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    Extinction

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    Kaitlyn Boyle
    Hannie Rayson wrote Extinction in 2013 to understand what it means for a species to go extinct in her lifetime. The play is set at a wildlife rescue center in the Otway Ranges and explores the complex relationships between the characters as they grapple with issues of conservation, environmental protection, and the impacts of coal mining. Through its ensemble cast, the play examines shifting loyalties and inconsistent ethical stances on accepting funding from polluting industries.

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    Extinction

    Uploaded by

    Kaitlyn Boyle
    802 views21 pages
    Hannie Rayson wrote Extinction in 2013 to understand what it means for a species to go extinct in her lifetime. The play is set at a wildlife rescue center in the Otway Ranges and explores the complex relationships between the characters as they grapple with issues of conservation, environmental protection, and the impacts of coal mining. Through its ensemble cast, the play examines shifting loyalties and inconsistent ethical stances on accepting funding from polluting industries.

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    Extinction Ppt (2)

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    Hannie Rayson wrote Extinction in 2013 to understand what it means for a species to go extinct in her lifetime. The play is set at a wildlife rescue center in the Otway Ranges and explores the complex relationships between the characters as they grapple with issues of conservation, environmental protection, and the impacts of coal mining. Through its ensemble cast, the play examines shifting loyalties and inconsistent ethical stances on accepting funding from polluting industries.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    802 views21 pages

    Extinction

    Uploaded by

    Kaitlyn Boyle
    Hannie Rayson wrote Extinction in 2013 to understand what it means for a species to go extinct in her lifetime. The play is set at a wildlife rescue center in the Otway Ranges and explores the complex relationships between the characters as they grapple with issues of conservation, environmental protection, and the impacts of coal mining. Through its ensemble cast, the play examines shifting loyalties and inconsistent ethical stances on accepting funding from polluting industries.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
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    The key takeaways are that the play 'Extinction' by Hannie Rayson explores themes of environmental conservation and species extinction through the lens of four main characters at a wildlife rescue center. Rayson was inspired to write the play to understand what it means for a species to go extinct in her lifetime.

    The play 'Extinction' is set at a wildlife rescue center in Victoria, Australia and explores the complex relationships between the characters as they deal with issues of environmental conservation, species extinction, and the impacts of mining and coal power.

    Hannie Rayson is an Australian playwright who was inspired to write 'Extinction' because she wanted to understand what it means for a species to potentially go extinct in her lifetime. She drew on her experiences visiting the Conservation Ecology Centre in Victoria.

    Extinction

    Year 12

    ❖ Hannie Rayson
    Extinction

    Lesson Goals
    • Overview of “Extinction”
    • Learning Intention:
    • To understand Hannie
    Rayson’s inspiration in writing
    “Extinction.”
    • Success Criteria:
    • To be able to affiliate the
    synopsis to Rayson’s
    inspiration.
    Hannie Rayson

    • Hannie Rayson is an author of


    fourteen plays.
    • A graduate of Melbourne University
    and the Victorian College of the
    Arts, she has an Honorary Doctorate
    of Letters from La Trobe University.
    • Her plays have been performed
    throughout Australia and overseas,
    in English and in translation.
    • Hannie has been awarded multiple
    awards for her contributions to
    Australian culture and literature.
    Hannie Rayson

    • Hannie Rayson’s ‘Extinction’


    was first produced in 2015
    and was commissioned by an
    institution in New York, to
    use film an theatre to promote
    public discussions of science.
    • Rayson has explained that she
    wrote ‘Extinction’ because she
    wanted to understand “what
    it means that a species might
    go extinct in [her] lifetime.”
    Hannie Rayson - Extinction
    • Extinction draws on the work of
    the Conservation Ecology Centre
    in the heart of the
    Otways ranges in Victoria.
    • Rayson began her writing process
    by examining her own emotional
    response to the idea of extinction.
    • The play raises questions about
    what is worth saving and whether
    or not funds for conservation
    projects should be accepted from
    environmental polluters.
    Hannie Rayson - Extinction

    • Extinction challenges its


    audience to examine their
    own responses to serious
    environmental concerns.
    Extinction - SYNOPSIS
    Synopsis
    • A wildlife rescue centre in the
    Otway Ranges, Dr. Piper Ross, a
    conservation biologist is searching
    the internet for information.
    • Harry arrives, cradling an injured
    animal - a tiger quoll.
    • Piper tries to save the quoll, but
    Andy (Piper’s boyfriend and local
    vet) deems the quoll difficult to
    save and euthanises it.
    • Andy suspects that Harry is trying
    to seduce Piper.
    Synopsis

    • Harry is revealed to be Harry


    Jewell, the CEO of Powerhouse, a
    coal mining company.
    • Harry uses his charm to convince
    Professor Heather Dixon-Brown
    (director of the CAPE institute
    and Andy’s sister) to accept $2
    million for his company to run a
    research project.
    • He also in a sexual relationship
    with her.
    Synopsis
    • Andy is afflicted with a fatal
    genetic disease and has been given
    5 - 6 years of deterioration.
    • Andy refuses to tell Piper, feeling
    the need to protect her from pain
    and instead wants her to think he
    can’t make a commitment to her.
    • Hurt and angry, Piper has sex with
    Harry.
    • Piper is then swayed by Harry’s
    proposal to explore for coal in the
    Otways.
    Synopsis

    • Andy cannot forgive his


    sister (Heather Dixon-
    Brown) or his girlfriend
    (Piper) for supporting
    Harry’s project.
    • Heather Dixon-Brown
    finds out about Harry’s
    sexual relations with Piper
    and feels humiliated.
    Synopsis

    • Anonymous emails about


    Harry’s inappropriate sexual
    relations are circulated to
    university staff.
    • Harry is sacked by his own
    Board and he blames Andy, but
    it is Harry’s wife, Stephanie,
    who has sent the anonymous
    emails.
    • Andy tells Piper about his illness
    and she decides to stand by him.
    Synopsis
    • As the play ends, an image
    of a tiger quoll in the forest
    appears on the monitor,
    proving they are not
    extinct.
    • Although Andy might not
    survive, the tiger quoll
    will.
    • The play ends with
    subdued optimism.
    Extinction - GENRE,
    STRUCTURE, LANGUAGE
    Genre

    • Like a novel, a play uses a


    plot, character & settings to
    tell a story.
    • Four characters appear on
    stage in Extinction and
    because their roles are of
    equal weight, the play is
    called an - “ensemble piece.”
    • Each character embodies
    particular themes and issues.
    Structure
    • Extinction is a two-act play
    divided into 12 scenes.
    • Its uninterrupted structure
    registers the passing of time and
    is a reminder of Andy’s
    progressive deterioration and
    impending death.
    • In progression from one scene
    to the next, the characters’
    shifting loyalties and
    inconsistent ethical positions are
    observed.
    Language
    • Much of the language is blunt
    and to the point, reflecting the
    characters’ strongly held views.
    • Language also conveys a more
    complex meaning than is initially
    apparent, example:
    • “pin-up girl” (p. 122) imply
    the Dixon-Brown has
    prostituted herself -
    metaphorically, by working
    with Harry and literally, by
    sleeping with Harry.
    Language - Swearing

    • Swearing is prevalent in
    the play, often to add
    humour.
    • Swearing is also used to
    express intense anger, as
    well as challenging
    gender stereotypes.
    Language - Imagery

    • Even though the language of


    the play is blunt and direct, it
    also contains significant
    imagery. Example:
    • “cruise missile” (Harry’s
    Range Rover, p. 73);
    • “like this mad, moulting
    hen” (Piper’s description
    of her mother, p. 76).
    Extinction - BACKGROUND &
    CONTEXT
    Background & Context

    • Extinction was written in 2013.


    • In 2013, 430.9 million tonnes of coal
    were mined in Australia and of this,
    375.1 million tonnes were exported.
    • This made Australia the world’s 5th
    largest coal producer.
    • Raysons’ play deals with two issues
    in this context:
    1. The damaging effects of mining
    activities;
    2. Consequences of coal-fired power.

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