Why some plays work, and others don’t

Do plays such as Andrew Bovell’s The Secret River adequately represent Australia?
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We all know whether a given play, film or TV drama “works” or not, but it’s often difficult to pinpoint why. This is the first of four articles in which I will try and cast playwriting in a broader light than is usually the case.

Ordinarily playwriting is a matter for “tips” or for critical review – best-practice advice from the producers’ perspective or final judgement from the consumers’.

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Julian Meyrick
About the Author
Julian Meyrick is Professor of Creative Arts at Flinders University.