Sydney Theatre Company and UBS Investment Bank present

True West

by Sam Shepard

Austin is on the brink of something big. He has secured a Hollywood deal for his latest film script. He’s about to hit the big bucks and the big time. Soon he’ll be living the dream.

Lee is a bum: a free agent. He has been roaming the wild untamed plains of America’s West, eking out a hand-to-mouth existence and thieving household appliances. He’s got nothing to his name except a six pack, a criminal record, a chronic case of sibling rivalry… and authenticity.

They’re brothers but they are as different as day and night.

When Lee re-enters Austin’s life after a prolonged absence, the two brothers go head-to-head in a showdown of Western proportions. Who is good? Who is bad? One thing is for certain: when these two attempt to co-write a movie, things are going to get pretty darn ugly.

In this deliciously dark play of duality, Sam Shepard takes a long, hard look at America. From the romanticised West to the tranquillity of picket-fenced suburbia, Shepard suggests that a nation obsessed with fantasy will find its illusions fiercely pursued by disappointing reality.

Philip Seymour Hoffman returns to Sydney Theatre Company to direct Wayne Blair in this ferociously funny play.

1 Hour 40 Minutes, No Interval

Occasional strong language, occasional violence

Photo: Derek Henderson