What I Wrote: Louis Nowra

A STUDY GUIDE BY KATY MARRINER

Snodger Media and Ronin Films

http://www.theeducationshop.com.au Introduction and 1920s China, before his focus shifted to Australian events and per- This study guide to accompany What sonalities. Nowra’s plays include Inner I Wrote: Louis Nowra has been written Voices, Albert Names Edward, Visions, for senior secondary students. It pro- The Golden Age, Capricornia, Lan- vides information and suggestions for guage of the Gods, Crow, The Incor- learning activities in English, Literature, ruptible, The Boyce Trilogy, Radiance Theatre Studies and Drama. and the semi-autobiographical Summer of the Aliens and Cosi. What I Wrote: Louis Nowra is a short film about Australian playwright Louis While Nowra is known for his plays, Nowra. Dr Tess Brady interviews Nowra he has also written four novels: The and provides a critical introduction Misery of Beauty, Palu, Red Nights and to The Golden Age, Cosi, Radiance, Abaza. Nowra has written two memoirs Language of the Gods and The Boyce The Twelfth of Never and Shooting the Trilogy. What I Wrote: Louis Nowra Moon. His non-fiction works include also includes a discussion of many of The Cheated, Warne’s World and Bad Nowra’s other plays and an investiga- Dreaming. Nowra’s screenwriting cred- tion of his approach to writing. its include Map of the Human Heart, The Matchmaker, Cosi, K-19: The Wid- What I Wrote: Louis Nowra is one owmaker, Heaven’s Burning, Twisted title from a four-part series spotlight- Tales: Directly From My Heart to You, ing Australian playwrights. The series Black and White and Radiance. Nowra offers students information about the has also held administrative positions ideas and processes of the playwrights, in several theatre companies. as well as the opportunity to hear what the playwrights have to say about their About the filmmakers work. Other titles available in the What I Wrote series include: Dr Tess Brady – Presenter Dr Tess Brady is a highly respected • What I Wrote: Matt Cameron editor, researcher and teacher of writ- • What I Wrote: Hannie Rayson ing at university level. She was the • What I Wrote: Katherine Thomson co-founding editor of the international online scholarly journal TEXT and has Further information about the series published children’s picture books, can be found at . stories and popular non-fiction. Her most recent publication is Creative Louis Nowra Writing: Theory beyond practice, with Louis Nowra was born Mark Doyle Nigel Krauth. on 12 December 1950. He changed his name to Louis Nowra in the early Catherine Gough-Brady 1970s. Nowra studied at ’s – Director but left before earn- Catherine Gough-Brady is a documen- ing a degree. He worked at a variety tary filmmaker. She has made works of jobs until his plays began to attract for a variety of media. Gough-Brady attention in the mid 1970s. has produced and directed educational videos and web sites. Her ‘docugame’ Nowra is an acclaimed and prolific Docks Dispute is currently used in Australians view theatre. The Nowra tertiary management and industrial stage tends to show audiences the relations courses. unexpected, as it explores his personal vision of complex concerns such as settlement, colonialism and disposses- sion. His early plays were set in remote times and places – eighteenth century Russia, nineteenth century Paraguay Using What I Wrote: ‘I didn’t want to be an Australian • What type of people do you meet in Louis Nowra playwright. I wanted to be a world Nowra’s plays? playwright.’ in the classroom – Louis Nowra Views and Values ‘His overarching theme is the end of Teachers may select from the following • Nowra’s plays offer locations from empire and he’s fascinated with what activities to support students’ viewing the exotic through to the suburban. happens to people when it all starts and close analysis of What I Wrote: Working in small groups, investigate crumbling away.’ Louis Nowra. the use of location in one of Nowra’s – Dr Tess Brady plays. Present the results of your The writer’s context investigation to the class. ‘He asks who are we when everything ‘I’m a working-class boy who came is stripped away.’ from a housing commission estate.’ • ‘There’s not much naturalism in his – Dr Tess Brady – Louis Nowra world.’ – Dr Tess Brady ‘Does art have to be relevant to the • In What I Wrote: Louis Nowra, Nowra times?’ recalls his first experience of the Naturalism is the re-creation of real – Louis Nowra theatre. When did you first visit the life or life as it is onstage. It seeks to theatre to see what Nowra labels a reproduce realistic characters, situa- • Drawing on What I Wrote: Louis Now- ‘straight play’? tions or conflicts and usually occurs in ra and your knowledge of Nowra’s real time with sets, props and cos- plays, make a list of the ideas that • Nowra has not hesitated to use his tumes that are representative of the Nowra has brought to audiences’ at- own life as source material for his situation, place or period. Drawing on tention. plays. Research the life and times of one of Nowra’s plays, find evidence to Nowra. contribute to a discussion of Nowra’s • Use the internet, critical essays and rejection of naturalism in favour of commentaries to compile a detailed • Drawing on one of Nowra’s plays, more non-naturalistic theatre. summary of the contexts that shape determine how Nowra’s experi- Nowra’s work as a playwright. Dis- ence of and attitudes to the world in • Nowra expresses his disapproval of cuss your findings with others in the which he lives have influenced the ‘cardigan dramas’ in What I Wrote: class. construction of the text. Work in a Louis Nowra. He believes that small group to complete the analysis. theatre should not be commonplace • What I Wrote: Louis Nowra claim- Develop a PowerPoint presentation but rather unusual andsurprising. sthat Nowra writes about the fall of to communicate this information to Nowra dresses his ideas carefully. empires. Is this true of the play that the class. Drawing on a Nowra play that you you are studying? know well, discuss Nowra’s decision The worlds of the plays to offer his audiences the spec- • Why do you think Nowra uses war as ‘I don’t want to see worlds that similar tacular, the quirky, the odd and the a platform to explore complex ideas to my own. I want a different world.’ unexpected. and issues? – Louis Nowra • Is it necessary for art to be relevant? Cosi What is Nowra’s attitude to writing It is 1971 and Lewis, a young direc- about contemporary events and tor, agrees to stage a production of politics? Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte with a cast of patients from a mental institution. Critical perspectives There is no orchestra, no one can sing • Use the internet, critical commentar- and the theatre is nothing more than a ies and reviews to arrive at a detailed burnt out shell. Beyond the walls of the knowledge and understanding of the institution, citizens march against their critical reception of Nowra’s writing. government’s involvement in a war and What viewpoints do you support? Lewis’ relationship falters. As the pro- What viewpoints do you refute? duction lurches forward, Lewis realizes it doesn’t hurt to be a little crazy. The Plays The Golden Age • Poignant or hilarious? Endorse your interpretation with evidence from the ‘At the core of The Golden Age is a play. plea for harmony.’ – Dr Tess Brady • How does Nowra portray mental ill- ness? The Golden Age is an epic play about two young hikers who discover a lost • ‘One of the virtues of the play is that community in the forests of Tasmania. you learn to love the characters.’ The tribe has developed its own cul- – Louis Nowra ture and language during its time in the wilderness. Assimilation brings clashes Share your thoughts about the with the culture and expectations of a characters of Cosi with others in your modern Australia. class.

• William: And what material did he • By the end of the play, Lewis is no have? Criminals, retards, the lost, longer afraid of madness. Discuss. the desperate. [Smiling] So what we have before us is the true Australian • What was the nature of Australian culture. society and its values in the 1970s? How do the characters in Cosi em- What does The Golden Age have to body or react against the prevailing say about Australian culture? views and values of the time?

• ‘A story of personal struggle, social • View the film Cosi (Mark Joffe, 1996). limitations and most of all love.’ Do Which version of Cosi do you prefer? you agree? Why?

• Nowra’s interest in language and Radiance the teaching of language was in part prompted by a childhood accident. Radiance tells the story of three sisters He recollects the process of learning who return to their childhood home on how to speak again in What I Wrote: the eve of their mother’s funeral. The Louis Nowra. As you view Brady’s sisters’ bonds are complex and compli- interview with Nowra, compile a list cated because of the secrets and lies of statements that explain Nowra’s that are part of their past and present. interest in this subject. Cressy, Mae and Nona’s reunion is an occasion of grief, celebration and • Were you surprised by Nowra’s ad- reconciliation. mission that the scathing reviews of The Golden Age caused him to stop • Brady claims that Radiance is ‘a play reading reviews and to stop writing of dreams’. Do you agree? plays? • Radiance is an irreverent tale of fam- ily intrigue. Discuss. • Radiance was made into a feature gather to celebrate the parents’ fortieth film by in 1998. The wedding anniversary. The play explores screenplay was written by Nowra. In- the universal themes of family, love and formation about the film and reviews disappointment. are available on the internet. Develop a detailed comparison of a scene In The Marvellous Boy, the second from the play and the same scene in part of the trilogy, the family’s patriarch the film. Evaluate the effectiveness of Malcolm Boyce is dying. Unfortunately the adaptation. the development that was going to make Malcolm’s dream of immortality Language of the Gods come true has become a nightmare. Nowra’s Language of the Gods Desperate times require desperate explores themes of decay, friendship, measures. marriage and colonialism at the end of an empire. The play is set in Sulawesi In the final instalment of the trilogy, in 1946. Dutch colonial rule is collaps- The Emperor of Sydney, the three sons ing as the people’s movement leads fight for control of the company. The the country towards the establishment company is near bankruptcy because of an Indonesian republic. The Braak of the stalled project and a criminal in- family are forced to confront the truth vestigation into their father’s role in the about their own lives and the legacy suspicious death of the project’s most they will leave behind. outspoken critic. The question is, who will be The Emperor of Sydney? • The moment a westerner starts to believe in magic then he’s lost • The Boyce Trilogy is really Luke’s something important. He begins to story. Do you agree? believe in omens and fate and loses the capacity to believe he himself • What does The Boyce Trilogy tell au- can change things. That’s how come diences about the end of an empire? we got where we are – the ability to believe we can change things, that • Luke: I have to remember her, we’re not at the mercy of fate. remember every single thing or else – Braak there is nothing. Discuss the significance of this claim. How does Nowra shape your under- standing of memory? • ‘Empires rise and fall but History goes on.’ Is this Nowra’s message in • The Woman with Dog Eyes is a play Language of the Gods? told in real time. There are no scene breaks. How does the structure of • ‘Balance is important in this play.’ the play establish meaning and influ- What does Brady mean? ence the audience’s response to the drama? • Why do you think Nowra shares the anecdote about the play’s opening • Drawing on pertinent quotations night? from The Marvellous Boy, generate a discussion of the play’s significant The Boyce Trilogy themes. ‘Over my career I have been fascinated • ‘This is a play about grief and greed by the twilight of empires.’ and manipulation.’ – Louis Nowra – Dr Tess Brady

The Boyce Trilogy is the epic saga of Having read The Emperor of Sydney the Boyce family, a family made and researched the issues and ideas wealthy through property development. that drive the drama, do you agree with Brady’s assessment of the play? The trilogy begins with The Woman with Dog’s Eyes. The Boyce family The Temple Capricornia • The Temple is another play by Nowra ’s classic novel of racial portraying the greed and excess of conflict in the Northern Territory during the corporate world. Laurie Blake is the 1930s was expertly dramatized a former truckie and slaughterhouse by Nowra in the powerful and moving owner turned entrepreneur. Nowra story of Norman’s journey to the truth offers a ferocious and funny por- of his identity. trait of Blake, the takeover king of Australia. Conduct class readings of Nowra was given the difficult task of terror as he comes to terms with the excerpts from the play. adapting a classic Australian novel to angels and aliens within us all. play. Turning the novel into a play Inner Voices and Albert Names created a series of problems. He offers • ‘Without memory we are nothing.’ Edward his view of the adaptation process in the introduction to the published play. Inner Voices and Albert Names Edward What does The Summer of the Aliens are plays preoccupied with isolation tell an audience about the relation- • Find out more about Xavier Herbert’s and power. Set in Russia, Inner Voices ship between memory and identity? narrates the story of the son of Cath- Capricornia. • Read excerpts from Herbert’s Cap- erine the Great. Hidden away since • What are the underlying messages of ricornia. Compare the plot, setting, childhood he assumes the throne Summer of the Aliens? knowing nothing more than his name. characters, themes and language of the excerpts with passages from the • In Summer of the Aliens, Nowra asks play. In Albert Names Edward audiences can the audience to reflect on how soci- see the beginnings of Nowra’s interest ety constantly changes and evolves Crow in memory and how memory makes a but at the same time stays the same. person who they are. ‘I was very interested in this never-give- Do you agree? in kind of mother-courage woman.’ • Name the themes of these early – Louis Nowra • Working as a class, research the Cu- plays. Use moments and statements ban Missile Crisis and how it shaped from the plays to endorse your Crow has been fighting the government the society of the time. Why does judgements. for years to win back a tin mine that is Nowra draw on this context? rightfully hers. Set in Darwin in 1942, • Most of Nowra’s early work is more Nowra reveals Crow’s determination to The Incorruptible European than Australian in context. challenge the racism that prevents Ab- ‘The Incorruptible is a play about coun- Find evidence to support this view. originals from owning land. Crow is set try and land and politics.’ at the fall of an empire. Darwin is being – Dr Tess Brady Visions bombed. The empire of racist attitudes and outmoded laws is crumbling away. Visions is set in Paraguay during the Ion Stafford is made Premier of Queen- war of the Triple Alliance, the bloodi- sland but he makes himself Prime Min- • Do you like Crow? est conflict in Latin American history. ister of Australia. He turns the tables on Like many of Nowra’s plays, Visions those who think they can control him • Do you think Crow is her own worst explores the inheritance of power and and starts his own crusade for ultimate enemy? the fall of an empire. President Lynch’s power. His single mindedness creates ignorance and Madame Lynch’s ego- corruption and chaos. tism bring ruin. • Brady describes Crow as ‘a potent mixture of social injustice and a very • The Incorruptible is Nowra’s ‘Pau- determined character.’ Do you think • Does the audience actually need line Hanson’ play. Research Pauline this is an apt assessment of the the final wrapping up of loose ends? Hanson and One Nation. Why do you play? Were you satisfied by the play’s con- think Nowra felt compelled to write a clusion? ‘Pauline Hanson’ play? Summer of the Aliens

• In Madame Lynch we see the first of It is 1962, and while the world is • ‘Another play about power and cor- Nowra’s strong female characters. worried about the Cuban Missile Crisis, ruption and the end of empires.’ Drawing on evidence from Visions, fourteen-year-old Lewis is preoccu- – Dr Tess Brady discuss Nowra’s portrayal of Ma- pied by flying saucers. Summer of the dame Lynch. Aliens is the account of the events and What moments and statements relationships that shape his emerging in The Incorruptible show Brady’s sense of self. Told without sentimental- evaluation to be true? ity, Lewis’ story is one of wonder and • Brady dislikes the conclusion of The how he creates and structures the Analytic responses Incorruptible. Do you find it an effec- drama. The following topics could be used for tive end? written text responses, debates, panel • What is Nowra’s opinion of drama- discussions and online forums. The writing process turges? ‘I want to be thrilled.’ • ‘Louis Nowra loathes anything to do – Louis Nowra • ‘My texts are a bit more open than with relevance.’ Discuss the validity they used to be in rehearsal.’ of this claim by drawing on one of ‘I like audiences to be shocked – Louis Nowra Nowra’s plays. occasionally.’ • ‘Nowra’s plays are more often than – Louis Nowra ‘With a new play, the intense rela- not a plea for tolerance.’ Do you ‘I do want the audience to walk out and tionship has to be triangular. It has to agree? go “that was an interesting play”.’ be writer, director and actors.’ – Louis Nowra – Louis Nowra • Nowra’s theatre is preoccupied by themes of invasion, adaptation, • Nowra acknowledges his own What is Nowra’s view of the rehears- resistance and renewal. Develop a writing has been influenced by the al process? detailed discussion of one of these works of the Greek and Elizabethan themes with reference to a Nowra playwrights. Research the theatre of • Were you surprised to learn that play that you know well. these periods. Create an A4 docu- Nowra does not see a play after its ment that offers an engaging profile premiere? From script to stage of the selected period. • Create and present a short solo • There are a lot of fires in Nowra’s performance from one of Nowra’s plays. What other images dominate • What other playwrights doesNowra plays. Submit a short written report Nowra’s writing? Why does Nowra name as significant influences? Find that describes and analyses the pro- rely on such images? out more about one of these play- cesses used to create and present wrights. the performance. • Nowra offers his best writing tips in • Drawing on Nowra’s statements in What I Wrote: Louis Nowra. What tip What I Wrote: Louis Nowra, discuss do you think you will follow?

This program is available from Ronin Films. PO Box 1005 Civic Square ph: +61 2 6248 0851 ACT 2608 Australia fax: +61 2 6249 1640 [email protected] www.roninfilms.com.au

Printed play scripts are available from Currency Press at .

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Notice: An educational institution may make copies of all or part of this study guide, provided that it only makes and uses copies as reasonably required for its own educational, non-commercial, classroom purposes and does not sell or lend such copies. Candid Interviews with Australian Writers

Williamson Murray-Smith What I Wrote In this series, ten award winning Australian playwrights talk candidly about their best known plays. Each writer reveals their writing pro- cess and discusses the themes and characters within the work.

The dynamic presenter, Dr Tess Brady, provides a critical commentary for the plays.

All the playwrights in this series are studied on the senior secondary curricula.

DVD titles are: Andrew Bovell Matt Cameron Jack Hibberd Ray Lawler Joanna Murray-Smith Louis Nowra Debra Oswald Hannie Rayson Katherine Thomson David Williamson ABC TV Series 1 ABC TV Series 2

Producer : Snodger Media Director : Catherine Gough-Brady Presenter : Dr. Tess Brady

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visit www.whatiwrote.com.au to see trailers and find out more Teachers notes on each writer available on the website