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'Sometimes ponies eat the flowers that grow in the gardens and then they're naughty. Or sometimes they eat the roses, but not the thorns. And then they're clever.' Alice Waster has returned to her parents' home in the small Australian coastal town of Tathra, where she grew up. She's returned to earth. From which, apparently, she's been gone for a long, long time.
For Alice's parents Wendy and Cleveland, their adult daughter's return means the possibility of once again being a whole family unit. The way it was when their children were young. For Tommy, Alice's brother, her return means the chance to save the life of his terminally ill little girl, Catta. For her old school friend Jeanie, Alice's return means the chance to once again believe in the magic hidden beneath the surface of everyday reality. For Alice, her return means the chance for redemption. And the possibility of falling in love.
Alice is different than she used to be. For one thing, she eats her food slower. She's also interested in other people. It seems she is trying hard to be considerate. Like a grown-up. However, a suspicion hangs in the air. The people Alice has returned for remember the cost of believing in her magic. The cost of believing in Alice. And they can't shake the feeling that there's something Alice isn't telling.' (Abstract for the 2009 reading)
Source: www.nationalplayfestival.org.au (Sighted 20/01/2009).
'Alice returns home to the sleepy seaside town of Tathra and everything seems just as she left it. So why does it seem so unfamiliar? It's as if she's forgotten everything she's ever known, everything she needs to make a settled, simple life. Her family try to help her out and she wants to settle down - really she does - but some part of her still floats way up there in the blue. Gravity's insistent tug. Welcome to the fresh and off-centre world of award-winning playwright Lally Katz, making her MTC debut with a play that looks deeply to the strangeness within. ' (Abstract for the 2011 performance)
Source: Melbourne Theatre Company website, www.mtc.com.au (sighted 29/9/10)
Production Details
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A staged reading at the 2009 National Play Festival was held at Ten Days on the Island, Tasmania, 2 and 4 April 2009.
First produced by the Melbourne Theatre Company at the Fairfax Studio, the Arts Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, 4 November - 17 December, 2011.
Director: Aidan Fennessy.
Performed by Griffin Theatre Company at the SBW Stables Theatre, Kings Cross 7-28 September 2013.
Director: Paige Rattray.
Lighting Designer: Ross Graham.
Composer and Sound Designer: Tom Hogan.
Costume Designer: Emma Kingsbury.
Set by Arthur. [sic]
Design Consultant: David Fleischer.
Special Effects: Tom Taylor.
Producer: Belinda Kelly.
Assistant Director: Lucas Jervies.
Stage Manager: Victor Areces.
Cast: Ben Barber, Yure Covich, Laurence Coy, Tahlia Hoffman Hayes, Mark Langham, Shari Sebbens, Wendy Strehlow, Catherine Terracini, and Scarlett Waters.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Entering the Second Act
2013
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 6 September 2013; (p. 5) -
Griffin's Artistic Director Kenn to Leave a Strong Impression
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 4 September 2012; (p. 9) -
A Beguiling Orbit, Yet Bumpy Landing on Earth
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 12 November 2011; (p. 24)
— Review of Return to Earth 2008 single work drama -
Curiosity Killed Katz Play
2011
single work
correspondence
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 13 November 2011; (p. 18) -
For Straying Katz, the Journey Home Is Where the Art Is
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 5 November 2011; (p. 24)
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A Beguiling Orbit, Yet Bumpy Landing on Earth
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 12 November 2011; (p. 24)
— Review of Return to Earth 2008 single work drama -
Out of the Box
2011
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Monthly , August no. 70 2011; (p. 50-52) -
For Straying Katz, the Journey Home Is Where the Art Is
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 5 November 2011; (p. 24) -
Curiosity Killed Katz Play
2011
single work
correspondence
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 13 November 2011; (p. 18) -
Griffin's Artistic Director Kenn to Leave a Strong Impression
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 4 September 2012; (p. 9) -
Entering the Second Act
2013
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 6 September 2013; (p. 5)
Awards
- Tathra, Bega area, Far South Coast, South Coast, New South Wales,