The Grapes of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath deals with the American notion of travelling from East to West. This concept is one foreign to Australian shores. When the US first settled, it was at their East coast, much like Australia during the European settlement. However  explorers soon found a country of lush greenery and plentiful waters, like the Mississippi River, to the west. Hence the west became an idolized land, with states such as California becoming known as 'the land of milk and honey'.

Our last USQ Performance Centre production,The Man from Mukinupin by Dorothy Hewett, also dealt with the constraints of a dry landscape (but Australian rather than American). The characters constantly feel limited by what the country town of Mukinupin had to offer, and the east coast becomes idolised as 'the big city' - just as the 'Dust Bowl' farmers in The Grapes of Wrath see California as the land of opportunity. The Man from Mukinupin also touches on the restriction and methods of survival in a barren landscape.

Following on from this performance, USQ now presents The Grapes of Wrath, Frank Galati's adaptation of John Steinbeck's epic novel. Directed by Kate Foy, the production will feature the University of Southern Queensland's second year acting students.