Possessions – The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA)

About the show

A crumbling country house. A dead grandmother. Three candles. And a game no one has played in years.

When twins Annie and Laurie return home after their grandmother’s funeral, old memories and uneasy spirits surface. Joined by Annie’s partner Matt and family friend Vera, a night of drinking and childhood games awakens something ancient beneath the floorboards. Blending psychological thriller, domestic drama, dark comedy and ghost story, this gripping premiere explores inheritance, belief, and the weight of unchosen legacies. How do we live with the past when it refuses to stay buried?

Be in the room for the haunting. Catch this world premiere before the secret gets out.

Possessions has been developed and produced with the support of The Frederick J Gibson Bequest in memory of GARNET H CARROLL OBE.

Keziah Warner
Award-winning Melbourne playwright Keziah Warner is known for genre-driven, character-focused writing. Recent mainstage premieres include her adaptation of Nosferatu and the large-scale immersive work Hour of the Wolf, both for Malthouse Theatre. She has won the STC Patrick White Playwrights Award and holds commissions from Malthouse and Red Stitch.

Anthea Williams
A Churchill Fellow and Associate Artistic Director of Griffin Theatre Company, Anthea Williams has helmed acclaimed productions for Belvoir, Griffin and NIDA, and dramaturged more than 100 new works across Australia and the UK.

Firstly, an enormous thank you to NIDA for commissioning this play – it’s so exciting that our drama institutions are committed to making new work. And to Anthea and the incredible team – working on Possessions with you all has been a total joy. Thank you!

And secondly, I struggle when I’m asked what a play is about, because the truth is I only ever set out to tell a good story. But I suppose at its core, this play is about belief. When I was researching ghosts, one of the most illuminating things I read was that when we are told a ghost story, whether or not we believe it has very little to do with our belief in the supernatural, and a whole lot to do with the person telling the story.

Is this person a frequent exaggerator? Are they prone to lying? Do their beliefs skew woo-woo? What if the person telling you is a committed atheist or scientist? Someone who prior to this event would have sworn blind there was nothing on the other side of the veil, in fact, no veil at all? Does that make the story more true?

And what about how you feel about them? If you dislike them, if you distrust them, of course you won’t believe them. But what about if you love them? If they are your partner, your sibling, your child? Does that make you more likely to throw your rational mind to the wind? And finally, what about if they’re in a position of power? Intellectually, socially, culturally, financially?

Who gets believed and why is, sadly, central to the way our society functions. As Laurie says “your belief in ghosts is irrelevant” but who you believe, and whether you are believed in turn, is core to who you are – whether we like it or not.

– Keziah Warner

“I’m scared of lots of stuff. It just sort of has to be real”

Regardless of your beliefs about an afterlife, there’s plenty to fear in the world of Possessions. The play was commissioned by NIDA from acclaimed Australian playwright Keziah Warner and it is so exciting to be able to stage a new work in a learning environment like NIDA. Australian work that speaks to our experiences, tells our own stories.

Possessions explores grief, loss, trauma, class and power. Is Possessions a revenge tale or story of the supernatural? Warner’s intention to leave this up to the audience has been a delightful provocation for this company of emerging theatre makers.

Alongside the ghosts that invade the night, the characters are forced to confront their personal histories, the mythmaking of their families, and the consequences of their own actions. In Australia, we have many buried histories; this play looks to women who go missing every year and are forgotten. It reminds us that Australians are haunted by our colonial history and the failure to acknowledge Aboriginal sovereignty through treaty.

When things are locked in Granby’s basement, they have a tendency to come out. Make reparations, process your trauma, and except your failings or they will consume you.

– Anthea Williams

This production contains coarse language, adult themes, horror themes, and some violence. It also contains sudden loud noises, strobe and flashing lights, and haze.

Suitable for ages 12 and over.