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'A rising controversy has arisen regarding the repertoire of our national stages: a debate around a mainstage vogue for resetting familiar international classics in an Australian context and the playwrights who believe their work is being depreciated. Julian Meyrick believes the cause goes much deeper than the present quarrels. The adaptations issue, he writes, is a symbol of loss within the Australian dramatic consciousness. It is not about defending Tennessee Williams over David Williamson; but about the value of our national drama. Audiences no longer understand the difference between making a new play and buying an old one.
'Something crucial has been lost, about our ability and need to nurture and produce original drama; and public policy has been a contributor. To remedy this, he concludes, we need a national theatre. Not a building or a company but a co-commissioning, co-production house that will address, seriously, the growth of our own classic repertoire.' (Publication summary)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Response to Julian Meyrick's The Retreat of Our National Drama
2014
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Take Me to Your Leader : The Dilemma of Cultural Leadership 2014; (p. 82-84)
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Response to Julian Meyrick's The Retreat of Our National Drama
2014
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Take Me to Your Leader : The Dilemma of Cultural Leadership 2014; (p. 82-84)