Gail Louw: Collected Plays

Four plays, four iconic characters

Blonde Poison: Stella Goldschlag, a Jewish woman living illegally in war-torn Berlin, is betrayed and tortured. When offered the chance of saving herself and her parents from the death camps, she agrees to be a ‘Greifer’ for the Gestapo and inform on Jews in hiding. Decades after the war Stella agrees to be interviewed by a well-respected journalist – her last chance for redemption. Can she ever be released from her past?

Blonde Poison was the winner of an Argus Angel Award for artistic excellence (Brighton Festival 2012).

Miss Dierich Regrets A moving two-hander which depicts the end of Marlene’s life, now a recluse within the confines of her bedroom. Her daughter, Maria, has tried unsuccessfully to move her to a care home, but Dietrich believes this will destroy the glamorous femme fatale image that she has fought so long to preserve.

Shackleton''s Carpenter: Shackleton’s ship, Endurance, sank in Antarctica, leaving him and his crew of 27 stranded. Harry McNish, Shackleton’s carpenter and brilliant shipwright, challenged The Boss, but went all the way with him, ensuring all lives were saved after a journey universally agreed to be the most astonishing voyage of survival in history What was it that caused this man to antagonise the hero of Antarctica? How does he come to terms with it now, alone and destitute on the wharfs of Wellington, New Zealand.

Two Sisters: Is it possible to lose your innocence at 70? Rika and Edith, close and caring sisters, finally discover the truth about their past. Can they adapt or will they now, after all these years, become strangers? This heartwarmng play reveals the sweetness and sadness of journeys through life that are inextricably entwined.