Verbatim and biographical theatre raises complex ethical and creative questions. Who has the right to tell another person’s story? Can the total complexity of a person or event be captured in a play? Can a playwright separate themselves from the person or people whose story/ies they are telling? In this episode, these questions and others are discussed by playwrights Tommy Murphy and Alanna Valentine, both highly-awarded playwrights who work in biographical and verbatim modes.
This conversation was recorded in summer 2021–22.
In this episode, playwrights Patricia Cornelius and Angela Betzien discuss the Australian political play. What is the state of the political play today? Why are plays about the working class often confined to the independent sector? Who were the trailblazers of political playwriting, and what does the future of Australian political theatre look like?
This conversation was recorded in summer 2021–22.
S. Shakthidharan is a Western Sydney storyteller with Sri Lankan heritage and Tamil ancestry, while Michele Lee is a non-Australian writer whose plays privilege the Asian Australian experience. In this episode, they discuss the migration play and the position of diasporic narratives on the twenty-first-century Australian stage. What is the role of playwriting in connecting with community and personal identity? How does the migrant experience intersect with gender and class in Australia? What kinds of stories are being privileged on the Australian mainstage?
This conversation was recorded in summer 2021–22.
Kate Mulvany and Tom Wright are two of Australia’s most prolific adapters for theatre, and in this episode they discuss the explosion of novel adaptations on the Australian mainstage since the 2010s. How do playwrights navigate the relationships between the texts they are adapting and new voices, stories, and ideas? What draws theatre makers and audiences back to stories that have been told before?
This conversation was recorded in summer 2021–22.
In this episode, Mary Anne Butler and Angus Cerini discuss the Australian landscape play. How is human drama enhanced by the presence of the natural environment? How does writing about the Australian landscape open up conversations around politics, colonisation, ownership, and culture? How do these playwrights capture and make present the vast expanse of the Australian landscape in their work?
This conversation was recorded in summer 2021–22.
In this episode, Glace Chase and Lally Katz discuss the Australian autobiographical play. How do true life experiences intersect with storytelling in their craft? What does it mean to write authentically, and why do Australian theatre audiences value authenticity so highly?
This conversation was recorded in summer 2021–22.
In the age of the Anthropocene, Australian playwrights are finding ways to challenge audiences and portray a rapidly changing world. In this episode, playwrights David Finnigan and Andrew Bovell discuss questions including, how should humans deal with despair, melancholy, and uncertainty in the face of the climate crisis? Are we capable of the deep thinking required to bring about change? Can plays empower audiences to take action?
This conversation was recorded in summer 2021–22.
In this episode, playwrights Anchuli Felicia King and Michelle Law discuss Western models of dramaturgy, new Australian writing, and representation on the mainstage. Why is there so little space for formally experimental work by writers of colour? How might Australia foster a more adventurous theatre ecosystem? How does Australia compare with other nations in terms of diversity and representation?
This conversation was recorded in summer 2021–22.
