AQA GCSE Drama Student Book: Revised Edition

SET PLAY 3: Things I Know to be True by Andrew Bovell 3 Context Things I Know to be True is set in a contemporary working-class Australian suburb . This context will in uence your understanding of the play and the possibilities for its design. The play was written by award-winning Australian writer Andrew Bovell, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the popular 1992 lm Strictly Ballroom . Bovell began working on the script in June 2014. The premiere was in Australia in May 2016. The play is set in a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, and deals with many issues recognisable to an Australian audience, from the younger generation’s urge to travel abroad to the familiar barbeque ‘most Sundays’ and the garden being central to family life. However, the original directors also realised that the play addressed universal concerns. For example, many countries suffered under the nancial crisis of 2007–08 and the subsequent loss of factory jobs. This had a profound effect on the lives of working- and middle-class families. The tensions between the generations and the rivalries within the family are also widely recognisable themes. Parents around the world have made sacri ces to give their children advantages they did not have themselves only to realise that their children have different hopes and plans. The co-director Scott Graham has written that the play is about ‘family, love, loss and dreams that are exposed to be nothing more than that’ ( Things I Know to be True Comprehensive Guide ). The play is set in Hallett Cove. It has a reputation for being a safe, comfortable place to live, popular with families and retired people. Houses here are usually single storey with generous gardens. In the script, Bovell describes the setting as ‘not unlike any other working-class suburb… in the Western world’. Bob’s dream is that their children will settle down near them and have lives which are ‘better versions of us’. Bob left school at 16, never travelled abroad and worked most of his life for the same company. His children have been given more opportunities in terms of education and travel, but, despite their advantages, are dissatis ed. Over the course of the play, three of the four children move away. Mark/Mia relocates to Sydney, 1162 km from Adelaide, Rosie goes to Brisbane, over 2100km by road, and Pip leaves Australia entirely for Canada. Cars are the main means of transport, which is re ected in the discussions about the best roads to take and whether to call home for a lift or take a taxi. Car manufacturing was once an important industry in Australia, but by 2009, production had drastically reduced and most cars now are foreign imports. Bob is made redundant from his job at a car factory, where part of his nal deal was a car at cost ‘and a bit more’. He is irritated by Ben buying an expensive European car. The action of the play takes place over approximately a year, the seasons appearing in most of the section titles. The climate in Adelaide is pleasant most of the year. The Australian summer is December to February. Winter is June to August. As the weather is usually warm, lighter fabrics, such as cotton, are often worn. The stereotype of Australian fashion is very casual, such as shorts and ip- ops, but those working in the city and most other jobs would dress more formally. Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane Sydney Adelaide Brisbane 75 SECTION B STUDY OF A SET PLAY