The Devil’s Grip
Creative Development, 2021-22 · Gavin Roach Presents
Grant Recipient, supported by Geelong Arts Centre’s Creative Engine
Seven shots ring out in the silence of Geelong’s rolling Barrabool Hills. As the final recoil echoes through the paddocks, a revered sheep-breeding dynasty comes to a bloody and inglorious end.
The Devil’s Grip is an orgy of violence and abuse that wiped out three generations of the Wettenhall family. It portrays lurid scandals involving Darcy Wettenhall, the man behind the world famous Stanbury sheep stud.
The web of secrets and lies that led to this bizarre murder spree are unravelled with the help of Bob Perry, Darcy Wettenhall’s decade-long secret lover, prior to his murder. With queer themes at its heart, set between Geelong’s 1950s - 1990s landscape, this piece highlights a dark and abusive history within the region’s industrial and farming industry. The Devil’s Grip is a courageous and thought-provoking meditation on the fragility of reputation, the folly of deception and the power of shame.
WRITER/ PRODUCER
Gavin Roach
DIRECTOR/ PRODUCER
Christian Cavallo
ACTORS
Andre Jewson, Andy Conaghan, Darylin Ramondo, Kristina Benton, Ryan Stewart, Sean Collins, Daniel Agar, Stacey Carmichael.