David Keith Williamson AO (born 19 February 1942) is one of Australia's best-known playwrights. He has also written
screenplayA screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
s and
teleplayA teleplay is a television play, a comedy or drama written or adapted for television. The term surfaced during the 1950s with wide usage to distinguish a television plays from stage plays for the theater and screenplays written for films...
s.
Biography
David Williamson was born in
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and brought up in
Bairnsdale, VictoriaBairnsdale is a small city in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. With a population at the 2006 census of 11,282, it is a major regional centre of eastern Victoria along with Traralgon and Sale....
. He initially studied
mechanical engineeringMechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
at the
University of MelbourneThe University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
from 1960. His early forays into the theatre were as an actor and writer of skits for the Engineers' Revue at Melbourne University's Union Theatre at lunchtime during the early 1960s.
After a stint as a lecturer for
Swinburne UniversitySwinburne University of Technology is an Australian public dual sector university based in Melbourne, Victoria. The institution was founded by the Honourable George Swinburne in 1908 and achieved university status in June 1992...
, he turned to writing plays in 1967.
Williamson rose to prominence in the early 1970s, with works such as
Don's PartyDon's Party is a 1971 play by David Williamson set during the 1969 Australian federal election. The film based on the play was entered into the 27th Berlin International Film Festival.-Plot:...
(later turned into a 1976 film), a comic drama set during the
1969 federal electionFederal elections were held in Australia on 25 October 1969. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Prime Minister of Australia John Gorton with coalition partner the Country Party led by John McEwen defeated the Australian...
; and
The RemovalistsThe Removalists is a play written by Australian playwright David Williamson. The main issues the play addresses are violence, specifically domestic violence, and the abuse of power and authority...
(1971). He also collaborated on the screenplays for
GallipoliGallipoli is a 1981 Australian film, directed by Peter Weir and starring Mel Gibson and Mark Lee, about several young men from rural Western Australia who enlist in the Australian Army during the First World War. They are sent to Turkey, where they take part in the Gallipoli Campaign. During the...
(1981) and
The Year of Living DangerouslyThe Year of Living Dangerously is a 1982 Peter Weir film adapted from the novel The Year of Living Dangerously by the author Christopher Koch. The story is about a love affair set in Indonesia during the overthrow of President Sukarno...
(1982). Williamson's work as a playwright focuses on themes of politics, loyalty and family in contemporary urban Australia, particularly in two of its major cities, Melbourne and
SydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
Major works include
The ClubThe Club is a satirical play by Australian playwright David Williamson, that follows the fortunes of a football club over the course of a season. It explores the clashes between "human loyalty versus materialistic gain". It was inspired by the backroom dealings and antics of the Victorian Football...
,
The Department,
Travelling NorthTravelling North is a 1987 film directed by Carl Schultz.An aged couple decide to move from Melbourne to Queensland.-Play:The David Williamson play Travelling North premiered in 1979, the year that Williamson moved from Melbourne to Sydney...
,
The Perfectionist,
Emerald CityEmerald City is a 1987 play by Australian playwright David Williamson, a satire about two entertainment industries: film and publishing.-Story:...
,
Money and Friends and
Brilliant LiesBrilliant Lies is an Australian film released in 1996, produced by Bayside Pictures and Beyond Films.Directed by Richard Franklin.Produced by Sue Farrelly, Kim McKillop and Richard Franklin....
.
Recent work has included
Dead White Males, a satirical approach to postmodernism and university ethics;
Up for GrabsUp For Grabs is a play by Australian playwright David Williamson.Set in the booming international art market from 1990, which was fuelled by the dot com boom, it involves scenes of an alternate sexual nature...
, which starred
MadonnaMadonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
in its London premiere; and the
Jack Manning Trilogy (
Face To Face,
Conversation,
Charitable Intent) which take as their format community conferencing, a new form of restorative justice, in which Williamson became interested in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
In recent years he has alternated work between larger stages (including
Soul Mates,
Amigos and
Influence - all premiered with the
Sydney Theatre CompanyThe Sydney Theatre Company is one of Australia's best-known theatre companies operating from The Wharf Theatre near The Rocks area of Sydney, as well as the Sydney Theatre and the Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre....
) and smaller ones (including the Manning trilogy,
Flatfoot and
Operator, which premiered at the
Ensemble TheatreThe Ensemble Theatre is an Australian theatre company, situated in Kirribilli, New South Wales. It is promoted as Australia's longest continuously running professional theatre group, established in 1958.- References :...
). However, in 2005, he announced his retirement from main-stage productions.
Williamson was instrumental in the founding of the Noosa Longweekend Festival, a cultural festival in Noosa, Queensland.
In August 2006
Cate MolloyCathryn Molloy is an Australian politician. She was a Labor and independent member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2006, representing the district of Noosa....
, former
Australian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
member of the
Queensland ParliamentThe Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
for the
Electoral district of NoosaThe district of Noosa is a Queensland Legislative Assembly electoral district on the Sunshine Coast in the Australian state of Queensland. The electorate is centred on Noosa and stretches northwest to the southern border of Gympie, south to Peregian Springs and west to Eumundi.The seat is currently...
, announced that Williamson would be her campaign manager as she sought to recontest her seat as an Independent.
In 2007 appeared
Lotte's Gift, a one-woman show starring
Karin SchauppKarin Schaupp is a German-born Australian classical guitarist and actress.She was born in 1972 in Hofheim am Taunus, Germany, to a musical family. Her mother and principal teacher, Isolde Schaupp, was a teacher of guitar at the Conservatorium of Wiesbaden. Her father was an amateur pianist, and her...
, which traced a journey through Schaupp's own life as well as those of her mother and grandmother (the Lotte of the title).
Personal life
He is married to
Kristin WilliamsonKristin Löfvén Williamson is an Australian journalist and author.Kristin Williamson was born in Melbourne, went to school in Geelong and trained as a teacher. On graduating she took up a scholarship at the University of Florence in Italy to study Italian...
(sister of independent filmmaker Chris Löfvén) and lives on Queensland's
Sunshine CoastThere are several places around the globe that use the name Sunshine Coast. They are collections of coastal towns and/or cities that have banded together, usually for tourist promotional reasons...
. His stepson
Felix Williamson-Career:He has had many roles in television, film and theatre and portrayed Paul Keating in the 2010 telemovie, Hawke opposite Richard Roxburgh's Bob Hawke....
and his son Rory Williamson are both Australian actors. Rory starred as Stork in the 2001 revival of
The Coming of StorkThe Coming of Stork was the first play written by David Williamson. It was adapted into a feature film in 1971 starring Bruce Spence....
at the Stables Theatre in Sydney, produced by Felix's company, the Bare Naked Theatre Company.
Honours and awards
- 1971- British George Divine Award
- 1972 - Australian Writers Guild Awgie for best stage play and best script with 'The Removalists'
- 1983 - appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
- 1995 - Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Drama Award for Sanctuary
- 1996 - chosen to deliver the inaugural Andrew Olle Media Lecture
The Andrew Olle Media Lecture was established in 1996 by the presenters and staff at 702 ABC Sydney to honour the memory of ABC Radio broadcaster Andrew Olle, who died in 1995 of a brain tumour.The Andrew Olle Lecturers have been:...
Australian Film Institute Awards
- 1977 - AFI Award
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...
, Best ScreenplayThe Australian Film Institute Award for Best Screenplay is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards. It has been awarded annually since 1976 as a joint category until 1993 when the award was separated into Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay...
, Original or Adapted, 'Don's Party'
- 1981 - AFI Award, Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted, 'Gallipoli
Gallipoli is a 1981 Australian film, directed by Peter Weir and starring Mel Gibson and Mark Lee, about several young men from rural Western Australia who enlist in the Australian Army during the First World War. They are sent to Turkey, where they take part in the Gallipoli Campaign. During the...
'
- 1987 - AFI Award, Best Screenplay, Adapted, 'Travelling North'
- 2009 - AFI Award, Best Screenplay, Adapted, 'Balibo
Balibo is a 2009 Australian feature film that follows the story of the Balibo Five, a group of journalists who were captured and killed whilst reporting on activities just prior to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975. The film is loosely based on the book Cover-Up, by Jill Jolliffe, an...
' (Shared with director Robert ConnollyRobert Connolly is a politically conscious film director, producer and screenwriter based in Melbourne, Australia.Connolly is best known as the director and writer of the feature films Balibo, Three Dollars and The Bank, and the producer of the high-profile Australian films Romulus My Father and...
)
Full list of plays
- The Coming of Stork
The Coming of Stork was the first play written by David Williamson. It was adapted into a feature film in 1971 starring Bruce Spence....
(1970)
- The Removalists
The Removalists is a play written by Australian playwright David Williamson. The main issues the play addresses are violence, specifically domestic violence, and the abuse of power and authority...
(1971)
- Don's Party
Don's Party is a 1971 play by David Williamson set during the 1969 Australian federal election. The film based on the play was entered into the 27th Berlin International Film Festival.-Plot:...
(1971)
- Jugglers Three (1972)
- What If You Died Tomorrow? (1973)
- The Department (1975)
- A Handful of Friends (1976)
- The Club
The Club is a satirical play by Australian playwright David Williamson, that follows the fortunes of a football club over the course of a season. It explores the clashes between "human loyalty versus materialistic gain". It was inspired by the backroom dealings and antics of the Victorian Football...
(1977)
- Travelling North
Travelling North is a 1987 film directed by Carl Schultz.An aged couple decide to move from Melbourne to Queensland.-Play:The David Williamson play Travelling North premiered in 1979, the year that Williamson moved from Melbourne to Sydney...
(1979)
- Celluloid Heroes (1980)
- The Perfectionist (1982)
- Sons of Cain (1985)
- Emerald City
Emerald City is a 1987 play by Australian playwright David Williamson, a satire about two entertainment industries: film and publishing.-Story:...
(1987)
- Top Silk (1989)
- Siren
Siren is a 1990 play by Australian playwright David Williamson....
(1990)
- Money and Friends (1991)
- Brilliant Lies
Brilliant Lies is an Australian film released in 1996, produced by Bayside Pictures and Beyond Films.Directed by Richard Franklin.Produced by Sue Farrelly, Kim McKillop and Richard Franklin....
(1993)
- Sanctuary
Sanctuary is a 1994 play by Australian playwright David Williamson.-Summary:Sanctuary is a two act play set in the Gold Coast retreat belonging to retired Australian foreign correspondent Robert 'Bob' King . Mr King has lived a full life of charismatic success in the USA reporting on stories from...
(1994)
- Dead White Males (1995)
- Heretic
Heretic is a 1996 play by Australian playwright David Williamson.The play explores Derek Freeman's reaction to Margaret Mead's Coming of Age in Samoa...
(1996)
- Third World Blues (1997, An Adaptation Of Jugglers Three)
- After The Ball
After the Ball may refer to:*After the Ball , a popular 1891 song by Charles K. Harris*After the Ball , a 1954 musical by Noel Coward loosely based on Lady Windermere's Fan*After the Ball , a 1956 Woody Woodpecker cartoon...
(1997)
- Corporate Vibes (1999)
- Face to Face
Face to Face is a 2000 play by Australian playwright David Williamson. It is part of the Jack Manning Trilogy which take as their format community conferencing, a new form of restorative justice which Wiliamson became interested in the late 1990s and early 2000s.When Glen, a young construction...
(2000)
- The Great Man (2000)
- Up for Grabs
Up For Grabs is a play by Australian playwright David Williamson.Set in the booming international art market from 1990, which was fuelled by the dot com boom, it involves scenes of an alternate sexual nature...
(2001)
- A Conversation (2001)
- Charitable Intent (2001)
- Soulmates (2002)
- Amigos
Amigos is a 2004 play by Australian playwright David Williamson which premiered with the Sydney Theatre Company....
(2004)
- Influence (2005)
- Scarlett O'Hara at the Crimson Parrot (2008)
- Let The Sunshine (2009)
- Don Parties On
Don Parties On, the new play from David Williamson, premiered in Melbourne on January 8, 2011.It is the sequel by David Williamson to the 1971 play Don's Party.The same characters 40 years on plus a few new arrivals...
(2011)
- At any Cost? (play) (2011)
Box office revenue
Sydney Theatre Company box office revenue from David Williamson plays:
- 1982 — The Perfectionist $357,088
- 1985 — Sons of Cain $382,771
- 1987 — Emerald City $707,918
- 1990 — Siren $624,626
- 1992 — Money and Friends $1.221 million
- 1993 — Brilliant Lies $851,000
- 1995 — Dead White Males $1.184 million
- 1996 — Heretic $1.29 million
- 1997 — Third World Blues $771,822
- 1998 — After the Ball $1.132 million
- 1999 — Corporate Vibes $1.409 million
- 2000 — The Great Man $1.289 million
- 2001 — Up for Grabs $1.25 million
- 2002 — Soulmates $1.333 million
- 2003 — The Club $1.387 million (remake)
- 2004 — Amigos $1.405 million
- 2005 — Influence $1.719 million
External links