The Floating World- John Romeril

First off I’d like to thank Emma for getting me onto this play, I really enjoyed it and it opened my eyes to a theme that seems to be running through most of my chosen plays.

So far I have studied, Away, Summer of the Aliens, Cosi and with the exception of The Removalists all the plays have alluded to a war or some kind of global conflict.  Now it is my guess that not everyone knew about this play, whether I’m right or wrong I am glad I found it and am sure it will fit well into the season (can’t find any recent productions or any photos of anything other than the cover).  I think it is about time that we pulled The Floating World out dusted it off and aired it out.

For those of you that don’t know the play it is set in 1974 on board a Cherry Blossom cruise ship travelling from Melbourne to Yokohama, Japan.  On board this ship is Les Harding a POW from World War Two.  As the cruise draws closer to Japan suppressed memories begin to bubble to the surface for Les.  This results in his rather bizarre behaviour and plotting to do harm to the Japanese people once they arrive. 

A great deal of the play provides insight into the psyche of an Australian POW and the lasting affect that being a POW can have- in this case leading to hallucinations and attempted violence.

Before reading the play I thought the obvious, that the floating world referred to the cruise ship- which it could still do.  However, after some investigation I found out that the floating world is a term used by the Japanese to describe (in the simplest form) a pleasure seeking lifestyle.

The play in meant to be an ironic comment on Australian xenophobia, which yes it is.  Les discriminates against all Asian people, lumping them all into the category of “Japs”.  That said, I can understand that even after thirty years it is hard to forget the horrors of a POW camp. 

The Floating World also touches upon the issues of a changing society/world.  Class, economics and politics are all questioned throughout the play.

To finish off this little foray into the world of Romeril I would like to note that my Grandpa was a POW working on the Thai/Burma railway and that reading this play really highlighted how absolutely horrible it must’ve been for him (because what Romeril wrote isn’t too far off the mark).  And just so you know he is now 92 and very much alive and kicking!

Alice x.

Stolen – Jane Harrison

This play this week was a really different read to plays I’ve been reading for this course. I know I’ve been reading and blogging on Australian plays but for some reason it was only this week that it dawned on me to read an Aboriginal play. I feel like a dirty white person. Of course if our theme is Australian plays through the years, it’s so important to tell an Aboriginal story, and the play ‘Stolen’ is a play about a huge moment in Australian history, that I’m sure most people would rather forget. It brings to the front the horrible and unforgivable way the government stole children from Aboriginal families and the effects that changed these children’s lives forever.

There are five characters in the play, which also double up and play various roles. Each child has a story their own, how they were taken from their families and put into a children’s home. Each character has their own journey, one girl is adopted by a caring white family, another girl is abused and hurt, another girl falls pregnant and is in search of her children. There are two young boys, one is searching for home and a sense of belonging and the other is a naughty boy who acts out in fear. We are shown through the characters lives, jumping from their adult lives, to their childhood to their adolescent lives. At each stage of their lives we’re shown their frustrations and the confusion of being taken away, and treat terribly.

Jane Harrison has written this play beautifully. The care she has taken with each child to depict their story and also the care she has taken to uphold the Aboriginal culture, and the dreamtime stories that make the children feel safe. As well as keeping the Aboriginal culture alive, she hasn’t totally disgraced white people, she has a caring white family for the youngest girl, which illustrates the good that they thought they were doing.

This play would be a fantastic inclusion for our production. As I mentioned it’s part of Australia’s history, and these are the stories that define Australia and the culture that our society has created and built. This was bleak time in Australia’s history, although it’s important that we show the good the bad and the horrible to our audiences, to show the real culture and development of our country. 

5 'Children' in the Children's home with their suitcases

Julia!

Cosi – Louis Nowra

Cosi is yet another semi autobiographical piece by Louis Nowra.  Did I mention that last time? That Summer of the Aliens was semi autobiographical?  Well it was.  There are quite a few similarities in the two plays (and yes for good reason).  For starters the main character is yet again Lewis, but now it is 1970 and he is a university graduate.  Nowra mostly maintains his style of play writing, however, I was sad to read that he did not include the Narrator voice in Cosi.  The reason behind this we cannot know, although I do speculate that perhaps the narrator in Summer of the Aliens was this older Lewis, but then again probably not.  Not having a narrator does not take away from the theatricality of the play.  What seems to be a theme in these two plays is that they are in fact plays.  In Summer of the Aliens the narrator is used as a tool to remind the audience of the theatre, whereas in Cosi, Nowra uses the idea of a play within a play to get the very same message across.  In fact there are quite a few jibs at the theatre within the play.
Cosi is set amidst the chaos of the Vietnam War (1970) and takes place in a theatre that is part of a mental institution.  Lewis is working as a play director there for money.  Throughout his time there Lewis forms relationships with the patients and begins to learn more about himself and life.
Cosi, like all of the plays I have read so far has a quite basic set.  For me, this excites me.  I think that there is so much that can be done with a blank canvass. 
Summer of the Aliens and Cosi depend upon the time in which they were depicted in order to give the plays more meaning.  Therefore, there are not too many changes that could be made. 
Before today I had never read Cosi, I had heard of it because of Standard English HSC, but it never occurred to me to read it.  So I am glad this project came along and gave me a reason.
I know I am meant to be discovering Australian plays that are virtually unheard of, but for me this running simplicity is engaging and I would like to explore it further.

Alice x.

Summer of the Aliens – Louis Nowra

I’d forgotten what an exciting play this was to read.  That said, it is hard to describe this play.  Although I have to say it really is a true blue Aussie classic.  My favourite element of Australian plays such as Summer of the Aliens and Away is the honestly.  There is an effortlessness to them that makes them so beautiful.  Through the play you get a very real sense of what it would’ve been like living in an Australian housing estate in the 1960’s.  The crass beauty of Lewis’ situation and the way he conducts himself around it is quite striking.  But first for those who do not know the story of Summer of the Aliens:  Set in a Melbourne housing estate during 1962 in the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis*.  That the entirety of the play takes place during the crisis we are able to determine that the actions take place within a 2 week period.  What interests me most is the way that the crisis is both part of and ineffectual of the lives of those around the housing estate.  But anyway I’m getting off track. The play. Well… Lewis is a teenager “growing up in a Melbourne housing commission suburb.  He is preoccupied with flying saucers…” Summer of the Aliens is a vivid and amusing evocation of a family and a neighbourhood whose increasingly strange behaviour Lewis is forced to interpret in the only way he can – the aliens must be amongst us.”  That said it is just as much a coming of age story as Lewis is on the cusp of adulthood.  Summer of the Aliens also comments on the prevalence of domestic violence and sexual abuse- especially within a housing commission suburb.  I would actually really like to use this play as part of my season- I believe it is lost gem of Australian theatre.

*The Cuban Missile Crisis was a stand off between the Soviet Union (and Cuba) and the United States in October 1962 as part of The Cold War.  The Soviets and Cubans were building bases in Cuba for a number of nuclear weapons (to be used against the US).  The whole world feared the start of a new war, their fears were eased after 2 weeks of tension.

Alice x.

Gary’s House – Debra Oswald

I really enjoyed reading this week! This has been my favourite play so far. It had this perfect mix of comedy, tragedy and drama. There was a building of relationships, and a big surprise at the start of act 2. I really loved this play so much and I couldn’t help myself reading the play aloud in that thick Australian accent that comes through the writing so well with Gary and Sue-Anne.

The play is focused around a house being built on an inherited block of land in the country. The opening act of the play introduces us to Gary and Sue-Anne a couple who against all odds, they’re building a house, and they’re just about to have a baby together. The task seems impossible, but Gary is so determined and loves Sue-Anne so much, he forces himself to make this work. We’re introduced to the mysterious next door neighbour Dave, he becomes a friend and huge part of their lives. We also met Gary’s sister Christine, a business woman, she doesn’t see herself ever living in the country, she’s determined to have her half of the land sold, and her and her brother don’t get on at all. After the shock death of Gary in act 2 we see the relationships between Christine, Sue-Anne and Dave develop. Gary’s death brings everyone together. Christine takes on the task of building the house.

The final scene in the play, there is an emotional scene between Christine, her brother Gary and Clint, Sue-Anne’s baby boy. The way that Debora writes this, you can just see in your mind and feel the emotion coming out of the paper. The rift between the siblings has been totally erased. The house that Gary began and Christine finished is like a symbol of their lives, being unfinished to being repaired.

I could definitely see this play being in our season. It’s a different kind of Australian family. It’s a broken family although it has such a strong sense of Australian culture and obviously language, it would illustrate our theme of Australian theme’s and families extremely well. 

Minimal staging for Gary's House


Julia!

Still Angela – Jenny Kemp

Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of Still Angela. Confusing at times, but in the end it finally makes sense. Still Angela was published in 2002 so it’s a modern Australian play, which is a change from last week. From reading a classic 60’s Australian play to a 00’s Australian play, there are so many differences, not just in the themes tackled but also the writing itself. In Still Angela there is a different use of the stage space, and character development.

Still Angela is a story of a woman called Angela, and her life. It’s just before her birthday and she goes through a physical and imaginative journey through her life from her childhood to her adult life. There are 3 Angela’s in the play, to signify 3 periods of her life. Angela 1 is in her 20’s, Angela 2, 30’s and Angela 3 is in her 40’s. Throughout her life we’re introduced to different people who have effected and changed her life. We see the sad and tragic parts of her life and then memories that she loves. Finally the 3 Angela’s learn to celebrate and accept their lives, and finally she is happy and appreciative of the people in her life.

The play repeats itself a little, it highlights the cyclical nature of her life. With her partner she goes through the same routine every morning, and through each Angela, at different stages of her life, we see different changes that come with age, but also things that are defining of her character. The play is broken into sections from the prologue to section 1-8. Each section is a different part of her life and part of her memory, which as I was reading I was able to build a type of character that Angela was.

For our season, I’m not quite sure if this play would be realistic, just because of the use of the stage. Again at the theatre that we have chosen to play our season, there is minimal space, although I can see this play being adapted for a smaller stage. Visually this play could become quite complex, although because it is a very symbolic and more imaginative kind of play, the freedom it would give to the actors and the directors to play with what the audience will end up seeing, it could turn out to be a true and original adaption of Still Angela. 

3 Angela's - 20's 30's & 40's

Scene with her partner - Chess board is central to the whole play.

Julia!