Announcing "ROPE" at Perth Fringe

A Stylish Thriller Set to Unravel on Stage This Spring

Presidential Productions Announces ROPE for Perth Fringe 2016

PERTH, WA — Presidential Productions is proud to announce its upcoming theatrical production of ROPE, to be staged at FRINGE WORLD Perth this February. A gripping psychological thriller set in a single room, ROPE promises a tense and stylish night of theatre for festival audiences.

Directed by James Cunningham, ROPE is based on the 1929 play by Patrick Hamilton — most famously adapted by Alfred Hitchcock into his 1948 film. This new staging by Presidential Productions maintains the original play’s claustrophobic tension, while offering a visually striking and minimalist interpretation.

“We wanted to explore the power of stillness and silence,” says Cunningham. “The horror isn’t in the violence — it’s in the social interaction that follows it.”

Set in a modern-day Perth apartment over the course of a single evening, ROPE follows two university students who have murdered a fellow classmate 'for the intellectual challenge'. To test their superiority, they hide the body in a wooden chest and host a dinner party — with the victim’s friends and family as guests. As the evening progresses, casual conversation gives way to suspicion. One guest, a former schoolmaster, begins to piece together what’s hidden beneath the surface.

Performed in a black box theatre setting, Cunningham’s production features a stripped-back aesthetic that emphasises tension over spectacle. Carefully selected period costuming and stage furnishings — including the infamous chest — are paired with stylised lighting to heighten the emotional stakes. “The design is elegant but spare,” says Cunningham. “Everything on stage matters. Every glass poured, every gesture, every pause — it’s all loaded.”

📍Performance Details

ROPE performs at Murdoch University as part of FRINGE WORLD Perth 2014, for a strictly limited season. Tickets are available via fringeworld.com.au and this marks Presidential Productions’ debut at the festival. More information on our website.

---