Monash University presents

The Golden Age
Written by Louis Nowra
Directed by Peter Oyston

One of Nowra’s most accomplished plays - this is a passionate, wild and sensitive Australian classic. This powerful and confronting piece was inspired by a true story from the wilderness of Tasmania and is set during the Second World War. Through the eyes of the backpackers who found them, we see the innocence of a lost group of convicts who have, over three generations, developed their own culture, language, traditions and, through inbreeding, physical deformities. The authorities are both excited and confused as to what to do with this clan of ‘aliens’ from the past.

The perceived embarrassment caused by their reappearance at a time when their genetic defects might be seen as a corroboration of Nazi eugenicism is confronting; and we are forced to challenge our own fear of the deformed. A compelling irony is that while Australia is fighting Nazi tyranny in Europe, the authorities are carrying out experiments on this convict family at home. We are drawn toward an inevitable tragedy that unfolds. The remaining family is placed in an asylum and then forgotten. They are left in isolated misery simply because our society does not know what to do with them. These actions reflect governments’ past attitudes towards the ‘stolen’ generations of indigenous people in Australia.

Nowra presents us with a play within a play, a mix of Greek tragedy and modern misfortune and asks us to question our Australian tradition of indifference and ineptitude towards that which is uncomfortable.

30 September – 4 October 8pm
3 October 1pm
Tickets: $25 Full, $20 Con and Grps 6+ (+tf)
Other ticket types available – please see our website
Bookings: 03 8290 7000 or www.chapeloffchapel.com.au
Chapel Off Chapel
12 Little Chapel St
Prahran
Melways: Map 2L Ref J10