It’s been described as “revolutionary theatre at its simplest and most direct”.
And, now, Jeremy Goldstein’s Truth to Power Café is heading to Newcastle next month as part of the much-loved New Annual festival.
The profound theatrical reflection on loss, hope and resistance will take over City Hall from 7.30pm on Friday 4 October.
This inspirational and award-winning performance is told through memoir, image, film, poetry, music, and true and authentic stories in response to the question: “Who has power over you and what do you want to say to them?”
Joining Goldstein on stage will be Emma Monk, Beverley Burlakov, Joey Porter, Zippie Tiffinwright, Ed Wright and Damien Linnane.
Each has an amazing journey to relay to the audience.
“Personal, professional or political – speaking truth to power is a non-violent means of conflict resolution, the origins of which lie in the anti-war movement,” Goldstein explained.
“Is it to your parents, a sibling, politician, landlord, neighbour, banker, boss or simply your best friend?
“It’s time to tell them the truth before it’s too late.
“The [café] concept was inspired by the political and philosophical beliefs of Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter and his inner circle, The Hackney Gang, which included my late father Mick and poet and actor Henry Woolf.
“For 60 years, they maintained their belief in speaking truth to power and remained firmly on the side of the occupied and the disempowered and their allies.
“It is these people we invite to appear in the show.”
Meet the Truth to Power Café participants
Emma Monk, 32, actor/producer
Her disability had power over her. Functional Neurological Disorder exerted significant power and control over her life, impacting her abilities and daily experiences. She wants to make it clear to her FND that she’s determined to fight back against the constraints. Despite the challenges – whether affecting her ability to walk, communicate or anything else – she’ll continue to strive for a fulfilling life.
Beverley Burlakov, 82, retired musician and music teacher
Born and raised in Newcastle, Beverley was a foundation student at Newcastle Conservatorium in the 1950s. Her mentor was the great Harold Lobb. In 1952, aged 10, she performed a Handel violin sonata on stage at Newcastle City Hall. On 4 October, she wants to celebrate the 72nd anniversary of that performance from the stage where she first performed and spoke of the power music has had over her life.
Joey Porter, 27, support worker
“As I sit here trying to think of my oppressors, I think of lost friends who might not like me anymore, or people who hold a low opinion of me. These thoughts lead me to a question I ask myself; why do I believe them? When I ask this, the angle of my answer changes from saying f*** you to the haters, to wanting to enquire about myself, and who I adopted this negative belief from.”
Zippie Tiffinwright, 18, tutor Young People’s Theatre Newcastle and winner 2024 Lake Macquarie One Act Play Festival
“As an 18-year-old trans non-binary, anyone I meet has power over me. Terrifying as that is, that fact will always tell me I have power over myself whether I like it, want it, or not. I am a living, breathing defiance of willpower; contradictory and hypocritical, and oh so wondrous. All have power over me, but I’ve never been one to bow my head without my worldly weapon of choice. I’ll always be trying to match my words with action and find the nonsense within what I think is true.”
Ed Wright, 56, writer, editor and critic
“In the past few years, talking to power has been about heading inside and changing the way I talk to myself. Power is lazy like water, it looks for the easiest way to flow. Once it has formed a habit it can be reluctant to change. And, so, in middle age I find myself beating my head against the wall, my habits growing thicker and thicker protecting me against things that are already long gone. The power I need to talk to is in the past. But where do I go to learn how to talk to it?”
Damien Linnane, former Australia soldier
Linnane was sentenced to two years in prison in NSW in 2015 for crimes the sentencing magistrate described as an act of vigilantism. Even though the court accepted that Linnane’s disability and mental health were directly related to his offence, he was denied any form of rehabilitation or therapy while in custody. Despite the lack of services provided in prisons, Linnane chose to view his imprisonment as an opportunity rather than a punishment, spending the first half of his sentence writing a crime novel by hand, and the second half teaching himself to draw. His novel, Scarred, was published by Tenth Street Press in 2019, and was shortlisted for the Adaptable program run by the Queensland Writers Centre. In 2021, Linnane was hired by Penguin Random House US to illustrate the book This Is Ear Hustle. Frustrated by the lack of mental health services available in prison, Linnane started a PhD in law through the University of Newcastle in 2022, which focuses on exploring the needs and experiences of incarcerated people’s access to healthcare and advocating for change. He also works as the editor of Paper Chained, an art and writing magazine for people in prison, and campaigns for better rights for incarcerated people and involuntary mental health patients.
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