Drawing on an extraordinary archive of over 20,000 letters written to Lindy Chamberlain by members of the public, Letters to Lindy provides a snapshot of Australia in the 1980s.
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The Azaria Chamberlain case is a reminder that the criminal justice system does get it wrong, and the human cost of these errors.
Filled with humour and heartbreak, this stunning work by award-winning playwright Alana Valentine explores the public’s relationship with one of 20th Century Australia’s most iconic figures.
The story captivated a nation. 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 mob mentality, and a nation’s prejudices laid bare.
Over three decades, from baby Azaria’s death to the final coroner’s report, the public wrote letters to Lindy Chamberlain. From sympathy to abuse, letters from children and letters from those who have lost a child, these letters traverse the gamut of human response to Lindy’s story.
Letters to Lindy draws on this correspondence, as well as extensive interviews with Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton herself, to create an enthralling, moving, and long overdue dialogue between Lindy and the nation.
Letters to Lindy is a poignant and moving play about an iconic national story. It is a major new theatre work of national significance. A story about a mother’s love, devotion and resilience, Letters to Lindy is a deeply poignant tribute to Azaria Chamberlain.
Lindy Chamberlain and the legal case have had a profound effect on Australian laws. Our media industries have profited enormously from this story. The case has been recreated in television documentaries, a mini-series, an opera, and a Hollywood film.
The public reaction to Azaria’s disappearance reminds many members of the public how we got it wrong, and the sexism and racism and prejudice deeply ingrained in the public narrative ie we judged a woman by her failure to conform to our expectations of “normal” feminine behaviour; accepted flawed forensic evidence over eyewitness testimony, that of the Indigenous trackers; and allowed suspicions about the Chamberlains’ religion to taint perceptions of their innocence.
Directed by Darren Yap and featuring the critically acclaimed performance from Jeanette Cronin as Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, Letters to Lindy paints a singular portrait of the heartbreak, wisdom and resilience of a grieving mother and her 30-year fight for justice.
Tickets are available online at www.civictheatre.com.au, from the theatre by phoning 6926 9688 or at the box office.