Influence and Operator - Williamson, David

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Résumé :
INFLUENCE -- Ziggi Blasko knows how to turn fear into hate. A talkback radio host with 'commonsense' answers, he likes to push buttons. His diatribes against political correctness, feminism, multiculturalism, immigration and bleeding hearts flood the airwaves and the scary part is that people listen. At home, however, his influence isn't quite so great -- his wife Carmela is too narcissistic to listen much, his daughter Vivienne is a manic depressive, his father Marko is a Croatian refugee with a secret that could destroy Ziggi's career, and his sister Connie is as strong-minded as Ziggi, but with opinions and solutions worlds apart. When Zehra, a Turkish housekeeper with a moral core diametrically opposed to Ziggi, enters the fray, the simplistic contradictions of Ziggi's world view look set to implode in this latest satire from Australia's most popular playwright. (2 acts, 3 male, 4 female). OPERATOR -- What would a Machiavellian do if he found himself the melpoyee of medium-scale manufacturer of gym equipment? He would use his charm, wit and general ingenuity to manipulate those around him to further his career, of course. Enter Jake. He is the Operator, ready to exploit everyone on his way to the top, from the kindly and competent Melissa to the smug CEO Douglas. In this chillingly funny play David Williamson turns his scathing wit on the darker side of corporate behaviour. (2 acts, 3 male, 3 female).

Biographie:
DAVID WILLIAMSON is Australia's best known and most widely performed playwright. His first full-length play The Coming of Stork was presented at La Mama Theatre in 1970 and was followed by The Removalists, Don's Party, The Department, The Club, Travelling North, The Perfectionist, Sons of Cain, Emerald City, Top Silk, Money and Friends, Brilliant Lies, Sanctuary, Dead White Males, After the Ball, Corporate Vibes, Face to Face, Rupert, Nearer the Gods, and Sorting out Rachel. He has had over fifty plays produced. His plays have been translated into many languages and performed internationally, including major productions in London, Los Angeles, New York and Washington. As a screenwriter, Williamson has brought to the screen his own plays including The Removalists, Don's Party, The Club, Travelling North and Emerald City along with his original screenplays for feature films including Libido, Petersen, Gallipoli, Phar Lap, The Year of Living Dangerously and Balibo. The adaptation of his play Face to Face, directed by Michael Rymer, won the Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Film at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Williamson was the first person outside Britain to receive the George Devine Award (for The Removalists). His many awards include twelve Australian Writers' Guild AWGIE Awards, five Australian Film Institutes' Awards for Best Screenplay and, in 1996 the United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Award. In 2005 he was awarded the Richard Lane Award for services to the Australian Writers' Guild. David has received four honorary doctorates and been made an Officer of the Order of Australia. Williamson has been named one of Australia's Living National Treasures....

Sommaire:
In Influence, Ziggi Blasco knows how to turn fear into hate. A talk-back host whose power rests in his influence over his audience, he fills Sydney's airwaves with his appeals to a particular brand of 'common sense', his hard stance on terrorists and his lashings at political correctness. But in the private sphere, Ziggi's influence is fading away. A scathing and bitingly funny play about the media personalities that dominate our lives and the divisions that can shatter families. In Operator, charming young go-getter Jake is the ideal candidate for an executive position with a thriving local company. He's welcomed aboard by his hardworking boss and co-worker Melissa, who has all the intelligence, industry and integrity Jake lacks. But Jake has a secret weapon: his skills at exploiting, manipulating and manoeuvring would put Machiavelli in the shade. He's the Operator....