Theatre 180, Koorliny Arts Centre & City of Kwinana present
Catalpa: Flight to Freedom
Koorliny Arts Centre (Kwinana Town Centre, WA)
Thursday, 4 June 2026 7:30 pm
THEATRE 180 in collaboration with WA Museum tells the incredible true story of the greatest prison break in Australian history: the escape of six Irish Fenians from the fortress of Fremantle Prison in 1876 on board the American whaleship CATALPA.
Known as a living tomb, Fremantle Prison was a place of hellish imprisonment and far from the green fields of Ireland and the land of birth for these freedom fighters seeking independence from centuries of crippling British rule.
Two years in the planning, involving espionage, secret letters, undercover operatives who travelled from Boston to Western Australia to enact the plan, a love affair, a rescue ship masquerading as a whaleboat, a desperate boat chase and the threat of war against the might of America - this story has all the hallmarks of a major Hollywood movie and all the heart of an Irish ballad.
Known as a living tomb, Fremantle Prison was a place of hellish imprisonment and far from the green fields of Ireland and the land of birth for these freedom fighters seeking independence from centuries of crippling British rule.
Two years in the planning, involving espionage, secret letters, undercover operatives who travelled from Boston to Western Australia to enact the plan, a love affair, a rescue ship masquerading as a whaleboat, a desperate boat chase and the threat of war against the might of America - this story has all the hallmarks of a major Hollywood movie and all the heart of an Irish ballad.