Westralia shall be free.

A family unravelled by secrets. A haunted landscape. One boy’s fantasy of Westralia at war with the Eastern States. A new, darkly comic musical about obsession, betrayal and the long buried past.

Iris Brown and her children Angus and Violet live in isolation on the outskirts of Paucity. Their solitude is broken by the entrance of Constable Irving Saddle. As Irving’s control gradually infects the household, Angus’ unhinged perception of reality reaches dangerous proportions. He retreats into a nationalistic fantasy world – ‘Westralia’ – defended by a Ziegfeld follies-esque army which embodies the family’s dark past. Angus’ waking and dreaming lives merge into one another, and Irving uncovers the horrible secret beneath the house.

Director Zoe Pepper flavours the work with a bittersweet mixture of horror and delight, while composer Ash Gibson Greig presents dark and dissonant orchestrations.

Choreography and set design are by contemporary art duo Tarryn Gill and Pilar Mata Dupont, whose work recently featured in national exhibitions Primavera and Optimism. Production is by Hold Your Horses, a new WA company who facilitates collaboration between theatre and visual artists.