Dramatist remains at centre stage
Australia’s most prolific and popular playwright is now an octogenarian, but he’s not slowing down.
If you’re a theatregoer, or a lover of Australian film, you’re probably familiar with David Williamson.
He’s the writer behind such stage favourites as Don’s Party, The Club, Travelling North, The Removalists, Brilliant Lies, Top Silk, and Emerald City (to name but a few), and the films Gallipoli, Phar Lap, Stork, Eliza Fraser, and The Year of Living Dangerously.
But did you know that, at the age of 82, Williamson is still writing, and that his latest play, The Puzzle, has just had its premiere in Adelaide? (Scenes from the State Theatre Company of South Australia production, which runs until 12 October, are shown, above).
Another new work, Aria, which had an “out of town” debut at the Noosa arts festival early this year, will have its official premiere in Sydney in January 2025, while the Melbourne Theatre Company will stage a revival of The Removalists in March and April, and Queensland Theatre will perform Rhinestone Rex and Miss Monica in May and June.
But they are not your only options, because theatre companies, big and small, around the country will be reviving his work, or producing new Williamson plays (including some unnamed works scheduled for 2026), well into the future.
Those newer works are a gift to theatre lovers. Williamson retired after an illness in 2020, saying he was stepping aside to make space for new, younger playwrights.
But he discovered that writing was an addiction. He also realised that his work still had something to say to Australian audiences and he wasn’t getting in the way of other writers.
“The charge that I was keeping young voices off the stages was rubbish,” he told the ABC. “What was keeping young voices off the stage was yet another production of The Importance of Being Earnest, or what theatre companies considered safe.”
While it has not always been “safe”, audience demand for Williamson’s work continues to be strong – and actors are lining up to appear in it.
Williamson has thrived by remaining relevant, writing works that are both extremely Australian and universal. They are both contemporary and timeless.
He’s addressed issues as diverse as the dressing-room capers at a footy club (The Club) to sexual harassment (Brilliant Lies), the joys and travails of grey nomads (Travelling North), the toll of the pace of life in Sydney (Emerald City), even the world of writing for theatre itself (Dead White Males).
The Puzzle is a comedy about a father and daughter who mistakenly sign up for a swingers’ cruise in the Mediterranean, while Aria concerns a woman who brings her three sons together each year so she can sing an aria – and criticise their wives.
As Tracy Mann, who stars in the upcoming production of Aria, says, “David Williamson is a national treasure. Why wouldn’t you want to come and see another beautiful David Williamson play?”
Related reading: ABC, David Williamson official site, State Theatre of SA, Ensemble Theatre, Queensland Theatre
