Surfers is a musical dedicated to the Australian culture of sun, surf and sand, a culture which is expressed nowhere as colourfully as on the Gold Coast. Set in the mid-Sixties when families flocked to the place known simply as “Surfers” for their summer holidays, it recalls the music and teenage dance crazes of that more innocent and optimistic era. Surfing symbolised a new sense of freedom. Rock & Roll ruled, but the sex and drugs of the late Sixties were yet to come. Vietnam, Woodstock, and Watergate are also still in the future.

 

The beginnings of change were already apparent, with things like traditional sex roles being questioned. In the show, we see a group of young people, their school days over, enjoying perhaps their last summer together. They are on the threshold of adulthood, dealing with their first romantic relationships and facing critical decisions about their future. It is the story of a generation's hopes, dreams and apprehensions. At the same time is the story of the Gold Coast – a beachside holiday venue destined to become an international tourist destination.