The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin

Gordon Chater plays "Robert O'Brien", an outwardly respectable elocution tutor based in a suburb of Melbourne. The play begins with O'Brien walking on stage naked, describing the foibles of his students as he dresses. It is revealed that O’Brien himself likes to dress in feminine clothing and is obsessed with a young, beautiful student, one "Benjamin Franklin". The final revelation that he is confined in a "mental institution" challenges our assumptions about mental health, the treatment of queer lives and the private world of public figures.

The playwright's contract anticipated that the play would run until 23 September, 1977.