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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Louis Nowra’s Radiance is an exuberant black sabbath for three great Indigenous dames. It begins conventionally enough: Mae, Nona and Cressy gather at the old Queenslander in the tropics for Mum’s funeral. But these three sisters are forces of nature, and they haven’t been in the same room for years, and years. It isn’t long before that old house can’t contain the joy and pain of them all being together again…
'Radiance began its life at Belvoir in 1993. After 22 years, Nowra’s feat of playwriting – almost Shakespearean, a Tempest-like packet of lust, rage, grief and high-flying foolery – is ready to be unleashed again. Leah Purcell is the woman for the job.
'Purcell is a powerhouse. She burst onto the national stage nearly two decades ago and is as full of fight and life as she ever was. What better idea than for this all-round theatre elder to direct herself in this mighty little classic?' (2015 Production summary)
Adaptations
-
form
y
Radiance
( dir. Rachel Perkins
)
1998
Australia
:
Eclipse Films
,
1998
Z866253
1998
single work
film/TV
(taught in 2 units)
— Appears in: Radiance : The Play + The Screenplay 2000; (p. 67-140)Radiance tells the story of three women who reunite, after many years apart, for their mother's funeral.
Reading Australia
This work has Reading Australia teaching resources.
Unit Suitable For
AC: Year 10 (NSW Stage 5). It could be used for possible extension work in Year 9 but be aware of mature themes and references: use with discretion.
Themes
acceptance, family relationships, grief, identity, loss, memory
General Capabilities
Critical and creative thinking, Ethical understanding, Literacy, Personal and social
Notes
-
Dedication: For Gerri Williams
Production Details
-
First produced at the Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney, 21 September 1993.
Performed Upstairs at Belvoir : 3 January - 8 February 2015.
Director: Leah Purcell.
Set & Costume Designer: Dale Ferguson.
Lighting Designer: Damien Cooper.
Cast: Leah Purcell, Shari Sebbens, and Miranda Tapsell.
Supported by the Balnaves Foundation.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Also sound recording.
Works about this Work
-
Trio Taking to Belvoir Stage for Radiance
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 28 January no. 593 2015; (p. 22) -
Radiance Review – a Trio of Powerful Performances in Belvoir Revival
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 2 February 2015;
— Review of Radiance 1993 single work drama -
Sisters’ Reunion Still Radiates Dramatic Power
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian , 9 January 2015; (p. 12)
— Review of Radiance 1993 single work drama -
More Polish Needed to Make These Sisters Shine
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 9 January 2015; (p. 20)
— Review of Radiance 1993 single work drama -
Sisters and Secrets
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 3-4 January 2015; (p. 8-9)
— Review of Radiance 1993 single work drama 'Rhoda Roberts looks back on the play that revolutionised indigenous theatre in Australia.'
-
[Review] Radiance
1994
single work
review
— Appears in: Australasian Drama Studies , October no. 25 1994; (p. 189-193)
— Review of Radiance 1993 single work drama -
Play Sets Out to Veil and Unveil Truth
1995
single work
review
— Appears in: Antipodes , December vol. 9 no. 2 1995; (p. 166)
— Review of Radiance 1993 single work drama -
[Review] Radiance
1993
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian , 24 September 1993; (p. 15)
— Review of Radiance 1993 single work drama -
Magic Moments Too Far Apart
1993
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 23 September 1993; (p. 21)
— Review of Radiance 1993 single work drama -
Humanist v Rationalist
1993
single work
review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 5 October vol. 115 no. 5890 1993; (p. 101)
— Review of Radiance 1993 single work drama ; Brilliant Lies 1993 single work drama -
Rethinking Emplacement, Displacement and Indigeneity : Radiance, Auntie Rita and Don't Take Your Love to Town
2002
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Journal of Australian Studies , no. 75 2002; (p. 95-103, notes 191-192) -
Identity Performance in Northern Ireland and Australia : The Belle of the Belfast City and Radiance
2005
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australasian Drama Studies , April no. 46 2005; (p. 70-79) Discusses some of the dramatic shifts in identity representation and interrogation that have taken place in performance-based texts, focusing on Christine Reid's The Belle of Belfast City (1989) and Louis Nowra's Radiance (1993). -
Women come out to Play
1993
single work
column
— Appears in: The Australian , 17 September 1993; (p. 11) -
Indifference Has Robbed Generations of Our History
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 27-28 December 2008; (p. 23) -
Tropical Gothic : 'Radiance' Revisited
2008
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Etropic : Electronic Journal of Studies in the Tropics , vol. 7 no. 2008; 'This essay does not attempt to investigate, much less solve the mystery [of where this narrative is set], but instead deepens it by considering aspects of location, setting and narration in the film, which was co-scripted by Perkins and Nowra, as well as the process of transposition from play to film.'
Awards
- 1994 winner ASAL Awards — ALS Gold Medal
- Far North Queensland, Queensland,