Cloudstreet and Theatre Notes
Task 5
Part 1:
Playwright
Tim Winton was born in Western Australia, 1960. He attended a Creative Writing Course at Curtin University in Perth, and it was while there that he began his first novel An Open Swimmer. This was entered for The Australian/Vogel Award in 1981. It won and Winton has never looked back, utilising his considerable talent to maintain a full-time writing career. Something of an oddity for any Australian writer but especially for one of his age. In recent years Tim Winton has become the patron of the Tim Winton Award for Young Writers which is sponsored by the City of Subiaco in Western Australia. Although a reluctant media performer, Winton appeared on the ABC TV program "Enough Rope" with Andrew Denton in 2004, and a transcript of the program is available. Tim Winton lives in Western Australia with his wife and three children.
Themes and Issues
Cloudstreet is best described as an exploration and celebration of life and what it means. Every character in the play experiences a personal journey; some are hard and long journeys whereas some are easy. Characters realise the importance of family and there place with in it, it illustrates a relationship between family and identity, they realise how an individual role within a family is considered to be of great importance. Many times throughout Cloudstreet it seems supernatural and not completely explained, I view this as Winton trying to represent that we as humans are not going to understand everything that happens in this world. Main themes presented are faith such as Pickles’ belief in luck, and the Lambs being ‘Godfearing people’), water is an important theme as a lot of significant events happen by water, family and dreams.
Context
Cloudstreet is set in and around Perth during the 1940s-50s, it tells a story of two rural families who suffer a series of unfortunate events and venture to the city in order to rebuild the shattered remains of their lives and begin anew. They all meet each
Part 1:
Playwright
Tim Winton was born in Western Australia, 1960. He attended a Creative Writing Course at Curtin University in Perth, and it was while there that he began his first novel An Open Swimmer. This was entered for The Australian/Vogel Award in 1981. It won and Winton has never looked back, utilising his considerable talent to maintain a full-time writing career. Something of an oddity for any Australian writer but especially for one of his age. In recent years Tim Winton has become the patron of the Tim Winton Award for Young Writers which is sponsored by the City of Subiaco in Western Australia. Although a reluctant media performer, Winton appeared on the ABC TV program "Enough Rope" with Andrew Denton in 2004, and a transcript of the program is available. Tim Winton lives in Western Australia with his wife and three children.
Themes and Issues
Cloudstreet is best described as an exploration and celebration of life and what it means. Every character in the play experiences a personal journey; some are hard and long journeys whereas some are easy. Characters realise the importance of family and there place with in it, it illustrates a relationship between family and identity, they realise how an individual role within a family is considered to be of great importance. Many times throughout Cloudstreet it seems supernatural and not completely explained, I view this as Winton trying to represent that we as humans are not going to understand everything that happens in this world. Main themes presented are faith such as Pickles’ belief in luck, and the Lambs being ‘Godfearing people’), water is an important theme as a lot of significant events happen by water, family and dreams.
Context
Cloudstreet is set in and around Perth during the 1940s-50s, it tells a story of two rural families who suffer a series of unfortunate events and venture to the city in order to rebuild the shattered remains of their lives and begin anew. They all meet each