Why you need to see a show about domestic violence...

Published on 15 February 2022

ANDREA LOUISE THOMAS - Arts Writer

Australian playwright, Steve Rodgers has managed to pull off what would seem an impossible task. He has written an unflinching play that puts domestic abuse under a microscope, yet leaves the audience with both a sense of hope and a call to arms. He has done this by creating a work that is relatable, funny, entertaining, heartbreaking and confronting all at the same time. It’s truly compelling theatre.

The play follows the lives of several women across several scenarios, but the scene is predominantly set in the one place people would imagine feeling safest – at home. The female lead is played by Kate Skinner. She was thrilled to play this complex and challenging role. “This character shows immense strength, fortitude and resilience, which are the aspects of domestic violence stories that we need to see more of, not stories about women as victims,” she says.

“The play looks at why it’s happening and how society contributes to this problem. Rather than ‘othering’ perpetrators, the question is, how are we creating a world where this continues to exist?” she asks.  Kate thinks it partly stems from the way young boys are raised with enormous pressure and expectation to be strong and not show emotion. They don’t know vulnerability is okay so they bottle up their feelings - a strategy that inevitably breaks down.

Director Blazey Best says, “The play is not about demonising a few bad men. It’s so easy or say some or all men are bad, but this play is inviting us to examine our society and culture. Something is going wrong in our culture that this is at a perpetual level,” she says. For her, it has been most gratifying to hear audiences talking about the play afterwards.

What both Kate and Blazey learned while doing research for this production, is the myriad ways in which domestic abuse plays out. It’s so much bigger than what people imagine. “A woman doesn’t have to have a broken arm to be a victim of domestic violence,” Kate notes. Also, there is no typical victim or perpetrator. It could be anyone.

A common misconception is that domestic abuse is about physical violence, but the play examines something even more insidious - coercive control. That term covers a broad spectrum of controlling behaviours that escalate over time. King of Pigs casts a light on it with pathos and sensitivity.

“The relationship between the victim and the person hurting her started out with love, trust and respect – to find out it’s the opposite is truly frightening. Having once deeply loved her partner, it makes it harder to break away,” Kate says. There are varied and complex reasons why women stay in abusive relationships, none of which are based in weakness. Blazey wanted to hero the resilience of the female character - to focus on bravery not approach the character with pity. 

That a play focusing on such a confronting issue, one that even had the actors questioning how they might be complicit on a societal level, yet still be highly entertaining is extraordinary. That we live in times when an issue like this can become part of a collective conversation people want to question and address is a hopeful sign for the future. This is where theatre intersects with everyday life and can effect real change. King of Pigs is an opportunity to be part of the change we want to see.

King of Pigs is touring Australia and will be at Frankston Arts Centre on Tuesday 1 March at 7:30pm followed by a Post-Show Question and Answer. Book Now