In his multi-award winning play Away, Michael Gow
plunges his audience into real life tragedy and lifts
them into a theatrical world of lights and dancing fairies.
Set in Australia during the Vietnam war, Away
tells the story of three families who decide to go on a
summer holiday as they try to deal with issues of
death, pain and alienation.
Tom, a young English boy, is terminally ill and his
family is trying to protect him from the reality of his
imminent death – but he already knows. He befriends
Meg whose family is embittered by past tragedies and
third family battles to accept losing a son in the Vietnam
War. Their lives are connected by a single holiday,
which becomes an uplifting journey through grief,
healing and happiness.
Away is a juxtaposition of humour, trauma and fantasy.
It weaves Shakespearean performances
through an exploration of contemporary issues of war,
racism and alienation.