Synopsis
Ember is set in the Kardla Town Hall, a make-shift temporary shelter for members of the town while the bushfires blaze. Among others, we meet town matriarch Margery and her squeeze Bill, two travelling journalists from the Big Smoke and the flamboyant star of the local amateur theatre scene Cynthia Taylor (pronounced Te-law). Also taking refuge is Jack, who is harbouring a painful secret, too dark to even tell his worried mother Violet.

Setting
Ember is set in a small, fictional town called Kardla in country South Australia during the January 2020 bushfires. ‘Kardla’ is the Kaurna language word for fire.

 

Running time

60-75 minutes.

Characters
Ten characters (5F, 5M). Note: This play accommodates flexible and inclusive casting.

Violet Mills, forty-one. Maternal and protective of her children.
Jack Mills, seventeen. Violet’s son, known for being responsible and trustworthy.
Margery Mead, fifty-eight. A kind and caring matriarch of Kardla.
Bill Hopkins, sixty-two. A long-standing, lovable Kardla resident with a crush on Margery.
Cynthia Taylor, forty-one. The flamboyant, self-anointed star of the Kardla theatre scene.
Eleanor Tott, twenty-eight. A reporter from the Big Smoke, in town to cover the bushfires.
Timothy Chattleton, twenty-five. Eleanor’s eager colleague.
Charlie Winifred, sixty-one. Bill’s best mate. A grump with a good heart and a quick wit.
Gerry Halliday, thirty-five. An eccentric local café owner.
Belle Brown, twenty-two. Gerry’s obedient apprentice.
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Each play in this collection also contains a Playwright’s Note and a set of Discussion Questions. Incorporated specifically to support educators and theatre makers, these additions aim to encourage reflection, analysis, creative exploration, and critical thinking around dramaturgy and theatricality. For any queries or questions, please contact Brady here.