y separately published work icon Edge single work   drama  
Issue Details: First known date: 1994... 1994 Edge
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

Edge is the dramatised true story of the wreck of the Dutch ship Batavia on the Abrohlos atolls off the coast of Western Australia in 1628. In this dramatic and entertaining play, hailed by one reviewer as his "play of the year", events unfold against a background of religious millenarianism, or "end of the world" fervor. Three hundred men, women and children were marooned. In the absence of their commander, thirty men belonging to a Christian cult men took control and massacred a hundred and twenty five others. The remaining women were taken as concubines. These events are seen through the eyes of a young Dutch woman who was forced to "wed" the charismatic leader of the mutineers. Her experiences lead her to lose all belief in God and any human purpose other than survival. The play is of great relevance to audiences at the end of the twentieth century. It is also presented with considerable dark humour and is a testament to the stubborn persistence of the irrepressible human spirit.

Edge was originally performed on 1 November 1994 with a cast of three actors on the wreck of the Batavia, now in the Fremantle Maritime Museum.

[Source: David Spicer Productuons]

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

First known date: 1994

Works about this Work

How the West was Really Won Victoria Laurie , 1994 single work review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 6 December vol. 116 no. 5949 1994; (p. 108-109)

— Review of Edge Graham Pitts , 1994 single work drama
Theatre Gareth Griffiths , 1994 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian , 25 November 1994; (p. 18)

— Review of Edge Graham Pitts , 1994 single work drama
Just Four Hands on Deck for Massacre Ron Banks , 1994 single work review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 21 November 1994; (p. 5)

— Review of Edge Graham Pitts , 1994 single work drama
Deck Chair's Flouring after Drought Ron Banks , 1994 single work criticism
— Appears in: The West Australian , 14 February 1994; (p. 4)
Just Four Hands on Deck for Massacre Ron Banks , 1994 single work review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 21 November 1994; (p. 5)

— Review of Edge Graham Pitts , 1994 single work drama
Theatre Gareth Griffiths , 1994 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian , 25 November 1994; (p. 18)

— Review of Edge Graham Pitts , 1994 single work drama
How the West was Really Won Victoria Laurie , 1994 single work review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 6 December vol. 116 no. 5949 1994; (p. 108-109)

— Review of Edge Graham Pitts , 1994 single work drama
Deck Chair's Flouring after Drought Ron Banks , 1994 single work criticism
— Appears in: The West Australian , 14 February 1994; (p. 4)
Last amended 5 Jun 2012 07:27:36
Subjects:
  • Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Dongara - Geraldton - Northampton area, Southwest Western Australia, Western Australia,
Settings:
  • 1620s
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