World premiere about Maralinga

The world premiere of the play "Maralinga" will take place on Wednesday, August 30, at the Ettalong Beach War Memorial Club.

Maralinga tells the stories of veterans who served as guinea pigs for British nuclear testing in the 1950s, according to marketing officer Ms Janette Bailey.

"On the 50 year anniversary of the first test, Maralinga aims to help veterans by broadcasting their shocking true stories.

"The play bears witness to the nation's great nuclear cover-up," she said.

Maralinga was verbatim-style theatre, said Ms Bailey.

Every word came from years of interviews with nuclear veterans, widows and their families.

"They now uncover the 50 years of terrible human cost in Maralinga, with amazing courage and humour," Ms Bailey said.

Ex-RAAF mechanic and Maralinga survivor Mr Ric Johnstone is a Gosford local and president of the Australian Nuclear Veterans' Association.

His story is told in the play along with others, many travelling from the U.K to hear their true stories broadcast on the stage.

Ric said of the tests: "It's like the sound of about 10 000 locomotives coming across the desert.

"One bloke broke and ran for the bush.

"They called the roll about 18 bloody times.

"We were literally faced where the bomb would go off."

Writer-producer Paul Brown worked with Australian and British theatre companies, Belvoir St Theatre and Bluetongue Theatre to create Maralinga.

Director Wesley Enoch fresh from a production of Capricornia at Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney directs a cast including Roy Billing (from Run Rabbit Run).

The play will take place at the Ettalong Beach War Memorial Club from Wednesday, August 30, at 1pm.

Other performances will take place on Thursday, August 31, at 11am, Friday, September 1 at 1pm and 7.30pm, Saturday, September 2 at 1pm and 7.30pm and Sunday, September 3 at 5pm.

Tickets are $20 or $10 concession and can be made by contacting 4343 0111.

Press release, August 3 Janette Bailey, Maralinga