Our Next Show
The Truth
BY FLORIAN ZELLER
DIRECTED BY GEORGE WERTHER
Michel is having an affair. His lies to cover it up get bigger and bigger. The truth, when revealed, proves to be far from straightforward – who is deceiving whom? Sex, lies and best friends’ wives – this witty comedy has it all. Florian Zeller is a French novelist and playwright. His work has been translated into a dozen languages, including English. THE TRUTH sees the widely celebrated Zeller gleefully playing with our assumptions as he unravels a web of fiction, delusion and hypocrisy. A masterpiece of marital manipulations, it’s a delicious comedy that asks us to consider the benefits of lying and the drawbacks of honesty.
“THE TRUTH is a devious must see you do not want to miss.”
– The Guardian
“THE TRUTH is full of moments that will fill the audience with the catharsis of comedy.”
– SEEstage
Audience Advice – Recommended for mature audiences 15 years & over
CAST
See below
WHEN:
30 July – 8 August
Director
George Werther
George has directed shows at Melbourne’s leading community theatres over the last 10 years, including Williamstown Little Theatre, Brighton Theatre Company, Peridot Theatre Company, Mordialloc Theatre Company, Heidelberg Theatre Company and Malvern Theatre Company where he was awarded Best Production and other awards for IN THE GARDEN – A DARWINIAN LOVE STORY and a Victorian Drama League award and nominations and in house awards for LOVESONG. He has also performed at Melbourne community and independent theatres for over 30 years, including Café Scheherazade (Forty-five Downstairs), MY OLD LADY with Heidelberg Theatre Company, 33 VARIATIONS with Williamstown Little Theatre- for which he received a VDL Best Actor nomination, WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? with Malvern Theatre Company for which he received a Best Actor award, SHADOWLANDS with Waverley Theatre for which he received a Best Actor award among many others companies and productions.
He is delighted to be directing once again at Mordialloc Theatre Company, having most recently directed FOUR THOUSAND MILES here in 2022. He hopes you enjoy and laugh along with this delightful piece of French mischief!
Alice
Venetia Macken
Venetia has acted in WUTHERING HEIGHTS at the Melbourne Town Hall and HAMLET in the Botanic Gardens. She was in Hoy Polloy’s production HEART OF A DOG and HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE. Past roles also include Tracy Lord in ATC’s THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, Lady Catherine de Bourgh in Heidelberg Theatre Company’s production, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, Mrs. Lyons in BLOOD BROTHERS, Angustius in THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA (for which she won a Victorian Drama League Award) and Elmire in TARTUFFE and Polly Wyeth in Brighton Theatre Company’s production, OTHER DESERT CITIES. Other productions include Williamstown Little Theatre’s productions, BUFFALO GAL and THE EXORCISM (in-house award) and Peridot Theatre Company’s production, THE PEPPERCORN TREE (in house award). She was in The Lab Theatre’s production of THINNER THAN WATER at the Alexander Theatre and was Nat (for which she won a Victorian Drama League Award) in Williamstown’s Victorian Drama League Award winning production, RABBIT HOLE.
Michel
Greg Barison
2026 and Greg is feeling very blessed… he is lucky enough to have been cast in two out of the first three shows this year at Mordialloc: THE GREAT DIVIDE and now THE TRUTH. It is a completely different role in THE TRUTH but he is looking forward to the opportunity and the challenge. Greg is not new to community theatre having been fortunate to play on many local stages, namely Malvern Theatre Company, Brighton Theatre Company, Peridot Theatre Company, Encore Theatre Company and Adelphi Theatre and which include plays such as THE CLUB and CACTUS FLOWER at Encore, TARANTARA TARANTARA at Malvern, CHILLING AND KILLING MY ANNABELLE LEE and OTHER PEOPLES MONEY at Brighton and ANCIENT LIGHTS at Peridot Theatre Company. THE TRUTH is classic “tis a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive” but with more than its fair share of twists, twists that will keep you guessing to the end. A play that shows an affair is in the eye of the beholder.
Paul
Hamish Walker
This is Hamish’s second production with the Mordialloc Theatre Company, having appeared as the orderly in HOLMES & WATSON last year. In 2026, he has performed as Mad Dog Moon in HEATSTROKE at The Basin Theatre and as the policeman in THE VISIT at Malvern Theatre. A graduate of the VCA Film and Television program, Hamish is generally more experienced behind the camera, where he previously worked as a news producer under tight deadlines – so, in theory, he should be well-prepared to hit his cues. By day a public servant, by night an actor, he’s very grateful to his wife for keeping the home fires burning. He is delighted to be joining the cast of THE TRUTH in the role of Paul.
Laurence
Carissa McPherson
Carissa is an Australian actor, writer, and voice-over artist. She trained with Mike Alfreds, Larry Moss, Patsy Rodenburg, Iain Sinclair, Richard Sarell and Suzanne Heywood. Her screen credits include NEIGHBOURS and NOWHERE BOYS for the ABC, PAPER GIANTS: MAGAZINE WARS for the ABC and CONSPIRACY 365 for Foxtel FMC. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the LA Film Festival for A PIECE OF US which was directed by Justin Rhys Grant and she appeared in the multi-award-winning short film TOMMY directed by Scott Dale. Her theatre credits include SAMUEL BECKETT AND THE RAINBOW GIRL, THE MEMORY OF WATER, SEX WITH STRANGERS, PLAYSIX and THE MADWOMEN MONOLOGUES. Carissa recently featured in Edge of the Heart’s debut production ON BORROWED TIME. She is looking forward to playing Laurence in THE TRUTH
Set and Costume Designer
Mary Werther
Mary has a background in Art and Design, and an earlier Science degree. She has received several awards and nominations for her set designs over the last decade. Recent sets she has designed include LOVE, LOVE, LOVE in 2025 at Heidelberg Theatre Company, LOVESONG in 2024 with Malvern Theatre Company, 4000 MILES in 2022 with Mordialloc Theatre Company and STAGE KISS in 2019 with Peridot Theatre Company. Mary aims to create environments that make the actors feel at home on the stage. Collaborating again with her director husband, George, on THE TRUTH has been especially satisfying. Mary also appreciates the Mordialloc construction team for helping bring this set to life.
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