Sydney Theatre Company and UBS Investment Bank present

True West

by Sam Shepard

Austin is on the brink of something big. He has secured a Hollywood deal for his latest film script. He’s about to hit the big bucks and the big time. Soon he’ll be living the dream.

Lee is a bum: a free agent. He has been roaming the wild untamed plains of America’s West, eking out a hand-to-mouth existence and thieving household appliances. He’s got nothing to his name except a six pack, a criminal record, a chronic case of sibling rivalry… and authenticity.

They’re brothers but they are as different as day and night.

When Lee re-enters Austin’s life after a prolonged absence, the two brothers go head-to-head in a showdown of Western proportions. Who is good? Who is bad? One thing is for certain: when these two attempt to co-write a movie, things are going to get pretty darn ugly.

In this deliciously dark play of duality, Sam Shepard takes a long, hard look at America. From the romanticised West to the tranquillity of picket-fenced suburbia, Shepard suggests that a nation obsessed with fantasy will find its illusions fiercely pursued by disappointing reality.

Philip Seymour Hoffman returns to Sydney Theatre Company to direct Wayne Blair and Brendan Cowell in this ferociously funny play.

1 Hour 40 Minutes, No Interval

Warning: This production contains cigarette smoking, occasional strong language and occasional violence

Venue: Wharf 1

Photo: Derek Henderson