Whimsical Fellow: an encounter with John Shaw Neilson

A play for one actor by Don Reid

‘There is but one Neilson as there is but one Lawson and Australia should feel ashamed to the dust that he has been so much neglected.’ Dame Mary Gilmore

Don Reid, Australian actor, playwright and dedicated admirer of the poet, restores John Shaw Neilson to our consciousness with his solo theatre work about this sweetest of lyric poets.

‘As John Shaw Neilsen, Don Reid found a masculine softness that uncovered the whimsy and pain buried deep in the soul of the poet…’ Sydney Morning Herald

Apart from providing an experience of and insight into John Shaw Neilson, this play also tells us something about the times in which he lived and wrote. It is excellent drama and can also provide the basis for a monologue.