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y separately published work icon Nearer the Gods single work   drama  
Issue Details: First known date: 2018... 2018 Nearer the Gods
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Isaac Newton’s laws of motion are the foundation of countless human advancements. This is the story of how one of the greatest moments of scientific illumination almost didn’t happen. 

'It’s 1684, the dawn of the Enlightenment. Bright young astronomer Edmund Halley must somehow wrangle the secrets of the universe from the brain of fickle and contrary Isaac Newton. At the same time he must wrestle with his faith and risk his home, family and reputation to find the money and means to share this beautiful, powerful theory with the world at large. 

'For all the celestial bodies and scientific laws named after them, it’s easy to think of our 17th Century giants of science as infallible geniuses. But here are our most powerful minds laid bare: riddled with self-doubt, squabbling over fame, and ensconced in bitter intellectual rivalries.'

Source: Queensland Theatre Company.

Notes

  • Additional awards:

    Best Lighting Design (won), Matilda Awards, 2018.

Production Details

  • Produced by the Queensland Theatre Company in the Bille Brown Theatre, 6 October to 3 November 2018.

    Director: Sam Strong.

    Cast includes Matthew Backer, William McInnes, Rhys Muldoon, Daniel Murphy, Hugh Parker, Colin Smith, Lucas Stibbard, Hsiao-Ling Tang. 

    Designer: Renée Mulder.

    Composer/Sound Designer:​​ Steve Francis.

    Lighting Designer: David Walters.

    Dramaturgy: Julian Meyrick.


    Set to be presented by Ensemble Theatre, 5 November - 24 December 2021.

    Director: Janine Watson.

    Cast includes Deborah An, Rowan Davie, Mandela Mathia, Sean O'Shea, and Sam O'Sullivan.

    Production postponed, but not intially cancelled, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.


    Rescheduled for production by Ensemble Theatre, 4 March to 23 April 2022.

    Director: Janine Watson.

    Cast: Violette Ayad, Rowan Davie, Gareth Davies, Mandela Mathia, Kenneth Moraleda, Sean O'Shea, and Sam O'Sullivan.

    Assistant Director: Rachel Chant.

    Set & Costume Designer: Hugh O'Connor.

    Lighting Designer: Verity Hampson.

    Composer & Sound Designer: Mary Rapp.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

First known date: 2018
  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon David Williamson : Collected Plays. Volume V David Williamson , Strawberry Hills : Currency Press , 2019 17278047 2019 selected work drama

    'Australia’s most well-known playwright, David Williamson, returns with four new plays—three comedies that demonstrate his continued skill at tapping into the zeitgeist, alongside a sweeping historical drama.

    'In Nearer the Gods, Williamson brilliantly recreates Sir Isaac Newton’s battle with the Royal Society to prove his astonishing universal theory of gravity. In Sorting Out Rachel Williamson steps onto fertile ground with a social comedy about legacy, greed, entitlement and making good on past relationships. In The Big Time best friends are put to the test in a satirical comedy set in the celebrity world of TV, film and theatre. In Odd Man Out a couple navigate the emotional terrain of a new relationship, which turns out to be less typical than either of them expect.' 

    (Publication summary)

    Strawberry Hills : Currency Press , 2019
    • Strawberry Hills, Inner Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales,: Currency Press , 2019 .
      image of person or book cover 7976477750121738872.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Note/s:
      • Published 4th December 2019. 
      ISBN: 9781760623241

Works about this Work

Theatre Review : Nearer the Gods, Ensemble Christina Donoghue , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: ArtsHub , March 2022;

— Review of Nearer the Gods David Williamson , 2018 single work drama

'A squabble between scientific giants makes for entertaining theatre.'

Theatre Review : Nearer the Gods, Ensemble Christina Donoghue , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: ArtsHub , March 2022;

— Review of Nearer the Gods David Williamson , 2018 single work drama

'A squabble between scientific giants makes for entertaining theatre.'

Last amended 8 Nov 2021 16:03:08
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