Neighbourhood Watch

by Lally Katz

A battle hardened, Hungarian-Australian, World War-survivor, Ana's bark is as ferocious as her German shepherd's. Catherine is her neighbour: twenty-something, curious and hopeful that a better world is on its way...but in the meantime watching episodes of The West Wing with her housemate. From each other, Ana and Catherine gain a new understanding of friendship, and forge an alliance that carries them to war-torn Hungary and back again.

Genres: Read For School, Plays, School

81 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[madii ੈ✩ ♡]

not a bad one to study for ur hsc !! reading this with my drama class made it so fun. i was very excited to have played catherine- i love her & ken & ana and basically all the characters.. such a journey they all went on, each learning and healing in a way that was wholesome to follow. an interesting look into multiculturalism in australia, the diverse nature of our society, and the complex dynamics and prejudices it can create. overall it carried a heartfelt message about grief and hope, and past generations sharing wisdom. excited to start acting out some of these scenes.. drama >

[ambsreads]

After an extensive read through and finding quotes for a final drama exam - I've concluded that I would rather suffocate in fiery pits than read this again. I believe though, that if I had not had to read and deconstruct this for school I would enjoy it. I did not though, hence the 1 star rating.

[Claire]

"NO HOW HOW BELLA"

[ness]

ok this was great but act 2 was .... what was that

[Riley Buchanan]

I enjoy this play a lot. I have watched a production in Bondi and seen the recording of the Belvoir production. Each time it has really encapsulated me with its use of hyper-realism and the way it deals with moving on from death. I think it’s simplicity and familiarity makes it an endearing play that shows the multiculturalism and community that can be found in Sydney’s suburbia.

[Elliot Howe]

Sure, it was a fun table read, but the was a lot of upsetting content. Making a character's entire personality an eating disorder makes more sense at the end of the play, once you find out why she's struggling. Still, it didn't make her feel like a complete character until then, so I spent the majority of the read thinking that she was just two dimensional.

[Felicity Davis]

Very interesting, and I loved the use of flashbacks to drive parallels between the past and the future. It was quiet vivid. I'm not too sure about the multiple different settings and displaying a whole street, it was be interesting to see the play performed. But I enjoyed reading it.

[Imogen]

Wow okay, that was really good.
Even though I had to read this in school I was super invested in the story and the characters (especially Ana, of course).
I loved the mix between reality and fantasy in this play.
Super engaging, smart and funny.

[Alisha]

Quite interesting! Read this play as part of the Year 12 HSC Drama prescribed texts.

It’s fascinating how playwrights can manipulate a script to evoke specific emotions from an audience. My class love the story so far!

[Chloe Frances]

I enjoyed the character of Ana, but found some of the rest of the play a bit thin and general.

[Nila]

an entertaining and comedic play

[Murphy Scott]

i don't usually rate plays i read for school but this was soooo farking boring

[bianca read]

good.

[maxine moon]

a tad confusing but enjoyable

[mailen]

These Australian plays are so strange and unique.

[Luke Devenish]

I'm looking for inspirations in form, structure and approach at the moment, while simultaneously crash-coursing in contemporary plays that have missed me by. This one had and I could kick myself for not going to see it when MTC did it last year. It's so beautiful. What a heart warmer/breaker. While the produced version was undoubtedly wonderful, the experience of reading it is moving and transforming. A wonderful play.

[Kash]

Had to read this for my Drama HSC's

[Sophie]

This was an amazing example of dramedy. The characters, the concept, the comedy, the drama were all on point. I cannot wait to see the play live next year