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Dave Armstrong

DAVE ARMSTRONG

  
Nationality:    New Zealander
email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    Playmarket Inc  

Dave has written extensively for stage and television. He co-created the crazy Semisi family for TV3´s Skitz, is script editor for the highly successful animated comedy series Bro´ Town, and was a writer for the PR political satire Spin Doctors, for which he won an aFTa television award (best comedy script). Dave co-wrote, with Naked Samoan Oscar Kightley, the play Niu Sila, which will have its auckland premier with the auckland Theatre Company next year. Dave´s adaptation of Margaret Mahy´s children´s story the Singing Bus Queue was performed at Wellington´s Downstage Theatre for two seasons as well as around the country. Dave is currently completing the Tutor - a full-length play commissioned by Wellington´s Circa Theatre. Dave has also written a book, True Colours - an account of the 1996 General election.

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below is a list of Dave Armstrong's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Central         Christmas Carol, A         King And Country         Kings Of the Gym         Le Sud         Magnolia Street         Motor Camp, The         Niu Sila         Rita And Douglas         Singing Bus Queue Comedy, The         Swing Shift         Tutor, The         Where We Once Belonged

Central

Synopsis:
Michael owns a vineyard and lives there with his faded Hollywood starlet partner Cherie. They are writing an artsy movie for Cherie to star in. Then Hollywood approach Michael to write the sequel to a dreadful movie "Pimp Action" and they are offering loads of money

Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Christmas Carol, A

Synopsis:
Dickens´ classic is hilariously updated to nineties New Zealand. a blisteringly funny attack on free market economics as well as a timeless heartwarming family yarn.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Playmarket,    -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Pantomime

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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King And Country

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Kings Of the Gym

Synopsis:
Politically correct principal Viv Cleaver is transforming low-decile Hautapu High School. the only thorn in her side is the Phys-ed department. Unfit Laurie Connor spends his days in the gym watching TV and gambling with his talented yet unambitious sidekick Pat Kennedy. But then student-teacher Annie Tupua arrives. Could this star netballer and born-again Christian prove to be the game-changer that Viv needs? Sparks fly as different players joust for position and battle for each other's souls in this big-hearted and comedy set in that most romantic of places - a school gym.
- http://www.theatreview.org.nz

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Circa One, Wellington     19 Jan 2013

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
comedy

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Le Sud

Synopsis:
armstrong's latest play is a wickedly revisionist satire that imagines the South Island or "Le Sud" was claimed by the French in 1838. 170 years on and Zelande du Sud is now an independent, prosperous French-speaking socialist nation where people work 30 hours a week, enjoy long wine-fuelled lunches, and the popular Prime Minister, Francois Duvauchelle, is a renowned womaniser. Meanwhile, poor old english-speaking North Zealand is starved of electricity and Prime Minister, Jim Peterson, must lead a delegation south to persuade their rich neighbours to get the goodwill - and the electricity - flowing north. a provocative comedy, Le SUD pokes fun at three cultures, two islands and one country.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Maidment Theatre, Auckland, NY     11 Feb 2010

Organisations:
auckland Theatre Company

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Magnolia Street

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
On this street you'll discover that magnolia trees have hearts, unexpected friendships Are the best kind, And 1944 can be just Around the corner. Using cutting edge multimedia And electronics to blur the line between what's imagined And what's real, Australia's Frank Newman directs with his trademark combination of sharp storytelling And beautifully surprising Animation.
- http://www.theatreview.org.nz

1st Produced:
Downstage Theatre, Wellington     21 Jul 2012

Organisations:
Capital e National Theatre for Children

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
TYA

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Motor Camp, The

Synopsis:
the Motor Camp sees two couples, two caravans, two teenagersarrive at a motor camp and have to park next to each other. as both families try to enjoy their holiday and keep their hormonal teenagers apart, a hilarious series of events unfolds. Frank Redmond (Tim Spite), a left-wing literacy lecturer, just wants to spend a quiet Christmas holiday at an isolated camping ground with his family - long-suffering wife Jude (Danielle Mason) and their 15-year-old daughter Holly (Florence Mulheron), who'd much rather be at the Mount with her boyfriend. the Windmill Holiday Camp, though run by the overzealous and authoritarian Dutchie, seems the perfect desolate location for Frank to finally finish his book on literacy. enter Mike Hislop (Phil Vaughan), a garrulous redneck builder from the next-door caravan. Mikes social-climbing partner, Dawn Tairoa (Olivia Robinson), seems unable to impress the Redmonds no matter how many naughty cocktails she offers them. When her stroppy hormonal teenage son, Jared (Anthony Young), takes a shine to Holly, sparks fly between the younger and older generation, and between the families. the Motor Camp is a glorious celebration of our annual Kiwi camping rituals.
- http://www.theatreview.org.nz

Notes:
based on A story by Danny Mulheron

1st Produced:
Circa One, Wellington     22 Jan 2011

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
camping comedy

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Niu Sila

Synopsis:
This theatrical two-hander was inspired by armstrong´s upbringing. Two childhood mates, a Samoan and a Palagi, discover cultural difference and commonality in a ´60s suburb.

Notes:
written by Dave Armstrong And Oscar Kightley

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Playmarket,    -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
full length Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Rita And Douglas

Synopsis:
Rita angus and Douglas Lilburn met in the early 1940s. the recently divorced painter and the young composer had a brief but passionate affair. Living in virtual poverty and struggling with health issues, Rita angus went on to single-mindedly produce a stunning body of work. Rita and Douglas combines angus' images, and her own words from her letters to Lilburn, together with his music for piano, performed live by Michael Houstoun.
- nytheatre.com

Notes:
the letters of Rita Angus to Douglas 'Gordon' Lilburn Adapted for the stage by Dave Armstrong . With music for piano by Lilburn

1st Produced:
Queenstown Memorial Hall, Queenstown, Nz     12 Apr 2011

Organisations:
Southern Lakes Festival of Colour

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Piece 75 min

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Singing Bus Queue Comedy, The

Synopsis:
a queue of children and adults start to sing while they´re waiting for the bus. But when Captain Hannibal complains about the noise, the Tone Deaf Squad take them off to Black Prison. Will the power of music get them out?

Notes:
adapted from the story by Margaret Mahy

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Playmarket,    -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical Comedy Musical

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Swing Shift

Synopsis:
Two women have their lives changed when their men go off to war and they take jobs.

Notes:
Music (new) by Michael Rafter; lyrics (new) by Mark Waldrop; songs of the World War Two period; book by David Armstrong

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Tutor, The

Synopsis:
depicts the collision of personalities and politics when a self-made millionaire hires a washed-out, Daihatsu-driving hippy to save his rebellious teenage son's math grades. the result is a comedy of (bad) manners with heart.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
comedy

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Where We Once Belonged

Synopsis:
WHeRe We ONCe BeLONGeD is a hilarious, moving and heartfelt tale of desire and self discovery. It is an unflinchingly honest, poetic and often wildly funny coming-of-age story set in 1970s Samoa. Alofa, Lili and Moa are typical teenage girls. they tease the local boys, misbehave at school and worship Charlie's Angels. But there is a darker side to Alofa's life. She struggles to win the acceptance of her unforgiving family. As young Alofa Filiga navigates the mores and restrictions of village life, she begins to come to terms with her own changing identity and the price she must pay for it.
- http://www.theatreview.org.nz

Notes:
From the novel by Sia Figiel. Where We Once Belonged won a Chapman Tripp theatre award for best new New Zealand Play in 2008

1st Produced:
New Zealand     2008

Organisations:
Going West Festival 2012

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  7            Other:  extras

Further Reference:
-

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