THE KING WHO WAS A KING

THE KING WHO
WAS A KING

From the novel by H.G. Wells
Adapted and Directed by Ayah Tayeh

Venue Downstairs Theatre
Dates 1-22 Nov 26
Duration 100 minutes (no interval)

Content warning
THE KING WHO WAS A KING includes TBA.

“Our hero must be a man without frustrations. He is to be yourself and myself as we would like to be, simplified, clear in mind, unencumbered and going directly to his objective.” – H.G. Wells

The King and The Prince are dead. A bomb on the prince’s wedding day has destroyed any chance for peace and now two countries are on the brink of war. Hungry for bloodshed, the next in line is eager to take the throne. Can the world take another resource war? It’s up to Paul Zelinka, the unsuspecting son of an exiled prince, to go home, reclaim the throne, and bring peace to the region.

H.G. Wells released The King Who Was a King in 1929 to no acclaim, but he was convinced that he had written the story that would end war forever. Now, we’re going to stage it.

Image by Susie Henderson

WHAT IS 25A? 25A is a Belvoir initiative to support the artists of the future. It has been made by independent and emerging artists. They have produced and marketed it themselves. They get 100% of the box office and the theatre for free. Their task is to make a show for less than $2500. Thanks for supporting the artists of the future.

Performance Times

Upcoming Performances

5:15pm

6:45pm

Wednesday • 4 Nov 2026

6:45pm

Preview Session

Thursday • 5 Nov 2026

7:45pm

Opening Night (Invite Only)

Friday • 6 Nov 2026

7:45pm

Saturday • 7 Nov 2026

2:15pm

Saturday • 7 Nov 2026

7:45pm

View all sessions

Weekly Times

tuesday 6:45PM
wednesday 1:15PM
TBC
wednesday 6:45PM
thursday 7:45PM
friday 7:45PM
saturday 2:15PM
TBC
saturday 7:45PM
sunday 5.15PM

Preview Session
Special Performance

PRICES

Full price (adult) $25 – $35
Previews $20 – $30

25A Tickets

Tickets to 25A productions are $25 or $35 and Previews are $20 or $30. 100% of the ticket sales goes to the independent artists that made this show, and they split the profits evenly between each other. Tickets are available online and at the door.

BOOK NOW

TEAM

H.G. Wells
Original Book Author
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H.G. Wells
Ayah Tayeh
Adapter & Director

Ayah Tayeh is a Sydney-based theatre maker and dramaturg and is currently the Literary Associate at Belvoir St Theatre. She has worked with Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company, Darlinghurst Theatre Co, CAAP productions as an assistant director, producer, stage manager, and dramaturg. Ayah was a participant of Australian Plays Transform’s inaugural Developing the Dramaturg program, as […]
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Ayah Tayeh
Ayah Tayeh is a Sydney-based theatre maker and dramaturg and is currently the Literary Associate at Belvoir St Theatre. She has worked with Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company, Darlinghurst Theatre Co, CAAP productions as an assistant director, producer, stage manager, and dramaturg.
Ayah was a participant of Australian Plays Transform’s inaugural Developing the Dramaturg program, as well as ATYP’s Cultivate program.
Her Belvoir credits include: Orlando (Assistant Director, 2025), Lose to Win (Dramaturgical Consultant, 2024), Counting and Cracking (2022, 2024), The Jungle and The Sea (2022), The Boomkak Panto (2021), A Room of One’s Own (2021) and My Brilliant Career (2020). Other credits include: The President (STC), Constellations (7 Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner (Darlinghurst Theatre Company), Breaking Glass (Sydney Chamber Opera), and Double Delicious (Contemporary Asian Australian Performance with Sydney Festival).
Cast
Violette Ayad

Belvoir: POV, Son of Byblos (25a Belvoir). Other theatre: Sydney Theatre Company: Oil. Ensemble Theatre: Nearer the Gods. Black Swan Theatre Company: Oil. Hive Collective: Elektra/Orestes. Monkey Baa: Where the Streets had a Name. Bell Shakespeare Company: The Players. KXT: Mercury Poisoning, Coram Boy. Old Fitz. Film: Hero, Seads of God, Breaking Plates, Nekrotronic. Television: […]
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Violette Ayad
Belvoir: POV, Son of Byblos (25a Belvoir). Other theatre: Sydney Theatre Company: Oil. Ensemble Theatre: Nearer the Gods. Black Swan Theatre Company: Oil. Hive Collective: Elektra/Orestes. Monkey Baa: Where the Streets had a Name. Bell Shakespeare Company: The Players. KXT: Mercury Poisoning, Coram Boy. Old Fitz. Film: Hero, Seads of God, Breaking Plates, Nekrotronic. Television: Prosper. Awards: Fringe World Emerging Artist Award (My Father’s World) 2014.
Brittany Santariga

Born and raised in North Queensland, Brittany’s screen credits include Critical Incident (Stan), Latecomers (SBS), Fighting Season (Foxtel) & Home and Away (Channel 7). Brittany’s theatre credits include Romeo & Juliet and King Lear (Bell Shakespeare), Orphans and Othello (Theatre iNQ), How to Defend Yourself (Outhouse Theatre Company), Glitter Punch, For the Time Being (Stacks […]
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Brittany Santariga
Born and raised in North Queensland, Brittany’s screen credits include Critical Incident (Stan), Latecomers (SBS), Fighting Season (Foxtel) & Home and Away (Channel 7).
Brittany’s theatre credits include Romeo & Juliet and King Lear (Bell Shakespeare), Orphans and Othello (Theatre iNQ), How to Defend Yourself (Outhouse Theatre Company), Glitter Punch, For the Time Being (Stacks On Theatre).
In 2024, Latecomers received an AACTA award for Best Online Drama or Comedy.
Upon graduating from WAAPA, Brittany received the LAGRAL/Jackman Furness Foundation for Performing Arts: Chris Edmund Scholarship.
Harry Stacey

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Harry Stacey
Creatives
Bronte Hunt
Set Designer
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Bronte Hunt
Daniel Herten
Composer & Sound Designer

Daniel Herten (they/them) is a Sound Designer, Composer, Video Designer and Creative Technologist working across live performance and interactive media. Belvoir credits include: A Mirror; for Belvoir 25A, Furious Mattress composer. Daniel’s other credits include: for Sydney Theatre Company, The Picture of Dorian Gray Australian sound associate (with Michael Cassel Group), Circle Mirror Transformation associate sound […]
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Daniel Herten
Daniel Herten (they/them) is a Sound Designer, Composer, Video Designer and Creative Technologist working across live performance and interactive media. Belvoir credits include: A Mirror; for Belvoir 25A, Furious Mattress composer. Daniel’s other credits include: for Sydney Theatre Company, The Picture of Dorian Gray Australian sound associate (with Michael Cassel Group), Circle Mirror Transformation associate sound designer; for Griffin Theatre Co, The Lewis Trilogy, Sistren, Whitefella Yella Tree associate composer and sound designer; for Hayes Theatre Co, Murder For Two: Christmas Edition sound designer, Ride The Cyclone video and sound designer, Flat Earthers: The Musical sound designer and associate video designer and animator; for Ensemble Theatre, Fly Girl; for One Eyed Man Productions, Calamity Jane sound designer (with Hayes Theatre Co); for Essential Workers, Collapsible composer and sound designer and co-video designer; for Clockfire Theatre Co, Plenty of Fish in the Sea, for RISING Festival, Set Piece sound designer; for Tinderbox Productions, Black Box the Musical sound designer. Daniel won a 2025 Sydney Theatre Award for Best Sound Design and Composition of a Mainstage Production for Grief is the Thing with Feathers (with Freya Schack-Arnott) and was nominated in the same category for The Lewis Trilogy in 2024. Daniel was the Australian sound associate for The Picture of Dorian Gray on Broadway (Michael Cassell Group) where the production received a total of six Tony Award® nominations, including Best Sound Design of a Play.

THE KING WHOWAS A KING