While the Men Are Away
TX: 2023 on SBS and SBS on Demand
Number of Episodes: 8 x 30 mins
While the Men Are Away is a queer, revisionist historical dramedy set in 1940’s rural Australia. It is a fun, sexy story, full of heart and adventure; a story of a group of misfits finding their power while the men are fighting in WW II. The story centres around two Women’s Land Army recruits who arrive from Sydney to the country and undergo a heady course in race relations, rural politics, spirituality, sex, personal growth – oh, and farming. While the Men Are Away is created by Alexandra Burke (Sissy), Kim Wilson (Wentworth) and Monica Zanetti (Ellie and Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt)), and written by Wilson, Zanetti, Magda Wozniak (Bad Behaviour), Enoch Mailangi (All My Friends Are Racist) and Sam Icklow (The Moth). It is produced by Lisa Shaunessy of Arcadia, whose feature Sissy premiered at SXSW Film Festival this year and it is the companies first television series, following years of successful feature films. While the Men Are Away is an Arcadia production for SBS with major production investment from Screen Australia in association with SBS and financed
SBS reveals director and cast for new Australian dramedy series While the Men Are Away
SBS is excited to announce the director and first cast of the upcoming Arcadia series While The Men Are Away.
Director Elissa Down (Ivy + Bean, The Black Balloon) will lead the eight-part series While The Men Are Away, from Arcadia, with director Monica Zanetti (Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt), Iggy & Ace) joining to direct an episode. The upcoming World War II dramedy, currently in pre-production in Sydney, introduces a mix of fresh talent: the Casting Guild of Australia’s Rising Star 2022 winner, Shaka Cook (Hamilton) and Rising Star 2022 nominee and double Sydney Theatre Award nominee, Max McKenna (Jagged Little Pill, Muriel’s Wedding the Musical); as well as major Australian actor Benedict Hardie (Nautilus, The Invisible Man), and the screen return of Gemma Ward (The Great Gatsby, The Black Balloon).
Director Elissa Down said “I’m thrilled to be back home in Australia to direct While The Men Are Away. The scripts are like nothing I’ve read before - irreverent, absurd, funny and also incredibly heartfelt and moving. Our team, like the characters in the show, are a beautiful band of misfits. Huge kudos to SBS for commissioning the series.”
While The Men Are Away is a queer revisionist historical dramedy for SBS set in 1940s rural Australia. While the men are off fighting in WWII, the people who have been excluded from power suddenly find themselves running the show. Two Women’s Land Army recruits from Sydney arrive in the country and undergo a heady course in race relations, rural politics, spirituality, sex, and personal growth - oh, and farming.
SBS Head of Scripted, Julie Eckersley, said: “While the Men Are Away is a series that delivers on our vision to tell exciting and authored work that is uniquely Australian while having global appeal. This queer, sexy, warm-hearted series is our first foray into half hour dramas and we think our audiences will love it. It is another great example of the fresh and distinct content that SBS brings to Australia.”
This is AACTA Award winning producer (Sissy, 2067, Hipsters) Lisa Shaunessy’s first scripted series under her production company Arcadia. While The Men Are Away also sees Down’s much awaited return to Australia, coming off the back of her Ivy + Bean feature series for Netflix and Feel the Beat, also for the streamer.
Producer Lisa Shaunessy said “Bringing a show as cheeky, full of love and sex in all its colours, with a wink to the past and a foot firmly in today is a brave step for our partners, that we wholeheartedly applaud. Their foresight to see the world and the characters that we know audiences will love and crave more of, is a credit to the great commissioning team at SBS. We’re excited to light up screens with this fabulous cast, telling a part of the real home story of WWII”.
While The Men Are Away is created by acclaimed writer Kim Wilson (Wentworth, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart), Alexandra Burke (Sissy) and Monica Zanetti (Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt)). The series is written and developed by Kim, Alexandra and Monica, alongside Magda Wozniak, Enoch Mailangi, Jada Alberts and Sam Icklow.
Creator Kim Wilson said “I couldn’t be more proud of this show and the immensely talented people working so hard to bring it to life. Elissa’s innate gift of finding the heart amidst the humour, while eliciting incredible performances from actors, makes her the perfect fit. Lisa and Alex and their team at Arcadia have been champions of this world from the outset, working above and beyond. Add the amazing support from SBS to the mix, and we have the ingredients to make something really special.”
While The Men Are Away is an Arcadia production for SBS with major production investment from Screen Australia in association with SBS. Financed with support from Screen NSW. Red Arrow are managing international sales.
Screen Australia’s Head of Content, Grainne Brunsdon, said: “We’re pleased to support Arcadia’s first television series, working together with an exciting mix of established and emerging Australian writers. This is a fresh, playful and captivating dramedy, and I’ve no doubt it will entertain audiences on SBS next year.”
Head of Screen NSW, Kyas Hepworth, said: “Screen NSW is thrilled to support While the Men Are Away. As Arcadia’s first scripted series for audiences at SBS, it boasts an inclusive story, creative team and cast, led by a talented key creative team that includes Lisa Shaunessy, Kim Wilson, Elissa Down, Monica Zanetti and Alexandra Burke. As the production gets underway in Central West NSW it will boost jobs and provide valuable opportunities for regionally-based cast, crew and businesses. I wish the team all the best for filming in Orange and throughout the Central West.”
While The Men Are Away will premiere on SBS in 2023.
Michela De Rossi to Lead Groundbreaking Dramedy While The Men Are Away Now In Production
Additional Cast Announced
L-R: Michela De Rossi, Phoebe Grainer, Jana Zvedeniuk, Matt Testro
Many Saints of Newark breakout and lead in Netflix’s upcoming Italian epic Briganti, Italian star Michela De Rossi heads an incredible cast in SBS’ WW2 dramedy While The Men Are Away, with shooting underway in Sydney. Red Arrow Studios International has boarded for International.
Joining Michela will be key cast Matt Testro (Jack Irish, The Gloaming), Phoebe Grainer, Jana Zvedeniuk (Bump), and supporting cast Googoorewon Knox (Black Snow), Sacha Horler (The Dressmaker, The Letdown), Tara Morice (Dance Academy, Strictly Ballroom), Katrina Foster (Rake) Ella Scott Lynch (Upright), Rebecca Massey (Utopia), Tony Llewellyn-Jones (Colin from Accounts), Evan Stanhope (Thor: Love & Thunder, Christmas Ransom), Jing Xuan Chan (Harrow) Warren Lee and introducing Zavier Morris. Previously announced cast members include Benedict Hardie (Nautilus, The Invisible Man), Gemma Ward (The Great Gatsby), Max McKenna (Jagged Little Pill, Muriel’s Wedding the Musical); and Shaka Cook (Hamilton).
While The Men Are Away is a queer revisionist historical dramedy for SBS set in 1940s rural Australia. While the men are off fighting in WWII, the people who have been excluded from power suddenly find themselves running the show. Two Women’s Land Army recruits from Sydney arrive in the country and undergo a heady course in race relations, rural politics, spirituality, sex, and personal growth - oh, and farming.
De Rossi plays Francesca, an Italian immigrant struggling to run her husband’s farm after he enlists (or does he?) “Frankie” is joined by Gwen (McKenna) and Esther (Zvedeniuk), somewhat naive city-recruits of the Women’s Land Army to deliver the farm’s annual apple harvest. Helping Frankie is Aboriginal farmhand Kathleen (Grainer), and conscientious objector Robert (Testro).
As the tragedy of war gets close to them their lives become entwined in surprising ways that test their relationships, prejudices and identities in ways they never could have imagined. And once they experience life as it could be, it’s impossible to go back.
Series Showrunner and Co-Creator, Kim Wilson says “I’m beyond thrilled to have Michela bringing her incredible talent to our lead role. The character of Frankie is fiercely independent, intelligent, charming and complex. Michela delivers all of this, and so much more. She’s the perfect addition to a phenomenal cast.”
SBS’ Commissioning Editor, Julie Eckersley says: “While the Men Are Away is an irreverent, witty and queer celebration of social outsiders, and the revolution of being who you really are. The extraordinary talent of Michela joining the cast puts a cherry on the top of what promises to be a truly delightful and heart-warming series.”
Rodrigo Herrera Ibarguengoytia, VP Scripted Acquisitions & Co-productions, at Red Arrow Studios International added: “We were immediately drawn to the show’s witty and irreverent take on World War II, offering fresh and distinct perspectives that we’re convinced will resonate with international audiences. Michela’s addition caps off a talented ensemble cast that will bring this heartfelt vision to life and we can’t wait to take out this title worldwide.”
Director Elissa Down (Ivy + Bean, The Black Balloon) will lead the eight-part series While The Men Are Away, with director Monica Zanetti (Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt), Iggy & Ace) joining to direct an episode.
While The Men Are Away is produced by AACTA Award winning producer Lisa Shaunessy (Sissy, 2067, Hipsters), in her first scripted series under the Arcadia banner.
While The Men Are Away is created by acclaimed writer Kim Wilson (Wentworth, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart), Alexandra Burke (Sissy) and Monica Zanetti (Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt)). The series is written and developed by Kim, Alexandra and Monica, alongside Magda Wozniak, Enoch Mailangi, Jada Alberts and Sam Icklow.
While The Men Are Away is an Arcadia production for SBS with major production investment from Screen Australia in association with SBS. Financed in association with Screen NSW. Red Arrow is managing international sales.
While The Men Are Away will premiere on SBS in 2023.
The series will debut at the end of September.
Not a fan of shows that rewrite history. Is it going to be fantasy or absolute rubbish like Gold Diggers on the ABC?
It’s a Brave New World with the Men Away!
Delightfully irreverent SBS Original dramedy series While The Men Are Away premieres 27 September.
All 8 episodes of While The Men Are Away will be available to stream free on SBS On Demand from Wednesday 27 September, with double episodes premiering on SBS each Wednesday at 8.30pm.
Starring Michela De Rossi, Max McKenna, Phoebe Grainer, Jana Zvedeniuk and Matt Testro
There’s a fizz in the air and change is afoot with SBS Original series While The Men Are Away premiering on Wednesday 27th September. All eight, thirty-minute episodes will be available to stream free on SBS On Demand, with double episodes to air at 8.30pm on SBS each Wednesday.
An irreverent, wry and witty reimagining of 1940s Australia, While The Men Away stars Italian actor Michela De Rossi (Many Saints of Newark and lead in Netflix’s upcoming Italian epic Briganti), who leads an exceptional cast of rising Australian stars including Max McKenna (Jagged Little Pill, US Tour of Dear Evan Hanson), Phoebe Grainer (Tiddas, Black Cockatoo), Jana Zvedeniuk (Bump), Matt Testro (Jack Irish, The Gloaming), Shaka Cook (Hamilton), Benedict Hardie (Nautilus, The Invisible Man). The series also stars household names Gemma Ward (The Great Gatsby, Black Balloon), Sacha Horler (The Dressmaker, The Letdown) and Tara Morice (Dance Academy, Strictly Ballroom).
In the eight part dramedy series, Australia’s at war, so a lot of the men are away for a bit. And to be honest this is pretty exciting for anyone who isn’t a man! While The Men Are Away follows Frankie (De Rossi), who’s left in charge of her suffering apple farm after her husband is sent to war (or was he?). She enlists Gwen (McKenna) and Esther (Zvedeniuk), the freshly enlisted naïve city-recruits of the Women’s Land Army, to join herself, local Indigenous farmhand Kathleen (Grainer) and certified coward Robert (Testro).
Often (but not always) wildly historically inaccurate, While The Men Are Away is about people who don’t normally hold the reins of power suddenly having them shoved in their hands and told to giddy the hell up. It’s about five individuals who find each other, and for a glorious moment in time, sample a life tinged with promise, hope and acceptance. And once they taste it, it’s impossible to go back.
SBS Head of Scripted, Julie Eckersley said, “While the Men Are Away is an absolutely delightful revisionist history with a twist of truth. It is warm hearted and clever and full of characters you will fall in love with. And being a half hour drama, it is the kind of series you will want to devour in a day or two.”
Series Co-Creator, Alexandra Burke and Producer and Partner at Arcadia, Lisa Shaunessy said in a joint statement, “Tackling aspects of our history that has so often been left off the page, with the brilliant Kim Wilson and our writing team, superb direction by Elissa Down and Monica Zanetti, and a stunning ensemble cast, led by Italian star, Michela De Rossi, has been a true pleasure. We know audiences will connect with these (not so historical) characters, and be inspired to make a good fist of it, as the Women’s Land Army always did!”
Screen Australia’s CEO Graeme Mason said, “This bold SBS Original series reimagines history with irreverence and charm, delivering a fresh take on Australia’s past. While The Men Are Away is a clever dramedy that invites audiences to explore a vibrant tapestry of characters seizing newfound opportunities and delivering an unforgettable story. I applaud the exceptional cast and creative team for their compelling storytelling."
Director Elissa Down (Ivy + Bean, The Black Balloon) leads the eight-part series, with co-creator, writer and director Monica Zanetti (Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt), Iggy & Ace) directing episode seven.
While The Men Are Away is produced by AACTA Award nominated producer Lisa Shaunessy (Sissy, 2067, Hipsters), in her first scripted series under the Arcadia banner
While The Men Are Away is created by Arcadia’s Alexandra Burke (Sissy), acclaimed writer Kim Wilson (Deadloch, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart), and AACTA Award winning writer and director, Monica Zanetti (Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt)). Showrunner, Wilson wrote and developed the series with, Burke and Zanetti, alongside Magda Wozniak, Enoch Mailangi, Sam Icklow and Jada Alberts.
While The Men Are Away is an Arcadia production for SBS with major production investment from Screen Australia in association with SBS. Financed with support from Screen NSW.
While The Men Are Away will be subtitled in five languages, streaming on SBS On Demand in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese. All eight episodes will also be available with audio description.
Streamed the first episode of While the Men are Away. It looks beautiful on screen and they’ve made it look authentic for the era. But they use some modern language and references which sound out of place and they have unrealistic character interactions. But it’s not a farce like Gold Diggers.
They had a lot to set up but unfortunately it was boring for me.
SBS dramedy A Beginner’s Guide to Grief is also included in the slate.