Playwright David Williamson’s new show at the Ensemble Theatre

Playwright David Williamson tackles the age old family battle of who knows best when it comes to raising a child in his latest play for the Ensemble Theatre.

Playwright David Williamson with his wife Kristin Williamson. Picture: David Kelly

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IT’S the age-old family battle. Do the grandparents or the parents know best when it comes to raising a child?

Much-loved playwright David Williamson tackles this prickly subject in his latest play at the Ensemble Theatre.

And as a grandfather of 12 he had plenty of real life experience to draw on when writing Sorting Out Rachel.

“Of course. All grandparents think they know better than their children how to bring their grandchildren up,” Williamson said.

“They are usually wrong.”

John Howard and Chenoa Deemal star in Sorting Out Rachel. Picture: Christian Trinder

The lead character Bruce, played by John Howard, is a multi-millionaire grandfather who thinks he knows it all.

He believes his daughter is bringing up her 17-year-old badly and he decides to step in.

“Two problems present themselves. Rachel doesn’t particularly want to be sorted out, certainly not by grandad,” he said.

“And secondly grandad is harbouring a secret he’s been desperately trying to keep from the family for many years.

“In the middle of his attempts to sort out Rachel his past suddenly emerges and throws his family into consternation.”

The Ensemble first showed one of Williamson’s works in 1995 and it has been a successful relationship ever since.

He wrote his first play for the company in 1999 called Face-to-face and Sorting Out Rachel is his 17th world premiere for the Kirribilli venue.

In total the theatre has produced 26 of his plays.

Williamson pictured in the early eighties.

“The Ensemble has existed as a thriving theatre without a scrap of subsidies,” he said.

“It thrives for the simple reason it puts o plays that people want to come and see. A lot of theatres think they have to do art and art often means grim, impenetrable, confusing and ambiguous.

“Whereas the Ensemble has always done accessible but not trivial plays.”

Williamson’s plays have been performed across the world and he has been writing for the stage for almost fifty years.

He has no intentions of sitting back and relaxing just yet.

“I’m delighted that people keep coming in numbers to my plays even though I’m a grandfather of 12 and it’s terrific,” he said.

“As long as they keep coming I’ll keep writing.”

Sorting Our Rachel previews from January 19 and opens on January 24th.

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