The Removalists Essay - Stereotypes - 1407 Words

Australian dramas, such as David Williamson’s â€Å"The Removalists†, inclination to depend on stereotypes is not a weakness, but instead an opportunity to explore personal and societal issues. The inclusion of stereotypes within the play does not hinder the exploration of these issues, but instead deepens the audiences understanding and awareness. Through familiar roles, such as the ‘Oker’ identity, Williamson heightens the play, and allows a production to focus on the themes being explored. By using stereotyped characters in contrast with realistic characters and style, Williamson effectively comment on the faults of society without the distraction of character complexity. The Oker character is used by Williamson as a tool to allow the†¦show more content†¦In this scene we tended to speak loudly, often finding ourselves shouting and making rude innuendos and racist comments. As we workshopped the scene further, we discussed how this was a representation of the Australian society that we had seen in the media. It could be concluded from my workshop, that in a production of The Removalists this familiarity of character was an opportunity, as it allows the faults within the stereotype to dominate. As well as emphasise on the faults within the stereotype, the use of recognisable characters in a production of The Removalists allows for an effective comment on the faults within Australian society. Through the use of stereotyped characters, the play provides a deeper insight into the serious personal and societal issues within the Australian community, without the distraction of character complexity. These themes, which are explored through stereotypes, are violence, abuse of authority, and sexism and sexuality. The underlying messages that Australia is an inherently violent society, and that the Australian male uses violence to resolve their problems is shown in The Removalists through the Oker identity of Simmonds and Kenny. Stereotypes creating deeper understanding of the themes when staging this production are presented immediately by Kenny’s recognisable personality, which allows the audience to easily accept that Kenny would abuse his wife