Almost every day for 35 years, Arthur Stace spent hours writing a single word – Eternity – on and around the streets of Sydney. Sometimes his mission took him much further afield, to country New South Wales and even to Melbourne.Stace's identity was a mystery for more than two decades. Then, after his 'unmasking' in 1956, he became a reluctant folk hero. By the time he died, in 1967, his was a household name and the word Eternity was ingrained in the soul of Sydney. It stil...

Most of Australia's leaders since Federation believed in God. Some were serious Christians and very few were indifferent towards religion. In this timely and original book, Roy Williams examines the spiritual life of each of our Prime Ministers from Edmund Barton to Julia Gillard. He explores the ways in which - for good and ill - their beliefs (or agnosticism) shaped the history and development of the nation. Featuring extensive interviews with John Howard and Kevin Rudd, and pulling no p...

The saga of the precipitous rise and ultimate fall of the Jonathan Lucas family's rice-mill dynastyIn the 1780s Jonathan Lucas, on a journey from his native England, shipwrecked near the Santee Delta of South Carolina, about forty miles north of Charleston. Lucas, the son of English mill owners and builders, found himself, fortuitously, near vast acres of swamp and marshland devoted to rice cultivation. When the labor-intensive milling process could not keep pace w...

Unless it's a football match… maybe then or 'em… at the supermarket… food and football, eh, the Englishman common ground Neutral territory for the masses. Yeah a place where no ideas are shared, borrowed or worked through… Perfect.Following acclaimed seasons at the National Theatre, Clint Dyer and Roy Williams' extraordinary series of three state of the nation plays, Death of England comes to @sohoplace in the West End. These three interconnected plays are, by tur...

Why religion fell off the radar in Australia - and how it can get back onAt the time of Federation 98% of Australians identified themselves as Christians. Now only 8% say they regularly go to Church. What's changed? How did Australia become a post-Christian nation and what part did the Churches play in their own decline?Author Roy Williams (God, Actually, In God they trust?) has long been an impassioned defender of Christianity. Here, he tackles the decline of the church he...

Why religion fell off the radar in Australia - and how it can get back onAt the time of Federation 98% of Australians identified themselves as Christians. Now only 8% say they regularly go to Church. What's changed? How did Australia become a post-Christian nation and what part did the Churches play in their own decline?Author Roy Williams (God, Actually, In God they trust?) has long been an impassioned defender of Christianity. Here, he tackles the decline of the church he...

London will do for you for now… And I will do for London.London, 1956. Newly arrived from Trinidad, Henry 'Sir Galahad' Oliver is impatient to start his new life. Carrying just pyjamas and a toothbrush, he bursts through Moses Aloetta's door only to find Moses and his friends already deflated by city life. Will the London fog dampen Galahad's dreams? Or will these Lonely Londoners make a home in a city that sees them as a threat?In the first stage adaptation of Sam...

Right, you know the rules, watch the low blows, if it's a knock-down no messing about, go straight to your corner, and don't come out till called for, are we clear? Touch gloves, let's go.In the red corner: Leon Davidson - Black British champ or Uncle Tom? In the blue corner: Troy Augustus - American powerhouse or naive cash cow? Having spent their youth in the same London boxing gym, vying for the favouritism of inspirational, foul-mouthed trainer Charlie Maggs, the two f...

No matter how hard we try, we just can't get out. It's like we are not allowed to. Some give up and say, “alright then, if you won't give, I will bloody well take.” And you know what Shona, I don't blame them.Shona and her class are studying the Charles Dickens classic, Oliver Twist. She's the new girl in school and is finding it hard to stay out of trouble – much like Oliver himself! When she's given a new phone by a stranger, she begins to suspect there's someth...

Look at it Carly, look at our dream.No one's happy Denise.There are two sides to every story.Grieving the loss of the family shop and their dreams destroyed, Denise and daughter-in-law Carly are left to pick up the pieces of their relatives' mistakes.Will all be forgiven?Jo Martin (Doctor Who) and Hayley Squires (I, Daniel Blake) play Denise and Carly in this thought-provoking drama that explores family dynamics, r...

A fierce and excoriating portrait of British racism, Roy William's Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads premiered in 2002 at the National Theatre.Set in a south-west London pub during the 2000 England vs. Germany match, tempers are running high. As England lose again, their supporters in The King George lose it too – at full time, patriotism has become unapologetic racism.This Methuen Drama Student Edition of the play includes commentary and notes by Gemma Edwards, Univ...

In his fifth collection of Plays, the work ranges from a spirited, raging drama that investigates police corruption in Jamaica through to two thrilling monologue plays written either side of the Covid-19 pandemic, first presented at London's National Theatre. The political and the personal are drawn together effectively throughout, offering a rich selection of work that showcase Williams's unique talent.Roy Williams has been described as 'one of Britain's most important playwrights...