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Tell Me I'm Here single work   drama  
Adaptation of Tell Me I'm Here Anne Deveson , 1991 single work autobiography
Issue Details: First known date: 2022... 2022 Tell Me I'm Here
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'The life-changing memoir, now a breathtaking Belvoir play.

'Since its publication thirty years ago, Anne Deveson’s family memoir Tell Me I’m Here has become a classic. And now, in a superb adaptation, it comes to the Belvoir stage.

'Anne’s life – the familiar juggle of marriage, career, emotions, chaos – is thrown off-balance when her son Jonathan begins speaking oddly, standing strangely, flashing into irrationality and rage. Is it just a phase, part of growing up? The years pass, and it’s clear, Anne’s son has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. But putting a name to it is one thing – getting attention, getting help is another. Even the strongest families, the most steadfast parents, buckle under such stress.

'Heart-rending, exquisitely touching, a play which speaks things which normally aren’t spoken. A play about getting on with life, before it’s too late.'

Source: Belvoir St Theatre.

Production Details

  • Produced by Belvoir St Theatre (Upstairs Theatre), 20 August - 25 September 2022.

    Director: Leticia Cáceres.

    Cast including Tom Conroy and Sarah Peirse.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Works about this Work

Jonathan Had Schizophrenia and Died at 24. Now Tom Conroy Is Playing Him on Stage Kelly Burke (interviewer), 2022 single work interview
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 9 September 2022;
Belvoir’s Tell Me I’m Here Looks at the Impact of Mental Illness on the Whole Family. It Is a Wrenching and Beautiful Work Michelle Arrow , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 26 August 2022;

— Review of Tell Me I'm Here Veronica Nadine Gleeson , 2022 single work drama

'Released in 1991, the memoir Tell Me I’m Here remains a landmark examination of the experience of mental illness in Australia. Journalist Anne Deveson offered a raw and painful account of her eldest son Jonathan’s experience with schizophrenia, her family’s attempts to weather the storms of his illness, and her research into the condition.'

Belvoir’s Tell Me I’m Here Looks at the Impact of Mental Illness on the Whole Family. It Is a Wrenching and Beautiful Work Michelle Arrow , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 26 August 2022;

— Review of Tell Me I'm Here Veronica Nadine Gleeson , 2022 single work drama

'Released in 1991, the memoir Tell Me I’m Here remains a landmark examination of the experience of mental illness in Australia. Journalist Anne Deveson offered a raw and painful account of her eldest son Jonathan’s experience with schizophrenia, her family’s attempts to weather the storms of his illness, and her research into the condition.'

Jonathan Had Schizophrenia and Died at 24. Now Tom Conroy Is Playing Him on Stage Kelly Burke (interviewer), 2022 single work interview
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 9 September 2022;
Last amended 8 Nov 2021 14:56:33
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