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Ken Cotterill

KEN COTTERILL  (1950 - )

 Nationality:    Australian
email:    Click here to contact     Website:    Click here

Literary Agent:    n/a


Ken Cotterill was born in Sheffield but immigrated to Australia in 1971. He worked as a labourer on the waterfront, served in the Australian Army and worked for nearly thirty years for the Queensland Department of Primary Industries. He also studied at the University of Queensland, The Queensland University of Technology and James Cook University. Apart from plays he has written two novels and several short stories and still suffers constant agony from supporting Sheffield United. He is married with two sons and lives in Far North Queensland.

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

 Butterflies, Red Herrings, A Will and a Death         Cassowaries Don't Make Yen         Children Of The Levant         Cuba         Daylight Robbery         Identity         Jabberwocky         Lee         Logies         Perfect Murder         Rachel         Re-Electing Roger         Rhinoceros Hides         Richard The Third's Revenge         Susan Pennington On Trial         Underclass, The         Wellbourne's Way

Butterflies, Red Herrings, A Will and a Death

Synopsis:
When the loathsome Guthrie Featherstone suddenly dies the extended family is ecstatic. However, the will decrees that the sole remaining family member who is still alive at midnight will inherit the Featherstone fortune. The plotting and killings begin until only one member of the family remains to inherit the money. A terrific Victorian melodramatic comedy!

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Mareeba    25 Oct 1984

Organisations:
Mareeba Repertory Society

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

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Genre:
Melodrama/comedy

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Cassowaries Don't Make Yen

Synopsis:
Pineapple Shire mayor, Bull Crook, is about to sell the local cassowary reserve to developers. However, the local greenies are outraged and decide to stand a candidate at the upcoming elections. Enter the seemingly very ordinary Chrissie Jones. Cometh the moment, cometh the woman. From that moment on, politics in good old Pineapple Shire are never the same as Chrissie not only transforms the election but the lives of all around her.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Brisbane    05 Mar 1993

Organisations:
Shoestring Community Theatre

1st Published:
Ancient Mariner, 2005   957-754620

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:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Children Of The Levant

Synopsis:
A Palestinian girl and an Israeli soldier meet at a bus stop shortly after a deadly explosion in Bethlehem that killed several Israeli school children. An award winning drama.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Ipswich Little Theatre (Queensland)    30 Apr 1992

Organisations:
The Shoestring Company

1st Published:
Contained in: "Two One Act Plays" published by The Ancient Mariner, Australia 1999   095-7754604

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:
One act play

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Cuba

Synopsis:
The Tropicana Night Club in Havana in 1958. Raul a young boxer is about to marry Mercedes the club singer. Tony a Mafioso tells Raul to throw his next fight. Raul hits him and then has to flee Havana as the Mafia put a contract on him. He meets a rebel leader - Fidel Castro and joins his group. He becomes fascinated with another member of the group Juanita. Meanwhile Tony has taken Mercedes to Las Vegas with the promise of a singing career there. But it falls through. Mercedes returns to Havana just as Castro's rebel group arrives.

Notes:
Music by Rhonda Micola; lyrics And book by Ken Cotterill

1st Produced:
International Club, atherton, Queensland    10 Oct 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:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  14            Female:  15            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Daylight Robbery

Synopsis:
Daylight Robbery is a James Bond spoof ideal for theatre restaurants. When the Queen's favourite corgi gets dog-napped the mastermind behind the crime of the century is Blowfly and his sinister SMUSH organization. Blowfly demands the entire Crown Jewels or he will kill the dog. Enter Bond. With the clock ticking, Bond must not only save the dog but also the world! Complete with beautiful girls, evil villains, exotic locations as well as your Bond favourites, the playscript is a must for all Bond fans.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Mareeba RSL    04 Apr 2008

Organisations:
A Community Theatre

1st Published:
Ancient Mariner, 2008   978-0957754645

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:  5            Female:  4            Other:  8 any sex

Further Reference:
-

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Identity

Synopsis:
Gus, a lonely musical impresario, invites B-grade actress Toni back to his lonely LA mansion for a few late night drinks. But is Gus really who he says he is, or is he insane? And who is Pete? Is he a movie director, a psychiatrist, or a shelf stacker at Wal-Mart? And is Shelley really a cop, or a bit-actress who has never progressed as a human being after episode four of the defunct cop show, Precinct 72. Watch madness unfold as identities become blurred in this insane spoof on Hollywood wannabes.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Cairns Little Theatre    09 Sep 2006

Organisations:
Cairns Little Theatre

1st Published:
Ancient Mariner, 2006   957754-639

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-Satire

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Jabberwocky

Synopsis:
A man is drinking in a bar on a drab Monday night. He has just lost his job and wants to talk. Serving him is a waitress, whose only interest in the man is the tip he might leave. However, there is another customer in the bar and something outside.

Notes:
Please note: This has nothing to do with Lewis Carroll's poem.

1st Produced:
Cairns Little Theatre    18 Jul 2009

Organisations:
A Community Theatre

1st Published:
Ancient Mariner, 2009.   978-0980688405

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:
Theatre of the Absurd/ One-act play

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Lee

Synopsis:
The play covers the last half- hour in the life of Lee Harvey Oswald before he is led away to be shot by Jack Ruby. A riveting drama.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Ipswich Little Theatre (Queensland)    01 May 1993

Organisations:
Edge Theatre Company

1st Published:
Contained in: "Two One Act Plays" published by The Ancient Mariner, Australia 1999   095-7754604

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:
One act play

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  2 males

Further Reference:
-

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Logies

Synopsis:
When award winning actors Mel Speed and Liza La Sage receive Logies for their roles in a high-rating TV cop show all seems rosy until Mel proposes to Liza on live television. Back at the hotel Liza tears strips off Mel when waiter Lester Pond enters the room. Lester, a psychologically disturbed fan, confuses fact with fiction and finally puts an end to the famous on-screen duo.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Union Theatre, Melbourne.    04 Dec 1999

Organisations:
Peridot Theatre Company

1st Published:
Ancient Mariner, 2002   957754-612

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:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Perfect Murder

Synopsis:
A thriller, set on the Gold Coast. Thriller writer Ben Harris is suffering from writer's block, so he invites his friends, the Templetons, over for a weekend to give him some stimulation. However, Ann Templeton is sick and tired of giving Ben plot lines and not being acknowledged for her contribution to Ben's best sellers. Ann wants joint authorship of Ben's next novel or else she will reveal all to the press. In order to extricate himself from a potential messy situation Ben must plot the perfect murder.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Mareeba, Australia    13 Oct 1989

Organisations:
Mareeba Repertory Society

1st Published:
Playlab Press, 1993   90815643X

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:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Rachel

Synopsis:
A thriller in two acts. Jennifer confesses to her psychiatrist, Miriam Talbot, that she has murdered a woman called Rachel. Miriam establishes that Jennifer is imagining everything, until unexpected developments occur that reveals that Jennifer may just be telling the truth.

Notes:
An excellent thriller for women.

1st Produced:
Atherton Performing Arts, Atherton.    24 Nov 1995

Organisations:
Atherton Performing Arts

1st Published:
Ancient Mariner, 2002   957754-663

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:  1            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Re-Electing Roger

Synopsis:
Roger Bingley, a politician more self-centred than a liqueur chocolate, is campaigning for a third term as the MP for Ewol. However, how loyal is his secretary and is his political advisor working for the Opposition? And who is having an affair with Roger's wife? A comedy about the chicanery of politics.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Mareeba    21 Nov 1986

Organisations:
Mareeba Repertory Society

1st Published:
Brisbane : Playlab Press, 1989   090-8156367

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/ Full-length play

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Rhinoceros Hides

Synopsis:
A nuclear bomb has dropped and the only survivors are three politicians and a bag lady. The politicians demand an election but realise that the deciding vote will be that of the bag lady. A mad satire on politics.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Malanda in the Far North Queensland Drama Festival    08 Jun 1990

Organisations:
Mareeba Repertory Society

1st Published:
Montrose Forfar, 1995
Contained in: "Four Australian One Act Plays" published by Longman, Australia 1996   (MF) 0646224727 and (LA) 0582806976

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/ One-act play

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Richard The Third's Revenge

Synopsis:
Richard III returns from the grave to clear his much maligned name. He joins the Royal Shakespeare Company and auditions for the role of himself in Shakespeare's Richard III with a view to changing the outcome!

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Mareeba    13 Nov 1987

Organisations:
Mareeba Repertory Society

1st Published:
in Comedy tonight : three award winning one acters, Brisbane : Playlab Press, 1989   -

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/ One-act play

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  1            Other:  doubling possible

Further Reference:
-

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Susan Pennington On Trial

Synopsis:
David Pennington, a doctor, has been found murdered in his Brisbane home. After an extensive police investigation, his wife, Susan, is on trial for his murder. The jury consists of members of the audience who will decide if Susan is guilty or innocent.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Atherton International Club    20 May 2005

Organisations:
A Community Theatre

1st Published:
Ancient Mariner, 2005   095775468X

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:
thrilling court drama.

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  5            Other:  4 any sex

Further Reference:
-

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Underclass, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
The Australian Script Centre >>>, 2001   090-8156375

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 80 mins Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Wellbourne's Way

Synopsis:
Peter Wellbourne is the President of Gosport Tennis Club. He has been president for years and years. The club is Peter's life, but when a younger member decides that Peter's time is up, Peter goes to extreme lengths to retain his title as club president, even if it means destroying the club.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Yungaburra Village Chapel    10 Nov 2006

Organisations:
A Community Theatre

1st Published:
Ancient Mariner, 2008   978-0957754690

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- Satire

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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