Point In Australian Theatre History example essay topic

Why was the summer of the seventeenth doll a significant milestone in Australian theatre history? In your answer discuss the play, the era and the playwright. "The summer of the seventeenth doll", was written by Ray Lawler in the great domed reading room of the Victorian State Library. It is seen as a significant turning point in Australian theatre history because of its authenticity and closely depicted Australian characters. Theatre in Australia during the beginning of the 20th century had been dominated by two components, money-driven commercial management and overseas content.

The emphasis had always been on works such as comedies, melodramas and musicals with a dependence on British and American scripts. There was never much consideration for serious drama. Any Australian written theatre was treated inferior to the British and not worth deliberating. Commercial theatre refused to take risks with any new Australian plays, with the thought in mind that previous dramas had been unsuccessful. Many plays were written and performed by amateur groups between the 1920's and 1950's which shared an interest of defining an Australian, leaning towards the typical outback settings. These plays were mostly unsuccessful because of lack of funding and the inadequate access to perform in front of a wider audience.

The romantic notion of the heroic, tough bushman had continuing attraction, however, majority of Australians were now living in suburbia and it was becoming harder to present this outback-Aussie character convincingly. By the end of the Second World War, there was a feeling that Australia should take on their own identity, become independent of Britain and establish itself artistically, economically and defensively. There was an urgency of Australians to create a distinct uniqueness and individuality and separate themselves from Britain. It was assumed that if Australia had a subsidised theatre to trial and display local work, it would begin to mature rapidly.

The need for real Australian drama and the development of a unique Australian cultural identity pressured the government to assist in reaching these goals. In 1945 Prime Minister Chifley made election promises about the development of a "national theatre". This proposition led to the creation of an organisation to raise funds and sponsor local production. It was named the "Elizabethan Theatre Trust" and alleged its aims to be "to establish a native drama, opera and ballet which will give professional employment to Australian actors, singers and dancers and furnish opportunities for those such as writers, composers and artists whose creative work is related to theatre". The trust would offer financial support to the writer, actors and production as well as share profits with sponsors. By 1955 over 130 scripts had been read by the judges and two were selected to share the prize; Oriel Gray's "The Torrents", and Ray Lawler's "The summer of the seventeenth doll" A director was found and the production of "The Doll" went ahead with its premiere on 28th November 1955.

For the first time in Australian theatre history, an Australian drama had drawn serious attention from overseas viewers and critics as an important and admirable piece of writing. "The Doll" was seen as an attempt to transcend the stereotype of the outback hero and to construct a new unified Australian identity "The Doll" was Australia's answer to the search for a cultural identity and essential national character. Audience and critics liked it immediately and was highly praised by critics and viewers. Newspapers described it as. ".. a stunning success, superbly true to Australian thought and the Australian scene... ". The play was also performed in London with the same success and joined the international list of significant works.

Lawler then took the production to New York where it wasn't nearly as successful but the play had already proven itself. Australian theatre began to blossom as new playwrights and an emergence of a new style of theatre became predominant in Australia. Such works as "The shifting heart" (1957 by Richard Bey on) about migrants and "The one day of the year" (1960 by Alan Seymour) about the ANZAC myth, began to appear as subject matter was maturing and the talent to bring it to life was finally here. Some of reasons behind "The Doll's" incredible success were attributed to its realistic props, the fine balance of text and subtext, the true rhythms of the spoken Australian language and its recognised and popular setting. The Doll was not patronising or simplifying the everyday Australian but realistically staging the contrast between bush and city without falling into stereotypes. internet sites.