What makes a classic in Australia? This book evaluates Australian mainstream classic drama as an action - to classic. This complex practice animates program choice, casting and staging, audience reception and critical response. It involves a sensation of classic, a socio-cultural phenomenon that can be tracked through the analysis of theatre productions. Six productions over four case studies, archival research and interviews with key artists elucidate the classic-ing practice. These classic performances are resonant with postcolonial associations, and act as reflection of the settler condition.

Auteur

Susan McClements Wyss currently works in Switzerland as a writer, translator, and teacher. She completed her PhD in 2023 at the University of Cologne, Germany and Flinders University, South Australia. Susan moved to Switzerland in 2003, where she completed her MA in Theatre Studies at the University of Bern and worked in various independent arts projects. Before this move, Susan had a long career in Melbourne, Australia as an artistic director, actor, and theatre maker, in marketing and sponsorship development and in public arts funding.