AustLit

'Rebecca Clode invites a mutual exploration for “future scholars and theatre-makers alike” (13) in a book that seeks to highlight “metatheatre’s capacity to illuminate the wider social, cultural and artistic contexts in which plays have been produced” (Preface). Describing metatheatre as sometimes fraught and murky critical territory, this book draws from a range of sources— production history, performance traces in review, literary analysis, and wider scholarship—to develop a reading of Australian metatheatre. The case studies, explored in paired chapters, include canonical works: Dorothy Hewett’s The Man from Mukinupin, and UK playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Our Country’s Good; Louis Nowra’s ensemble piece Royal Show; and Peta Murray’s practice-led research project, which culminated in a 2014 showing of Things Fall Over. Notably Our Country’s Good, a drama conceived in the UK but based on Australian Thomas Keneally’s novel The Playmaker, is paired with Peta Murray’s performance text, demonstrating that Clode is actively seeking to expand a conversation about drama and performance in Australia. By including Australian content produced outside of the nation state, as well as techniques and performance that extend beyond mainstream drama, Clode’s mixed methodology works to meaningfully account for production exposure. The scope of this book and its methodology are carefully described, and its emphasis on exploration should be taken as an entry point for readers.' (Introduction)