Do Not Go Gentle... single work   drama   humour  
Date: 2023
Date: 2010
Issue Details: First known date: 2006... 2006 Do Not Go Gentle...
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

This play juxtaposes the journeys towards death of members of Robert Falcon Scott's Antarctic expedition with that of residents in an Australian nursing home.

Production Details

  • First produced at fortyfivedownstairs theatre, Melbourne, Victoria, 6 - 29 August 2010.

    Director: Julian Meyrick.

    Set for production by Malthouse Theatre, 10 July to 2 August 2020.

    Director: Susie Dee.

    Set and Costume Designer: Marg Horwell.

    Lighting Designer: Rachel Burke.

    Composer and Sound Designer: Kelly Ryall.

    Cast includes Shane Bourne, Julie Forsyth, and Brian Lipson.

    Production cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Malthouse production to be followed by production by Redline Productions at Old Fitz Theatre, 12 August - 12 September 2020.

    Director: Dino Dimitriadis.

    Status of the production unclear.

    Produced by Sydney Theatre Company at Roslyn Packer Theatre, 23 May - 17 June 2023.

    Director: Paige Rattray.

    Cast: John Bell, Peter Carroll, Vanessa Downing, John Gaden, and Brigid Zengeni.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

First known date: 2006
  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon Do Not Go Gentle and The Berry Man : Two Plays Patricia Cornelius , Strawberry Hills : Currency Press , 2011 Z1806591 2011 selected work drama (taught in 1 units)

    'In Do Not Go Gentle… Scott’s ill-fated Antarctic expedition is a metaphor for the elusive journey of five elderly people facing the final leg of their travels in an aged care facility. Scott’s passage across the Antarctic, as he confronts a landscape of ice and perilous weather, powerfully parallels their courage and inevitable defeat. Yet with unbroken spirit, this funny, angry, defiant group grapple with the big questions of life as they rage against the dying of the light. The Berry Man is a searing indictment of the consequences of war, with the humour and fragile, flawed characters that are a trademark of Cornelius’ writing.' (Publication summary)

         Strawberry Hills : Currency Press , 2011     pg. 1-63
VIEW PUBLICATION DETAILS FOR ALL VERSIONS ()

Works about this Work

The Undiscovered Country : Ageing and Dementia on Stage Richard Watts , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: ArtsHub , May 2023;
— Review of Do Not Go Gentle... Patricia Cornelius , 2006 single work drama

'Seventeen years after winning the Patrick White Playwrights Award, Patricia Cornelius’ ‘Do Not Go Gentle’ finally has its mainstage debut.' 
Theatre Review : Do Not Go Gentle, Roslyn Packer Theatre Anna Westbrook , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: ArtsHub , June 2023;
— Review of Do Not Go Gentle... Patricia Cornelius , 2006 single work drama
Do Not Go Gentle : Patricia Cornelius’s Marvel of a Play Clare Monagle , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , July no. 455 2023; (p. 62)
— Review of Do Not Go Gentle... Patricia Cornelius , 2006 single work drama

'Do Not Go Gentle, presented by the Sydney Theatre Company, is a marvel of a play, and this is a marvel of a production. Patricia Cornelius’s words, spoken by Scott of the Antarctic and his ragtag bunch of fellow travellers, are poetic, quixotic, trenchant, and potent. The liminal space offered by the ice and the snow of the setting takes the characters deep into their own psychic extremities. They become ruminative, playful, despairing, and libidinal as they encounter the limits of their physical and emotional capacities. They yearn for the ever-elusive South Pole, seeking to reach an end that promises liberation and obliteration.' (Introduction)   
[Review] Do Not Go Gentle Cassie Tongue , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 3-9 June 2023;
— Review of Do Not Go Gentle... Patricia Cornelius , 2006 single work drama

'The double reality staged in Do Not Go Gentle, Patricia Cornelius’s poetic exploration of ageing and dementia, brings the lives of the disenfranchised into sharp focus. By Cassie Tongue.'
Do Not Go Gentle Review – A Profound Exploration of Ageing and Dementia Steve Dow , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 28 May 2023;
— Review of Do Not Go Gentle... Patricia Cornelius , 2006 single work drama
A Truly Captivating Production Martin Ball , 2010 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 9 August 2010; (p. 19)
— Review of Do Not Go Gentle... Patricia Cornelius , 2006 single work drama
Untitled John Bailey , 2010 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 15 August 2010; (p. 19)
— Review of Do Not Go Gentle... Patricia Cornelius , 2006 single work drama
The Poeetry of Age in An Uncertain World Alison Croggon , 2010 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian , 9 August 2010; (p. 17)
— Review of Do Not Go Gentle... Patricia Cornelius , 2006 single work drama
Do Not Go Gentle Review – A Profound Exploration of Ageing and Dementia Steve Dow , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 28 May 2023;
— Review of Do Not Go Gentle... Patricia Cornelius , 2006 single work drama
[Review] Do Not Go Gentle Cassie Tongue , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 3-9 June 2023;
— Review of Do Not Go Gentle... Patricia Cornelius , 2006 single work drama

'The double reality staged in Do Not Go Gentle, Patricia Cornelius’s poetic exploration of ageing and dementia, brings the lives of the disenfranchised into sharp focus. By Cassie Tongue.'
Prize Winner That May Not Be Staged Neil Pigot , 2007 single work column
— Appears in: The Age , 16 August 2007;
Worth the Wait Robin Usher , 2009 single work column
— Appears in: The Age , 17 November 2009; (p. 14)
Play No Sentimental Journey for this Assembly of Stayers John Bailey , 2010 single work column
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 25 July 2010; (p. 7)
Election Dramas Michael Connor , 2010 single work criticism
— Appears in: Quadrant , October vol. 54 no. 10 2010; (p. 100-103)
Triple Treat a Possibility for Playwright Robin Usher , 2011 single work column
— Appears in: The Age , 2 August 2011; (p. 15)
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Awards

VIEW ALL AWARDS (8)
Last amended 19 Oct 2022 11:13:59
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