Image taken from australianplays.org
This is another set of plays that was introduced to us in our Australian Theatre Course. Although we only concentrated on the first installment in the Trilogy, "Too Young for Ghosts," I ended up reading the whole trilogy, and loved it!
The plays detail the lives and loves of a group of Latvian immigrants who come to Australia to start a new life. We learn of their struggles in adapting to a new land, people and culture, and we learn of their affairs and misgivings. In the later two installments, we hear of their children and about their experiences with the language/culture/generation gaps. There is another layer to the text, as Janis Balodis compares and contrasts the immigrants' struggles with the story of Leichardt and his journeys through Australia, adding interest to the performance text.
Balodis writes really well. Having been born of Latvian immigrants himself, he draws on personal experiences as inspiration for the text. He has now become one of my favourite Australian playwrights, now that I have sat down and studied these three plays.
At first, the text seems confusing, as the narrative jumps back and forth from the historical account of Leichardt and his travels with the journey of the immigrants. However, like The Time is Not Yet Ripe, the text becomes better understood once it staged and performed. Once that is done, the reader can better visualize how the story is played out.
Overall, this was a great read, and another definite recommend for those interested in studying Australian theatre.
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