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.