Awake My Love is a 1947 Australian stage play by Max Afford.[1]
| Awake My Love | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Max Afford |
| Based on | Colonel Light - the Founder by Max Afford |
| Date premiered | September 1947 |
| Place premiered | Independent Theatre, Sydney |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | drama |
| Setting | Adelaide, 1836 |
It was called "a significant milestone in Australian drama."[2]
Premise edit
The story of Colonel William Light, Surveyor General of South Australia in 1836. It includes his feud with Governor Hindmarsh and his romance with Linda Manners.[3]
Colonel Light - The Founder edit
The play debuted in Adelaide in 1936 as William Light – The Founder.[4][5]
The play was well received and helped launch Afford's career as a dramatist with the ABC.[6]
Radio adaptation edit
The play was adapted into a 1936 radio play called Genesis.[7] This play only went for ten minutes.[8]
Awake My Love edit
Afford subsequently rewrote the play and gave it a new title. It played at Sydney's Independent Theatre in 1947.[9]
The Bulletin felt "the romance is of the sentimental stuff from which fillums are made, whereas the clash between Light and Hindmarsh is... dramatic dynamite... Hindmarsh dominates the play, even though he appears only twice. Powerful, venomous and stubborn, he electrifies the piece the moment he walks on the stage. From a dramatic viewpoint he is the perfect antagonist for Light."[10]
Radio adaptations edit
Awake My Love was adapted for ABC radio in 1947[11] and 1959.[12]
The 1947 production starred Peter Finch as Light.[13]
References edit
- ^ "Awake My Love". The Sydney Jewish News. Vol. X, no. 4. New South Wales, Australia. 3 October 1947. p. 7. Retrieved 19 July 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Afford's Play Milestone In Local Drama". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 34, 230. New South Wales, Australia. 6 September 1947. p. 4. Retrieved 19 July 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Theatre". Catholic Weekly. Vol. VI, no. 291. New South Wales, Australia. 25 September 1947. p. 8. Retrieved 19 July 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Max Afford". Cootamundra Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 2 March 1937. p. 4. Retrieved 19 July 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Colonel Light Anniversary". The Advertiser (Adelaide). South Australia. 7 October 1936. p. 26. Retrieved 19 July 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Department for Radio Plays". The Courier-mail. No. 1043. Queensland, Australia. 2 January 1937. p. 14. Retrieved 19 July 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Monday December [28]", The Wireless Weekly: The Hundred per Cent Australian Radio Journal, 28 (26), December 25, 1936, nla.obj-712124806, retrieved 4 January 2024 – via Trove
- ^ "Centenary Broadcast". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 28, 190. Victoria, Australia. 26 December 1936. p. 9. Retrieved 4 January 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Historical theme of new Australian drama". The Daily Telegraph. Vol. VIII, no. 43. New South Wales, Australia. 7 September 1947. p. 36. Retrieved 19 July 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ ""Awake My Love."", The Bulletin, John Ryan Comic Collection (Specific issues)., 68 (3528), Sydney, N.S.W: John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 24 Sep 1947, ISSN 0007-4039, nla.obj-537412489, retrieved 19 December 2023 – via Trove
- ^ "A.B.C. Play-Lovers' Guide", ABC Weekly, 9 (47), Sydney: Australian Broadcasting Commission, 22 November 1947, nla.obj-1433940470, retrieved 19 December 2023 – via Trove
- ^ "Two Australian Plays", ABC Weekly, 21 (21), Sydney: Australian Broadcasting Commission, 27 May 1959, nla.obj-1538664288, retrieved 19 July 2023 – via Trove
- ^ Australian Broadcasting Commission. (22 November 1947), "SATURDAY, November 29 A.B.C. Programmes", ABC weekly, Sydney: ABC, nla.obj-1433938998, retrieved 7 April 2024 – via Trove
External links edit
- William Light - The Founder at Austlit
- Awake My Love at Ausstage