''Toy Symphony'' is a two-act play written by Australian

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

Michael Gow Michael Gow is an Australian playwright and director most famed for his 1986 work '' Away''. Early life As a student at Sydney University, Gow acted and directed with the Dramatic Society from 1973-1976. After graduation, Gow went on to act pro ...

and published by

Currency Press Currency Press is a leading performing arts publisher and its oldest independent publisher still active. Their list includes plays and screenplays, professional handbooks, biographies, cultural histories, critical studies and reference works. H ...

in 2008. It is Gow's first full-length play in over a decade since ''

Sweet Phoebe ''Sweet Phoebe'' is an Australian play script by Michael Gow. The 1994 world premiere production starring Cate Blanchett was by Sydney Theatre Company under the artistic direction of Wayne Harrison. Other notable performances of the play include ...

'' and won several awards at its 2007 premiere production at

Belvoir St Theatre Belvoir is an Australian theatre company based at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia, originally known as Company B. Since 2016 and its artistic director is Eamon Flack. The theatre contains a 330-seat Upstairs Theatre and a 80-seat D ...

in Sydney. Toy Symphony is the story of writer Roland Henning, a character who has appeared in Gow's earlier play '' Furious'', ''Toy Symphony'' tells the story of the turmoil Henning faces as a result of his writer's block, as he tries to explain his past to his therapist in order to grasp some understanding of his current situation. It is considered to be at least partially autobiographical.

Characters

*Roland Henning *Nina (a therapist) *Lawyer *Mrs Walkham (a primary school teacher) *Julie Pearson (a schoolgirl) *Mr Delvin, Headmaster *

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...

*Dr Maybloom, a specialist *Executioner *Nicolaijs Eglitis, a schoolboy *Titus Oates *Steven Gooding, a school bully *Miss Beverly, a school teacher *Nurse *Daniel, a Drama student *Tom, a drug dealer

Plot summary

Roland Henning has

writer's block Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is either unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. Mike Rose found that this creative stall is not a result of commitment problems or th ...

. When he tries to explain the situation to a therapist, his story begins to tumble back and forth between his childhood in The Shire and his work as a playwright. At the root of it all is that extraordinary day in primary school which shattered his boyhood and plunged him headlong into the dizzy circus of life and art.

Awards

*2008

Helpmann Awards The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical t ...

: Best New Australian Work

Winners 2008
'' *2007

Sydney Theatre Awards The Sydney Theatre Awards are annual awards to recognise the strength, quality and diversity of professional theatre in Sydney, Australia. They were established in 2005 by a group of major Sydney theatre critics. The awards recognise mainstage and ...

: “Best Main stage Production” *2007 Sydney Theatre Awards: “Best Supporting Actress” –

Monica Maughan Monica Cresswell Maughan (née Wood, 15 September 1933 – 8 January 2010) was an Australian actor with roles in theatre, radio, television, film and ballet over a career spanning 52 years. Early life and education She was born Monica Cresswell ...

*2007 Sydney Theatre Awards: “Best New Work” *2007 Sydney Theatre Awards: “Best Director” –

Neil Armfield Neil Geoffrey Armfield (born 22 April 1955) is an Australian director of theatre, film and opera. Biography Born in Sydney, Armfield is the third and youngest son of Len, a factory worker at the nearby Arnott's Biscuits factory and Nita Armf ...

*2007 Sydney Theatre Awards: “Best Actor” –

Richard Roxburgh Richard Roxburgh (born 23 January 1962) is an Australian actor, writer, producer, and director. He is the recipient of a number of accolades across film, television, and theatre, including three AACTA Awards (including AFI), three Logie Awards, ...

Original Production

''Toy Symphony'' was first produced by Company B, a theatre company based at Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney. The production received rave reviews and won several awards including Best

Director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

and Best

Actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. *Season 10 November 2007 – 22 December 2007 at Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney, Australia. *Cast –

Justine Clarke Justine Clarke (born 16 November 1971) is an Australian actress, singer, musician, author and television host. She has been acting since the age of seven and has appeared in some of Australia's best-known TV shows. She is best known as a presen ...

Russell Dykstra Russell Dykstra (born 31 December 1966) is an Australian actor of screen, stage and TV. Early life Dykstra grew up in the Brisbane suburb of Calamvale. Dykstra first appeared on stage at age 10 in a theatre production of ''Toad of Toad Hall ...

Guy Edmonds Guy Edmonds is an Australian born director, writer, actor and author. He co-created, wrote, acted in and directed the Emmy award-winning comedy series Hardball. He co-authored the hit book series Zombie Diaries and Zoo Crew. As an actor he is be ...

and

. *Director –

*Set -

Ralph Myers Ralph Myers is an Australian theatre designer and director, and the former artistic director of Sydney's Belvoir. In 2005 and 2006 Myers was the resident designer at the Sydney Theatre Company; he was later an associate artist at Belvoir. His a ...

*Costumes - Tess Schofield *Lighting - Damien Cooper *Original music and sound -

Paul Charlier Paul Charlier is an Australian composer and sound designer who works primarily in theatre and film. He has also worked in radio and was a founding member of the Sydney post-punk band SPK (band), SoliPsiK. His theatre work includes the Sydney Thea ...

. *Production stage manager - Kylie Mascord.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toy Symphony (Play) 2007 plays Plays by Michael Gow