Curtin uncertain
AustralianPlays.org reports on an Australian play on stage
He returned to Western Australia a broken man, it seemed. He's a man who, at the point that we meet him, believes that his political life is over...
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Playwright Ingle Knight discusses his latest play, the historical drama The Fremantle Candidate. More videos about the production are available at Deckchair Theatre's website.
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The premiere production of an intriguing new play by Ingle Knight is underway in Western Australia.
The Fremantle Candidate is a glimpse into a lesser known chapter of the life of a famous Australian, Prime Minister John Curtin.
It takes place in the years 1932 to 1934 when Curtin struggled to regain voter confidence after losing the seat of Fremantle.
He went on to claim leadersion of the Labor Party in 1940 and became PM in 1941, dying in office six weeks before the end of the Second World War.
Against the background of the Depression, The Fremantle Candidate is a "witty and heart-warming story of a man rising from the ashes to start again" according to Deckchair.
Ron Banks, writing in The West Australian, describes the story 'fascinating' and finds modern parallels:
"Political groupies will doubtless find the Labor Party machinations
gripping stuff filled with stories of shifting loyalties, negotiated
deals, flirting with extremist groups, the torments of doubt and the
need to please far too many people."
We'll let you know if the script for The Fremantle Candidate becomes available.
In the meantime, check out other scripts by Ingle Knight here (read extracts, read with your Library Pass or purchase in PDF form).
THE FREMANTLE CANDIDATE
by Ingle Knight
Directed by Chris Bendall
19 July 5 5 August
PICA, James St, Northbridge - WA
Presented by Deckchair Theatre
How hard would you fight to keep your dreams alive?
From multi-award winning WA playwright Ingle Knight (Taking Liberty), comes the previously untold story of the toughest battle in the life of one of Australia’s greatest Prime Ministers. Witness backroom wheeling and dealing in this engrossing political thriller as John Curtin fights Labor Party hacks and personal demons to reclaim his ideals and secure his future.
More info at deckchair.com.au
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