Mary Rachel Brown is a compelling playwright. She has the ability to touch the heart and soul of her audience.
She says in her program notes, “I thought I was well beyond having my heart stolen…then I went to Dapto. It changed my perspective on family, community, and what it means to be human under pressure…. The (greyhound) track was a treasure trove of colourful characters, outrageous stories, and colloquial slang that was so endearingly specific to dog-racing culture.”
DAPTO CHASER is the story about a fictional family, the Sinclairs. The father Errol (Peter Carroll), and two sons; Jimmy (Andre de Vanny) and Cess (Justin Rosniak).
The Sinclairs are ferociously dedicated to their Dapto Greyhound Racing Club, and their adored and talented young greyhound, ‘Boy Named Sue’, who is headed for prize winning glory.
The famous landmark Club, in Dapto, a suburb of Wollongong, NSW, was home to Thursday night greyhound racing for nearly 90 years, closing in September 2025.
The play opens with father Errol in denial, ignoring his terminal condition, fighting to the end. Whilst grappling with his crackling transistor radio, he is totally focused only on the race, the money to back it, a beer and a cigarette. His more timid son, Jimmy, is at hand to help and quietly discipline his rowdy father.
Peter Carroll is one of Australia’s finest actors, having charmed audiences for decades. He gives a masterful performance as Errol, the determined patriarch of the Dapto all-male Sinclairs.
His monologue, (with Jimmy’s occasional answers), could be considered the opening Act One of the play. His physical antics are hilarious, with his child-like petulance and bad temper always in play.
It becomes obvious that the Sinclairs are desperate. Jimmy is vulnerable, in contrast to his father. Andre De Vanny plays him with a lovely sensitivity and sadness, underneath his fierce loyalty.
They live in generational poverty, trapped into a false hope of making a big win to get them out. They’re on a treadmill of prize winning fixes, gambling on the dogs, beers and cigarettes.
Older brother Cess arrives at the house. He is more like his father. Aggressive, slightly narcissistic. He bullies his brother Jimmy. Justin Rosniak makes the bad tempered Cess a likeable character, brings a warm humour to the role. Cess does love his family. He and Jimmy try their best to get ahead together.
The fourth character in the play is the ‘man about town’ Arnold Denny, played by Marco Chiappi. Arnold is a great character. Ruthless, boastful (sort of rich) and very funny. He seems to like the Sinclairs, but loves to see them lose and beg for help.
Director Anna Houston has brought the play to life with much creative insight. She has described the play in the program notes as, “both tough and deeply poetic”.
Set and costume design by Simone Romaniuk is great – appropriately dingey, man cave-ish, with flannel shirts, a dog-cage and interestingly, a mini treadmill running for the unseen pet greyhound, Dapto Chaser, ‘Boy Named Sue’.
Matt Cox does a wonderful job as always with the lighting.
Sound designer Madeleine Picard did a great job mixing songs and noises coming from a radio that has static. Also very quiet dog noises.
Video designer Aron Murray does a splendid job with the video overlap of dog races at the back of the stage.
And fight director Scott Witt did the brothers’ fight scenes very well considering the objects surrounding them on stage.
DAPTO CHASER is well worth seeing. It has been attracting varied and ‘new to theatre’ audiences since its premiere at the Griffin Theatre Co.
The long-time language of the greater greyhound racing family created here by Mary Rachel Brown is charming. It’s part of Australian history and worthy of this play.
DAPTO CHASER is a must-see play. It’s unique, funny and heartfelt.
It plays at the Ensemble Theatre, Kirribilli, until the 25th July, 2026.
Production photography by Prudence Upton
