Rattus

Rattus is an urban thriller by writer and director Elias Jamieson Brown, set in the industrial heartland of Geelong.

The play blends real history with folklore to explore trauma, privilege, and the intersection of addiction and faith. Rattus is inspired by the Barwon Heads cancer cluster, and Elias plans to conduct interviews with local activists, and families whose lives have been affected by contamination.

Elias is looking to develop this project with a trusted dramaturg, and three local actors. The play will be designed to tour effectively with minimal reliance on set and props.

About Elias Jamieson Brown

Elias is a Master of Writing for Performance graduate, VCA. His work has been supported by the Playking Foundation, Creative Victoria’s VicArts Grant, and Critical Mass at Brunswick Mechanics Institute.

His mainstage debut Green Park received critical acclaim when it premiered at Griffin Theatre Company in 2021, directed by Declan Greene. He has presented new writing for Cybec Electric at Melbourne Theatre Company, Playlist at Red Stitch Actors Theatre, Victorian College of the Arts, Australian Theatre for Young People, and Periscope Productions. He has been shortlisted for the Screen NSW Emerging Writers’ Incubator Initiative, Melbourne Theatre Company’s Next Stage Residency, Playwriting Australia’s National Script Workshop, and the Silver Gull Play Award.

Elias directed Claire Sara and Sancia Robinson in two sold-out seasons of Chloe Moss’ This Wide Night at The Burrow, Fitzroy. He executive produced and co-wrote the feature film Ambrosia, winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Gulf of Naples Festival and Best Cinematography at the Harrisburg-Hershey Film Festival. As an actor, he appears as lead roles in Ambrosia and The Interlude, and The Madman with Lighting in His Hands for which he received the 2020 Chicken and Chips Casting Award for Best Male Performance in an Australian Short.