These Positions Vacant

Last updated
These Positions Vacant
Written by Gwen Meredith
Directed byJohn Alden
Date premieredJuly 3, 1945 (1945-07-03) [1]
Place premiered Independent Theatre, Sydney
Original languageEnglish
Genredrama

These Positions Vacant is a 1945 Australian stage play by Gwen Meredith.

Contents

The play came second in a competition by the Playwrights' Advisory Board. [2]

The Sydney Morning Herald said "The play itself is homely its people ring true and except for one or two static moments they keep the play moving in a country kitchen. The story is rather trite." [3]

The Bulletin said the play "didn’t really grip. In spite of its considerable virtues of humor, naturalness and drama, the great fault of the play lay in its mechanical structure." [4]

Premise

The story of an Australian family at war time.

Related Research Articles

Ronald Grant Taylor was an English-Australian actor best known as the abrasive General Henderson in the Gerry Anderson science fiction series UFO and for his lead role in Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940).

Blue Hills, created and written by Gwen Meredith, is an Australian radio serial about the lives of families, set in a fictional typical Australian country town called Tanimbla. The title "Blue Hills" itself derives from the residence of Dr. Gordon, the town's doctor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwen Meredith</span> Australian writer

Gwenyth Valmai Meredith OBE, also known by her married name Gwen Harrison, was an Australian writer, dramatist and playwright, and radio writer. She is best known for her radio serials The Lawsons (1944–1949) and the longer-running Blue Hills (1949–1976).

<i>Lady in Danger</i> (play) 1942 play by Max Afford and 1959 television film directed by Colin Dean

Lady in Danger was a play by Australian writer Max Afford. It was one of the few Australian plays to be produced on Broadway. It was also adapted for radio and television.

The Cow Jumped Over the Moon is a 1937 Australian stage play by Sumner Locke Elliott. It was the first stage play by Elliott who was only twenty years old when it debuted.

<i>Madmans Island</i> Book by Ion Idriess

Madman's Island is a 1927 novel by Ion Idriess set in northern Australia.

<i>Dark Enchantment</i> Play by Max Afford

Dark Enchantment is a 1949 Australian play by Max Afford.

<i>Tribune</i> (Australian newspaper) Official newspaper of the Communist Party of Australia

Tribune was the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Australia. It was published by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Australia from 1939 to 1991. Initially it was subtitled as Tribune: The People's Paper. It was also published as the Qld Guardian, Guardian (Melbourne), Forward (Sydney). It had previously been published as The Australian Communist, (1920-1921) The Communist, (1921-1923) and the Workers' Weekly (1923-1939).

Ned Kelly is a 1942 radio play by Douglas Stewart about the outlaw Ned Kelly. It was later adapted into a stage play which was in turn adapted for television.

Down Under is a 1975 Australian play by Bob Ellis and Anne Brooksbank.

Alfred Noel Joseph Rubie was an Australian modernist painter, portrait and commercial photographer, playwright and pharmacy proprietor who worked in Sydney during the 1920s and into the 1960s. In addition to his work as a painter and photographer, Rubie was involved with the Independent Theatre as a photographer, actor, writer, and costume and set designer.

The Playwrights' Advisory Board was an Australian organisation established in 1938 to assist the cause of Australian playwriting. It was established by Leslie Rees, Rex Rienits and Doris Fitton. Its functions included negotiating productions with theatres, acting as an intermediary in the nomination and collection of royalties, advising theatres and playwrights on scripts, and holding script competitions. Members of the board included names such as Dymphna Cusack and Sumner Locke Elliott.

Wives Have Their Uses is a 1938 Australian stage play by Gwen Meredith. It is a comedy.

<i>Portrait of a Gentleman</i> (play) 1948 play by George Farwell

Portrait of a Gentleman is a 1940 Australian radio play by George Farwell about Thomas Griffiths Wainewright. It was the first time Wainewright's life had been dramatised.

The Love Story of Anne is 1936 Australian play by Frank Harvey. Unlike the majority of Harvey's stage plays it had an Australian setting. Harvey later said the play "did well".

Shout at the Thunder is a 1942 Australia play by Gwen Meredith. It had a rural setting of the kind Meredith would so successfully exploit on radio.

Ask No Questions is a 1940 Australian stage play by Gwen Meredith. It had an all-female cast. Meredith wrote it at the request of Doris Fitton who wanted some plays without no men, because male actors were hard to get with the war on.

The Harp in the South is a 1949 Australian stage play by Ruth Park and Leslie Rees based on the novel of the same name by Park. A number of changes were made in the adaptation, with Rees focusing on the structure and Park the dialogue.

Lawson is a 1943 Australian play by Oriel Gray. It was baed on short stories by Henry Lawson.

<i>The Opportunist</i>

The Opportunist is a 1940 Australian radio play by Gwen Meredith.

References

  1. "Advertising". The Sydney Morning Herald . No. 33, 553. New South Wales, Australia. 7 July 1945. p. 13. Retrieved 12 September 2023 via National Library of Australia.
  2. "Gwen Meredith is writing Lawsons novel", ABC Weekly, Sydney, 8 (21), 8 June 1946, retrieved 12 September 2023 via Trove
  3. "COUNTRY FAMILY PRIZE PLAY". The Sydney Morning Herald . No. 33, 551. New South Wales, Australia. 5 July 1945. p. 5. Retrieved 12 September 2023 via National Library of Australia.
  4. "Sundry shows", The Bulletin., Sydney, N.S.W: John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 66 (3415), 25 Jul 1945, nla.obj-541304589, retrieved 12 September 2023 via Trove