THE SPOOK

‘Of course you don’t want to be a communist. No-one in their right mind wants to be a communist’

In THE SPOOK, Martin is recruited to spy on the local branch of the Bendigo Communist Party. The play was inspired by the real-life story of Phil Geri, who spent 22 years working for ASIO as an undercover agent, a ‘sparrow’ in a communist party branch in Bendigo. The play is blackly comic personal odyssey, as he negotiates the betrayals and sacrifices spying entails. The play is also a portrait of two of the major forces in Australian society of the post war decades; ASIO and the Communist Party, their destinies intertwined, as the Cold war starts to wane, the Soviet Union invades Czechoslovakia, and Australia joins America in the Vietnam War.

Tom Long and Steve Le Marquand in the Company B, Belvoir St. production of The Spook.

Cover Photo – Luke Ryan, Kevin Harrington, Denis Moore, Maria Theodorakis, Tony Nikolakopoulos, Margaret Mills, Alison Bell – a production still of the Malthouse production. Photo – Jeff Busby

PRODUCTIONS:

Belvoir street Theatre 2005

QTC

Directed by Neil Armfield

Malthouse 2008.

Victorian regional tour.

Directed by Tom Healy

Perth Theatre Co 2008

Directed by Vivienne Garrett

The New Theatre 2023

Directed by Rosane McNamara

AWARDS:

Winner of The Victorian Premiers Award - 2005

The Australian Writers Guild Award for best new play, and the major award - 2005

Louis Esson prize for Drama

“Reeves deftly weaves international politics into a domestic drama. Although this play looks like a comedy, it’s lightness of touch shouldn’t fool you into thinking that’s all it is.” Alison Croggan, Theatre Notes

“Melissa Reeves’ script is brilliant in the small clinches. She maintains a light touch, choosing to eschew allegory.” Douglas Leonard, Realtime

“The Spook was such a pleasure to watch, beautifully balancing political comedy, Australian coming-of-age and creative production techniques to deliver a story both thought-provoking and uplifting. It’ll have you laughing, crying and sitting on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.” Toasting Aussie Theatre.

“This is a brilliant script. Subversive. Comic. Suspenseful. Sad, and a wonderful allegory for the paranoia of our times.” Judges report.

The script of The Spook is published by Currency Press.

Info about Belvoir, Malthouse, and new theatre productions.

https://belvoir.com.au/productions/the_spook/

https://newtheatre.org.au/the-spook/

https://stories.malthousetheatre.com.au/shows/the-spook-2007/