Bad Sport

Lauded playwright Patricia Cornelius isn’t afraid to go where others won’t on hot-button issues – and now she’s tackling sexual violence in the AFL with her new play In The Club. She gives us the lowdown as it premieres with Adelaide’s State Theatre Company.

- Jenna Clarke

THE PLAY IS A RESPONSE TO THE KIND OF CULTURE THAT EXISTS IN FOOTBALL that all Australians are very familiar with. We’ve had a history of hearing about sexual misconduct – which is a lenient expression – and potential crimes in the press, yet it feels like there’s never been any kind of satisfying response, and nobody has ended up being prosecuted. Of course everyone agrees that behaviour is despicable, and yet to be able to find a way in and make it feel like it’s not something that we’ve heard over and over again has been really challenging and exciting.