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John Aitken

JOHN AITKEN

  
Nationality:    Australian
email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    n/a

John Francis Aitken is the author of thirty stage plays including Some Other Town, Watershed, Authority, Daisy Bates and the Dancer (Festival of Perth 1993) and Music From The Whirlwind, which has been performed around the world and produced by the BBC and the ABC in London. Early in his career John won the inaugural Michael Edgley Award and used this to travel to England where he was attached to the Royal Opera and the RSC. He also worked at the Theatre Workshop, Stratford East as an actor and assistant director to Joan Littlewood. One of Johns most recent plays, The Song of the Earth, was commissioned by the School of Music of the University of WA, and a radio drama version was subsequently commissioned by the ABC. John feels privileged to be a staff member of the International Schools Theatre Association. For ISTA he frequently flies to cities around the world to work with young writers, performers and directors. His new play Kokoschkas Doll was shortlisted for the prestigious Third International Onassis Playwriting Award. His play Imperial Facade, about Noel Coward, was a smash hit at the Rechabites Hall in 2005, and the acclaimed The Ships Pass Quietly was short-listed for the 2006 WA Premiers Book Awards.

Research:    http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/228506

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

         All Greek to Me         Authority         Brandie and Nan         Cat in the Box, The         Converging Lines         Daisy Bates and the Dancer         Drag         Enchanters, The         Foot On The Hill         Imperial Facade         Julian Hardgood         Kokoschkas Doll         Lost is my Quiet         Music From The Whirlwind         Music From The Whirlwind         Perfect Strangers         R&J as performed by William Shakespeare and the Earl of Southampton         Rubbedy Dubbedy Pub Show         Sad Song         Ships Pass Quietly, The         Some Other Town         Sometime Tomorrow         Song of the Earth, The         Watershed

All Greek to Me

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Various Western Australian Locations, Wa    1983

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:
TIE

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/103216

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Authority

Synopsis:
The play explores the thesis that transplanted English law cannot be successfully imposed on Aboriginal culture and that white enforcers of that law are faced with an impossible task

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Crossroads Theatre, Darlinghurst, Nsw    24 Nov 1990

Organisations:
Crossroads Theatre

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:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/12846

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Brandie and Nan

Synopsis:
A musical about the life and times of the great Peter Dawson. An entertaining cocktail of humour, sentiment and musical nostalgia.

Notes:
written by John Aitken and Robert faggetter

1st Produced:
The Effie Crump Theatre, Northbridge, Wa    05 Feb 1996

Organisations:
Effie Crump Theatre

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 comedy

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/67199

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Cat in the Box, The

Synopsis:
An artist, a scientist and hippy are in a room. The door is locked. They dont know how they got there or how to get out. Add a cockroach, a pile of junk and Schrodingers cat - then sit back, and watch the sparks fly. When a millionaire, Reep, joins them, the thin veneer of civil society is peeled back and the atmosphere becomes even more explosive! This absurdist comedy is a darkly humorous clash between science and art, big business and a spiritual quest. Can they get out of the room? Can they work out what is real? Wheres that cat - is it alive or dead? And can anyone tell the difference? If you question reality  it can put your head in a spin!

Notes:
written by Vivienne Glance; John Aitken - dramaturg

1st Produced:
Blue Room Theatre, Northbridge, Wa    31 Jul 2012

Organisations:
The Blue Room Theatre

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:
absurdist comedy

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/106879

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Converging Lines

Synopsis:
A young writer tries to explain to a Jewish academic why the world needs a book called 'Denying the Holocaust'. . .

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Blue Room Theatre, Northbridge, Wa    25 Jun 2002

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:
short play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/17083

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Daisy Bates and the Dancer

Synopsis:
The story of a modern actress coming to grips with Daisy Bate's enigmatic and elusive personality while making a film of her life

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The Hole In The Wall Theatre, Leederville, Wa    30 Jan 1993

Organisations:
State Theatre Company of Western Australia

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:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  9            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/16723

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Drag

Synopsis:
Behind the scenes with drag queens

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Blue Room Theatre, Perth, Australia    Jul 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:
Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Enchanters, The

Synopsis:
1599 and the Chamberlain's Men are preparing to play at the newly built Globe Theatre. William Shakespeare has written some plays which are scrutinized by the authorities for sedition and political incorrectness. Meanwhile Shakespeare is dallying with the Earl of Southampton

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Heath Ledger Theatre, Perth    Jun 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:
Gay full length

Parts:
Male:  12            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Foot On The Hill

Synopsis:
". . .a fantastical nostalgia trip down the long and winding road."

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The Hole In The Wall Theatre, Leederville, Wa    13 Sep 1979

Organisations:
The Hole in the Wall 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:
play with music

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/18934

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Imperial Facade

Synopsis:
the adventures of Noel Coward in Singapore in the year 1929'

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Rechabites Hall, Northbridge, Wa    28 Sep 2005

Organisations:
Prickly Pear Ensemble

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 - Gay/Lesbian, historical characters

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/67631

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Julian Hardgood

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
written with Raymond Purvis

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:
Stage play 3 acts

Parts:
Male:  8            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
Script in the Hanger Collection, Fryer Library, University of Queensland, Australia. http://www.Austlit.edu.au, http://www.Austlit.edu.au >>>,

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Kokoschkas Doll

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
shortlisted for the prestigious Third International Onassis Playwriting Award

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:
play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Lost is my Quiet

Synopsis:
A tense psychological thriller charting the lives andidentities of a born-again Christian, a serial killer, an ex-hooker and a pulp fiction writer.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The Blue Room Studio, Northbridge, Wa    16 May 2007

Organisations:
Prickly Pear Ensemble

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:
thriller

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/72259

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Music From The Whirlwind

Synopsis:
Music from the Whirlwind is an insightful, searingly funny and poignant exploration of the relationship between the oppressive Russian leader Josef Stalin and the revolutionary composer Dmitri Shostakovich. The play journeys through old St Petersburg where Shostakovich grew up, and into the life and mind of a great artist caught up in a madman's vision. Aitken asks how this particular artist survived a regime where writers, musicians, actors and painters vanished daily only to turn up later as tortured corpses.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The Hole In The Wall Theatre, Leederville, Wa    06 Jun 1996

Organisations:
The Hole in the Wall Theatre Company

1st Published:
http://australianplays.org/   -

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:
Expressionistic Drama 90 min

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/28085

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Music From The Whirlwind

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
commissioned by the School of Music of the University of WA, and a radio drama version was subsequently commissioned by the ABC

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Perfect Strangers

Synopsis:
Tells of an actress who has played Hedda Gabler 13 times taking a protege, a young actress after the same role

Notes:
part of Artrage Festival

1st Produced:
Swy Theatre, Perth, Wa    07 Oct 1993

Organisations:
Prickly Pear Ensemble

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:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/21642

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R&J as performed by William Shakespeare and the Earl of Southampton

Synopsis:
In a world on the edge of a social and cultural abyss, in a small room; the theatre, religion and politics play as uncomfortable bedfellows: the wordsmith Shakespeare - weary and circumspect; his patron and muse, the wealthy and connected Earl of Southampton, Henry Wriothesley - bold, insolent and careless.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Blue Room Theatre, Northbridge, Wa    05 Oct 2010

Organisations:
Prickly Pear Ensemble

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:
historical drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/96307

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Rubbedy Dubbedy Pub Show

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
West Australia, Wa    28 May 1980

Organisations:
Magic Mirror 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:
pub theatre

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/89112

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Sad Song

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Magic Mirror Theatre, Perth, Wa    16 Jul 1982

Organisations:
Magic Mirror 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:
drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/89113

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Ships Pass Quietly, The

Synopsis:
A stirring drama about Anna Akhmatova who is remembered as perhaps the greatest Russian lyric poet of the twentieth century. Her life and work is inextricably linked to the great northern metropolis of Saint Petersburg. . .the stern dark city of many waters. After the brilliant success of her first books of poetry, Akhmatova was forcibly silenced, condemned as a 'half-nun, half-harlot'. In 1921 the poet Nikolai Gumilev, her former husband and father of her only child, was arrested and executed on the false charge of counter-revolutionary conspiracy. Their son Lev was arrested three times and spent many years in prison. All this unfolded against the background of two World Wars, the Great Terror, the Leningrad Blockade and evacuation to Central Asia. 'The Ships Pass Quietly' is a tense drama about a great artist who will not be silenced.

Notes:
short-listed for the 2006 WA Premiers Book Awards.

1st Produced:
The Blue Room Theatre, Northbridge, Wa    Aug 2006

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
http://australianplays.org/   -

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:
Naturalistic drama 90 min

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/69367

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Some Other Town

Synopsis:
the play is not only riotous entertainment, it mirrors illusions and delusions of a sexually obsessed parasitic society when a group of traveling players comes to a small town.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
York Town Hall, York, Wa    31 May 1986

Organisations:
The York Theatre Festival (Inc)

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:
satire

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/103216

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Sometime Tomorrow

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
The Hole In The Wall Theatre, Leederville, Wa    27 Aug 1980

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:
drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/89114

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Song of the Earth, The

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Watershed

Synopsis:
Charles Yelverton O'Connor masterminded the building of Fremantle harbour, the establishment of WA's railway system and the construction of the water pipeline form Mundaring to Kalgoorlie. One of Australia's greatest engineers, he was pilloried in the West Australian Parliament and press.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
York Town Hall, York, Wa    04 Jun 1988

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:
historical drama

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/103143

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