Peter Cook’s play Breaking the Castle is serious stuff, but audience shouldn’t be afraid to laugh.
The acclaimed one-man production, which the Brisbane actor and playwright is bringing back to QPAC from March 19 to 22 after hit seasons in the UK, is the story of his struggles with mental health issues and addiction.
The “castle” of the title is a fortification built to protect the protagonist – a theatrical version of Cook – from the outside world. But as the American poet Robert Frost wrote in his poem, Mending Wall: “Before I built a wall I’d ask to know / What I was walling in or walling out.”
Cook points out that the castle he built around himself was “not a majestic castle”.
“It was pretty empty,” Cook says. “And dilapidated.”
Breaking down the walls of that castle and facing his demons is what the play is about. It’s a cautionary tale. But here’s the thing, it’s also funny.
“In fact, it is very funny in places,” he says. “Sometimes audiences have been afraid to laugh, but there are so many funny moments. The audiences in Edinburgh certainly got all the humour.”
The play debuted in Canberra just before COVID hit and had a sold-out season at QPAC in 2023 (directed by Leah Purcell), which was something of a homecoming for Cook, 47, who grew up in Brisbane’s Northgate and started his acting career here.
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This new production is a collaboration with local theatre company Cluster Arts. Bridget Boyle is directing.
It has been tweaked along the way, but not too much because it was acclaimed by critics, just as it was. So, Cook didn’t want to change the essence of the piece.
In 2023 it had a dream run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and then in London. The play has now been optioned for a film.
Described as “one of the undeniable hits of the Fringe”, Breaking the Castle received an invitation to perform at London’s Pleasance Theatre as part of their Best of Edinburgh season. It then played another season at an Off-West End staple, The Old Red Lion.
“It was an incredible experience” says Cook, reflecting on his time overseas. “What amazed me the most was how the themes of the story resonated with audiences from all around the world. To perform in London was a dream come true.”
Cook says his UK tour wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Brisbane property magnate and philanthropist Scott Flynn, of Scott Flynn properties.
“The arts survives on philanthropy, and I’d love to see more philanthropically minded people support independently produced theatre,” says Cook. “I wouldn’t have been able to get to the UK without Scott’s support.”
Breaking the Castle follows the story of David, a struggling actor whose life is a chaotic blend of substance abuse, Shakespearean soliloquies, failed auditions and debilitating mental health. David takes himself to the brink, until an unlikely lifeline offers hope in the mountains of South-East Asia, where he goes to rehab.
‘It’s hard to get the right help, whether it be for addiction or mental illness’
The play is autobiographical and based on Cook’s own battles (especially with the drug crystal methamphetamine, better known as ice), but perhaps most importantly it tells the story of his recovery as a way of providing hope to those people who might be struggling.
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It shines a spotlight on these complex issues and asks the audience to see people who are struggling with a more compassionate, empathetic eye.
“I got lucky in my recovery and I felt I owed it to those people who maybe have fallen through the cracks,” Cook says. “It’s hard to get the right help, whether it be for addiction or mental illness.”
Debbie Wilks, executive director of Brisbane-based Cluster Arts (which has traditionally produced circus), saw the show and signed it.
“I was blown away when I saw the show in Edinburgh,” Wilks says. “Cluster really wants to start producing contemporary theatre and I saw Breaking the Castle as the perfect fit for us. Pete’s story is so important and timely. The themes are universal.”
Director Bridget Boyle has known Cook for more than 20 years and is excited about directing this new version of the show.
“Pete and I did our first professional theatre gig for Queensland Theatre Company back in the day, so it’s lovely to be working together again,” she says. “I had the privilege of directing the work for Edinburgh and London. So to be directing a mainstage version of the show for an Australian tour is creatively exciting.”
An interstate tour will follow the 2025 Brisbane season.
Cook ‘s own battles began as a 14-year-old devastated by the untimely death of his sister Louise. As a struggling actor he also struggled with mental health issues and addiction to drugs and alcohol. The devastating effects of addiction were underlined by the tragic death of a friend who died shortly after the original QPAC season. Cook found his friend, Sam, dead in a hotel room.
“Sam paid for my rehab but he had his own issues,” Cook says. “He had been my artistic benefactor. I was able to make it through but Sam couldn’t in the end.”
Which shows that Cook is playing for his life and the lives of others in his play. Hopefully, as well as being entertaining, the play can get through to people.
With that in mind, Cluster Arts and Cook have partnered with the Australian Anti-Ice Campaign (AAIC), based on the Gold Coast.
Run by Andrea Simmons who, like Cook, has lived through the hell of Ice addiction, a portion of the show’s box office will be donated to AAIC, which raises awareness about the dangers of the drug ice. AAIC’s chief aim is to educate the public, especially young people, about the dangers of ice.
“I watched Peter’s show and it was absolutely brilliant,” Simmons says. “It really shows the audience how difficult the struggle is in pulling yourself out of addiction. The show should be seen by all senior students across the country.”
Breaking the Castle plays the Cremorne Theatre, QPAC, March 19-22.