Australasian Drama Studies

Analyses major playwrights of this century studying theme, structure and style - Aboriginal drama - Vance Palmer - Sumner Locke Elliott - Douglas Stewart - Patrick White - Thomas Keneally - David Williamson - Michael Gow.

Sport in Australian Drama, first published in 1992, provides an intelligent view of Australian society at play.

Theatre Australia (Un)limited tells a truly national story of the structures of post-war Australian theatre: its artists, companies, financial and policy underpinnings. It gives an inclusive analysis of three ‘waves’ of Australian theatrical activity after 1953, and the types of organisations which grew up to support and maintain them. Subsidy, repertoire patterns, finances and administration, theatre buildings, companies, festivals and notable productions of the commercial, mainstream and alternative Australian theatre are examined state by state, and changes to governmental policy analysed. Theatrical forms comprise not only spoken-word drama, but also music theatre, comedy, theatre-restaurant, circus, puppetry, community theatre in several forms and new mixed-media genres: physical theatre, circus, visual theatre and contemporary performance. Theatre Australia (Un)limited is the first comprehensive overview of the fortunes of Australian theatre as a national enterprise, providing the industrial analysis of the ‘three waves’ essential for the understanding of the New Wave and of contemporary drama.

Whether catching Australian theatre during the 2000s or catching up now, this volume provides the reader with an overview of the decade. It reveals how Australian theatre continues to reflect the major political and social concerns of our time. Each contribution explores an important area of Australian performance so that the volume provides crucial background and insightful analysis for current theatre practice. The contributions cover political theatre, Indigenous theatre, playwrights concerned with cultural identity, key Shakespearean productions, the impact of funding and arts policy on theatre, dramaturgy and innovative projects, leading directors on rehearsal processes, theatre for young people, regional theatre including the Northern Territory, and physical theatre and Circus Oz. The book confirms the consolidation of previous artistic achievement over the decade and identifies the emergence of new trends and creative practices.

Historical perspectives - Critical perspectives.

Australian Theatre after the New Wave charts the history of three ground-breaking Australian theatre companies, the Paris Theatre (1978), the Hunter Valley Theatre (1976-94) and Anthill Theatre (1980-94), analysing the growing dominance of government in shaping the nation’s theatre.