y separately published work icon The Survivors : A Modern Play in Four Acts single work   drama   - Four acts.
Issue Details: First known date: 1908... 1908 The Survivors : A Modern Play in Four Acts
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Production Details

  • World premiere produced, as part of History Week and supported by Macquarie University, at the Metcalfe Auditorium, State Library of New South Wales, 11 September 2008.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

First known date: 1908
      1908 .
      (Manuscript) assertion
      Note/s:
      • One of the two manuscripts held at the Mitchell Library is signed 'Miles Franklin, Shawondasee, August 1908'.

      Holdings

      Held at: Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW
      Location: ML MSS 6035/12

Works about this Work

Miles Franklin and 'The Survivors' Janet Lee , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Australian Literary Studies , May vol. 26 no. 1 2011; (p. 83-93)
Her Dramatic Career Joss Hedley , 2008 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 23-24 August 2008; (p. 16-17)
Jocelyn Hedley examines Miles Franklin's career as a playwright, focussing particularly on Franklin's play 'The Survivors'.
y separately published work icon The Unpublished Plays of Miles Franklin Joss Hedley , Sydney : 2007 16913171 2007 single work thesis

'With the publication of her novel, My Brilliant Career, in 1901, Miles Franklin became the darling of the Sydney literati. Great things were expected of the little girl from the bush. But five years later, nothing had eventuated; her talent, Miles thought, was barely recognised in Australia. In the hope of gaining greater writing opportunities, she shipped to Chicago where she became involved in social reform. It was hard work and ill paid, and though she bewailed the fact that it sapped her writing energy, she nonetheless felt a commitment to the cause such that she remained for almost a decade. In her spare time, though, she continued to write – and not just prose. More and more she wrote for the theatre, attempting to push into a world of which she had always dreamed. Blessed with a beautiful singing voice, she had long desired to be on the stage. This was impossible, though; her voice, she believed, had been ruined by bad training in her youth. To write for the stage, then, though a poor substitute, was at least in the field of her original ideal. Miles’ plays, though, are not remembered today, and are little thought of in scholarship, are considered, in fact, to have failed. This gives the false impression that they were always little thought of. Her correspondence, however, reveals that at least five of the plays were produced, indicating a certain level of success. Miles Franklin’s theatrical work, then, is surely worthy of further examination. This thesis looks at five of the plays in the light of Miles’ life and in the light of the society in which she found herself. In turn, it uses the plays to reveal something of the nature of the playwright herself and to show that Miles Franklin’s theatrical writing did not fail as once thought. In addition, it provides a complete bibliography of the plays (inclusive of locations), lists the duplications as they appear under alternate titles and provides synopses of a large number. This will make up for a gap in Miles Franklin scholarship and will facilitate other scholars in accessing the plays. This thesis, then, is an introduction to a new facet of Miles Franklin scholarship.'

Source: Abstract.

History and Mystery and Suffragettes on the Australian Stage : A Consideration of Women's Suffrage as Presented in Australian Theatre Susan Pfisterer , 2001 single work criticism
— Appears in: Siting the Other : Re-Visions of Marginality in Australian and English-Canadian Drama 2001; (p. 85-98)
Suffrage Theatre and Feminist Desire Susan Pfisterer , Carolyn Pickett , 1999 single work criticism
— Appears in: Playing with Ideas : Australian Women Playwrights from the Suffragettes to the Sixties 1999; (p. 34-63)
Her Dramatic Career Joss Hedley , 2008 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 23-24 August 2008; (p. 16-17)
Jocelyn Hedley examines Miles Franklin's career as a playwright, focussing particularly on Franklin's play 'The Survivors'.
Miles Franklin and 'The Survivors' Janet Lee , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Australian Literary Studies , May vol. 26 no. 1 2011; (p. 83-93)
History and Mystery and Suffragettes on the Australian Stage : A Consideration of Women's Suffrage as Presented in Australian Theatre Susan Pfisterer , 2001 single work criticism
— Appears in: Siting the Other : Re-Visions of Marginality in Australian and English-Canadian Drama 2001; (p. 85-98)
Suffrage Theatre and Feminist Desire Susan Pfisterer , Carolyn Pickett , 1999 single work criticism
— Appears in: Playing with Ideas : Australian Women Playwrights from the Suffragettes to the Sixties 1999; (p. 34-63)
y separately published work icon The Unpublished Plays of Miles Franklin Joss Hedley , Sydney : 2007 16913171 2007 single work thesis

'With the publication of her novel, My Brilliant Career, in 1901, Miles Franklin became the darling of the Sydney literati. Great things were expected of the little girl from the bush. But five years later, nothing had eventuated; her talent, Miles thought, was barely recognised in Australia. In the hope of gaining greater writing opportunities, she shipped to Chicago where she became involved in social reform. It was hard work and ill paid, and though she bewailed the fact that it sapped her writing energy, she nonetheless felt a commitment to the cause such that she remained for almost a decade. In her spare time, though, she continued to write – and not just prose. More and more she wrote for the theatre, attempting to push into a world of which she had always dreamed. Blessed with a beautiful singing voice, she had long desired to be on the stage. This was impossible, though; her voice, she believed, had been ruined by bad training in her youth. To write for the stage, then, though a poor substitute, was at least in the field of her original ideal. Miles’ plays, though, are not remembered today, and are little thought of in scholarship, are considered, in fact, to have failed. This gives the false impression that they were always little thought of. Her correspondence, however, reveals that at least five of the plays were produced, indicating a certain level of success. Miles Franklin’s theatrical work, then, is surely worthy of further examination. This thesis looks at five of the plays in the light of Miles’ life and in the light of the society in which she found herself. In turn, it uses the plays to reveal something of the nature of the playwright herself and to show that Miles Franklin’s theatrical writing did not fail as once thought. In addition, it provides a complete bibliography of the plays (inclusive of locations), lists the duplications as they appear under alternate titles and provides synopses of a large number. This will make up for a gap in Miles Franklin scholarship and will facilitate other scholars in accessing the plays. This thesis, then, is an introduction to a new facet of Miles Franklin scholarship.'

Source: Abstract.

Last amended 23 Sep 2008 12:08:25
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