Writers are often the least good authorities on what they write.
Sometimes it is years later that you recognise what sparked a play,
where the themes came from that built it and what its meaning
is.
I am currently buried in Furyand the various themes of
the play are pushing me like currents. I can feel the power of
them, without necessarily understanding what they mean.
What I do know is that the play is, in fact, driven by a kind of
furious energy. Its questions are like flames, all jostling for
position at the heart of the drama: how much do we control our
children and how much do our children control us? What happens to
the ferocity of youth as we grow older? How do the children of
radicals define themselves against their parents? Is radicalism
inherited or a rite of passage that belongs more to youth itself
than to genes? How do we forgive the actions of those who commit
terrible acts in their youth? Is it forgiveness that makes for a
civilised society or is it the resolute determination of memory
that never forgets the past that never allows us to forget which
keeps justice alive?
At the heart of Furyis the story of one small family
that, until the play opens, believes it itself and its goodness. By
the end of the story, that faith has been transplanted by the
awareness that truth always wins and survival is not so much about
disguising ourselves as accepting ourselves.
I hope the play is angry, persistent, provocative, heart-breaking
and funny and I can't wait to feel the energy of the play lift off
and explode in Wharf 1."
Joanna Murray-Smith, Playwright
Fury, Wharf 1, 19 April - 8 June, 2013.
Feature: The roots of Fury
Date posted: 7 Sep 2012Author: STC