Wandi.
Thank you to Dogged‘s cultural consultants:
Uncle Max Dulumunmun Harrison
Tim Paton
Aunty Glenys Watts
Griffin would like to thank the contributions, time and expertise offered by:
Bangarra Dance Theatre
David Jackson (Legs on the Wall)
Force Majeure
Angeline Penrith
Sydney Theatre Company
University of Sydney, Department of Theatre and Performance Studies
@griffintheatre