Wednesday to Come
Wednesday to Come is the first play in a trilogy by New Zealand playwright Renée. The second play in the trilogy is Pass It On, and the third is Jeannie Once. The play follows the women of a family during the Depression in New Zealand.
Background
The first performance took place at Downstage Theatre in Wellington on 17 August 1984, directed by George Webby.[1]
Characters
- Granna – in her late seventies
- Mary – fifty-five
- Iris – thirty-four
- Cliff – fifteen
- Jeannie – thirteen
- Ted – thirty-six
- Molly – twenty-eight
- Dot – thirty-five
Synopsis
The play is set in early spring of 1934. It takes place in Mary's family house, halfway between Palmerston North and Wellington. Domestic tasks such as ironing, washing, dishwashing and cooking take place during the play. Granna, Iris, Mary, Jeannie and Cliff are in the kitchen, waiting for Ted to come home. He arrives with a coffin, and it becomes apparent that Ben has killed himself while working at a labour camp in the Great Depression.
Productions
| Location | Date | Crew | Cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downstage Theatre (Hannah Playhouse), Wellington | 17 August – 22 September 1984 | Director: George Webby
Designer: Janet Williamson Lighting: Stephen Blackburn |
Granna: Davina Whitehouse
Mary: Kate Harcourt Iris: Jane Waddell Jeannie: Lucy Sheehan Ted: Cliff Wood Molly: Michelle Leuthart Dot: Ruth Dudding |
| Court Theatre (Christchurch) | 3 November 1984 | Director: Alex Gilchrist
Designer: Tony Geddes |
Granna: Gwyneth Hughes
Mary: Judie Douglass Iris: Wickham Pack Jeannie: Eilish Moran Ted: John Curry Molly: Janet Fisher Dot: Yvonne Martin Cliff: Christian Boje |
| Theatre Corporate (Auckland) | 9/11/1984–22/12/1984 | Director: Sarah Peirse
Designer: John Parker Production Manager: Murray Lynch |
Granna: Yvonne Lawley
Mary: Dorothy McKegg Iris: Elizabeth Hawthorne Jeannie: Alison Bruce Cliff: Phillip Gordon Ted: Ross Duncan Molly: Vivienne Laube Dot: Teresa Woodham |
| Fortune Theatre (Dunedin) | 7/6/1985–29/6/1985 | Director: Lisa Warrington | Granna: Pamela Pow
Mary: Shirley Kelly Iris: Miranda Harcourt Jeannie: Hilary Halba Cliff: James Maclaurin Ted: Nic Farra Molly: Anne-Marie Speed Dot: Beverley Reid |
| Globe Theatre (Dunedin) | 4/6/1992–13/6/1992 | Director: Renée
Set design: Bruce Appleton Lighting design: Bruce Appleton Costume design: Maryanne Douglas |
Granna: Marion Coxhead
Mary: Mary Sutherland Iris: Bernadette Doolan Jeannie: Petka Dragonoff Cliff: Chris Holdsworth Ted: John Forman Alex Bolton, Belinda Meyer |
| Russell St Theatre (Melbourne) | 13/5/1993–12/6/1993[2] | Director: Janis Bolodis
Lighting design: Jamieson Lewis Designer: Trina Parker |
Granna: Iris Shand
Mary: Helen Tripp Iris: Robynne Bourne Jeannie: Shanti Gudgeon Cliff: Eugene Wheelahan Ted: Robert Menzies Molly: Christen O'Leary Dot: Beth Child |
| Downstage Theatre (Wellington) | 27/5/2005–25/6/2005 | Director: Geraldine Brophy
Costume design: John Senczuk Lighting design: Lisa Maule Set design: John Hodgkins |
Granna: Kate Harcourt
Mary: Jane Waddell Iris: Miranda Harcourt Jeannie: Ellen Simpson Ted: Jed Brophy Cliff: Michael Whalley Molly: Rachel More Dot: Katherine McRae |
| Circa Theatre (Wellington)[3] | 23/7/2022–20/8/2022 | Director: Erina Daniels
Set and lighting design: Natala Gwiazdzinski Costume design: Cara Louise Waretini Sound design: Maaka Phat |
Granna: Jane Waddell
Mary: Grace Hoete Iris: Neenah Dekkers-Reihana Jeannie: Mia van Oyen Ted: Jonny Potts Cliff: Reon Bell Molly: Hannah Kelly Dot: Amanda Noblett |
Amateur productions include
- Marlborough Repertory Society at the Boathouse Theatre (Blenheim), March 1987, directed by Pam Logan
- Te Awamutu Little Theatre, in April/May 1987, directed by David Broadhurst
- Globe Theatre, Dunedin, in 1995, directed by Hilary Halba
- Riccarton Players in Christchurch, in 2005, director by Doug Clarke
- Hutt Repertory in 2012, directed by Doug Buchanan
Response
Extracts from Wednesday to Come were included in A Country of Two Halves, and Whaddarya?, productions by Young and Hungry National Schools Tour, which appeared at BATS Theatre in Wellington and toured schools nationally in 2018, in July 2021 respectively.[4][5]
References
- Renée (2019). Wednesday to Come: Trilogy. Auckland. ISBN 978-1-7765-6213-8. Wikidata Q108043471.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - "Wednesday to Come". The Australian Life Performance Database. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- "Wednesday to Come". Circa Theatre. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- "PRODUCTION INFORMATION: A COUNTRY OF TWO HALVES - Theatreview". www.theatreview.org.nz. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- "PRODUCTION INFORMATION: WHADDARYA? - Theatreview". www.theatreview.org.nz. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.