The Play on the Stage

Richard Wherret

When I first saw the Griffin Theatre production of Away at the Stables in January 1986 I was immediately struck by three things: this was a wonderful night in the theatre; the play was deserving of being seen by more people than those who could fit into the 140-seat space in six weeks and the play had the potential to be served by production resources far more expansive than the Stables could provide. Most audiences shared my delight: the season at the Stables was packed out, and these 6,000 people were clearly only a sample of a vast audience potential. The Sydney Theatre Company season at the Drama Theatre in 1987 was seen by a further 22,320 people, and since then Away has been seen in theatre right across the country.

It is a rare work that can fit comfortably into any venue. One of the key factors in the success of a production is the suitability of the venue in which it is produced: an intimate space for a chamber work, an expansive one for an epic work. The essential qualities of Away – its lyricism, the simplicity of its staging demands, and the economy of its line and form – mean that it can very easily be realised on a small scale with minimum production attributes. On the other hand while the play begins apparently naturalistically, the ‘away’ to which the three families go for their summer break is a world where anything can happen – a dreamscape (as in A Midsummer Night’s Dream), a sanctuary (as in As You Like It), and a danger zone (as in The Tempest) – and as such provides vast scope for theatrical, magical and fantastic effects. This flexibility is a producer’s delight and the range of production scope is a director’s dream.