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WA Maritime Museum

Taking Liberty

Dates

Saturday 16 September - Sunday 1 October | Various times
See performance dates and times below. 

Dates
Saturday 16 September 2023 | 2pm - 3.30pm
Sunday 17 September 2023 | 2pm - 3.30pm
Monday 18 September 2023 | 2pm - 3.30pm
Tuesday 19 September 2023 | 2pm - 3.30pm
Wednesday 20 September 2023 | 2pm - 3.30pm
Thursday 21 September 2023 | 2pm - 3.30pm
Friday 22 September 2023 | 2pm - 3.30pm
Saturday 23 September 2023 | 2pm - 3.30pm
Sunday 24 September 2023 | 2pm - 3.30pm
Monday 25 September 2023 | 2pm - 3.30pm
Tuesday 26 September 2023 | 2pm - 3.30pm
Wednesday 27 September 2023 | 2pm - 3.30pm
Thursday 28 September 2023 | 2pm - 3.30pm
Friday 29 September 2023 | 2pm - 3.30pm
Saturday 30 September 2023 | 2pm - 3.30pm
Sunday 1 October 2023 | 2pm - 3.30pm
Tuesday 19 September 2023 | 7pm - 8.30pm
Wednesday 20 September 2023 | 7pm - 8.30pm
Thursday 21 September 2023 | 11am - 12.30pm
Thursday 21 September 2023 | 7pm - 8.30pm
Friday 22 September 2023 | 7pm - 8.30pm
Saturday 23 September 2023 | 2pm - 3.30pm
Saturday 23 September 2023 | 7pm - 8.30pm
Sunday 24 September 2023 | 11am - 12.30pm
Sunday 1 October 2023 | 2pm - 4pm
Ages
Recommended age 10 years and over.
Cost

Standard | $45
Concession | $40
Junior | $40
Book 6 tickets and receive 15% off.

Friend Members receive 15% off ticket pricing for this event.

Your ticket to this event also gives you free access to the WA Maritime Museum and the exhibition, Australia II: 40 Years On
For 7pm performances, the exhibition will be open from 5.30pm – 7pm; theatre doors open at 6.30pm.

Duration

80 mins (no interval)
Doors open 30 minutes prior to the performance.

Age

10+

Content warning

Mild coarse language

Accessibility

This event is wheelchair accessible.  If you need wheelchair access or have any questions about access, please get in touch with us via reception@museum.wa.gov.au or 1300 134 081.

Book now

The WA Museum in collaboration with THEATRE 180 presents one of the greatest moments in Australian sporting history – the defeat of Liberty by Australia II in the 1983 America’s Cup.

In an epic, against-the-odds finish to a best-of-seven race, Skipper John Bertrand led his crew to turn the tide from a 3-1 deficit in race five and claim victory in a nail-biting decider, one of the biggest comebacks in sporting history.

Combining the excitement of live theatre against a cinematic backdrop, Taking Liberty by Ingle Knight celebrates the moment in time which defined a nation and gave international prominence to our cultural identity and fighting spirit, ending America’s 132-year dominance of the sport in what became known as the Race of the Century.

A story of enormous national significance: one of grit, perseverance, technological innovations and the athleticism of those who changed the course of history.


Performance dates

Saturday 16 September | 2pm | PREVIEW
Tuesday 19 September | 7pm | PREVIEW
Wednesday 20 September | 7pm | OPENING NIGHT
Thursday 21 September | 11am & 7pm

Friday 22 September | 7pm
Saturday 23 September | 2pm & 7pm
Sunday 24 September | 11am
Wednesday 27 September | 11am & 7pm

Thursday 28 September | 7pm
Friday 29 September | 11am & 7pm

Saturday 30 September | 2pm & 7pm
Sunday 1 October | 2pm
 

Important information

  • Foyer doors open one hour prior to the performance, with theatre doors opening 30 minutes prior to the performance. 
  • Seating is unreserved on a first come first served basis unless accessibility requirements are advised.
  • The performance duration is 80 minutes with no interval.
  • If you need wheelchair access or have any questions about access, please get in touch with us via reception@museum.wa.gov.au or 1300 134 081.
  • The performance is recommended for ages 10 and older. 
  • Your ticket to this event also gives you free access to the WA Maritime Museum and the exhibition, Australia II: 40 Years On
    For 7pm performances, the exhibition will be open from 5.30pm – 7pm; theatre doors open at 6.30pm.

Special offer

Join one of our 11am and 2pm performances and show your ticket at our on-site cafe to receive:

  • Freshly baked muffin and small tea/coffee $7.90
  • Toasted sandwich (ham and cheese or vegetarian) and chips $9.90
  • Toasted chicken wrap and small tea/ coffee $12.90
Taking Liberty logo with yellow and green underline stripes

 

“THEATRE 180 is proud to continue our 31-year history of telling Western Australian stories with this production. Taking Liberty, as the title promises, highlights the tenacity, audacity and larrikin belief in resounding success which characterised the 1983 campaign to wrest America’s Cup from the bolt holes of the New York Yacht Club, where it had sat firmly for 132 years.

Filled with colourful characters, drama and laughs aplenty, this play takes us back to the moment in time when Western Australia was put on the world map and the stage was set for the port city of Fremantle, where Australia II and her famous winged-keel now proudly hangs in our WA Maritime Museum, to shine.” 

Stuart Halusz, Artistic Director THEATRE 180

Luke Hewitt, Joel Jackson and Kazimir Sas headshots

 

Cast and creatives

West Australian cast favourites: Luke Hewitt, Joel Jackson & Kazimir Sas
Writer: Ingle Knight
Director: Stuart Halusz
Sound Designer: Ben Collins
Visual Design: Gneiss Design
Visual Production: Sunburnt Films
Costume Designers: Neil Sheriff and Ingrid Zurzolo
Assistant Sound Designer: Noah Ivulich
Theme Song Composer: Craig Skelton


Story background

In 1983 history was made. The New York Yacht Club had retained the America’s Cup for the last 132 years, the longest winning streak in sporting history in the oldest international sporting competition in the world. In an epic, against-the-odds finish to a best-of-seven race, Skipper John Bertrand led his crew to turn the tide from a 3-1 deficit in race five and claim victory in a nail-biting decider, one of the biggest comebacks in sporting history.

Businessman and financier Alan Bond’s fourth attempt at success was aided by the brilliance of Ben Lexcen’s now-famous but at the time secretly held winged keel design, the business savvy of Warren Jones, the experience and determined strategy of skipper John Bertrand, and the commitment and hard work of her crew. Australia II nestled itself firmly in the hearts and minds of all Australians in a series of races that defined a nation and gave international prominence to our cultural identity and fighting spirit, and in the process changed the face of Fremantle, Western Australia, overnight.

Back home, the nation came to a standstill. We woke early in the morning to watch the races live on TV, we scoured newspapers for blow-by-blow reports on the progress of the challenge, we embraced the now iconic ‘Boxing Kangaroo’ as a symbol of patriotic pride and we listened to Men at Work’s Down Under on repeat. Images of then-Prime Minister Bob Hawke in his Australia jacket and now-famous ‘boss who sacks his worker’ quote plastered our screens and newspapers.

It is a story of enormous national significance and one to be celebrated, for those of us who were there and can remember the excitement and galvanising pride at the time, and for those who may be discovering it for the first time and who can learn from the grit, perseverance, technological innovations and athleticism of those who changed the course of history.


Image: Stewart Thorpe Photography

WA Museum and Theatre 180 company logos side by side

Related exhibitions

Featured Image
Overhead shot of a yacht with white, green and yellow colours sail in the water
Australia II 40 Years On

Australia II: 40 Years On

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Australia II making history by winning the America’s Cup; the oldest sporting trophy in the world.

Details

The Western Australian Museum acknowledges and respects the Traditional Owners of their ancestral lands, waters and skies.

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COVID-19 UPDATE

At the Western Australian Museum, the health and safety of our visitors, volunteers and employees is our priority.

We have a COVID-19 Safety Plan in place and we are following Government advice.

We have increased the scope of our cleaning regime, and we have hand sanitiser available for visitors.

We ask that all visitors practice physical distancing where possible and good hygiene. If feeling unwell, particularly if experiencing a fever, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath, please visit on another day.

For more information visit the WA Government website.

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WA Maritime Museum

Museum Menu

  • Visit
    Visit
    • Plan a visit
    • Exhibitions
      • Australia II: 40 Years On
      • HMAS Ovens
      • Permanent Exhibitions
    Three white men standing on a boat facing the camera in a triangle, blue sky behind
    Taking Liberty
    Overhead shot of a yacht with white, green and yellow colours sail in the water
    Australia II: 40 Years On
  • Education
    Education
    • Education programs
    • Planning an excursion
    • Professional learning
    • Self-guided excursions
    Seated children in school uniform look inside an old-fashioned suitcase
    Education programs
    Person looking at artefacts
    Self-guided excursions
  • Tours & events
    Tours & events
    • View all tours & events
    • School holidays
    • Under the Dome: Cinema Experience
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    Two men look up at suspended yacht, pointing upward
    Highlights Tour
    Three white men standing on a boat facing the camera in a triangle, blue sky behind
    Taking Liberty
  • Membership
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    • Membership renewal
    • Members save!
    A pink banner with images of people experiencing the Museum
    Become a member
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    A mature female volunteer wearing a WA Museum tee shirt is looking through some aquatic zoology specimens with a young girl. The volunteer is holding a pearlescent shell, which the girl is examining with an interested expression.
    Volunteer with us
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We recognise and respect the Traditional Owners of this Country and their connection to the lands, waters and skies.

WA Maritime Museum

Corporate menu

  • Western Australian Museum
  • Our Locations
  • Background
  • Collections
  • Online Store
  • Membership
    • Members only
  • What's On
    • School Holidays