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'A noir fable for the demons we invite into our hearts.
'The Demon is a physical theatre work which reimagines a dark story in the history of White Australia. A Chinatown for modern Western Sydney written by Michael Mohammed Ahmad, it explores the bond of two detectives who grew up as brother-boys in Bankstown; Arab Australian Jihad (Johnny Nasser) and his Aboriginal Muslim partner Matthew/Muhammad (Kirk Page).
'Alliances and divisions of family, faith and culture are tested as they investigate a crime allegedly perpetrated by a Chinese Australian street fighter Wei (Yvonne Huang) and her gang; The Celestials. Wei draws the detectives on a road trip from Western Sydney out west to Burrangong, site of the Lamming Flat Riots in 1861. To solve this mystery, the brothers must confront the landscape and its hidden demons and ask themselves: does a curse inhabit a land or its people?
'The Demon is an action-packed play with a thriller twist, featuring filmic dance theatre and aerial stunts that push the boundaries of magic realism on stage. Co-created by writer Michael Mohammed Ahmad, director Rachael Swain and choreographer Gavin Webber.
'Co-commissioned by OzAsia Festival and the Sydney Opera House and enabled for the Opera House by New Work Now founding supporter Prof Ross Steele AM.'
(https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/events/whats-on/unwrapped/2022/the-demon.html)
Production Details
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Co-commissioned by OzAsia Festival and the Sydney Opera House. Performed at Sydney Opera House In the Playhouse Theatre, 13 October to 15 October, 2022.
Concept: Rachael Swain with Tony Ayres.
Director: Rachael Swain.
Choreographer: Gavin Webber.
Designer: Stephen Curtis.
Composer: Nick Wales.
Sound Design and Additional Music: Bob Scott.
Lighting Designer: Damien Cooper.
Co-writer (First Nations content): Samantha Hogg.
Co-writer (Chinese female content): Jeanette Chen.
Script editor: Tony Ayres.
Cast and co-devisors: Jihad (Johnny Nasser), Matthew/Muhammed (Kirk Page), Wei (Yvonne Huang), The Demon (Joshua Thomson), Daphne (Christy Tran), and Ivan & Ah Yung (Johnas Liu).
Previous co-devising cast members 2014-2018: Hazem Shammas, Hsin-Ju Ely, Jill Wang, Ali Kadhim, and Lia Reutens.
The Demon was funded by The Australia Council for the Arts and Create NSW
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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The Demon : The Devil You Know
2022
single work
review
— Appears in: ArtsHub , September 2022;
— Review of The Demon 2022 single work drama'A new play probes Australia’s conflicted conscience. ‘We have to find a way to come together and talk about the hard stuff,’ says writer Michael Mohammed Ahmad.'
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Theatre Review : The Demon
2022
single work
review
— Appears in: ArtsHub , October 2022;
— Review of The Demon 2022 single work drama'A dark look at how racism has evolved through the ages.'
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Michael Mohammed Ahmad Brings His Anti-racist Work to the Sydney Opera House and OzAsia Festival with The Demon
2022
single work
column
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , October 2022; -
Kirk Uncovers the Demon in the Land
2022
single work
column
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 5 October no. 786 2022; (p. 21) 'A new play featuring the Koori Mail's very own entertainment and arts reporter Kirk Page is set to hit the stage this October in Sydney and Adelaide.'
-
Theatre Review : The Demon
2022
single work
review
— Appears in: ArtsHub , October 2022;
— Review of The Demon 2022 single work drama'A dark look at how racism has evolved through the ages.'
-
The Demon : The Devil You Know
2022
single work
review
— Appears in: ArtsHub , September 2022;
— Review of The Demon 2022 single work drama'A new play probes Australia’s conflicted conscience. ‘We have to find a way to come together and talk about the hard stuff,’ says writer Michael Mohammed Ahmad.'
-
Kirk Uncovers the Demon in the Land
2022
single work
column
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 5 October no. 786 2022; (p. 21) 'A new play featuring the Koori Mail's very own entertainment and arts reporter Kirk Page is set to hit the stage this October in Sydney and Adelaide.' -
Michael Mohammed Ahmad Brings His Anti-racist Work to the Sydney Opera House and OzAsia Festival with The Demon
2022
single work
column
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , October 2022;
- Bankstown, Bankstown area, Sydney Southwest, Sydney, New South Wales,