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Hannie Rayson Hannie Rayson i(A14522 works by) (a.k.a. Helen Judith Rayson)
Born: Established: 1957 Melbourne, Victoria, ;
Gender: Female
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Works By

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1 y separately published work icon Hello, Beautiful Hannie Rayson , 2018 13952618 2018 single work drama

'Playwright and author Hannie Rayson brings her sublimely comedic one-woman show to Griffin. Featuring select stories from her acclaimed book Hello, Beautiful!, Rayson shares true tales from an adventurous life, ranging from her childhood in East Brighton to the treacheries of Hollywood, from sharehouses in Fitzroy to the beauty of rural Australia. Rayson’s writing has always been driven by her deep curiosity about contemporary Australian life: how we live, what matters to us, and the political and ethical challenges we face. Self-deprecating and hilarious, Hello, Beautiful! seeks out extraordinary moments in the everyday.'

Source: Griffin Theatre company 2018 season.

1 y separately published work icon Endangered : Three Plays Justine Campbell , Sarah Hamilton , Hannie Rayson , Caleb Lewis , Strawberry Hills : Currency Press , 2017 11630361 2017 anthology drama

'They Saw a Thylacine: Out of the darkness, Sarah Hamilton and Justine Campbell conjure the ghost of one of Australia's lost beauties, the thylacine. With all the suspense of a campfire story, these feisty, funny women weave a lyrical tale of adversity and extinction. For this thylacine tracker and this zoo keeper's daughter, it's a quest not just to protect a threatened creature, but themselves. Rebellious and gutsy, these women face life and fight to survive.

'Extinction delves deep into the heart of our own morals, choices and tightly-held convictions. Extinction wraps an important conservation message around a unique and personal human story. A wild, rainy night, a twist of fate and an injured tiger quoll bring together a passionate environmentalist and an unlikely Good Samaritan. Both are hell-bent on saving the species, but intentions are murky. What will be compromised in the quest to save the quoll? Nothing is black and white in this intriguing story about love, sex, money and power.

'The Honey Bees: As the world's honeybees disappear, a family-owned apiary struggles to keep up with overseas demand. Driven by matriarch Joan's iron will, the business continues to grow. And then Melissa arrives out of the blue. The Honey Bees is a tale of Family and Empire; Action and Consequences; and what happens when the bee finally stings. ' (Publication summary)

1 2 Power Plays Melissa Bubnic , Michele Lee , Nakkiah Lui , Hannie Rayson , Debra Thomas , 2016 anthology drama

A series of five plays by Australian playwrights, collected and performed as a single performance.

1 3 Extinction Hannie Rayson , 2015 single work drama
— Appears in: Endangered : Three Plays 2017;

'The death of an endangered tiger quoll is the critical backdrop to an Australian story about our very survival.

'Andy Dixon is a vet who believes strongly in preserving the environment and our natural resources. When his lover, the determined conservation biologist Dr Piper Ross, agrees to undertake research paid for by the CEO of a mining company, he begins to question her methods and his feelings toward her.

'Little does she know that Andy has been diagnosed with a rare illness, and his life is in as much danger as the species she is trying to save.

'From the mind of Helpmann Award-winning Australian playwright, Hannie Rayson (Hotel Sorrento, Life After George), comes the world premiere of Extinction, a unique drama with a timely and important message of environmental awareness and conservation.' (Production summary)

1 6 y separately published work icon Hello, Beautiful! : Scenes from a Life Hannie Rayson , Melbourne : Text Publishing , 2015 8281689 2015 single work autobiography

'I realise that, despite all the references to my longing to be a writer, two things are apparent. The first is that I don’t actually do much writing; the second is that my teenage reflections display absolutely no talent for it. My Diary is prima facie evidence of self-delusion on a grand scale.

'A memoir in parts, from one of Australia’s best-loved playwrights.

'Hannie Rayson—writer, mother, daughter, sister, wife, romantic, adventuress, parking-spot optimist—has spent a lifetime giving voice to others in the many roles she has written for stage and television.

'In her new book, she shines the spotlight on herself. This collection of stories from a dramatic life radiate with the great warmth and humour that has made Hannie one of the best-known playwrights in the country. From a childhood in Brighton to a urinary tract infection in Spain, from a body buried under the house to a play on a tram, Hello, Beautiful! captures a life behind the scenes—a life of tender moments, hilarious encounters and, inevitably, drama.' (Publication summary)

1 Seville Hannie Rayson , 2014 single work prose
— Appears in: The Lifted Brow , September/October no. 24 2014; (p. 74-75)
'Here we are in the south of Spain, heading for Seville. A city with a reputation for sex and danger - the city that inspired Carmen, Don Giovanni, The Barber of Seville and Don Juan. Clearly the perfect setting for a urinary tract infection.' (Introduction)
1 Stone's Throw Trek for Body and Soul Hannie Rayson , 2012 single work prose travel
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 6-7 April 2012; (p. 17)
Hannie Rayson recounts her experiences while undertaking the 'Coast to Coast' walk in England.
1 Reading the Field Peter Goldsworthy , Robyn Annear , Frank Moorhouse , Annabel Crabb , Larissa Behrendt , Leigh Hobbs , Hannie Rayson , Jane Sullivan (editor), 2010 single work column
— Appears in: The Age , 7 August 2010; (p. 12-13)
'The right mix of bookishness could make our leadership candidates better people. Australian authors are here to offer some advice.' (Editor's abstract)
1 The World Can Wait Hannie Rayson , 2010 single work autobiography
— Appears in: The Age , 24 July 2010; (p. 16-17)
Conscious of her carbon footprint, Hannie Rayson chooses to holiday in her home city of Melbourne.
1 Voyage of Rediscovery Hannie Rayson , 2010 single work autobiography
— Appears in: The Age , 23 January 2010; (p. 14-15)
1 4 y separately published work icon The Swimming Club Hannie Rayson , Strawberry Hills : Currency Press , 2010 Z1629684 2010 single work drama 'Six young people from around the world, including two UWA students, spend one glorious summer together on a Greek island in 1983. They are beautiful, adventurous, idealistic and believe that the world is theirs for the taking. Fast-forward to 2009: these footloose and fancy-free types have turned into successful and driven people who are juggling careers, families and mortgages and are grappling with middle age. Each in their own way, they feel trapped by their life choices and are baffled by their children’s youth culture in the new millennium. Will a reunion on their magical Greek island be able to rekindle their spiritual fire?' (From the publisher's website.)
1 From : Hotel Sorrento Hannie Rayson , 2009 extract drama (Hotel Sorrento)
— Appears in: Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature 2009; (p. 1294-1299)
1 form y separately published work icon What I Wrote : Hannie Rayson Hannie Rayson , ( dir. Catherine Gough-Brady ) Canberra : Ronin Films , 2007 Z1469062 2007 single work film/TV

'Hannie Rayson engages with the national conversation and rehearses the big debates of our time. She uses family as a platform to discuss these issues. Hotel Sorrento, Inheritance, Life After George and the provocative Two Brothers make up her most influential works. She talks freely about her influences, her working methods and her urbanity.

'This title consists of a short filmed interview (approx 30 mins) with the playwright discussing her plays and writing methods; short "lesson starter" films about each play and about curriculum concerns; accessible and informed commentary; easy to use chapters and menus; teachers notes; the writer reading a passage from one of her plays.

'The writer discusses key literary figures; development of her ideas and themes; motivation of her characters; adaptation of the texts; dramaturgy and staging of her plays; social and historical context of her plays; inspirational sources for her plays; tips for young writers.' (Publisher's blurb)

1 Does the Theatre Have Any direct Effect on How We Live? Hannie Rayson , 2007 single work criticism
— Appears in: What Difference Does Writing Make? : Leading Writers on Writing 2007; (p. 8-12)
1 2 The Glass Soldier Hannie Rayson , 2007 single work drama

'Based on a true story, Hannie Rayson's 'The Glass Soldier' is a deep, sincere tribute to two generations of Australians that had little, but gave everything.

'When artist Nelson Ferguson went to war, he promised his sweetheart Maddie that he would not die. But for keeping that promise, the gods exacted a terrible price: the destruction of the sight that was his livelihood and the spirit that made his life sweet. Only his mate Wolfie understands his pain; only Maddie has the faith to outlast it.'

Source: Melbourne Theatre Company website, http://www.mtc.com.au/
Sighted: 23/07/2007

1 1 Some Kind of Wonderful Hannie Rayson , 2005 single work musical theatre
1 23 y separately published work icon Two Brothers Hannie Rayson , 2005 Strawberry Hills : Currency Press , 2005 Z1158853 2005 single work drama thriller The Benedict brothers are on opposite sides of the political divide. Eggs is the Minister for Home Security and prime minister-in-waiting. Tom is a refugee advocate and the head of a charitable foundation. The brothers have a relationship based on affection and respect.And in the jumble of family life they have managed to accommodate their ideological differences. But then, an Indonesian fishing boat, packed with refugees, goes down in the Indian ocean on Christmas Day. two hundred and fifty people drown, but one man survives.(Publisher's blurb, back cover).
1 The Getting of Wisdom : Hannie Rayson Hannie Rayson , 2003 single work column
— Appears in: Good Weekend , 26 July 2003; (p. 11)
1 12 y separately published work icon Inheritance Hannie Rayson , Strawberry Hills : Currency Press , 2003 Z1008389 2003 single work drama Inheritance is a story of two families battling it out in the unforgiving terrain of Victoria's Mallee region. The elderly twin sisters, Dibs Hamilton and Girlie Delaney, represent two kinds of rural family story. Dibs inherited the family farm and has prospered; her children, Julia and William, are well educated city folk, and her adopted Aboriginal son, Nugget, is a successful farmer managing the family farm. Girlie, on the other hand, has had a rougher ride. Her son Lyle and his wife maureen are embittered by their experience of life on the farm as one of endless struggle and never getting an even break. (x). 'Speaking the Truth to Power: Hannie Rayson's 'Inheritance'.
1 The Play's the Real Thing Hannie Rayson , 2002 single work essay
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 19 November vol. 120 no. 6351 2002; (p. 78-80)
Argues the case for a 'Theatre of Engagement' on the part of playwrights and other artists, both with the social and political issues of the world and with audiences.
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