Away - by Michael Gow

A Carving in Ice production.

Away, with the help of Shakespeare, leads three families out of their suburban suffering and up the Australian coast for the summer holidays of 1967-68. There he submits them to a sea-change. He liberates their spirits from fear, anger, resentment and bitterness. And in a rare moment of harmony in human affairs, he finally draws together the tragic, the comic, the lyrical and satirical aspects of their ordinary lives into a timeless, sunlit moment of mutual understanding and forgiveness. It doesn't happen often and it cannot last - as Gow implies in the sombre postlude - but here is the possibility.

Both witty and poignant, Away is multi-tonal; spare, poetic, a fantasia, a comedy of embarrassments and a multi-layered play which explores the many meanings of the word 'away'.

Review quotes:

"It is a rare work that can fit comfortably within any venue."

"Imbued with his own mortality, [Puck-like Tom] is inspired despite his pain to lead others out of theirs.... The play gains accordingly by being delightfully funny, distinctly resonant, and deeply moving."

Performer names (in alphabetical order):

Cast: Genevieve Batchelor, Mike Bell, Adrienne Clothier, Nick Clothier, Kate Davison, Stuart Dunn, Mandy Faulkner, Lydia Foley, Richard Homan, Ari Nuttall-Parton, Mike Scanlon, Melinda Warner, Brendan West.

Stage Manager: Brendan Theodore; Props: Richard Homan, Gaye Poole; Publicity/marketing: Clive Lamdin, Gaye Poole, Brendan Theodore; Production Assistant/extra: Katey Good; Wardrobe assistant/extra: Rebecca Bowater.

Playwright bio:

Michael Gow, a playwright and director, is well known for plays such as The Kid (1983), Away (1986), On Top of the World (1987), Europe (1987), Furious (1994), Sweet Phoebe (1996), Toy Symphony (2007). Michael has been the Artistic Director of the Queensland Theatre Company from 1997 to 2010.

Away has been performed widely in Australia and many countries/languages since 1986. Away won the 1986 NSW Premier's Award for Best Play, the Sydney Theatre Critics' Circle Award and was winner of the 1987 AWGIE award. It remains a landmark of Australian contemporary drama.

Part of the Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival, held in the Hammond Camellia Garden. BYO cushions/rugs. Some chairs provided

Please visit: http://www.hamiltongardensartsfestival.co.nz/performers/152-5-Away to book tickets.

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