Swimming The Globe

Swimming The Globe is a drama play written by Australian playwright Alana Valentine. It is about the parallel journey of two young swimmers from different parts of the world who both strive to become swimmers in the Olympic Games.

The play was published as a performing arts book in 1999 by Currency Press.

Plot summary

This is the outline of the story as it appears on the cover of the 1999 book edition:

Sydney has become the prime destination for the world's athletes as the 2000 Olympic Games approach. Teenage Stace Lukovic has been identified as a potential Australian swimming medallist. With some of the best training and coaching facilities in the world, her chances of success are good. And she knows it. Swimming has become her life and her ambition to succeed is undeniable.

Meanwhile, in the middle of war-torn Europe, Igorina Renford does not have the same privileges; but her will to win in Sydney is just as strong. Her chances of getting there, however, are slim until a meeting with journalist Mark Monroe gives her new hope. As he contrives to bring the two athletes together, their lives are set to change forever.

Alana Valentine's uplifting new play questions the value of putting athletic development ahead of personal development. Yet if both are nurtured together the results live on long after the crowd has left the stadium and the headline writers are looking for new heroes.

Notes

The play spans four years, during which Igorina and Stace go from fourteen to eighteen years of age.

Characters

"Major:"

Igorina Renford - a young, underprivileged Olympic hopeful who is a survivor from an unnamed war zone in Europe. Her parents have fled the war zone, her mother having left her only a note and her wedding ring, leaving Igorina to endure the constant air raids by herself.

Journalist - a broadcast journalist, alternately a war correspondent and sports commentator. His real name is Mark Monroe, but the narrative always refers to him as the journalist.

Stace Lukovic - An orphan who is an Olympic hopeful from Australia. Was disqualified for four years after interrupting her training to visit her sick grandmother in Europe.

"Minor:"

Soldier - From Igorina's war zone. Appears in one scene only.

Postie - Delivers Stace's mail. Appears in one scene only.

Theatre

Swimming The Globe was first performed at the Mission Theatre in Newcastle, NSW, on 21 August 1996. It was commissioned by Freewheels Theatre Company; with Louise Chapman as Igorina, Barry Shepherd as the Journalist and Kathryn Hume as Stace.

In the 1997 Freewheels Production, Kathryn Hume was replaced by Angela Shone as Stace.

The play is designed for a small cast, with three actors altogether; The actor playing Igorina would also play the minor part of the soldier, and the actor playing the journalist would also play the postie.

External links

* [http://www.heniford.net/4321/index.php?n=Citations-S.SwimmingTheGlobe-1m2f Swimming The Globe at Small-Cast One-Act Guide Online]
* [http://www.gazellebookservices.co.uk/ISBN/0868195952.htm Swimming The Globe at Gazelle]