The Badger Game

A mid-length play.

OVERVIEW:

Based on the true story of Jean Lee, the last woman hanged in Australia, this is my first foray into ‘serious’ drama

Contact Kate to read play >

STORY:

The Badger Game is the story of Jean Lee, a small time crook and prostitute, and the last woman hanged in Australia. In 1940s Melbourne, Jean and her lover Bobby were infamous for running the classic con, ‘The Badger Game’, which involved trapping and seducing married men, then blackmailing them.

When Bobby’s prison cell mate, Norman, joined the pair, events took a dark turn. Their final con devolved into madness and murder. Under the shadow of the noose, love and loyalty were put to the test. Just who will blame whom to save their own skin?

PERFORMANCES:

EONN-ic Eclections
Edinburgh Festival, The Space at Jury’s Inn
Aug 2009
Director: Kate Gaul
Actors: Orlena Steele-Prior / Emanda Percival / Matt Butcher / Nicholas Whyatt

TRAILER:

REVIEW:

Toon’s The Badger Game is the strongest piece, a short, multi-act play about Jean Lee (Emanda Percival), the last woman to be hanged in Victoria, Australia. It’s a sharp, emotionally brutal shock, and Nicholas David Whyatt’s portrayal of Lee’s mercenary lover steals not just this final play, but the entire show.

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