The long-awaited Melbourne premiere of Jeremy Goldstein’s Truth to Power Café is set to captivate audiences on 5-6 February 2025, at Theatre Works in St Kilda as part of the Midsumma Festival. This unique theatrical event invites Melbourne participants of all ages and backgrounds to speak their truth to power, creating a powerful celebration of community and personal expression.
Truth to Power Café is a profound reflection on loss, hope, and resistance, blending memoir, poetry, image, music, and film. This internationally acclaimed performance has been staged sixty times across eight countries, featuring over eight hundred participants, many of whom are first-time performers.
At its core, the project poses the question: “Who has power over you and what do you want to say to them?” This question elicits deeply personal responses, whether directed at parents, politicians, lovers, or friends.
Created by Jeremy Goldstein, whose own story of overcoming personal struggles frames the performance, Truth to Power Café has become a global phenomenon. It has been praised for its raw, honest storytelling and its ability to give voice to those who need it most. As it arrives in Melbourne, the café continues its mission to empower individuals to speak their truths in a world where such voices are often silenced.
“The show is inspired by the political and philosophical beliefs of Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter and his inner circle The Hackney Gang. The Gang included my late father Mick Goldstein and Henry Woolf with whom I co-created the show directed by Liverpool UK director Jen Heyes.” Said Jeremy Goldstein.
“For sixty years the Gang held firm in their belief of an independent media and in speaking their truth to power. They remained firmly on the side of the occupied, and the disempowered, and their allies, and it is these people we invite to appear in the show, and respond to the question – who has power over you and what do you want to say to them? Ultimately, the show is a love letter to humanity and to the memory of my father Mick and his friends of sixty years, Henry Woolf and Harold Pinter.”
Truth To Power Cafe is now seeking people of all ages, experiences and backgrounds for the Midsumma Festival performances. To sign up an expression of interest is required in the form of 100 words responding to the question “Who has power over you and what do you want to say to them?”. Submissions are open until Friday 17th January 2025 and can be submitted via truthtopower.co.uk/signupnow. Participants are remunerated and terms and conditions apply.
