AWAY

About the show

Filled with irrepressible humour and a distinct Australian spirit, Away is a beloved modern classic. This sophisticated and stylish production of Michael Gow’s award-winning play brings an abundance of warmth and inventiveness to Sydney Opera House this summer. It’s Christmas, 1967. Three families are about to head for the coast to get away, to move on, to change. The end-of-year school play is a success. Tom and Meg’s young love is lighting up the dressing room. The cars are packed and summer holidays are finally here… But ’tis not the season to be jolly. In director Matthew Lutton’s discerning vision for Away, we see events unfold through the eyes of Tom, an aspiring actor. And at the story’s heart are three mothers – one dealing with the loss of a child, one who fears losing her own, and one learning to let go – each dealing with vulnerability and loneliness in their own particular way. Set against a complex backdrop of the Vietnam War and the social upheavals of the 1960s, this new production of one of Australia’s greatest classics pits the conflict of family life against the struggle of a country shaping its indeterminate future. From the smallest intimacy to the most epic of storms, Away unleashes a full range of theatrical expression. As the pressures of family secrets swell and gather into a tempest, each mother and each family feels their way towards new, more hopeful ground. This co-production with Melbourne’s Malthouse Theatre brings together some of the country’s most admired and captivating stage performers, including Heather Mitchell (Hay Fever), Glenn Hazeldine (Disgraced) and Liam Nunan (The Golden Age).