Russell J. Oakes - Woolgathering: An Original Three-Act Farce

Brief description

Russell J. Oake's Woolgathering: An Original Three-Act Farce forms part of the Campbell Howard Collection of Australian Plays in Manuscript, a resource that provides a unique body of research material concerning Australian drama of the period 1920–55.

Full description

Play Length: Three Acts
Synopsis: Kathleen Rawlins invites a party of people to visit her brother's station and pretend to be buyers, so as to get a better price out of Perry, a potential buyer, at auction. The psychic Phoebe Trelawney comes also, pretending to look for gold on the station by means of dowsing. After a great deal of knock-about humour, including an unconvincing impersonation by Gavin of a La Paz rancher and the fake manifestation of a unquiet spirit, Fenway decides not to sell the station after all and he and Ilma fall in love.
Setting:
I Room in Dennis' Beachside Flat. Afternoon of an early spring day.
II.i Sitting room of the Homestead at Curradurrabubulla. Late afternoon a few days later.
II.ii Verandah of the homestead. Two weeks later. Afternoon.
III The same. The same night.
Characters:
ILMA WRIGHT
DENNIS FROWLEY, her cousin
GAVIN COURTNEY
KATHLEEN RAWLINS
HELEN FABER
MRS PHOEBE TRELAWNEY, a psychic woman
FENWAY RAWLINS, Kathleen's brother
MR ALEC PERRY JACK, an Aboriginal rouseabout

Notes

NUNE: Campbell Howard Collection.

Details for description taken from the Campbell Howard Annotated Index of Australian Plays 1920-1955, compiled and edited by Jack Bedson and Julian Croft.