Unprecedented

“I don’t hold a hose, mate.”

From the writer and theatre company which brought you the acclaimed verbatim play Embers comes Unprecedented, a new play raging at the fault lines in the national response to the ‘Black Summer’ bushfires of 2019-20. 

Meticulously researched and drawing on numerous sources, award winning playwright Campion Decent fashions a gripping account of the fires – the smoke that choked our nation, the isolated communities left to fend for themselves, the heroism and the deep tragedy of the coronial inquests. The play asks urgent questions about survival in the face of political stagnancy and a growing climate emergency; and examines our capacity for resilience against a rising tide of devastating environmental disasters. 

Unprecedented expands the conversation HotHouse commenced on Australia’s relationship to fire through Embers about the 2003 North East Victorian fires – extending the lens nationally. Against the backdrop of political short-termism and a polarising media landscape, Unprecedented protests.

Part verbatim, part history, and part polemic; with incisive humour and powerful tenderness Unprecedented takes the pulse of the nation as we stand at the precipice. Ultimately, asking: Is the status quo enough? Do we need to do more? What do we really value?

As the Chair of the 2020 Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements remarked:   
“Unprecedented is not a reason to be unprepared. We need to be prepared for the future.”

ABOUT THE PRODUCER

HotHouse Theatre is a regional creative powerhouse and first-class incubator of new Australian work. Located on the border in Albury Wodonga, HotHouse has been the home of professional theatre for over 25 years, with a rich and celebrated history of commissioning, nurturing, producing and presenting contemporary Australian theatre that ignites the imagination of the region and the nation.

REVIEWS FOR CAMPION DECENT’S PREVIOUS PLAY ‘EMBERS’

"… an absorbing, character-rich and sometimes stirring piece about a near-forgotten patch of Australia; the grit and courage of ordinary folk and bureaucrats who add insult to nature's injury."
Sydney Morning Herald

"Embers provides an extraordinary account of the fires; survival, courage and endurance of communities put to the test. Embers is the story of a fire - and the people who conquered it."
ABC Melbourne

"...an authentic collage of stories from the community who fought to protect their lives, their homes, and their land."
Aussie Theatre

"…Embers is a valuable Australian story which celebrates courage, generosity, churlishness and humour. It has a great deal of heart."
Sydney Stage online

TOURING 2023

Blue Mountains Theatre & Community Hub, Springwood NSW | Land of the Dharug and Gundungurra Peoples
25 August | BOOK

Laycock Street Community Theatre, Wyoming NSW | Land of the  Darkinyung People
30 August | BOOK

Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre NSW | Land of the Wiradjuri People
2 September| BOOK