Summer of the Aliens
Encyclopedia
Summer of the Aliens is a semi-autobiographical, 1990s play written by Louis Nowra
. The play is an often humorous, unsentimental coming-of-age story about a 14-year-old boy, Lewis, who is obsessed with flying saucers, UFO abductions and imagines aliens are invading the earth.
It was first written as a radio play and won the 1990 Prix Italia for Fiction (as an ABC radio play). It was first broadcast on 30 October 1989. Louis Nowra adapted it for the stage. The version published by Currency Press
is for the theatre.
Lewis world changes forever when his itinerant father, Eric, suddenly returns home, and Lewis discovers Dulcie's heartbreaking secret. The three-act play is set in 1962, the year of the Cuban missile crisis
.
In the first scene, the narrator states the action takes place in the summer of 1962.
Also in a foreword to the published play, the author states:
"The landscape of the play is recognisably Fawkner, a suburb to the north of Melbourne."
Louis Nowra grew up in Fawkner, as he states in his memoir, "The Twelfth of Never".
Narrator - the older Lewis;
Lewis - 14 years old;
Dulcie - Lewis' best friend, 14 years old;
Norma - Lewis' mother;
Eric - Lewis' father;
Uncle Richard - Lewis' uncle;
Bev - Lewis' sister;
Grandma - Lewis' grandmother;
Mr Irvin - Dulcie's stepfather;
Mrs Irvin - Dulcie's mother;
Beatrice - a Dutch girl;
Mr Pisano - the postman;
Brian - Lewis' friend;
Japanese woman.
' The Glass Menagerie
, as the narrator's recollections of his adolescence are the basis for the action of the play. In various productions of Summer of the Aliens, both the adult Lewis (the narrator) and young Lewis can be seen on stage at the same time, and at the end both the adult Lewis and young Lewis briefly interact with each other.
Celebrated Irish playwright Brian Friel
, is also noted for his "memory plays".
In a foreword to the published play, the author writes:
"This play is a black hole of fiction, surrounded by a halo of truth. It has many autographical elements and although there are many factual and chronological discrepancies, I have tried to keep true to the emotional chronology of my youth... memory is remembered emotion, not facts."
But as the people in Lewis' life change, he copes with his confusion by pretending aliens have invaded their bodies. The play follows Lewis' journey as he comes to grips with human nature - in all its forms - and its capacity for cruelty and prejudice, resilience and joy, and most of all, love.
References throughout the play to the Cold War
and anxieties of the time about territorial invasion serve as a fitting historical backdrop.
who played Brian. The first production was directed by Nadia Tass
, perhaps best known for her 1986 cult classic, Malcolm
.
Louis Nowra was the narrator of the premiere production of Summer of the Aliens.
Pty Ltd in 1992, and reprinted in 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2000. The published play contains a five-page foreword by the author titled "I was a Teenage Alien" which provides some background about how the work came to written.
Louis Nowra
Louis Nowra is an Australian writer, playwright, screenwriter and librettist.He is best known as one of Australia's leading playwrights...
. The play is an often humorous, unsentimental coming-of-age story about a 14-year-old boy, Lewis, who is obsessed with flying saucers, UFO abductions and imagines aliens are invading the earth.
It was first written as a radio play and won the 1990 Prix Italia for Fiction (as an ABC radio play). It was first broadcast on 30 October 1989. Louis Nowra adapted it for the stage. The version published by Currency Press
Currency Press
Currency Press is Australia's only specialist 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....
is for the theatre.
Synopsis
Lewis lives in a housing commission suburb on the outskirts of the city, Melbourne with his single mother, sister, and grandmother, who is rapidly approaching senility. Lewis' obsessions with aliens masks his own adolescent confusion about the changing world around him. His best friend is local tomboy, Dulcie, a spirited though troubled young woman who has her own confusions about womanhood. Meanwhile, Lewis' friend, Brian, can only think of losing his virginity.Lewis world changes forever when his itinerant father, Eric, suddenly returns home, and Lewis discovers Dulcie's heartbreaking secret. The three-act play is set in 1962, the year of the Cuban missile crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
.
Setting
The Currency Press publication of the script states the play is set in "A Housing Commission Estate in the paddocks or northern Melbourne in the early sixties".In the first scene, the narrator states the action takes place in the summer of 1962.
Also in a foreword to the published play, the author states:
"The landscape of the play is recognisably Fawkner, a suburb to the north of Melbourne."
Louis Nowra grew up in Fawkner, as he states in his memoir, "The Twelfth of Never".
Characters
The full list of characters and cast are as follows:Narrator - the older Lewis;
Lewis - 14 years old;
Dulcie - Lewis' best friend, 14 years old;
Norma - Lewis' mother;
Eric - Lewis' father;
Uncle Richard - Lewis' uncle;
Bev - Lewis' sister;
Grandma - Lewis' grandmother;
Mr Irvin - Dulcie's stepfather;
Mrs Irvin - Dulcie's mother;
Beatrice - a Dutch girl;
Mr Pisano - the postman;
Brian - Lewis' friend;
Japanese woman.
Structure
The play is in three acts, with act one consisting of nine scenes, act two made up of 11 scenes and act comprising eight scenes. Summer of the Aliens can be described as a "memory play" in the tradition of Tennessee WilliamsTennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
' The Glass Menagerie
The Glass Menagerie
The Glass Menagerie is a four-character memory play by Tennessee Williams. Williams worked on various drafts of the play prior to writing a version of it as a screenplay for MGM, to whom Williams was contracted...
, as the narrator's recollections of his adolescence are the basis for the action of the play. In various productions of Summer of the Aliens, both the adult Lewis (the narrator) and young Lewis can be seen on stage at the same time, and at the end both the adult Lewis and young Lewis briefly interact with each other.
Celebrated Irish playwright Brian Friel
Brian Friel
Brian Friel is an Irish dramatist, author and director of the Field Day Theatre Company. He is considered to be the greatest living English-language dramatist, hailed by the English-speaking world as an "Irish Chekhov" and "the universally accented voice of Ireland"...
, is also noted for his "memory plays".
Themes
The play largely focuses on adolescent issues, but is meant for an adult audience. Themes include sexuality, gender, prejudice, cultural identity and the relationship between memory and personal identity. The latter theme is evidenced by Eric, the protagonist's father, whose recollections of the past are questionable, and Lewis' grandmother, who is losing her memory. In addition, the play is narrated by the adult Lewis.In a foreword to the published play, the author writes:
"This play is a black hole of fiction, surrounded by a halo of truth. It has many autographical elements and although there are many factual and chronological discrepancies, I have tried to keep true to the emotional chronology of my youth... memory is remembered emotion, not facts."
Significance of the title
The protagonist is hooked on sci-fi and enjoys fantasising that aliens have taken over the world by stealth. Initially, Lewis and his best friend, Dulcie, play games of make-believe involving scenarios of alien-invasion.But as the people in Lewis' life change, he copes with his confusion by pretending aliens have invaded their bodies. The play follows Lewis' journey as he comes to grips with human nature - in all its forms - and its capacity for cruelty and prejudice, resilience and joy, and most of all, love.
References throughout the play to the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and anxieties of the time about territorial invasion serve as a fitting historical backdrop.
Premiere
The 1992 premiere by the Melbourne Theatre Company was performed by a number of actors who have since established themselves as veterans of Australia's theatre and television industry including Tamblyn Lord who played Lewis, Genevieve Picot who played Norma and Vince ColosimoVince Colosimo
Vincenzo Colosimo is an Australian AFI Award winning stage, television and screen actor. He has worked in both Australia and the United States.-Personal life:...
who played Brian. The first production was directed by Nadia Tass
Nadia Tass
Nadia Tass is a film director, producer and actress, originally from Macedonia, northern Greece, who moved to Australia in the 1960s. She began her career as an actress appearing in the television series Prisoner. Ms...
, perhaps best known for her 1986 cult classic, Malcolm
Malcolm
Malcolm, Máel Coluim, or Maol Choluim may refer to:-Nobility:* Máel Coluim, Earl of Atholl, Mormaer of Atholl between 1153/9 and the 1190s* Máel Coluim I of Strathclyde, ruler of the Kingdom of Strathclyde...
.
Louis Nowra was the narrator of the premiere production of Summer of the Aliens.
Publication
The play was first published by Currency PressCurrency Press
Currency Press is Australia's only specialist 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....
Pty Ltd in 1992, and reprinted in 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2000. The published play contains a five-page foreword by the author titled "I was a Teenage Alien" which provides some background about how the work came to written.