''A Hard God'' is a semi-autobiographical play by

Peter Kenna Peter Joseph Kenna (18 March 193029 November 1987) was an Australian playwright, radio actor and screenwriter. He has been called "a quasi-legendary figure in Australian theatre, never quite fashionable, but never quite forgotten either." Biogra ...

.Leslie Rees, ''Australian Drama in the 1970s'', Angus & Robertson, 1978 p 192-194 The initial production starred Gloria Dawn, a vaudeville star who had been persuaded to appear in a "straight" role in Kenna's ''

The Slaughter of St Teresa's Day ''The Slaughter of St. Teresa's Day'' is a play by Australian author Peter Kenna. Plot Oola Maguire, a bookie, holds a party every St. Teresa's Day. The guests are the people she has quarreled with in the past year, and there is only one rule: F ...

''. The play was very popular and has come to be regarded as an Australian classic. It was published by

Currency Press Currency Press is a leading performing arts publisher and its oldest independent publisher still active. Their list includes plays and screenplays, professional handbooks, biographies, cultural histories, critical studies and reference works. H ...

in 1974.

Select Key Productions

*May–June 1974 -

Melbourne Theatre Company The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1953 as the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne, it is the oldest professional theatre com ...

in association with

Elizabethan Theatre Trust The Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust (AETT) is an Australian theatre and performing arts company based in Sydney established in 1954. It is today especially known for its music scholarship program. History The Australian Elizabethan Theatre ...

1974 Film

The

Nimrod Theatre ''Nimrod Theatre Company'' is an Australian theatre company. The Nimrod Theatre Company, commonly known as The Nimrod, was an Australian theatre company based in Sydney. It was founded in 1970 by Australian actors John Bell, Richard Wherret ...

version of the play was directed by John Bell. This was filmed by the ABC in 1974. Carl Shutlz directed the production, which had been done on stage under the direction of John Bell. It was one of a number of stage productions the ABC presented in the early 1970s along with ''Hamlet'', ''The Misanthrope'', and ''Spoiled''.

Cast

*James Bowles as Paddy * Gloria Dawn as Aggee * Gerry Duggan as Martin *Graham Rouse as Dan *Kay Elkund * Tony Sheldon as Joe *Andrew Sharp

1981 TV adaptation

The play was adapted for TV again by the ABC in 1981 for the

Australian Theatre Festival ''The Australian Theatre Festival'' was a series of adaptations of Australian plays filmed by the ABC in 1979-80 and first aired August 1980. Six plays were filmed first the first season at an estimated budget of $5,000 an episode. They aired on ...

Cast

* Patrick Phillips *

Betty Lucas Betty Helen Lucas (31 May 1924 – 7 April 2015), also known as Betty Lucas Peterson, was an Australian character actress and theatre director, known for her numerous roles on stage and television, starting from the post-WWII years in 1945. Ear ...

Simon Burke Simon Gareth Burke (born 8 October 1961) is an Australian actor, active in films, television and theatre. Biography Simon Burke began his career at the age of 12, starring in Michael Cove's ''Kookaburra'' (1974); a painful look at a dysfuncti ...

Dawn Lake Dawn Alice Lake (20 January 1927 – 1 January 2006) was an Australian television comedian, singer, entertainer, and actor whose career spanned more than 50 years. She was particularly associated in show business with her husband Bobby Limb ...

Martin Vaughan Martin Kevin Vaughan (5 June 1931 – October 2022) was an Australian stage, television and film actor and musician. He is best known for appearing in the film ''Phar Lap'' as trainer Harry Telford and the lead role in the award-winning 26-part ...

*Graham Rouse * Philippa Baker

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hard God, A 1970s Australian plays Autobiographical plays 1973 plays Australian plays adapted for television

Select Key Productions

1974 Film

Cast

1981 TV adaptation

Cast

See also

References