Act of Murder

This film documents actor Miranda Harcourt touring her stage play Verbatim (created by William Brandt and Harcourt) around New Zealand prisons. The play is a six-character monologue made up of accounts of violent crime, all performed by Harcourt on a minimalist set. Director Shirley Horrocks captures the profound reactions of prison inmates watching a version of their own lives unfold on stage. Harcourt’s powerful performance is mixed with revealing testimonies from inmates and mothers and siblings of inmates who agreed to be interviewed. Act of Murder won a prize at New Zealand's first Media Peace Awards in 1993.

It changed the way I act, direct and teach…the exposure to people who are in real pain because of what they have been through increased my humanity. It made me a broader person and even a better parent. I have seen very clearly the restorative power of drama in a prison context. We have to find ways to heal people to reduce recidivism, and drama therapy is one of the ways we can do that.

– Miranda Harcourt on the legacy of her and William Brandt's 1993 play Verbatim, Creative New Zealand, 25 August 2011

Key Cast & Crew

Leon Narbey

Cinematographer

Colin McColl

Director of Verbatim

Owen Hughes

Producer

William Brandt

Writer, Concept

Miranda Harcourt

Performer, Devisor of Verbatim

John Gilbert

Editor, Script Assistant