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Michael Forde

MICHAEL FORDE

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

Literary Agent:    Kubler Auckland Management  

Michael co-wrote for La Boite Milo's Wake (New South Wales Premier's Literary Award, Matilda Award, Perform/4MBS Award, AWGIE nomination). National tour (playing Milo). International tours (New Zealand, London, Edinburgh Festival, translated production in Tokyo.) For La Boite Michael also co-wrote Still Standing, (return season, Queensland tour) James and Johnno (national tour playing Johnno). Way Out West (Queensland tour, Queensland ABaF Award. Published by Playlab Press.) For Classic Arts 4MBS Michael co-wrote Cribbie (Brisbane and return season. Published by Playlab Press) Skating on Sandgate Road (ACU and Q150 Celebrations.) Acting roles include Small Mercies, Taming of the Shrew, Away, This Old Man Comes Rolling Home. (La Boite) A Conversation, Navigating, Sweet Panic, Killing and Chilling my Annabel Lee, Julius Caesar, Philadelphia Here I Come (Queensland Theatre Company). A founding member of KITE Theatre, Michael was involved in over forty productions. Directing credits include Shango (QPAT), John Brown Rose and the Midnight Cat (QPAT) Motor Bill and the Lovely Carolyn and John Brown Rose and the Midnight Cat (Out of the Box) Anansi Stories (Queensland Arts Council) Lottie the Musical (VP productions), Skating on Sandgate Road (ACU and Q150) Cribbie (4MBS Classic Arts) Twelfth Night (Shakespeare in the Park 4MBS Classic Arts.) Unplugged (Artslink Queensland). Michael co-wrote the music theatre work Behind the Cane for the Queensland Music Festival in 2011 (AWGIE Nomination 2012.). With Margery, Michael wrote Heart of an Open Country for the 2013 Queensland Music Festival. Michael has received a Centenary Award for services to Australian literature and society. Margery and Michael's work is the subject of a Doctoral Thesis From life, to page, to stage: Exploring theatrical artistry, community and storytelling with Margery and Michael Forde. Michael played Sorin in the "now look here" production of The Seagull in 2015. He is proud to be on the board of 4MBS

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

         Behind The Cane         Cribbie         Milo's Wake         Way Out West

Behind The Cane

Synopsis:
In the late 1800s Australian ships arrived in the South Sea Islands. They took children off the beaches, thousands of men and women from the islands, and brought them back to work in North Queensland - to cut sugar cane. Then in 1901, under the White Australia Policy, most were sent back to the islands - but not necessarily back to the islands they came from. Through music, song, and adapted oral history, Behind the Cane tells the stories of the 'blackbirded'. The story of the South Sea Islanders, those who left and those who stayed. Developed from true stories of the Bowen community, Behind the Cane is an honest, powerful, and uplifting exploration of an important part of Australian history.

Notes:
written by Margery and Michael Forde

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Playlab   -

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, Large Cast, South Sea Islander Stories

Parts:
Male:  20            Female:  20            Other:  Original production consisted of a cast of more than 100 members of the Bowen community including singer, dancers, actors, and musicans.

Further Reference:
-

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Cribbie

Synopsis:
Cribbie is musical, verbatim play about Brisbane's lost suburb of Cribb Island  a charming seaside spot that became the Brisbane Airport in the 1980s. Cribb Island was once an isolated, tight knit community of Aussie battlers who found refuge and cheap living during the Great Depression. Full of vibrant residents, from the policeman who hadn't made an arrest in ten years, to the musical family that went on to become the Bee Gees, Cribbie' was much loved by the people who called it home. But when the suburb was resumed for the expansion of the Airport, the community was torn apart. Based on interviews with the suburbs former residents and written by Michael and Margery Forde, Cribbie is a heartwarming, nostalgic story of the community that was forced to leave the place they called home.

Notes:
written by Margery and Michael Forde

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Playlab   -

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:
verbatim theatre

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  Can accommodate a larger cast without doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Milo's Wake

Synopsis:
Milo's wake will be the perfect opportunity for Milo's loved ones to remember him fondly, sing his praises and enjoy a pint or five of Guinness. Not wanting to miss such a good party, Milo O'Connor decides to hold his wake while he is alive and well. and so, in an Australian Irish pub, Milo gathers with his family, friends, and a few uninvited ghosts, for an evening of food, drink and rousing tribute. Brimming with the irrepressible spirit of the Irish, the wake promises a riotous night of emotion, song and laughter.

Notes:
written with Margery Forde

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Currency Press, Sydney
http://australianplays.org/script/ASC-1652   -

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:
Two acts Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Way Out West

Synopsis:
Way Out West takes you on a sometimes hilarious, sometimes moving journey through Western Queensland and is a celebration of the spirit of the people and the places that make it unique. Specially commissioned to mark the centenary of federation, this text is based on the actual stories of the people of the West, as recorded by this award-winning writing team. Category: education

Notes:
written by Margery Forde And Michael Forde

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Playlab Press, 2001   -

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:
-

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