A mesmerising piece of playwriting – generous, compassionate and subtle – The Events was the sleeper hit of the 2013 Edinburgh Festival. For this Australian production, the brilliant Catherine McClements finally returns to the Belvoir St stage, joined by a host of Sydney’s community choirs in an extraordinary blend of theatre and music.

Claire is a minister and the director of a choir that meets regularly in a local hall. It’s made up of all sorts: the lonely, outsiders, strangers – and the privileged, the comfortable. In short, she has built a community. But when a disaffected young man enters the hall and opens fire with a semi-automatic, this community – and the ideals that formed it – are blown apart.

After the event, a dialogue unfolds between Claire and a young man. She is unpacking the Pandora’s box of herself – her rage, her fears, and ultimately some hope. The young man is something else: the voice of the alienated, an enemy within, a lost generation. He plays many roles, but in an era of Port Arthur and Martin Place they all ask the same big question: How do we live together knowing it can all come apart in a moment?

A co-production with Malthouse Theatre and State Theatre Company of South Australia in association with Sydney Festival