PARADISE LOST
Theatre
A young Australian doctor begins working in an offshore detention centre on a remote Pacific island. Here she connects with an Iranian poet fleeing persecution for his homosexuality. Confronted by the suffering the people incarcerated, Robin finds her legal obligation to remain silent on the inner workings of the detention centre and her hippocratic oath increasingly in conflict; tensions which spill over into her personal life back in Sydney.
Playwright - Melissa-Kelly Franklin
Winner of the Jill Blewett Playwright’s Award, South Australian Literary Awards 2024
Winner of the Australian Theatre Festival NYC New Play Award 2022
Shortlisted for the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award 2022-23
Longlisted for the Theatre 503 International Playwriting Award 2023
Longlisted for the Royal Shakespeare Company 37 Plays project 2023
“The judges unanimously selected Paradise Lost as the winning title. The play is an accomplished and nuanced critique of Australia’s border policy in a gripping drama that is charged with emotion.” — Judging panel, South Australian Literary Awards
“Paradise Lost is a daring and moving piece that was unanimously voted as this year’s best play.” — Judging panel, Australian Theatre Festival NYC New Play Award
Staged Reading at Theaterlab, New York for the Australian Theatre Festival NYC, 2022.
Featuring Noor Hamdi, Jillian Geurts, Danish Farooqui, Bahar Beihaghi, Connor Delves, Saum Seyed, Jennifer Reed, Kathleen Simmonds & Mark Dessaix. Directed by Benita de Wit.
(Production stills by Matt Davies)
