Nowhere

WORLD PREMIERE

Australia's leading and poetic dramatist, the legendary Dorothy Hewett, has written a new play to celebrate 25 years of Playbox.

Dry Torrent was once a thriving country town until the Snowy turned to a trickle. Now, in an abandoned shed at the back of the showgrounds, Josh - once a rattler-jumper in the depression - sits singing Paul Robeson songs in the ashes of his dreams. Into the final pages of his life comes Blue - still reeling from his robbed youth as a Vietnam conscript - and Rosie, a young girl escaping the city streets - and the terrifying Bull, himself.

With music and metaphor, the 'genial dragon-lady of Australian writing' breathes loving life into her extraordinary characters in an evocation of three generations that dared to dream. This production will star Peter Cummins in his much-longed-for return to the stage in the role of Josh.

Dorothy Hewett's Golden Oldies was the first play ever performed by Playbox. She is famed for her novels and books of poetry as well as her ground-breaking plays: The Chapel Perilous, The Man From Mukinupin and The Fields of Heaven.

In her first theatre premiere in 18 years, Hewett's courageous and daring spirit is as vital as ever - and her compassion, humour and optimism remain inspirational.

'...plays that assert the need for imaginative cherishing of the Australian landscape and cultural heritage...all exploit the imaginative possibilities of language, music and overt, sometimes brash, theatrical effects.' Oxford Companion to Theatre in Australia

"I'm not a Communist no more. But I'll always be a Marxist. There won't be no deathbed conversions for me."