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Letters to Lindy

Photo of Lindy Chamberlain by AP via AAP

Jeanette Cronin. Photo by Lisa Tomasetti for Merrigong Theatre Company.

Phillip Hinton, Jeanette Cronin and Jane Phegan. Photo by Lisa Tomasetti for Merrigong Theatre Company

About

Filled with humour and heartbreak, this stunning work by award-winning playwright, Alana Valentine, explores the public’s relationship with one of Australia’s most iconic figures.

A mother accused of murdering her child, her claim – that the baby was taken by a dingo – denied and discredited by zealous police and a flawed legal system. The media circus, the rumours, the nation’s prejudices laid bare. The court case captivated a nation.

The National Library in Canberra holds a collection of more than 20,000 letters to Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton. From sympathy to abuse, from marriage proposals to death threats and photos of dogs’ birthday parties (yes, really!), the correspondence traverses the gamut of human response to Lindy’s story. Letters to Lindy draws on this extraordinary correspondence and interviews with Lindy herself, to create an enthralling, revealing and long overdue dialogue between Lindy and the nation.

Directed by Darren Yap and featuring the critically acclaimed performance from Jeanette Cronin as Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, Letters to Lindy provides a deep insight into one of the most compelling legal and human dramas of our times. It paints a singular portrait of the heartbreak, wisdom and resilience of a grieving mother and her 30 year fight for justice.

Exquisitely touching… Detail upon detail is woven into a finely stitched masterpiece.

Australian Stage

…a fascinating collage depicting Australian attitudes to grief, justice, celebrity, and to women who do not conform to expectations… Cronin’s pitch-perfect Lindy… is a warm, earthy, personable focal point in an evening that rises strongly in the final minutes to pay tribute to Chamberlain’s resilience and to the child she lost.

Jason Blake, Sydney Morning Herald

Presented by Artback NT, Letters to Lindy is a Merrigong Theatre Company production in association with Canberra Theatre Centre.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.