Paying tribute to trailblazing Australian playwright Ray Lawler
July 31, 2024
Vale Ray Lawler
We pay tribute to trailblazing Australian playwright, Copyright Agency member Ray Lawler, who recently passed away, aged 103.
Acknowledged as Australia’s most famous play, Ray wrote Summer of the Seventeeth Doll, and performed in its first production in 1955. After enormous success throughout Australia, the play subsequently travelled to London and New York, and was adapted for film. He was the first Australian playwright to appear in the international spotlight.
Considered radical at the time for its themes of mateship and portrayal of the Australian identity, and use of Australian vernacular, it set the benchmark for contemporary Australian theatre. Summer of the Seventeenth Doll is now a much-loved Australian classic and taught extensively in Australian schools.
Lawler’s other plays include Kid Stakes and Other Times (completing The Doll Trilogy in 1975), The Man Who Shot the Albatross (1971) and Godsend (1982). Having lived abroad from 1957, Lawler returned in 1975 to serve as Literary Adviser to the Melbourne Theatre Company and direct a number of productions for that company.
Ray was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1980 and the Oder of Australia (OA) in 2023. He will be remembered for the rich legacy of work he leaves behind. Our condolences to Ray’s family and friends.