| The Department | |
| Premiere: | 15 November 1974 |
| Place: | The Playhouse Adelaide |
| Orig Lang: | English |
The Department is a 1974 play by David Williamson about political intrigue at a university department.[1] It was based on Williamson's time as a lecturer at Swinburne Tech.[2]
Williamson wrote it for the South Australian Theatre Company. It premiered in 1974 at the opening of a new playhouse, then transferred to Melbourne and Sydney.[3]
"There are a lot of issues raised in the play but I offer no solution for them," said Williamson. "I don't know what the solutions are."[4]
| Series: | Australian Theatre Festival |
| Director: | Brian Bell |
| Based On: | the play by David Williamson |
| Length: | 65 minutes |
The play was adapted into a TV movie in 1980 which was produced by Noel Ferrier as part of the Australian Theatre Festival.[5] [6]
The Canberra Times called it "a poorly constructed exercise".[7]
The Age called it "a success... some remarkable goods."[8] Another reviewer from that paper called it "an excellent production".[9]
A critic from The Sydney Morning Herald said "it's a long time since I've seen a better sustained performance in a locally produced TV play."[10]
Jack Hibberd, whose play A Toast of Melba was also filmed as part of the Festival, called it 'dreary, mundane. Awesomely so. I'm not impressed by that 'slice of life' realism style. It's just theatrical journalism."[11]