The Ides of March
CAST: 5 male, 2 female
SYNOPSIS: Nine-year-old Joni is asleep on stage when Oliver, her father, comes home late from work. As they talk, Oliver apologises for not being there for her as often as he should be. We learn that father and daughter have recently moved and that Jodi has been battling nightmares while Oliver has his own issues with alcohol.
We learn from Laura, an academic, that the Australian Government has responded to acts of terrorism by reducing its citizens’ civil liberties. A stressed public servant, Warren, juggles calls about security, propaganda, and personal matters while preparing for a march in commemoration of those who died in a terrorist attack on Australian soil; Laura is interviewed by Ahmed, a journalist. They discuss protests against Laura’s recently-published book, increasing security measures, and the struggles of freelance journalism against government policy.
We also learn that Warren and Ahmed know each other as they sit on Warren's veranda drinking and chatting the night away. Oliver enters, also a friend to Warren, and the three of them discuss their memories of a terrorist attack that killed over 300,000 people. They also discuss rumours of secret prisons and executions.
It is revealed that Laura and Warren were once married to each other; they meet at her house to remember their deceased son, Mark. Champagne and memories are shared and the discussion evolves into an argument about the government’s contentious Freedom Act. The scene is intercut with a similar domestic squabble between Ahmed and his son, Hameem, who has been attacked during a protest. Like Warren and Laura, the two are drawn into a conflict about politics, power dynamics, belief and personal guilt. Just as the twin arguments are beginning to reconcile they are interrupted by simultaneous knocks at the door - Laura and Hameem are arrested by government agents.
Act One ends as Oliver’s daughter, Joni, recites a speech she has written about her mother’s death in the terrorist attack that sparked the play’s events.
Act Two centres around Oliver’s interrogation of both Laura and Hameem for their suspected involvement with terrorist organisations. Scenes in their detention cells are intercut with others in which an anxious Warren and Ahmed wait for news about why their loved ones have been detained and what may occur as a result. Warren attempts to leverage his political position and knowledge he possesses to influence the outcome of Oliver's interrogations, and he is partially successful – one of the two detainees is released; the other is not so lucky.
In a short flashback, Warren receives divorce papers and watches as Laura signs them. The play ends as Joni and Oliver discuss the fact that they will soon have to move home again.
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“The Ides of March is essentially a superb thriller, sweeping an audience along on a precarious rollercoaster ride of socio-political debate.”
(Canberra Times)