TEACHERS’ NOTES - Brisbane Powerhouse williamson’s the removalists teachers’ notes. critical stages critical stages is the only dedicated national professional platform

“A must see.”

STAGE NOISE

“...be

prepared for a production

like no other...”

CITY NEWS

A Rock Surfers Theatre Company production, presented by Critical Stages

12-16 August

David Williamson’s

THE REMOVALISTS

TEACHERS’ NOTES

CRITICAL STAGES

CRITICAL STAGES IS THE ONLY DEDICATED NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL PLATFORM FOR TOURING INDEPENDENT THEATRE PRODUCTIONS.

Critical Stages was born from the necessity to find further life for outstanding productions from the

independent theatre sector. Critical Stages actively seeks out high quality productions from small

urban theatres with the aim to develop, produce and manage professional touring opportunities for

these productions, encompassing all shows previously generated by artists without the support of a

major company infrastructure. Independent theatre is the crucible of theatre in Australia, it is a place

where dedicated and motivated artists produce the shows about which they are most passionate.

Critical Stages sees it as vital that audiences across Australia are given the opportunity to see this

unique work and that independent theatre productions are showcased on a national platform.

Critical Stages has developed and produced 12 national tours and 5 state tours, employed over 180

artists across 250 weeks of pre- production and touring, and has been seen by more than 100,000

audience members at over 100 venues across Australia.

criticalstages.com.au

ROCK SURFERS THEATRE COMPANY

ROCK SURFERS THEATRE COMPANY IS AUSTRALIA’S LEADING INDEPENDENT NEW WRITING THEATRE COMPANY.

We are committed to the development and presentation of new Australian work. Through our

iconic Sydney venue; The Bondi Pavilion Theatre, we aim to provide access to for artists and

audiences alike. The Rock Surfers’ goal is to give emerging theatre artists a leg up into the Sydney

theatre scene, create community hubs for independent artists and showcase the very best new

Australian work.

The Tamarama Rock Surfers Theatre Company is a two-fold operation. Firstly, the Rock Surfers

are a production company and have produced dozens of new Australian works at The Old Fitzroy

Hotel, Stables Theatre, and The Opera House. It has produced work by such notable Australian

playwrights as Brendan Cowell, Toby Schmitz, Sue Smith, John A D Fraser and Suzie Miller.

Secondly, The Rock Surfers are Resident Theatre Company of Bondi Pavilion Theatre, an iconic

220 seat venue in Bondi Pavilion at Bondi Beach. For information on venue hire see below.

To date the Rock Surfers have showcased work to over 90,000 punters and presented over 140

shows, including the premieres of over 50 new Australian plays.

rocksurfers.org

BRISBANE POWERHOUSE EDUCATION COORDINATOR

Xenica Ayling

[email protected]

BRISBANE POWERHOUSE - THE REMOVALISTS

brisbanepowerhouse.org

David Williamson’s THE REMOVALISTS

DIRECTOR Leland Kean

SET DESIGNER Ally Mansell

COSTUME DESIGNER Rita Carmody

LIGHTING DESIGNER Luiz Pampolha

SOUND DESIGNER Jeremy Silver

CAST FOR BRISBANE SEASON TBC

“A ripper... Expertly balancing the play’s humour and violence, it is a clear and

vigorous reading of the black comedy that brought David Williamson to national

prominence...This staging makes it a pleasure to revisit.”

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

“Kean’s cast deliver the goods... 8/10”

SUN HERALD

“This play is deservedly a modern classic and is unlikely to be done any better by

any company anywhere. A Must See.”

STAGE NOISE

“What Leland Kean has essentially done with this production is taken a classic and

injected it with the talent and fiery energy that not every revival has had. If

you’re to see The Removalists just once in your life, this is the one to see.”

AUSSIE THEATRE

“This is a perfect revival of a play that continues to raises a number of pertinent

questions about violence — in particular, do we all have aggressive instincts and

behaviour patterns such as those revealed on stage? Even post-Tarantino, Williamson

still rules, okay! Thumbs up!”

OZ BABY BOOMERS

“Kean and cast have made this motley and unsettling collection of antagonists so

riveting to watch.”

DRUM MEDIA

“A very satisfying theatrical experience but be prepared for a production like no

other – where the shocking and perverse transpire onstage.”

CITY NEWS



«««« SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

«««« SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

«««« DRUM MEDIA



WRITER’S NOTE

It’s a great honour for me to have a play I wrote in 1971 being revived by one of the most dynamic theatre companies in

Australia. And to have it done by such a young, talented and vigorous group of actors. I think it was a wise decision on the

part of Leland to leave the play in its original time setting as it gives us all a chance to see what’s changed for the better

and what hasn’t since 1971. Our expression of blatant sexist attitudes today has certainly lessened but as the increase

in domestic violence statistics from then to now indicates, perhaps our underlying behaviour hasn’t changed nearly as

much as it should.

DAVID WILLIAMSONMAY 2013

BIOGRAPHY

David’s first full-length play, The Coming of Stork,

premiered at the La Mama Theatre, Carlton, in 1970

and later became the film Stork, directed by Tim Burstall.

The Removalists and Don’s Party followed in 1971, then

Jugglers Three (1972), What If You Died Tomorrow? (1973),

The Department (1975), A Handful of Friends (1976), The

Club (1977) and Travelling North (1979). In 1972 The

Removalists won the Australian Writers’ Guild AWGIE Award

for best stage play and the best script in any medium and

the British production saw Williamson nominated most

promising playwright by the London Evening Standard,

and the play was a co-winner of the coveted George Devine

Award, the first time it had been given to a non U.K. writer.

The 1980s saw his success continue with Celluloid Heroes

(1980), The Perfectionist (1982), Sons of Cain (1985), Emerald

City (1987) and Top Silk (1989); whilst the 1990s produced

Siren (1990), Money and Friends (1991), Brilliant Lies (1993),

Sanctuary (1994), Dead White Males (1995), Heretic (1996),

Third World Blues (an adaptation of Jugglers Three) and

After the Ball (both in 1997), and Corporate Vibes and Face to

Face (both in 1999).

The Great Man (2000), Up for Grabs, A Conversation,

Charitable Intent (all in 2001), Soulmates (2002), Birthrights

(2003), Amigos (2004), Operator (2005) Influence (2006),

Scarlett O’Hara at the Crimson Parrot, (2008), Let the

Sunshine (2009), Rhinestone Rex and Miss Monica (2010),

Don Parties On, (2011), At Any Cost (co-written with

Mohamed Kahdra, 2011), Nothing Personal (2011),

When Dad Married Fury (2012), Managing Carmen (2012),

and Rupert and Happiness (both 2013).

Williamson is widely recognised as Australia’s most

successful playwright and over the last thirty years his

plays have been performed throughout Australia and

produced in Britain, United States, Canada and many

European and Asian countries. His play Travelling North had

a successful production in Vietnam and The Club ran for a

year in Beijing, where its depiction of back room committee

politicking obviously struck a chord with the locals. A

number of his stage works have been adapted for the

screen, including The Removalists, Don’s Party, The Club,

Travelling North, Emerald City, Sanctuary and Brilliant Lies,

and six of them have been made into quality telemovies

in Poland.

David Williamson has won the Australian Film Institute

film script award five times, for Petersen (1974), Don’s

Party (1976), Gallipoli (1981) Travelling North (1987) and

Balibo (2009) and has won twelve Australian Writers’ Guild

AWGIE Awards. He also wrote the screenplay for Pharlap

(1981), The Year of Living Dangerously, (1983) receiving a

nomination for best screenplay from the Writer’s Guild

of America. He wrote the screenplay for Showtime’s On

the Beach which won the Australian AFI award for best

miniseries and was nominated for the Golden Globe

awards in the U.S. He also wrote the screenplay for the

HBO miniseries A Dangerous Life, about the fall of the

Marcos regime in the Philippines which made the critics

top ten list of the year in both New York and Los Angeles.

Altogether he has written twelve screenplays and five

miniseries, including The Four Minute Mile for the BBC

and The Last Bastion about General McArthur’s arrival in

Australia in WW 11, which was sold all over the world.

He lives on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast with his wife,

writer Kristin Williamson.



DIRECTOR’S NOTES

In programming The Removalists I put a challenge to myself to forget all of the productions I had seen, to remove the

memory of the film and approach the work from as fresh a perspective as possible. As it is one of the country’s most

famous and performed plays this was not an easy thing to do. A lot of the issues in The Removalists are things that I’ve

experienced in my own life; domestic violence and police brutality are both things that have affected me at different

points. In the conversations that I’ve had with David we discussed about how rates of domestic violence are on the rise,

that a lot of the issues that he was addressing in 1971 are as relevant, if not more relevant, today, 40 years after the

play was written. On the face value things have changed, equality has changed, the position of women has changed, but

if you look at some of the things that have happened in the last 18 months, particularly on a political level, you scratch

under the surface and you see that these issues are still there, they are as relevant and as problematic in our suburbs

today. In the last decade the Rock Surfers’ commitment to new Australian writing has been unmatched by any company

in the country and with this production we tip our hats in recognition of the writers and work 40 years ago that laid the

foundations for great Australian drama.

LELAND KEANMAY 2013

VIDEO:

See an interview Director Leland Kean held with playwright David Williamson.http://bit.ly/TheRemovalists



OUTLINE OF KEY ELEMENTS OF THE TEXT

PLOT• With access to The Removalists script, ask each student to maintain a running sheet, identifying

each scene, the characters involved and the events that take place. Include space on the running

sheet to note any significant dramatic conventions that can be identified.

• Assign each student a different character from the play text. Have them recount the events of

the play as a series of Facebook status updates or tweets. Focus on conveying the events

accurately within the typical 160 character limit and in the voice and from the perspective of

their assigned character.

• Develop a sense of both the events and visual impact of the play through a series of tableaux or

freeze-frames. Divide the class into small groups and assign each group three or so scenes from

the play. Each group should devise a symbolic representation of each scene in the form of a tableau.

A nominated student can explain their group’s representation of the scene if necessary. Present

these in sequence. Photograph each scene to display on a pin up board.

• As a quick revision quiz, provide students with the events of each scene but in the incorrect order.

Have them rearrange the scenes in the correct order. Alternatively, have them plot each event on

a plot graph, indicating the level of tension within each scene and the relative time lapse between

each scene.

• Brainstorm possible moments that occurred for the various characters prior to the commencement

of the play. Create a series of tableaux images that depict these moments.

CHARACTER• Ask students to create a mock social networking page for a particular major character. Have them

carefully choose appropriate elements for the page that accurately reflect the character, such as

favourite music, location, likes etc. Indicate the character’s relationships with others through

appropriate friends, family and relationships lists. Students could form small groups to present their

social network pages and justify their choices with reference to the play.

THEME• Develop a summary of the themes evident within the play. Students are to complete a table with

columns headed:

Theme Elaboration of theme Revealed through Textual Evidence

Students can use colour-coded ‘post-it’ tabs to highlight evidence for each theme in their copy of the play text.

• Provide students with a key quote of three to four lines. Have them write a 250 word close analysis

explaining how this single quote reveals a particular theme from within the play.



GENRE• Introduce the concept of realism as a genre within theatre. Provide students with some background

research notes or, alternatively, have students research the realism genre and compile their own

theory notes. Have students take note of the philosophies and techniques of such relevant and

influential practitioners as Constantine Stanislavski.

• Guide students through a variety of ‘actor preparation’ exercises to develop their realism

performance skills:

• RELAXATION ACTIVITY – Acting in the Realist style demands ability to relax – important for performance

but also to prepare for a role (using senses and memory)

- Lying with eyes shut – be aware of neck, shoulders, torso, arms, hands, legs, feet, temple, brow,

nose, eye-lids, eye-balls, cheeks, jaw and mouth

- Move jaw left and right, up and down

- Shoulder rolls

- Loosen arms and legs

- Squeeze eyes open and shut

- Breathing in for six, hold for three, out for six

- Count teeth with tongue

• VISUALISATION ACTIVITY - An actor, in addition to observing life, must preserve in their memory different

sensations and observations. Sense memory is the ability to recreate in your mind images of real life.

- Remember the sound of – wind, rain, thunder, mother’s voice

- Remember the taste of – vegemite, lemon, chocolate

- Remember the smell of – the sea, a rose, perfume you like

- Imagine various situations and scenes. On a beach, listening to children playing

- It is Christmas, what can you see, smell, and hear?

• SENSE MEMORY ACTIVITY - think of something you don’t like and visualise this down to the last detail;

(smell, taste, touch, fear factor, where it is, what it is doing etc), ask a a few students to describe this

to the class, who with their eyes closed are asked to picture each detail. The class then identifies

what it was the person was describing

• Discuss how these exercises felt:

- Did it feel real?

- What factors stopped it from being real?

- What made it seem more real?

Link to Stanislavsky’s use of imagination; everything has to be

imagined for it to appear to be reality on stage.

• CONCENTRATION ACTIVITY:

1. Form pairs

2. Each pair selects a fairy tale or other story that they are familiar with

3. One student is to be the storyteller and the other student, the mirror

4. The storyteller begins telling the story – the mirror must concentrate on the mouth of the

storyteller so they can say words with the storyteller

5. Continue this for several minutes then reverse roles

6. Extend the time and speed up the procedure as students become more accustomed to

working together



• CONCENTRATION ACTIVITY:

- Divide class into groups of seven (can vary) and assign each student in each group letters of the

alphabet [use paper letter templates to help] (each student will be responsible for three or four letters).

- Create a rhythm (slap leg or clap hands) and after establishing a rhythm have the group spell words,

then expand to sentences (movie or play titles). Then the students must say the letters they are

responsible for when they come up in the spelling – they must say the letters on the clap.

• IMAGINATION ACTIVITY:

- Three-four students are selected to perform the act of looking for one of their belongings (eg. keys,

pencil case, phone, etc.). Encourage performers to consider how they would demonstrate to the

audience the frustration/despair/urgency, etc. that is usually associated with looking for lost items

(class watches student performance).

- Reveal to these performers that a personal item from each of them has actually been taken during

the lesson and physically hidden within the Drama room – they must try and find it (audience watches).

- Discuss how the actors performance changed when they moved from ‘acting’ searching for an item

to ‘actually’ searching for an item, make connection to imagination.

During Stanislavsky’s drama classes, students were asked to act out different

scenarios. Stanislavsky would watch them acting out mundane tasks such as

losing a set of keys or looking for a handbag. He would watch them run

aimlessly around the stage, pretending to tear out their hair or feigning

worry. He asked one of his students to imagine that the keys were somewhere

in the room. The actress then began to actually search for the keys rather

than to act searching for the keys. It is only when the imagination believes

that the situation is real that the true feelings of the actress are conveyed

to the audience.

• IMAGINATION ACTIVITY:

- Mime everyday activity - neutral [eg. Gardening, making coffee, walking the dog] – devise approx

one minute of action.

- Repeat with emotional overlay [eg. Have been stood up, just had an argument, heard about a

death in the family, won the lottery] – action must be repeated exactly the same but actor must

consider their emotional state through the action – face, posture, attitude, etc will have to be utilised

to show inner emotional condition.

AIM: to explore inner emotional life and motivation.

• SENSE OF TRUTH ACTIVITY:

A “sense of truth” refers to finding the truth of your physical actions and perceptual reactions;

commitment to the “moment”. Find own space in the room –imagine you are eating an

apple, you must be able to “see” the apple in your hand, feel your teeth as you bite into it, feel it

dissolving as you chew and swallow it; perhaps a bit of the skin is caught in your teeth – how do

you get it out? Does the juice run down your chin? What does the apple taste like? Are you enjoying

the experience?

• WHAT IF? ACTIVITY:

A volunteer is to act as though they are walking down the street – the other students then ask... ‘What

if...’ and make a suggestion to the volunteer to act out a situation – [this may be, ‘What if you suddenly

broke your leg?’] – the reactions to “what if” need to be spontaneous and as realistic and naturalistic

as possible.



• Provide students with a selection of extracts from a variety of realism play texts. With a partner,

students are to select one extract to read. Students are to then discuss and hypothesise the possible

synopsis and context of the script. Having made a prediction regarding the plot and characters of the

script, students are use the internet to search the play and compare their own hypothesis with the

correct synopsis.

• CREATING A 3D REALISM CHARACTER – CHARACTER BAG ACTIVITY:

- Sit in a circle, place a bag in the middle of the room.

- Explain that this bag was found out the front of the school.

- Empty the contents of the bag and piece together the character from the contents. What can you

work out? Name? Where they live? Why was the bag there? Where are they now? What kind of

person are they? What else is revealed from the contents (note suggestions)?

- Groups of four-five – create a freeze frame image of the last moment that the character had the bag

before it was left outside the school (one person must be the main character).

- Discussion - as each group performs their freeze frame, the audience analyses the image:

1. What do you know from looking at this image?

2. What can you guess from looking at this image?

- Based on own interpretation of the devised character students physicalize their portrayal of the

character by walking around the room in exactly the same way as they perceive that character,

greet people (how do they talk / move?).

- Using the character you have just created as starting point, answer the following questions and

use imagination to make this seem as realistic as possible:

1. Who are you?

2. Where and when are you?

3. What do you want?

4. Why do you want it?

5. How will you get it?

6. Why do you want it now?

7. What will happen if you don’t get it?

8. What will happen if you don’t get it now?

9. What is in your way?

10. What must you overcome?

11. What happened before you became separated from your bag?

12. What happen directly after you became separated from your bag?

- Write an Online Dating Biography for their character – the biography should address the following

questions/topics:

1. What do they do?

2. What are their hobbies?

3. What are their likes/dislikes?

4. What are their hopes and dreams?

5. What are they afraid of?

6. Where would they like to be in 10 years’ time?

7. What do they value most in the world?

8. What was a defining moment in their life?

9. Something that happened to them this week?



• Students are to write a monologue/ stream of consciousness in role as their character which makes

comment on specific events of the play, explores the relationships with other characters or reveals

the characters true thoughts and feelings regarding their personal situation/ circumstances.

Students are encouraged to embody their character and be continuous in their writing. At random

stages of their writing, provide students with a line of text and challenge them to include these lines

within their writing:

- I don’t understand

- The sound of rain

- Nightmare

- Clothes don’t fit

- Sometimes I wish

- I have a secret

- Spinning

- My reflection

- A man wearing his jacket inside-out

- Things were never quite the same

- An out-of-tune piano

- I can never forget

- A dead tree

- Forever…

Playing music as a background accompaniment to this activity

is recommended.

ASSESSMENTASSESSMENT ONE

You have recently viewed Critical Stages and Rock Surfers Theatre Company’s live production of David

Williamson’s The Removalists and you have been further studying this play in class. As a director of a theatre

company with a reputation for the creative interpretation of iconic, classic and traditional plays, you have

been commissioned to produce a contemporary adaptation of The Removalists. You are to select an excerpt

from the play and modernize the scene (setting, action and language) to appeal and communicate to a

contemporary audience.

ASSESSMENT TWO

You have recently viewed Critical Stages and Rock Surfers Theatre Company’s live production of

David Williamson’s The Removalists and you have been further studying this play in class.

Through the dramatic convention of a monologue, you are to create a monologue for a character of

your choice featured in the play The Removalists. You will shape this monologue, utilising the dramatic

languages of the contemporary Australian style (using vocabulary appropriate to a context), which include

the elements of drama and the dramatic conventions. This monologue is intended to develop your chosen

character further by providing additional insight into their thoughts, attitudes and beliefs regarding their

personal situation and circumstances as revealed throughout the play.

Ensure you are clear of the context of the monologue (visualising), and you are aware of when it would

occur in the existing play-text. Consider your character’s circumstances in the play text and emulate the

contemporary style of writing. You need to submit your script, written using appropriate scriptwriting

techniques and with directions for your staging (structuring).

Documents

TEACHERS’ NOTES - Brisbane Powerhouse williamson’s the removalists teachers’ notes. critical stages critical stages is the only dedicated national professional platform