doollee banner
The Playwrights Database
contact doollee


Bronwyn Elsmore

BRONWYN ELSMORE

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

Literary Agent:    Playmarket Inc  

Bronwyn Elsmore was born in Wairoa, Hawkes Bay and has lived in several centres in North Island, New Zealand. She has a PhD from Victoria University of Wellington and was for many years at Massey University. Throughout her writing career she has written over a wide range of genres, fiction and non-fiction, being the author of a large number of published works - short stories, articles, and seven books. She has three times been winner of Playwrights association's playwriting competition and has earned awards for other forms of writing. Seven of Bronwyn's plays have been staged in NZ Theatres. She lives in Waitakere, where she is a full-time writer, now preferring to write fiction and plays.

Buy Plays with Doollee

Each page of doollee.com has links to play/book outlets, either directly to the Publisher, through Stageplays.com and Amazon to the second hand and 1st editions of AbeBooks. These links will automatically take you to the relevant area obviating the need for further search.
AbeBooks.co.uk   AbeBooks.com   Stageplays.com   amazon.com   amazon.co.uk   amazon.ca
whether you are a Playwright who wishes to make their entry definitive, an unlisted Playwright or a User with a tale to tell - we want to hear from you.
download WORD submission template

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

         Abandon Hope         All People         Celestial Pursuits         Creations         Goldi-Snow-errella-Hood         Gumboot         Morning In Suburbia         Pied Piper, The         Roads To Heaven         Rushton Roulette         Side Show         Striking Out         Waimamae         Where Were You?
Abandon Hope

Synopsis:
First the dairy factory, then the school - both gone north. We´re lucky to have a postshop and one bank left - though who knows for how long. there´s hardly anything left to call Ruawhetu any more. the whole place is going down the road - literally". and now the a-Bandon Underwear factory, one of the last surviving industries in the town is threatened with closure

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Kaitaia Dramatic Society     2003

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 One act

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  3            Other:  male voice

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

All People

Synopsis:
This play, written for children of about intermediate school age, subtly explores the subject of racism.

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 for youth One act

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  7            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Celestial Pursuits

Synopsis:
a comedy, set in Heaven. What really goes on ´upstairs´ in the heavenly realm. are angels ´angelic´ or are they more likely to engage in celestial shenanigans? a novice angel arrives in ´God´s own Godzone´, the heavens above New Zealand, and learns some fascinating facts about life in the hereafter. Many of life´s little mysteries explained! Can be performed by actors of either gender.

Notes:
Winner, Playwrights Association of New Zealand's Minolta Playwriting Competition, 1997

1st Produced:
Dannevirke Repertory     2000

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 One act

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  4 angels m/f

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Creations

Synopsis:
From the ancient past to the present, from mythic time to the nuclear age, Creations uses the traditions and the rhythms of the South Pacific to trace the development of its islands, the cultures, and the people. This performance utilizes Pan-pacific storytelling to reveal a story relevant to all, about origins and what it is to be human.

Notes:
there can be some doubling of the characters.

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:
full length Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Goldi-Snow-errella-Hood

Synopsis:
a group of actors present the play Goldilocks, but must be helped by the audience to unmuddle the right story from other fairytales. an enjoyable play for adult actors to perform for young children.
Playmarket News

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Gateway Theatre     01 Jan 1977

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:
Childrens Youth audience

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Gumboot

Synopsis:
When the neighbouring farm property changes hands, the Fagg family of Poranginui are pressured by the new owner to sell part of their farm also. a private detective arrives on the scene and the children conduct their own investigation. Just who is Sherman Jones? Where has grandpa gone? and is there really a body in the swamp?

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Tauranga Repertory Theatre     1989

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:
suitable for a largely teenage cast. Musical

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  1            Other:  6b 7g

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Morning In Suburbia

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Part Of Short And Sweet, Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, The Edge, Auckland     01 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:
ten min play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Pied Piper, The

Synopsis:
When rats invade Hamelin, the women of the town form a pressure group to lobby the City Council and succeed in having their leader elected to office. a tussle develops over the mayoral chain, while the young people solve th mystery of the children. a musical pantomime, with choruses of townsfolk, children and rats.
Playmarket News

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Tauranga Repertory Theatre     01 Jan 1977

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 pantomime Pantomime

Parts:
Male:  8            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Roads To Heaven

Synopsis:
One time, two women, different countries, parallel paths. Roads to Heaven follows the lives of edith and Lidja, in pre-World War 2 europe. their stories, together, are about nationalism, prejudice, restriction, segregation, war, violence, and the Third Reich; but also about family, language, hope, dreams, tolerance, unity, faith and courage.

Notes:
Cast is flexible. there is A core of 4 players, each of whom play several parts. But more can be employed.

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:
full length Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Rushton Roulette

Synopsis:
Four women who meet to play cards challenge the inevitability of sliding into old age and take up various challenges. "It's a bit like Russian Roulette," says Ngaire. "the chances are better in that," replies Merryn "there it's only one in six that you get the bullet."

Notes:
Winner, Playwrights Association of New Zealand's Minolta Playwriting Competition, 1999

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:
Full length Comedy-Drama Comedy

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Side Show

Synopsis:
against the backdrop of an a&P show, amidst the competitive events taking place, issues that have affected a family during the past year come to a head.
Playmarket News

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Waihi Drama Society     01 May 2009

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/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Striking Out

Synopsis:
the staff of Mandell Motors decide on a social evening and go Ten-pin Bowling. But the timinc of the event couldn't be worse, and not only dc competitive characteristics arise but tensions over a recent marriage split are also played out during the game. a comedy with plenty of action.
Playmarket News

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:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Waimamae

Synopsis:
Mary, early retired, returns to her old home town and sets out to find her childhood friend ana who also left many years ago and has not come back. the small town of Waimamae was a quiet place but its people, Maori and Pakeha, lived with hopes, dreams, and loss. Through the character of Mary and her memories and observations, a story of New Zealand as it was and is now, is revealed. Set between the 1950s and the present, Waimamae explores changing situations and attitudes.

Notes:
all Actors need to be Able to play several roles. An Ability to speak Maori is An Advantage

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:
full length Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Where Were You?

Synopsis:
Two blasts disturbed the winter night and a ship dedicated to peace lay submerged in auckland Harbour. a quarter of a century later many New Zealanders still feel strongly about the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior. the tenth of July 1985 was the day I grew up. "That was the day I learned that if you want to fight for something. . . you put your life at risk." "It was when I realized that those who are arrogant enough to pollute the world with nuclear weapons testing wouldn't hesitate to resort to terrorism to enforce their will." "I think it was when New Zealand came of age." Where Were You? looks at the effects that this act of international terrorism had on the attitudes and lives of New Zealanders.

Notes:
Cast is flexible. there is A core of 4 players, each of whom play many parts. But more can be employed to spread the parts.

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:
full length Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page