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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'A rather ocker, white Australian male encounters a well-mannered Pakistani student with revolutionary ambitions in a Sydney park at midnight. Buzo creates an image of race prejudice as a profoundly irrational force in the behaviour of ordinary Australians.' (Publication summary)
Notes
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Norm and Ahmed was 're-invented' for Alana Valentine's 2009 play 'Shafana and Aunt Sarrinah'. The two plays were performed at the Seymour Centre, Sydney, 5-29 August 2009.
Production Details
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First produced at the Old Tote Theatre by the Old Tote Theatre Co., Sydney, 9 April 1968. Director: Jim Sharman. Dedicated to Merelyn.
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Also produced during 1969 at La Mama Theatre, Melbourne and Twelfth Night Theatre, Brisbane.The actors who played Norm in the Melbourne and Brisbane seasons were arrested and tried for obscenity. A record of proceedings in the Supreme Court of Queensland, 1969, is held at the Fryer Library, University of Queensland.
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Broadcast on ABC Radio National on Sunday 16 January 2011 as part of the Playing the 20th Century series.
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In 1988, Film Australia released a 41-minute video of the play, directed by Karl McPhee and Starring Max Cullen and Alex Pinder, as part of an intended series of education packages on Australian playwrights, including a video, discussion notes, and the play text. It was not intended for an did not receive a commercial release or television broadcast.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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The Front Room Boys and New Wave Theatre
2017
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Conversation , 15 February 2017;''Fucken boong'. With these words Australian theatre entered the swinging sixties – eight years after the decade began.
The two profanities capture the spirit of rebellion that characterised a new generation of theatre artists. They are the last line of Alex Buzo’s play Norm and Ahmed (1968) and the actors who uttered them were prosecuted for obscenity when it was produced in Queensland and Victoria.' (Introduction)
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The Athens of the South
2014
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Adelaide : A Literary City 2014; (p. 147-161) -
We Got Naked for Progress
2014
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 31 May - 1 June 2014; (p. 17) -
A Father's Legacy Takes Centre Stage
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 21 February 2011; (p. 15) Natalie Muller reports on Emma Buzo's appointment to The Amidale School where Buzo is teaching her father's play Norm and Ahmed to year twelve students. -
Racial Tensions Still Resonate
2009
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Illawarra Mercury , 12 November 2009; (p. 30) Dennis Koks talks about the reasons for staging Alex Buzo's 40 year old play.
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Heavenly Intervention Fails to Swamp Classic
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian , 15 October 2007; (p. 12)
— Review of Norm and Ahmed 1960 single work drama -
Potent after Decades and Downpour
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 16 October 2007; (p. 14)
— Review of Norm and Ahmed 1960 single work drama -
Ripped from Headlines, but Play Still Shocks
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 12 August 2009; (p. 14)
— Review of Norm and Ahmed 1960 single work drama ; Shafana and Aunt Sarrinah : Soft Revolution 2009 single work drama -
Veil Tale Paired with An Old Gem
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian , 11 August 2009; (p. 8)
— Review of Norm and Ahmed 1960 single work drama ; Shafana and Aunt Sarrinah : Soft Revolution 2009 single work drama -
Triumph of a Censor's Target
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian , 27 July 2009; (p. 30)
— Review of Norm and Ahmed 1960 single work drama -
Wary Asians on a Theme : Dramatising in the Near North
2004
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Quadrant , November vol. 48 no. 11 2004; (p. 62-65) -
Memoirs of an Unswonian
2006
single work
column
— Appears in: Quadrant , April vol. 50 no. 4 2006; (p. 51-53) -
A Stage to Laud Buzo
2007
single work
column
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 24 February 2007; (p. 22) A special celebration to honour the life and work of Alex Buzo was held on Sunday 18th February 2007. -
Holding a Mirror to an Australian Classic
2009
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 4 August 2009; (p. 12) -
When the Vice Squad Had the Best Seats in the House
2009
single work
column
— Appears in: The Australian , 27 July 2009; (p. 30)
Awards
- 2009 nominated Sydney Theatre Awards — Best Independent Production Nominated for the 2009 Alex Buzo Company joint production with Shafana and Aunt Sarrinah.
- Sydney, New South Wales,
- 1960s
- 1970s