New Canberra Rep show set to take its audience home and Away

When your day job is as a psychologist and your night job is as an actor, and now as a theatre director, it makes sense that Lainie Hart is such a people person.

Lainie is making her debut as a director in Away, the latest show in Canberra Rep’s program, a classic Australian play by Michael Gow.

Away tells the story of the Australian summer of 1967 when three families travel to different Gold Coast locations for three distinct reasons.

School principal Roy and his wife Coral stay in a grand hotel, still mourning the loss of their son in the Vietnam War. Gwen, Jim, and their daughter Meg stay in the local caravan park where tensions begin to fray, while English immigrants Harry and Vic strive to create happy memories with their son Tom while camping on the beach.

Lainie says it’s about Australia’s seasons of change – how stormy weather, secrets and classic tales combine to unite these families in the most testing of times, and how going away can sometimes be the only way to return home.

Lainie said she had always felt at home in the theatre, on stage or behind the scenes. Sometimes, she says, the two places combine.

“Joining the two together in some ways is like a natural progression,” she said. “I love being inside the world of an actor, using my imagination in that way.

“I love working with people and, now at age 50, I feel I have enough life experience to use those skills as a director.”

She joked that being a psychologist could both help and hinder her role as a director.

“I’m not ready to give up acting yet, so I want to use my window of human experience, which I hope will be useful as a director.”

Rehearsals started in late June once the cast was finalised and are reaching a climax now as opening night approaches.

In this increasingly online world, where streamed entertainment can leave live entertainment with disappearing audiences, Lainie said there was still an important role for live theatre in Australia.

“I believe that we need the theatre more than ever – people sitting alongside other people, watching what happens to people, in real time,” she said.

“It’s where, in a safe place, vulnerable people can set aside their difficulties and tell their difficult stories.

“Theatre is like everything else. It is changing, we are looking more at how we deal with trauma with intimacy. It’s also good to just separate yourself for a moment and look at story-telling for its own sake. Sometimes, you just have to tone things down.”

Lainie said she had nothing but praise for the cast of Away, describing them as “delightful, kind, generous and wonderful to work with”.

They include Andrea Close, Jim Adamik, Christina Falsone, Peter Stiles, Erin Blond, Elaine Noon, Peter Fock, Callum Doherty, Andre Le, Claire Noack and Kara Taylor.

Away marks Lainie’s debut as a director at Canberra Rep.

“I am incredibly excited to be directing this enduring classic, especially having the joy and privilege of working with such a talented group of local actors,” she says.

“I think I have been aching to direct again for a while. I am really interested in working with actors and creatives to harvest and build something together.”

Away, by Michael Gow, opens at the Canberra Rep Theatre, Acton, on 5 September and runs until 21 September. Bookings are open.