Great news theatre fans! HIT Productions tour of Summer of the 17th Doll is underway in 2022. Our fabulous cast are back in the rehearsal room and hard at work after a two and half year hiatus. We’re so thrilled that this brilliant production gets another chance at life, and hope to see you at the theatre soon.
Plays and playwrights go in and out of fashion but some endure and speak to each subsequent generation. Lawler’s much loved tale of Queensland cane cutters and Melbourne barmaids has endured, not through nostalgia, nor because it spawned a new age in Australian writing, but because the characters and their dilemmas are so true, so beautifully observed, so humorous and so poignant.
A triumph at its 1955 Melbourne premiere, it was followed by a national tour and hugely successful season in London’s West End where it won an award for best new play.
For sixteen years two Queensland cane cutters have worked the punishing routine up north in the sugar cane fields for seven months of the year and travelled back to Melbourne to meet up for five months of partying and romance with their barmaid girlfriends. This seventeenth summer everything is different. One of the barmaids has ‘settled down’ and married a city bloke so a replacement date has had to be found. This ‘off-season’ proves challenging for them all.
This production will be directed by the award-winning Denny Lawrence whose history with HIT includes many successful productions including Shirley Valentine, Always…Patsy Cline, Educating Rita, Glorious! Hotel Sorrento and most recently, My Brilliant Divorce. Denny will be supported by a highly-experienced creative team.
TOUR DATES:
September
Tuesday September 13 – West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul
Tickets on sale at: https://sales.wgac.com.au/event/379:2173/379:3549/
Wednesday September 14 – The Wedge, Sale
Tickets on sale at: https://thewedge.com.au/event/summer-of-the-seventeenth-doll/
Thursday September 15 – Forge Theatre & Arts Hub, Bairnsdale
Tickets on sale at: https://www.eastgippsland.vic.gov.au/leisure/whats-on-and-buy-tickets
Saturday September 17 – Hamilton Performing Arts Centre, Hamilton
Tickets on sale at: https://tickets.hamiltonpac.com.au/event/1004:588/1004:762/
Tuesday September 20 – Griffith Regional Theatre, Griffith
Tickets on sale at: https://augriffith.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/18465
Thursday September 22 – Riverlinks Westside, Mooroopna
Tickets on sale at: https://riverlinksvenues.com.au/whats-on/event-details/!/calendar/event/summer-of-the-seventeenth-doll-2022
Wednesday September 28 – Clocktower Centre, Moonee Ponds
Tickets on sale at: https://clocktowercentre.com.au/summer-of-the-seventeenth-doll/
Friday September 30 & Saturday Oct 1 – One Community Church, Blackburn
Tickets on sale at: https://www.whitehorsecentre.com.au/events/summer-seventeenth-doll-0
October
Saturday October 8 – Wangaratta Arts Centre, Wangaratta
Tickets on sale at: https://www.wpacc.com.au/Whats-On/Summer-of-the-Seventeenth-Doll
Wednesday October 12 – Colac Otway Performing Arts & Cultural Centre, Colac
Tickets on sale at: https://www.copacc.com.au/Whats-on/COPACC-2022-Theatre-Season/SUMMER-OF-THE-SEVENTEENTH-DOLL
Friday October 14 – Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo
Tickets on sale at: https://www.bendigoregion.com.au/arts-culture-theatres/event/summer-of-the-seventeenth-doll
Monday October 17 & Tuesday October 18 – Shirley Burke Theatre, Parkdale
Tickets on sale at: https://www.kingstonarts.com.au/PERFORMANCE/All-Performance/Summer-of-the-Seventeenth-Doll
Saturday October 22 – Jetty Theatre, Coffs Harbour
Tickets on sale at: https://www.jettytheatre.com/summer-of-the-17th-doll/
Thursday October 27 – Ipswich Civic Centre, Ipswich
Tickets on sale at: https://www.ipswichciviccentre.com.au/event/summer-of-the-seventeenth-doll-by-ray-lawler/
Saturday October 29 – Brolga Theatre & Convention Centre, Maryborough
Tickets on sale at: https://brolga.ourfrasercoast.com.au/events/event/948/summer-of-the-seventeenth-doll
November
Tuesday November 1 – Moncrieff Theatre, Bundaberg
Tickets on sale at: https://www.whatsonbundaberg.com.au/events/event/1994/summer-of-the-seventeenth-doll
Friday November 4 – Mount Isa Civic Centre, Mount Isa
Tickets on sale directly from venue.
