The Shifting Heart

An emotionally charged Australian classic is being given a new lease of life this September.

Written by Richard Beynon and directed by Tim Riessen at Stirling Theatre, The Shifting Heart is set during the 1956 Christmas season and delves into the lives of an Italian immigrant family in Collingwood struggling to find their place, despite prejudice and misunderstanding.

A neighbour constantly throws rubbish over the fence, the local storekeeper calls them “Momma Macaroni” and “Poppa Spaghetti” and Gino is refused a partnership in a scrap metal company because an Italian name on the truck might lose business.

Originally produced in London’s West End in London in 1959, recorded as a 1962 ABC radio play and adapted for ABC television in 1968, it was one of the first plays to address xenophobic attitudes toward post-World War II immigrants in Australia.