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Verity Laughton

VERITY LAUGHTON

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

Literary Agent:    Cameron Creswell Agency  

Verity Laughton's work has been produced in Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Japan, the UK and the usA. It includes main-stage adult Dramas, a promenade community event, a musical, adaptations, plays for child and family audiences, as well as for dance, for puppets, for Theatre of image and a 'neutral script.' Her plays include: the Ballad of Bonnie Wheeler; the Mourning after; Carrying Light; Burning; the Snow Queen; Koala Lou (musical); Gondwana; the Nargun and the Stars (both large scale puppetry); Sweet Thing; the Ice Season. awards include: aWGIe for Community Theatre, 2004 (the Lightkkeeper); the Griffin Prize, 2001 (Burning); aWGIe for Radio Drama, 2004 (Fox); Adelaide Critics' Circle Best New Australian Play, 1999 (Carrying Light); Inscription award, 2009 (the Ice Season). Two recent radio plays, Moon Door and Davy have been nominated for the 2009 aWGIe awards. In 2008 she was awarded a full year grant from the Australia Council for the Arts to write a play, What Has Been Taken. She is a member of the 7-ON group of playwrights

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

         Bad Luck Clancy         Ballad Of Bonnie Wheeler, The         Burning         Carrying Light         Davy         Fox         Ghostie         Gizmo, The         Gondwana         I Saw A Dinosaur         Ice Season, The         Imagine the Night Sky         Koala Lou         Lightkeeper, The         Lights On Petticoat Lane         Moon Door/Respect         Mourning After, The         Nargun And the Stars, The         Respect         Snow Queen, The         Sweetest Thing, The         Tom Roberts         World Of Paper
Bad Luck Clancy

Synopsis:
Clancy is a possum, with ferociously bad luck, who nevertheless survives and triumphs in his busland world

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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Music:
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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:
puppet play for lower primary age children One act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  3 actor/pupeteers

Further Reference:
-

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Ballad Of Bonnie Wheeler, The

Synopsis:
Bonnie Wheeler is a child living on a soldier settlement farm on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. What she wants above all is to be a farmer like her dad but life intervenes to make her choices less straightforward. an energetic and amusing evocation of rural life

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Music:
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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:
For children and families 55 min

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  5 actors

Further Reference:
-

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Burning

Synopsis:
June Matthews, an ex-dancer, and her history professor husband, Stephen, return to her grandmother's large stone house by the sea immediately after the publication of Stephen's latest, and most controversial book. June finds the skeleton of a 14 year old Irish servant girl, Lizzie, from the previous century. a detective take wrapped inside a love story about place, history, personal imperatives and ways of seeing the world.

Notes:
Winner of the Griffin Award, 2001

1st Produced:
The Stables Theatre, Sydney     01 Jun 2001

Organisations:
Griffin Theatre

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:
adult Drama Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Carrying Light

Synopsis:
Rose McBride, a discredited photojournalist returns to the small country town of her birth to find that her beloved childhood friend, Hannah has become embroiled in a religious cult led by her erratic, charismatic brother 'Raphael' an investigation into the operation of religious and personal charisma

Notes:
Winner of Sa Critics Circle Best New play, 1999. Nominated for New Dramatists Award, 2000

1st Produced:
The Space Theatre     01 Jul 1999

Organisations:
State Theatre Company of South Australia/Vitalstatistix

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:
adult Drama

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Davy

Synopsis:
Davy, a small boy suffering foetal alcohol syndrome, attempts to make sense of the advent in his life of his new born brother.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
National Broadcast, Australia     23 May 2008

Organisations:
aBC audio Arts

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:
Radio Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Fox

Synopsis:
Jo, an Australian archaeology graduate leaves her surfie boyfriend, Dan to study with Dr Marks, an archaeology professor at the Britsh Museum. their object of study is a fictionalized version of Linden Man, the 'body in the bog' - a likely Celtic sacrifice. Jo is thrown back into a Celtic apprehension of life and sacrifice as she is forced to face elements of her own nature and likely life choices. a concrete evocation of the tension between visible and invisible world

Notes:
Winner of the AWGIe Award for Radio Drama, 2004

1st Produced:
National Broadcast, Australia     01 Nov 2003

Organisations:
aBC audio Arts

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:
Radio Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Ghostie

Synopsis:
Two young men creep around a reputedly haunted house hoping to get scared or randy or both

Notes:
Part of "Sydney Ghost Stories"

1st Produced:
Old Fitzroy Hotel Theatre, Woolloomooloo, NSW     Nov 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:
Short play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Gizmo, The

Synopsis:
an adaptation of Paul Jennings hit novel for late primary children. Stephen, under pressure from his nasty bully of a friend, Floggit, picks up a 'gizmo.' amid general hilarity, chaos ensues and lessons are learned.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Wagga Wagga, Nsw     01 Oct 2004

Organisations:
Riverina Theatre Company

1st Published:
-   

Music:
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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 for young people

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Gondwana

Synopsis:
a creation, through the use of large puppets, of life and change in the Great South Land, Gondwana, from the Permian to the end of the Cretaceous Period

Notes:
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1st Produced:
National Museum, Canberra     01 Oct 2005

Organisations:
erth Physical and Visual 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:
Puppet

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  5 puppeteers

Further Reference:
-

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I Saw A Dinosaur

Synopsis:
a rag bag team of eccentrics set out to find a lost dinosaur egg

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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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 for primary age children

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  cast of five

Further Reference:
-

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Ice Season, The

Synopsis:
Thomas Allen, a famous novelist aged about 55, has just died. He and his third wife of three years, the beautiful Catherine, have been staying in a small town just outside (for example) Sydney. Thomas is buried in the local cemetery by his old friend, Catholic priest and probable alcoholic, Father John Houseman. Assisting in the burial as gravedigger is ex-soldier Michael McManus, a Scot. After the burial Father John sends his cleaner, Vicki, around to help Catherine clean up. Vicki has a connection with Michael, Father John has connections with all three. And then Thomass unacknowledged son, Jake, comes to town. the Ice Season investigates faith and fate, art, love and damage in the contemporary Western world.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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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 120 min

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Imagine the Night Sky

Synopsis:
a storytelling exhibition (images by JaNeT aYLIFFe) with poems and stories to illustrate tales from many cultures about the night sky

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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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:
For children and families

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  Three storytellers

Further Reference:
-

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Koala Lou

Synopsis:
Koala Lou is a small koala. Feeling displaced in her mother's affections by an army of smaller siblings, she resolves to win the gum-tree climbing event at the Bush Olympics. a classic hero quest in the form of a musical for a very young audience based on Mem Fox's popular picture book

Notes:
based on Mem Fox's picture book, for children And families (music: Stuart Day)

1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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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:
60 minute musical One act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  2 versions: (i) 13 characters; (ii) 7 characters 3 leads are female, the rest can be played by either sex

Further Reference:
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Lightkeeper, The

Synopsis:
Harry Power, an ex-seaman is the lightkeeper at an (un-named) lighthouse on the south east coast of Australia in the 1860s. the play covers his midnight to dawn watch on a stormy night with a struggling ship in the near distance. Harry revisits the major events of his turbulent life and in particular his love for and loss of the widow, Mary agnes Taylor and her six year old son, Henry. a meditation on love and endurance

Notes:
Winner of the AWGIe for Community Drama, 2004

1st Produced:
Mainstreet Theatre, Mt Gambier     01 Jan 2003

Organisations:
Mainstreet Theatre

1st Published:
http://Australianplays.org/, 2004   

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:
adult Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Lights On Petticoat Lane

Synopsis:
a Large-scale outdoor theatre event by and for the community of Penola, a small town in the south-east of Australia, home to Mary McKillop, Julian Tennyson Woods, adam Lindsay Gordon, John Shaw Neilsen and antarctic explorer John Rymill among others.the play covered the town's history and characters. the piece is most interesting to other producers as an example of a process that might be successfully applied in many locations

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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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:
Community Play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  large cast

Further Reference:
-

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Moon Door/Respect

Synopsis:
Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of all of China, lies dying, poisoned by mercury which he has taken in a misguided attempt to make himself immortal. He is responsible for the building of the Great Wall of China. the ghosts of two men who died during its construction head up an unearthly army waiting to greet him on the other side. He is immortalised in his legacy of the Great Wall, visited in the second part of this play by Liz, an invalid since childhood. She is assisted by Sharpie, who so far in life has not amounted to much. an angel guides them to top of the Wall, the fulfilment of Liz's lifelong ambition.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
National Broadcast, Australia     03 Aug 2008

Organisations:
aBC audio Arts

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:
Radio Drama

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Mourning After, The

Synopsis:
Best remembered in the title role of the long running radio serial Berenice Beleagured, Belle Doyle also trod the boards in many major musicals to thrill Australian audiences in the years after World war 2. Now she is alone on an Australian beach on Christmas Day, having just buried her domestic tyrant of a husband. a warm and richly comic evocation of a woman's life and choices set in context of Australian theatrical history.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Beckett Theatre Cub Malthouse, Melbourne, Australia     1996

Organisations:
Playbox Theatre

1st Published:
Currency Press, Sydney, 199   

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 adult Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  1            Other:  One woman play form older female actor

Further Reference:
-

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Nargun And the Stars, The

Synopsis:
Simon, an orphan, goes to lives with second cousins on their farm, Wongadilla. He meets the ancient and magical creatures who inhabit the land. these include the Nargun, an enormous and threatening creature. Simon becomes involves in a struggle to preserve the b balance and harmony of Wongadilla.

Notes:
from the novel by Patricia Wrightson

1st Produced:
Riverside Theatre     19 Jan 2009

Organisations:
Performing Lines/erth Physical and Visual Theatre

1st Published:
Phoenix educational 2009   

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:
Child and family/puppetry

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  4 puppeteers

Further Reference:
-

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Respect

Respect
Over three years, Australia's new writing theatre, Griffin theatre Company, presented fourteen unique short plays across its mainstage season. Seen for one night only, the fates, Seasons and the Seven Needs were three play cycles provoked by the classical mythology of man's inescapable destiny, the seasonal patterns and Maslow's Pyramid of Human Needs. Now , this eclectic and fascinating collection of ten minute plays by some of the country's most established and emerging playwrights becomes Short Circuit.

Notes:
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1st Produced:

Organisations:
Griffin 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:
Ten Min

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  2            Other:  1 m/f

Further Reference:
-

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Snow Queen, The

Synopsis:
Kay, a young boy, is stolen by the Snow Queen. His beloved childhood companion, Gerda, sets out to rescue him

Notes:
a combined virtual reality And mainstage Adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale

1st Produced:
Adelaide, Dunstan Playhouse     01 Sep 2003

Organisations:
Windmill 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

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Genre:
65 min For children and families One act

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Sweetest Thing, The

Synopsis:
Sarah is a young woman struggling to escape the bonds of family; her mother, her two sisters and her (recently deceased) father. Contrary by nature, she has fallen in love and lust with a charismatic drifter. With a framework of reference that moves from chaos theory, to family, to art and on to the fundamentals of passion and death, 'sweet Thing' uses a fluid time frame to explore the cross-generational random connections that are the unexpected turning points of a life. It's tender, funny, sharp and sexy.

Notes:
Shortlisted for the 2006 London Warehouse theatre's International Play Writing Festival

1st Produced:
-    

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:
Time-fluid naturalistic Drama 90 min

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Tom Roberts

Synopsis:
Australian artist Tom Roberts looks back on his life, particularly the period spent with arthur Streeton. a short play to accompany Tom Roberts Retrospective, produced in 1996 by the art Gallery of Sa.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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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:
Half hour adult Drama

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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World Of Paper

Synopsis:
Maruchan explores her world, entirely made of paper.

Notes:
Conception: Peter Wilson And Kazenoko theatre

1st Produced:
Kazenoko Theatre, Kyoto     01 Feb 2003

Organisations:
Kazenoko 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:
puppetry

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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