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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Author Ru Pullan has tried to present aspects of Australian character in the setting of Rabaul, about a year after the end of the war.
'His theme is the conflict of mateship and impressive individualism, both tested in the scavanging [sic] atmosphere of war salvage.
[...]
'It centres on the discovery of money during the war buried on an island by Curly , spring-heeled tough, and Scobie, his crippled mate.'
Source:
'New Australian Play in Sydney Undistinguished', The Age, 4 September 1958, p.2.
Notes
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According to contemporary news reports:
The play [...] is the first Australian play to be accepted by the [Elizabeth Theatre] Trust straight from an author's script.
The now-famous "Doll" was seen by executive director Hugh Hunt in Melbourne before being bought, and "The Shifting Heart" was the winner of a contest.
Source:
'His Desk Is on the Kitchen Table', Australian Women's Weekly, 9 July 1958, p.31.
Production Details
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Premiered at the Elizabethan Theatre, 3 September 1958.
Directed by Nigel Lovell.
Set designed by Frank Hinder.
Cast members included Stewart Ginn, Coralie Neville, Max Osbiston, Grant Taylor, John Gray, and Ken Wayne.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
-
Rabaul,
New Britain,
cPapua New Guinea,cPacific Region,
- 1946
