At one time considered Australia’s most important book - Nevil Shute’s novel On the Beach follows a group of friends and colleagues in 1960’s Melbourne after the fallout of a short but disastrous nuclear war which has wiped out humanity north of the equator. 

The characters are living on borrowed time, speculating wildly about the direction of the deadly radiation clouds, desperately grasping at scientific theories about its toxicity and the possibility of survival.

Australian playwright Tommy Murphy has adapted the novel for a first-ever stage version for the Sydney Theatre Company.

Guest:

Tommy Murphy, playwright