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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'It is 1962 and the world is worried about the Cuban missile crisis, except for Lewis, a youth on the cusp of manhood, growing up in a Melbourne housing commission suburb. He is preoccupied by flying saucer, much to the disgust of his friend Brian who can think only of losing his virginity. Lewis finds a natural soulmate in local tom-boy, Dulcie, who has her own confusions about approaching womanhood. And then out of nowhere Lewis's errant father returns to stay, as if he had never gone' (Currency Press).
Although the play largely focuses on adolescent issues, it is meant for an adult audience. Among the themes explored are sexuality, gender, prejudice, cultural identity and the relationship between memory and personal identity.
Production Details
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First produced by the Melbourne Theatre Co., Russell Street Theatre, Melbourne, 17 March 1992.
Presented by Griffin Theatre Company, 9 February - 21 April 2024.
Director: Declan Greene.
Associate Director: Daley Rangi.
Set Designer: Jeremy Allen.
Costume Designer: Melanie Liertz.
Lighting Designer: Kelsey Lee.
Composer & Sound Designer: Daniel Herten.
Consultant, Disability: Christopher Bryant.
Consultant, Inclusion: Bayley Turner.
Cast: Thomas Campbell, Paul Capsis, Philip Lynch, and Nikki Viveca.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Also sound recording.
Works about this Work
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Staging Otherness in Mainstream Australasian and Canadian Dramaturgies
2003
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Transgressive Itineraries : Postcolonial Hybridizations of Dramatic Realism 2003; (p. 27-79) Section III of this chapter is entitled 'Alienating Naturalism : Louis Nowra's Dramatury'. -
'Summer of the Seventeenth Doll' and 'Summer of the Aliens' : Arcadia, Dystopia and the Australian Ethos
2002
single work
criticism
— Appears in: 'Unemployed at Last!' : Essays on Australian Literature to 2002 for Julian Croft 2002; (p. 105-118) Compares the representations of Australians and Australian life and ethos in Lawler's and Nowra's plays. - y The Theatre of Louis Nowra Strawberry Hills : Currency Press , 1998 Z543914 1998 single work criticism
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Screenplays for Radio: The Radio Drama of Louis Nowra
1997
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australasian Drama Studies , April no. 30 1997; (p. 68-86) -
Breaching the Body's Boundaries: Abjected Subject Positions in Postcolonial Drama
1997
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Modern Drama , Winter vol. 40 no. 4 1997; (p. 502-513)
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Quality Epic from a Town Called Excellent
1992
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Mercury , 11 April 1992; (p. 20)
— Review of Post Office Restaurant and Other Stories 1992 selected work short story ; Summer of the Aliens 1992 single work drama -
From Boilermakers to Aliens - Varied Play Texts Appear
1993
single work
review
— Appears in: Antipodes , June vol. 7 no. 1 1993; (p. 70-71)
— Review of Too Young for Ghosts 1985 single work drama ; Summer of the Aliens 1992 single work drama ; Dorothy Hewett : The Feminine as Subversion 1992 single work criticism ; Collected Plays : Volume I 1992 selected work drama ; Siren 1990 single work drama -
[Review of Summer of the Aliens]
1993
single work
review
— Appears in: Australasian Drama Studies , October no. 23 1993; (p. 175-178)
— Review of Cosi 1992 single work musical theatre ; Summer of the Aliens 1992 single work drama -
Space Invaders
1992
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 9-10 May 1992; (p. rev 6)
— Review of Summer of the Aliens 1992 single work drama -
Nowra's Well-Crafted Drama is a Treat to Watch
1992
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian Jewish News , 27 March vol. 58 no. 29 1992; (p. 7)
— Review of Summer of the Aliens 1992 single work drama -
'Summer of the Seventeenth Doll' and 'Summer of the Aliens' : Arcadia, Dystopia and the Australian Ethos
2002
single work
criticism
— Appears in: 'Unemployed at Last!' : Essays on Australian Literature to 2002 for Julian Croft 2002; (p. 105-118) Compares the representations of Australians and Australian life and ethos in Lawler's and Nowra's plays. -
Staging Otherness in Mainstream Australasian and Canadian Dramaturgies
2003
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Transgressive Itineraries : Postcolonial Hybridizations of Dramatic Realism 2003; (p. 27-79) Section III of this chapter is entitled 'Alienating Naturalism : Louis Nowra's Dramatury'. -
Nowra: Fact and Fiction
1994
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 4 May 1994; (p. 33) -
Adventure Seeker
1992
single work
criticism
biography
— Appears in: The Age , 1 April 1992; (p. 3) -
An Aimless Playwright Going Somewhere Fast
1994
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Age , 3 May 1994; (p. 19)
Awards
- 1990 winner Prix Italia Drama Award Award for radio play.
- Melbourne, Victoria,
- 1960s