Don's Party
Encyclopedia
Don's Party is a 1971 play by David Williamson
set during the 1969 Australian federal election
. The film based on the play was entered into the 27th Berlin International Film Festival
.
. On the night of the 1969 federal election Don invites a small group of friends to celebrate a predicted Australian Labor Party
(ALP) election victory, much to the dismay of his wife. To the party come Mal, Don’s university mentor, and his bitter wife Jenny, sex-obsessed Cooley and his latest girlfriend, nineteen-year-old Susan, Evan, a dentist, and his beautiful artist wife Kerry. Somehow, two Liberal supporters, Simon and Jody also come.
As the party wears on it becomes clear that the ALP, who are supported by Don and most of the guests, are not winning. As a result the drinking goes up a few notches, and the sniping between Don and his male friends about their failed aspirations gets uglier, as does their behaviour toward the women. Mack, a design engineer whose wife has just left him, pulls out a nude photo of her for his friends' approval. Crass womaniser Cooley pursues the available women. The disillusioned wives exchange tales of their husbands' subpar sexual performance. By the end of the night, Don and some of his friends have begun to grasp the emptiness of their compromised lives.
. John Hargreaves plays Don Henderson with Jeanie Drynan
as Don's wife Kath. Ray Barrett
plays Mal, Don's mentor, and Pat Bishop
is his wife. Graham Kennedy
plays Mack, Graeme Blundell
is the repressed Australian Liberal Party supporter and Veronica Lang his obedient wife. Candy Raymond
is an attractive and assertive artist and Kit Taylor is her uptight and possessive partner. Cooley is played by Harold Hopkins
and his young girlfriend Susan is played by Claire Binney.
In the film the setting is relocated to the suburb of Westleigh in the northern suburbs of Sydney
. The film also deviates from the stage version by increasing the level of profanity and contains full frontal nudity. Pat Bishop won the Best Leading Actress award, Veronica Lang won the Best Supporting Actress, Bruce Beresford won the Best Direction award, David Williamson won the Best screenplay award, and the film won the edit and sound award.
The video clip
to You Am I
's 1998 single
"What I Don't Know 'bout You
" is a tribute to 'Don's Party'. It features classic scenes from the movie re-enacted by noted Australian actors, including Stephen Curry, Ben Mendelsohn
, Matt Day
, Tania Lacy
and Nadine Garner
.
. Directed by Robyn Nevin
, this sequel premiered on January 13, 2011 at the Arts Centre Playhouse.
Don Parties On revisits many of the original characters as Don and Kath throw another party on the night of the 2010 Australian federal election. The relationships between the returning characters have changed, and there are also new characters: Cooley's wife Helen, Don and Kath's son Richard, Richard's lover Roberta, and his daughter Belle.
David Williamson
David Keith Williamson AO is one of Australia's best-known playwrights. He has also written screenplays and teleplays.-Biography:...
set during the 1969 Australian federal election
Australian federal election, 1969
Federal elections were held in Australia on 25 October 1969. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Prime Minister of Australia John Gorton with coalition partner the Country Party led by John McEwen defeated the Australian...
. The film based on the play was entered into the 27th Berlin International Film Festival
27th Berlin International Film Festival
The 27th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 24 to July 5, 1977.-Jury:* Senta Berger * Ellen Burstyn* Helène Vager* Rainer Werner Fassbinder* Derek Malcolm* Andrej Michaolkow-Kontschalowski* Ousmane Sembène...
.
Plot
Don Henderson is a schoolteacher living with his wife Kath and baby son in suburban MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. On the night of the 1969 federal election Don invites a small group of friends to celebrate a predicted Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
(ALP) election victory, much to the dismay of his wife. To the party come Mal, Don’s university mentor, and his bitter wife Jenny, sex-obsessed Cooley and his latest girlfriend, nineteen-year-old Susan, Evan, a dentist, and his beautiful artist wife Kerry. Somehow, two Liberal supporters, Simon and Jody also come.
As the party wears on it becomes clear that the ALP, who are supported by Don and most of the guests, are not winning. As a result the drinking goes up a few notches, and the sniping between Don and his male friends about their failed aspirations gets uglier, as does their behaviour toward the women. Mack, a design engineer whose wife has just left him, pulls out a nude photo of her for his friends' approval. Crass womaniser Cooley pursues the available women. The disillusioned wives exchange tales of their husbands' subpar sexual performance. By the end of the night, Don and some of his friends have begun to grasp the emptiness of their compromised lives.
Film version
The play was adapted to a 1976 film by the playwright and directed by Bruce BeresfordBruce Beresford
Bruce Beresford is an Australian film director who has made more than 30 feature films over a 40-year career.-Early life:...
. John Hargreaves plays Don Henderson with Jeanie Drynan
Jeanie Drynan
Jeanie Dryan is an Australian film and television actress well known for her roles in the Australian television series Class of '74 and in the 1994 film Muriel's Wedding.-Career:...
as Don's wife Kath. Ray Barrett
Ray Barrett
Raymond Charles "Ray" Barrett was an Australian actor. He was one of the more popular leading men on British television in the 1960s, where he was best known for his appearances in The Troubleshooters . Back in Australia he was a leading man in many TV series over the years.-Biography:Barrett was...
plays Mal, Don's mentor, and Pat Bishop
Pat Bishop
Pat Bishop was an actress noted for her performances in Australian theatre, film and television.She received an Australian Film Institute award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her representation of Jenny in the 1976 film Don's Party.Bishop also appeared frequently on television, with...
is his wife. Graham Kennedy
Graham Kennedy
Graham Cyril Kennedy, AO was an Australian radio, television and film performer, often called Gra Gra and The King of Australian television.-Childhood:...
plays Mack, Graeme Blundell
Graeme Blundell
Graeme Blundell is an Australian actor, director, producer, writer and biographer.Blundell was born in Melbourne; he grew up in Clifton Hill, a suburb of Melbourne...
is the repressed Australian Liberal Party supporter and Veronica Lang his obedient wife. Candy Raymond
Candy Raymond
Candida Raymond is an Australian actress active in film during the 1970s and early 1980s. she attended St Ives High School in Sydney. She is the sister of actress Victoria Raymond....
is an attractive and assertive artist and Kit Taylor is her uptight and possessive partner. Cooley is played by Harold Hopkins
Harold Hopkins
Harold Horace Hopkins FRS was a renowned British physicist. His Wave Theory of Aberrations, , is central to all modern optical design and provides the mathematical analysis which enables the use of computers to create the wealth of high quality lenses available today...
and his young girlfriend Susan is played by Claire Binney.
In the film the setting is relocated to the suburb of Westleigh in the northern suburbs of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. The film also deviates from the stage version by increasing the level of profanity and contains full frontal nudity. Pat Bishop won the Best Leading Actress award, Veronica Lang won the Best Supporting Actress, Bruce Beresford won the Best Direction award, David Williamson won the Best screenplay award, and the film won the edit and sound award.
The video clip
Video clip
Video clips are short clips of video, usually part of a longer recording. The term is also more loosely used to mean any short video less than the length of a traditional television program.- On the Internet :...
to You Am I
You Am I
You Am I are an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by vocalist/guitarist and main songwriter Tim Rogers. They were the first Australian band to have three albums successively debut at #1 on the ARIA Charts, and are renowned for their live performances.-History:Tim Rogers formed the first...
's 1998 single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"What I Don't Know 'bout You
What I Don't Know 'bout You
"What I Don't Know 'bout You" is the first single from the album #4 Record by Australian rock band You Am I. It was released in 1998 and reached number 23 on the Australian charts, the band's highest chart position at that time....
" is a tribute to 'Don's Party'. It features classic scenes from the movie re-enacted by noted Australian actors, including Stephen Curry, Ben Mendelsohn
Ben Mendelsohn
Paul Benjamin "Ben" Mendelsohn is an Australian actor.-Early life:Mendelsohn was born in Melbourne, Australia, the son of Carole Ann and Frederick Mendelsohn. He attended Heidelberg Primary School and Banyule High School. His father is a prominent medical researcher who heads the Howard Florey...
, Matt Day
Matt Day
Matthew "Matt" Day is an Australian actor best known for his film and television roles.-Early life and career:Matt Day was born in Melbourne in 1971...
, Tania Lacy
Tania lacy
Tania Jane Lacy is an Australian comedian. She currently lives in Melbourne, Victoria with her spouse Ole Sturm, whom she married in Los Angeles in 2000. They have a son Per, who was born in December 2005....
and Nadine Garner
Nadine Garner
Nadine Lynette Garner is an Australian actress.-Biography:Garner first came to public attention in 1985, as Tamara Henderson in the Australian TV series, The Henderson Kids, and then in her debut film The Still Point...
.
Cast
- Ray BarrettRay BarrettRaymond Charles "Ray" Barrett was an Australian actor. He was one of the more popular leading men on British television in the 1960s, where he was best known for his appearances in The Troubleshooters . Back in Australia he was a leading man in many TV series over the years.-Biography:Barrett was...
as Mal - Clare Binney as Susan, Cooley's 19-year old girlfriend
- Pat BishopPat BishopPat Bishop was an actress noted for her performances in Australian theatre, film and television.She received an Australian Film Institute award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her representation of Jenny in the 1976 film Don's Party.Bishop also appeared frequently on television, with...
, who was awarded the AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, as Jenny, Mal's wife - Graeme BlundellGraeme BlundellGraeme Blundell is an Australian actor, director, producer, writer and biographer.Blundell was born in Melbourne; he grew up in Clifton Hill, a suburb of Melbourne...
as Simon, a Liberal supporter - Jeanie DrynanJeanie DrynanJeanie Dryan is an Australian film and television actress well known for her roles in the Australian television series Class of '74 and in the 1994 film Muriel's Wedding.-Career:...
as Kath Henderson, Don's wife - John Hargreaves as Don Henderson
- Harold Hopkins as Cooley
- Graham KennedyGraham KennedyGraham Cyril Kennedy, AO was an Australian radio, television and film performer, often called Gra Gra and The King of Australian television.-Childhood:...
as Mack - Veronica Lang, who was awarded the AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, as Jody, a Liberal supporter
- Candy RaymondCandy RaymondCandida Raymond is an Australian actress active in film during the 1970s and early 1980s. she attended St Ives High School in Sydney. She is the sister of actress Victoria Raymond....
as Kerry - Kit Taylor as Evan
- John Grey Gorton as himself (Prime Minister of Australia 1968-1971)
Box Office
Don's Party grossed $871,000 at the box office in Australia, which is equivalent to $4,503,070 in 2009 dollars.Sequel
In 2010 Williamson wrote Don Parties On, which opened the 2011 season of the Melbourne Theatre CompanyMelbourne Theatre Company
The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne. Founded in 1953, it is the oldest professional theatre company in Australia, and has its own theatre, The MTC Theatre – which houses the 500-seat Sumner Theatre and the 150-seat Lawler Studio – located in Melbourne's Arts...
. Directed by Robyn Nevin
Robyn Nevin
Robyn Anne Nevin AM , is an Australian stage and screen actress, and is considered by some as a doyenne of Australian theatre.- Early life :...
, this sequel premiered on January 13, 2011 at the Arts Centre Playhouse.
Don Parties On revisits many of the original characters as Don and Kath throw another party on the night of the 2010 Australian federal election. The relationships between the returning characters have changed, and there are also new characters: Cooley's wife Helen, Don and Kath's son Richard, Richard's lover Roberta, and his daughter Belle.
Cast
- Diane CraigDiane CraigDiane Mary Craig is an actress born in County Down, Northern Ireland but who is best known for her performances on Australian television....
- Helen - Georgia Flood - Belle
- Darren Gilshenan - Richard
- Robert GrubbRobert GrubbRobert Grubb is an Australian actor. He studied acting at National Institute of Dramatic Art , where he graduated in 1978.Grubb played the role of Dr. Geoffrey Standish in the popular series The Flying Doctors...
- Mal - Frankie J. Holden - Cooley
- Sue JonesSue Jones (actress)Sue Jones is an Australian actress, born in Wales, UK. She is probably best known for playing Pam Willis in Neighbours from 1990 to 1994. She had also played an on-going role in the situation comedy The Tea Ladies , and was Kathy Hall in Prisoner in 1981...
- Jenny - Garry McDonaldGarry McDonaldGarry George McDonald, AO is an Australian stage and screen actor.-Early life and career:McDonald was born in Sydney and was educated at Cranbrook School and National Institute of Dramatic Art....
- Don Henderson - Tracy MannTracy MannTracy Mann is an Australian actress. Her film credits include Hard Knocks, The Scarecrow, and Fast Talking.Mann got her first big break playing Tina Harris in the 1970s television soap opera The Box. She is possibly best remembered to audiences for playing a character who ended up behind bars, deaf...
- Kath Henderson - Nikki Shiels - Roberta
External links
- Currency Press - David Williamson's Don's Party
- Don's Party at the National Film and Sound Archive
- Teacher's Notes on David Williamson's plays including Don's Party
- You Am I singles on the official You Am IYou Am IYou Am I are an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by vocalist/guitarist and main songwriter Tim Rogers. They were the first Australian band to have three albums successively debut at #1 on the ARIA Charts, and are renowned for their live performances.-History:Tim Rogers formed the first...
web site - Don's Party in the Australian Screen