David Williamson Celebrates 30 years with Ensemble and the World Premiere of ‘Sleeping Dogs’

David Williamson’s Emerald City opened to glowing reviews at Ensemble Theatre this week, celebrating his 30-year association with the company. The Ensemble first staged Emerald City in 1995 and now audiences get to enjoy a refreshed take on the iconic 1980’s play.

“as relevant as ever…When Williamson wrote Emerald City, he surely had no idea that it could be performed on stage in 2025 and have not aged a day.” ★★★★ Arts Hub

“Williamson, the wizard of Oz play writing, observes the tectonic shifts between the substance of self fulfilment and the fickleness of self gratifying success, in a seriously very, very funny play.” Australian Stage

His latest play Sleeping Dogs received its world premiere at Noosa Alive! this week. Led by actor Erik Thomson, the play follows Max Griffith, an Aussie film maker who has been working in Hollywood for many years. He arrives back in Australia to receive a Film Institute lifetime achievement award and confides to his daughter Connie that his return has stirred up memories he’d prefer to forget… You can read more about the sold-out season here.

Emerald City is running at Ensemble Theatre until 23 August 2025.