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Extinction single work   drama   - 2hrs 30min
Issue Details: First known date: 2015... 2015 Extinction
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'The death of an endangered tiger quoll is the critical backdrop to an Australian story about our very survival.

'Andy Dixon is a vet who believes strongly in preserving the environment and our natural resources. When his lover, the determined conservation biologist Dr Piper Ross, agrees to undertake research paid for by the CEO of a mining company, he begins to question her methods and his feelings toward her.

'Little does she know that Andy has been diagnosed with a rare illness, and his life is in as much danger as the species she is trying to save.

'From the mind of Helpmann Award-winning Australian playwright, Hannie Rayson (Hotel Sorrento, Life After George), comes the world premiere of Extinction, a unique drama with a timely and important message of environmental awareness and conservation.' (Production summary)

Production Details

  • Presented by Black Swan Theatre Company. World Premiere and performed at Heath Ledger Theatre : 19 September - 4 October 2015.

    Director: Stuart Halusz.

    Set & Costume Designer: Bryan Woltjen.

    Lighting Designer: Trent Suidgeest.

    Sound Design / Composer: Ben Collins.

    Cast: Hannah Day, Matt Dyktynski, Sarah McNeill, and Myles Pollard.


    Presented by Geelong Performing Arts Centre and Red Stitch Actors Theatre at Geelong Performing Arts Centre 12-16 July 2016; Canberra Theatre Centre 20-23 July 2016; and Arts Centre Melbourne 9-13 August 2016.

    Director: Nadia Tass

    Featuring ensemble members Brett Cousins & Nagaire Dawn Fair.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

First known date: 2015
  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon Endangered : Three Plays Justine Campbell , Sarah Hamilton , Hannie Rayson , Caleb Lewis , Strawberry Hills : Currency Press , 2017 11630361 2017 anthology drama

    'They Saw a Thylacine: Out of the darkness, Sarah Hamilton and Justine Campbell conjure the ghost of one of Australia's lost beauties, the thylacine. With all the suspense of a campfire story, these feisty, funny women weave a lyrical tale of adversity and extinction. For this thylacine tracker and this zoo keeper's daughter, it's a quest not just to protect a threatened creature, but themselves. Rebellious and gutsy, these women face life and fight to survive.

    'Extinction delves deep into the heart of our own morals, choices and tightly-held convictions. Extinction wraps an important conservation message around a unique and personal human story. A wild, rainy night, a twist of fate and an injured tiger quoll bring together a passionate environmentalist and an unlikely Good Samaritan. Both are hell-bent on saving the species, but intentions are murky. What will be compromised in the quest to save the quoll? Nothing is black and white in this intriguing story about love, sex, money and power.

    'The Honey Bees: As the world's honeybees disappear, a family-owned apiary struggles to keep up with overseas demand. Driven by matriarch Joan's iron will, the business continues to grow. And then Melissa arrives out of the blue. The Honey Bees is a tale of Family and Empire; Action and Consequences; and what happens when the bee finally stings. ' (Publication summary)

    Strawberry Hills : Currency Press , 2017

Works about this Work

Theatre Review : Extinction by Hannie Rayson at the Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre, Is First-rate Drama Peter Wilkins , 2016 single work review
— Appears in: Brisbane Times , 21 July 2016;

— Review of Extinction Hannie Rayson , 2015 single work drama
'Hannie Rayson once again affirms her place as one of Australia's finest playwrights in Nadia Tass' tightly directed, thought-provoking and absorbing production of Extinction. Rayson writes with integrity, intelligence and profound insight into the debates that determine our attitudes towards the environment, coal mining, the preservation of endangered species, the precarious sphere of human relationships and the abiding preoccupation with our mortality. ...'
Charlotte Guest Reviews 'Extinction' Charlotte Guest , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , November no. 376 2015; (p. 47)

— Review of Extinction Hannie Rayson , 2015 single work drama
The Mining Magnate with a Soft Spot for Near-Extinct Tiger Quolls Zoe Barron , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian , 25 September 2015; (p. 14)

— Review of Extinction Hannie Rayson , 2015 single work drama
The Mining Magnate with a Soft Spot for Near-Extinct Tiger Quolls Zoe Barron , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian , 25 September 2015; (p. 14)

— Review of Extinction Hannie Rayson , 2015 single work drama
Charlotte Guest Reviews 'Extinction' Charlotte Guest , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , November no. 376 2015; (p. 47)

— Review of Extinction Hannie Rayson , 2015 single work drama
Theatre Review : Extinction by Hannie Rayson at the Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre, Is First-rate Drama Peter Wilkins , 2016 single work review
— Appears in: Brisbane Times , 21 July 2016;

— Review of Extinction Hannie Rayson , 2015 single work drama
'Hannie Rayson once again affirms her place as one of Australia's finest playwrights in Nadia Tass' tightly directed, thought-provoking and absorbing production of Extinction. Rayson writes with integrity, intelligence and profound insight into the debates that determine our attitudes towards the environment, coal mining, the preservation of endangered species, the precarious sphere of human relationships and the abiding preoccupation with our mortality. ...'
Last amended 22 Nov 2018 15:19:48
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