Sydney Theatre Company
Sydney Theatre, February 11, 2014

The Long Way Home is a unique collaboration between the Australian Defence Force and Sydney Theatre Company. Based on real-life accounts, it tells the stories of military personnel deployed on operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and East Timor, and the challenges they face reintegrating back into civilian life.

Written by Australian Daniel Keene and directed by Stephen Rayne, the work succeeds as a moving and personal exploration of physical and psychological injuries endured on the battlefield. Featuring 13 military personnel including two women, the play serves as part of a program to assist in their rehabilitation. Their performances are extraordinary, bringing to light the effects of war trauma with a resonant sense of authenticity. Stephen Rayne, who directed a similar production with English soldiers in 2012, met his novice cast in September and groomed them into actors within only a matter of months. Four professional actors from the Sydney Theatre Company also feature.

Composer and sound designer Steve Francis is responsible for the dynamic soundtrack. Crashing chords, explosive shots and garbled shouts open the play in an auditory evocation of the battlefield. Video and lighting design by Damien Cooper, David Bergman and Renee Mulder provides a vibrant and energetic...