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• Is it necessary for art to be relevant?What is Nowra’s attitude to writingabout contemporary events andpolitics?Critical perspectives• Use the internet, critical commentariesand reviews to arrive at a detailedknowledge and understanding of thecritical reception of Nowra’s writing.What viewpoints do you support?What viewpoints do you refute?The PlaysThe Golden Age‘At the core of The Golden Age is aplea for harmony.’– Dr Tess BradyThe Golden Age is an epic play abouttwo young hikers who discover a lostcommunity in the forests of Tasmania.The tribe has developed its own cultureand language during its time in thewilderness. Assimilation brings clasheswith the culture and expectations of amodern Australia.• William: And what material did hehave? Criminals, retards, the lost,the desperate. [Smiling] So what wehave before us is the true Australianculture.What does The Golden Age have tosay about Australian culture?• ‘A story of personal struggle, sociallimitations and most of all love.’ Doyou agree?• Nowra’s interest in language andthe teaching of language was in partprompted by a childhood accident.He recollects the process of learninghow to speak again in What I Wrote:Louis Nowra. As you view Brady’sinterview with Nowra, compile a listof statements that explain Nowra’sinterest in this subject.• Were you surprised by Nowra’s admissionthat the scathing reviews ofThe Golden Age caused him to stopreading reviews and to stop writingplays?CosiIt is 1971 and Lewis, a young director,agrees to stage a production ofMozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte with a castof patients from a mental institution.There is no orchestra, no one can singand the theatre is nothing more than aburnt out shell. Beyond the walls of theinstitution, citizens march against theirgovernment’s involvement in a war andLewis’ relationship falters. As the productionlurches forward, Lewis realizesit doesn’t hurt to be a little crazy.• Poignant or hilarious? Endorse yourinterpretation with evidence from theplay.• How does Nowra portray mental illness?• ‘One of the virtues of the play is thatyou learn to love the characters.’– Louis NowraShare your thoughts about thecharacters of Cosi with others in yourclass.• By the end of the play, Lewis is nolonger afraid of madness. Discuss.• What was the nature of Australiansociety and its values in the 1970s?How do the characters in Cosi embodyor react against the prevailingviews and values of the time?• View the film Cosi (Mark Joffe, 1996).Which version of Cosi do you prefer?Why?RadianceRadiance tells the story of three sisterswho return to their childhood home onthe eve of their mother’s funeral. Thesisters’ bonds are complex and complicatedbecause of the secrets and liesthat are part of their past and present.Cressy, Mae and Nona’s reunion isan occasion of grief, celebration andreconciliation.• Brady claims that Radiance is ‘a playof dreams’. Do you agree?• Radiance is an irreverent tale of familyintrigue. Discuss.
• Radiance was made into a featurefilm by Rachel Perkins in 1998. Thescreenplay was written by Nowra. Informationabout the film and reviewsare available on the internet. Developa detailed comparison of a scenefrom the play and the same scene inthe film. Evaluate the effectiveness ofthe adaptation.Language of the GodsNowra’s Language of the Godsexplores themes of decay, friendship,marriage and colonialism at the end ofan empire. The play is set in Sulawesiin 1946. Dutch colonial rule is collapsingas the people’s movement leadsthe country towards the establishmentof an Indonesian republic. The Braakfamily are forced to confront the truthabout their own lives and the legacythey will leave behind.• The moment a westerner startsto believe in magic then he’s lostsomething important. He begins tobelieve in omens and fate and losesthe capacity to believe he himselfcan change things. That’s how comewe got where we are – the ability tobelieve we can change things, thatwe’re not at the mercy of fate.– BraakDiscuss the significance of thisclaim.• ‘Empires rise and fall but Historygoes on.’ Is this Nowra’s message inLanguage of the Gods?• ‘Balance is important in this play.’What does Brady mean?• Why do you think Nowra shares theanecdote about the play’s openingnight?The Boyce Trilogy‘Over my career I have been fascinatedby the twilight of empires.’– Louis NowraThe Boyce Trilogy is the epic saga ofthe Boyce family, a family madewealthy through property development.The trilogy begins with The Womanwith Dog’s Eyes. The Boyce familygather to celebrate the parents’ fortiethwedding anniversary. The play exploresthe universal themes of family, love anddisappointment.In The Marvellous Boy, the secondpart of the trilogy, the family’s patriarchMalcolm Boyce is dying. Unfortunatelythe development that was going tomake Malcolm’s dream of immortalitycome true has become a nightmare.Desperate times require desperatemeasures.In the final instalment of the trilogy,The Emperor of Sydney, the three sonsfight for control of the company. Thecompany is near bankruptcy becauseof the stalled project and a criminal investigationinto their father’s role in thesuspicious death of the project’s mostoutspoken critic. The question is, whowill be The Emperor of Sydney?• The Boyce Trilogy is really Luke’sstory. Do you agree?• What does The Boyce Trilogy tell audiencesabout the end of an empire?• Luke: I have to remember her,remember every single thing or elsethere is nothing.How does Nowra shape your understandingof memory?• The Woman with Dog Eyes is a playtold in real time. There are no scenebreaks. How does the structure ofthe play establish meaning and influencethe audience’s response to thedrama?• Drawing on pertinent quotationsfrom The Marvellous Boy, generatea discussion of the play’s significantthemes.• ‘This is a play about grief and greedand manipulation.’– Dr Tess BradyHaving read The Emperor of Sydneyand researched the issues and ideasthat drive the drama, do you agreewith Brady’s assessment of the play?
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