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Peta Murray

PETA MURRAY

  (1958 - )
Nationality:    Australian
email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    HLA Management Pty Ltd  

Peta Murray is a graduate of the NSW School of Drama and has a Diploma of Education from the University of Sydney. She began work as a high-school teacher, and was involved with fringe and community theatre throughout her teaching career. She also worked as an actor, writer and director in street and community theatre, stand-up comedy, theatre-in-education and feminist reviews. Peta's best-known play is Wallflowering. This play has been in almost continuous production since its premiere in 1989, with seasons in New Zealand, UK, USA and across Australia. Since then she has written numerous plays for young people, including Spitting Chips, and an adaptation of Tim Winton's Blueback, both of which won Australian Writers Guild Industry Awards (AWGIES). Community theatre works include This Dying Business and The Keys to the Animal Room, which won a 1994 AWGIE. Other works include The Procedure, The Diver, Stormy Night, The Law of Large Numbers, and Salt, which won both the Australian National Playwright's Centre/New Dramatists Award and the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Drama. In 2003 Peta was awarded a Centenary Medal for services to society and literature, and in 2004 an Australia Council grant took her to the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris for a six-month residency. In 2006 she wrote Room for Playworks and the Melbourne Writers' Festival. In 2010 two 'micro-plays' featured in Finucane & Smith's The Carnival of Mysteries at the Melbourne International Arts Festival. Peta works as freelance dramaturg and director and has taught playwriting at Melbourne University and RMIT. She is currently co-facilitator of The Black Writers Lab for Ilbijerri Theatre, Melbourne. Several of her plays are published by Currency Press. She is currently completing a new work for theatre entitled: Things That Fall Over: an (anti-)musical of a novel inside a reading of a play with footnotes and oratorio-as-coda.

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

         Blueback         Diver, The         Flying Flopps         Keys To The Animal Room, The         Law Of Large Numbers, The         One Woman's Song         Procedure, The         Reading, The         Room         Sacrament         Salt         Source, The         Spitting Chips         This Dying Business         Two Hats         Wallflowering

Blueback

Synopsis:
A gentle, evocative puppet play adapted from Tim Winton's fable of the same name, BLUEBACK tells the story of an inquistive boy's journey into adulthood, and his friendship with a grand old fish. BLUEBACK celebrates the magic and mysteries of the sea, and has been described as "a fable for all ages, bringing to life issues of personal maturation, conservation, and the power of place."

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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:
One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Diver, The

Synopsis:
This follows the journey of thirteen year old Ziggy Baddeley as she discovers a new sense of self. After the breakdown of her parent's marriage, Ziggy, her baby brother and her mother, Clare, move to a new suburb to begin again. In order to deal with the loss of security and all the changes thrust upon her, Ziggy decides to re-invent herself. She plans to start at her new school as a 'more colourful, more interesting person'. At the new school, she meets two other teenagers, and becomes embroiled in the Drama of their lives. theo CasElla is struggling to discover himself after years of living in the shadow of a highly successful older brother. Karen Fischer, a champion diver, is drowning beneath the weight of her father's ambitions and expectations. This play takes a comic look at the manly influences, pressures and choices faced by young people as they strive to develop their identities and strengthen their self-esteem.

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

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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:
2 Acts for upper primary and secondary students 90 min Youth Audience

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Flying Flopps

Synopsis:
H.B. Flopp, the youngest member of a travelling circus family is preparing for his debut and must master "the trick of tricks". He must confront his fear of the dark and of the trick that one day caused his Father to disappear forever. He must also control his imaginary friend, Hector Bully who threatens to ruin everything.

Notes:
3 puppeteers minimum / primary school puppet play / the five central characters Are represented by multiples of each puppet And one character is ultimately played by An Actor puppeteer.

1st Produced:
Terrapin Puppet Theatre    1990

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1st Published:
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Music:
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Genre:
puppet One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Keys To The Animal Room, The

Synopsis:
You can do terrible things to animals and they still love you. It takes a lot to break an animal's heart. . .Julie and Carl's lives are falling apart. they say they are in love but the whole marriage thing is just not working. Raised voices and strained tempers make for ugly scenes. Violence has entered the home and struck at its very heart. With Julie scared and Carl striving for perfection in an imperfect world, they're both caught up in the cause and effect of what society demands. But how do they tell the people they love they're living a domestic nightmare? the guilt of hitting her. the shame of letting it happen again and again. Behind close doors lie the best kept secrets.

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http://australianplays.org/   -

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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:
drama 100 min

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Law Of Large Numbers, The

Synopsis:
Coral Reith, a middle aged woman, suddenly finds herself in an "empty nest" after years of being defined by her duties as mother and wife. Coral's attempts to find kindred spirits and meaningful community all lead to dead ends, until ultimately she takes solace in "the nearly machines" of local gaming halls. Meanwhile, her home town itself is experiencing a mysterious proliferation as it's overrun by ants and spectacular ant mounds. The play is a bizarre comedy designed to involve community members and audience in the performance. It was written for 5 actors plus a chorus of community members, but has a variable cast with 13 main roles plus chorus.

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http://australianplays.org/   -

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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:
Surrealist/absurd comedy/fantasy/satire 100 min

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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One Woman's Song

Synopsis:
This play tells the story of Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker) and the Noonuccal people. Set against four decades of a changing nation, it is the story of a woman's search for her own voice. From the ti-trees of Stradbroke in the 1920's, through Brisbane in the Depression and World War II, into the Menzies dominated fifties and then to the heady days of the Civil Rights Movement in the sixties; one woman saw it all from an unique perspective and wrote what she saw.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    1993

Organisations:
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1st Published:
Currency Press, Sydney,    -

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:
One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Procedure, The

Synopsis:
A "sick little comedy" about a bent politician who gets his comeuppance. Mike Newman, Minister for Health, has been promoting a new cancer prevention programme called GUTSCOUT. On the advice of his media people, he submits to a GUTSCOUT test himself, but a suspect test result sets in train an unravelling of epic proportions. The play was written as a virtuoso piece for a solo performer. It also requires 1 F and 4 M voices via audio.

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

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:
Satire/farce, black comedy 85 mins

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Reading, The

Synopsis:
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1st Produced:
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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:
25 mins One Act

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Room

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
Melbourne Writers Festival    -

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:
Short play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Sacrament

Synopsis:
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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:
Short play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Salt

Salt
Meg is an independent woman who loves to eat and loves to cook. At the age of 42, she finds herself sharing a kitchen with her mother, Laurel, a glamorous 70 year old who carries a can opener in her handbag. A recipe for disaster? 'salt' takes us to the heart of the matter in five courses cooked on stage, to ask: What nourishes? What starves? Who feeds? Who is fed? A play about love and memory, emptiness and fullness, motherhood and ageing, SALT is a poetic tribute to the ties that bind and the perils and pleasures of the table.

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1st Published:
Currency Press 2001   978-0868196404

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:
2 Acts Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Source, The

Synopsis:
touchingly caricatures the eternal female server of others, always giving but never to herself

Notes:
part of Desires

1st Produced:
Peacock Theatre, Hobart, Australia (Revival)    1996

Organisations:
Terrapin 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:
Visual theatre

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Spitting Chips

Spitting Chips
Spitting Chips' is a comedy about grief, loss and anger for younger audiences. the play charts the changing relationship between Sybil (also known as Spud) Adams and her well-meaning, but work-aholic father, as she begins to come to terms with the death of her mother and the inevitability of change.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    1995

Organisations:
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1st Published:
Sydney : Currency Press, 1995    978-0868194066

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:
2 Acts for 10-15 year olds Youth Audience

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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This Dying Business

Synopsis:
Set in a lecture theatre where three dying people are giving a formal presentation to a conference audience. Based on research in a hospice, it examines the hospice philosophy and community attitudes to death and dying through the eyes of the patients, their relatives and those who care for them professionally. the play is stylised and based upon image rather than conventional narrative and despite the weighty subject matter it is warm, funny and never morbid.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    1990

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:
One Act

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Two Hats

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    -

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:
Short play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Wallflowering

Wallflowering
Wallflowering traces the uncertain steps of Cliff and Peg Small, an ordinary couple, as they attempt to save their marriage. One time prize-winning ballroom dancers, they now find themselves out of step with each other, and with the changing values of the world around them. Through the metaphor of dance, the play examines the dynamics of an evolving relationship. It looks at the impact on relationships when individuals embrace growth and change, and begin to tell the truth.

Notes:
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1st Produced:
Courtyard West Yorkshire    1991

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Sydney : Currency Press, 1992    978-0868192987

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:
Comedy

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  2 dancers

Further Reference:
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