Away

 

A play by Michael Gow

Lecturer: Tracey Sanders

 

In future, the lectures on Australian drama will be condensed into point form. More information will be gained by attending the lecture. These notes will provide you with enough material for examination purposes but please be warned, you should attend every lecture to gain the full benefit from this advanced drama unit.

 

  • Michael Gow began his career as a member of the Australian Theatre for Young People in 1970
  • Attended University of Sydney and involved in Sydney University Dramatic Society
  • Long time acting lead in The Young Doctors and mini series The Last Frontier
  • First play The Kid workshopped at the Australian National Playwright's Conference in 1982
  • In 1986 Sydney Theatre Company premiered On Top of the World and Away premiered the same year by the Griffin Theatre Company
  • Gow set Away in the 60's because he saw this as a time of change socially and politically
  • Gow sees the play as largely autobiographical with stories and holidays familiar to him
  • Gow's next major play Europe premiered in 1987 at the Griffin Theatre
  • Currently Gow is artistic director for the Queensland Theatre Company

 

(Reference these notes: Away, 1988, Pan Books: Sydney Brodie's Notes)

  • The play is set in 1967 at Christmas
  • A decade of affluence, stability and conservatism, an inward looking time ignoring the importance of its Asian neighbours
  • The young hippie movement very big - protests against the Vietnam war paramount
  • The 'Age of Aquarius' and peace and love
  • Those born in the baby boom era (during WW11) were now teenagers ready to change the world, youthful optimism everywhere
  • Major mining boom in Australia

 

In Away we see a much older Australia moving towards a new identity and new ideals. Characterised by a number of themes:

 

Triviality:

  • Pine-o-clean and Rinso
  • Worry over the garden beds
  • We've got a caravan
  • Building carparts

 

Imported derivative culture:

  • Vivian Leigh and Gone with the Wind
  • Kim Novak
  • Imported rituals that have lost meaning (e.g.Christmas)

 

Narrow oppressive responses to mental and spiritual pain:

  • The idea of 'take a bex'
  • Roy's response to Coral
  • Leonie's concealment of her pain and jealously

 

Being trapped in the past:

  • Gwen's notion of sacrifice - 'throwing away your future'
  • Roy's obsession with 'standard of living' at the expense of quality of life

 

There is a transition to:

A more self aware identity, a more pro-active, more visionary way of viewing the world

  • Becoming more responsive to the natural environment
  • Pursuing greater honesty in relationships
  • Creating personal original art (Coral and Tom's play) that expresses and reflects personal dilemmas and hurts and shares those with other people
  • Being willing to accept other people's feelings and pain
  • Engaging with universal art (e.g.Shakespeare) at a deeper level

 

Other themes and issues of note:

  • Spiritual regeneration for a sense of belonging and harmony with each other and nature. In the first three acts, this is explored realistically within a highly formal theatrical structure including parallel scenes, soliloquy and choric farce
  • In the final two acts, the idea of redemption is explored both symbolically and realistically - a storm washes away the debris of materialism and leaves the characters unburdened to deal with nature. Gwen is changed through a symbolic baptism by water that takes place in the sea off stage
  • The sea is a dominant symbol for healing in this play
  • Coral is taken on a journey in pursuit of her dead son and finally she and Roy are reconciled through the gesture of the collecting sea shells
  • Four major elements involved here: Myths and beliefs; rituals; social groupings; status of people
  • 'Attachment' plays an important part - Gwen's to materialism, Coral to her dead son, Roy to status and position, and Tom to his idea that sexual union can bring him some kind of fulfilment

 

Parallels with A Midsummer's Night's Dream

  • quarrels and complications - in The Dream, Oberon, Titania, the King and the Queens of the fairies are arguing over a boy stolen by Oberon from Titania. Her refusal to make peace angers Oberon who tricks her into falling in love with a rude mechanical - Bottom. When she awakes from the enchantment she is reconciled with her husband
  • In Away, Roy estranged from Carol who blames Roy for sending their son away to Vietnam where he was killed. She forms an attachment to Rick, a fitter and turner. She returns from this in the end to reconcile with Roy.
  • Tom represents 'Puck' in that his closeness to death triggers off an almost magical transformation in the lives of those who are touched by him
  • In The Dream Hermia's father opposes the relationship between the two lovers, Hermia and Lysander. The two decide to run away to Athens and elope. Lysander tries to snuggle up to her in the woods but is refused - like Tom and Meg
  • There is a play within a play concept with symbol and sacramental quality common to both
  • Underscored by The Tempest and King Lear

 

(Reference this section Away teacher's kit compiled for La Boite Theatre Brisbane by Helen Radvan)

 

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© Copyright Dr Tracey Sanders 2006