Queen’s secret Whitlam correspondence inspires Sydney Theatre Company play in 2027
The Sydney Theatre Company has announced its 2027 program, which includes a new play titled The Palace Letters. The production dramatizes historian Jenny Hocking's legal battle to release secret correspondence regarding the 1975 dismissal of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.
Why it matters
It highlights the intersection of historical transparency, legal precedent, and the arts in Australian political culture.
Georgie Parker plays historian Jenny Hocking in The Palace Letters at Sydney Opera House in April. Photograph: STC/Holly Ward Georgie Parker plays historian Jenny Hocking in The Palace Letters at Sydney Opera House in April. Photograph: STC/Holly Ward Australian theatre Queen’s secret Whitlam correspondence inspires Sydney Theatre Company play in 2027 STC’s 2027 program also features Celeste Barber in Amy Sedaris and David Sedaris play, Tim Minchin as Scrooge and the return of The Picture of Dorian Gray
Prefer the Guardian on Google Six years after the Australian historian Jenny Hocking won her legal battle to release secret correspondence between Queen Elizabeth II, Malcolm Fraser and the governor general John Kerr, her fight to reveal the truth about Gough Whitlam’s dismissal is being adapted for the stage.
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