Susan Davis Susan Davis i(A152521 works by)
Gender: Female
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Works By

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1 Wildflowering Culture : Kathleen McArthur and Creating a Popular Wildflower Consciousness Susan Davis , 2020 single work criticism
— Appears in: Australasian Journal of Popular Culture , 1 March vol. 9 no. 1 2020; (p. 67-82)

'Changing people’s hearts and minds requires courage, conviction and creativity. To change attitudes and reach the public consciousness, a diverse range of communicative and cultural tools need to be employed. Australian artist and conservationist Kathleen McArthur rose to the challenge using all the forms that were available to her. Working with others such as renowned poet Judith Wright, she sought to change the way Australians regarded our native plants and landscapes. Kathleen understood that to protect the precious environments that remained would require reaching out to ordinary Australians. Therefore, she utilized a suite of arts and communication forms, ranging from postcard campaigns to weekly newspaper columns, public talks, slide presentations, paintings, exhibitions and published books. Inspired by natural forms and utilizing cultural forms, McArthur was able to promote a form of ‘nature culture’ and public consciousness to protect and promote the nature that she loved.' (Publication abstract)

1 Kathleen McArthur, the Wildflower Woman Who Took on Joh Bjelke-Petersen Susan Davis , 2019 single work biography
— Appears in: The Conversation , 31 January 2019;

'This year marks 50 years since the launch of one of Australia’s first major conservation battles, waged against Queensland’s ultra-conservative, pro-development premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen. It was for a location few had ever heard of – Cooloola, an area that stretches from Noosa to Rainbow Beach, around 70 km north.' (Introduction)

1 Performing the Castaway Susan Davis , 2018 single work drama
— Appears in: New Writing , vol. 15 no. 2 2018; (p. 264-272)

'This work begins to explore a new story and encounter, and also examines the practice of scriptwriting as a creative practice, as creative writing and research. In particular this work investigates the interactive process of creating, representing multiple voices from historical texts, archival research, the researcher, the writer, the characters and the performers. It aims to contribute to the growing body of work within the academy that explores the nexus between scriptwriting as creative writing and research. While the historical researcher might be more concerned with wanting to accurately analyse and communicate information, the dramatic scriptwriter has to give consideration to aesthetic elements, as well as the multiple contributions of performances and audiences. A creative research process, about nineteenth-century shipwreck survivor Barbara Crawford's story, has therefore begun with a focus on the imagining and writing as research, not considered separately but interrogated as part of the creative process and new work.' (Publication abstract)

1 George Landen Dann : A Dramatic History in Queensland Susan Davis , 2016 single work essay
— Appears in: Fryer Folios , February vol. 10 no. 1 2016; (p. 21-23)
1 Floating Land, Noosa 2015 i "Layered lavender curve", Susan-Zela Bissett , Donna Lee Brien , Susan Davis , Cheryl McGarron , Pam Miller , Irene Waters , Libby Woodhouse , 2016 single work poetry
— Appears in: Meniscus , May vol. 4 no. 1 2016; (p. 4)
1 Questions for George Susan Davis , 2015 single work drama
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , April no. 29 2015;
'What lies at the heart of our creative and research journeys? Are we always seeking to understand something about ourselves no matter what the subject? What makes writing and the creative journey worthwhile? Is it acknowledgement in our own lifetime or a belief in leaving some form of literary legacy? This script ponders such questions as the researcher explores, in creative form, her journey to answer questions about the life of one of Queensland’s early playwrights, George Landen Dann who came to prominence in 1931 when he won the Brisbane Repertory Theatre playwriting competition with the play In Beauty it is Finished. Dann later became one of Australia’s leading playwrights. Critics, publishers and directors (Brisbane, 1977; McCallum, 2009, Rees, 1973; Rowbotham, 1962) have long argued that Dann’s work deserves greater recognition. This script examines events from the time of a 1930s scandal, making links to events from his final years and the significance of the work of an Honours student who wrote her thesis about him. The researcher’s own questioning frames the investigation, creating a Readers Theatre style of documentary script drawing on evidence from interviews, newspaper clippings, letters and other documents in the Fryer Library collection at the University of Queensland. ' (Publication abstract)
1 Scriptwriting as a Research Practice : Expanding the Field Susan Davis , Debra Beattie , Craig Batty , Dallas J. Baker , 2015 single work essay
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , April no. 29 2015;
'In October 2013, special issue 19 of TEXT: Journal of Writing and Writing Courses, ‘Scriptwriting as Creative Writing Research’, presented a landmark collection of scripted works – for stage and screen – under the rubric of verifiable research outputs. Concerned with content, form and context, these seven works from academics working in Australia demonstrated the potential of the script to embody – to perform – research. The works showcased the potential for stage plays and screenplays to be valued as research artefacts in their own right, without the need for them to be performed or produced in order to be ‘counted’ within the higher education sector.' (Authors introduction)
1 2 y separately published work icon TEXT Special Issue Website Series Scriptwriting as Creative Writing Research II no. 29 April Dallas J. Baker (editor), Craig Batty (editor), Debra Beattie (editor), Susan Davis (editor), 2015 8643344 2015 periodical issue
1 Figments of Eliza - A Dramatic Interlude About Place Susan Davis , 2013 single work drama
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , October no. 19 2013;

'This work uses the creative nonfiction form of a dramatic script to explore the story of Eliza Fraser and a woman’s relationship to place. Using questions of relevance to the contemporary explorer juxtaposed with the documented history of Eliza Fraser’s experiences after a shipwreck in 1836, documentary evidence and place-based research were transformed to create a one women show. The script was developed following research and blogging in the role of Eliza Fraser across a four-month period. In shaping the arc of the script, consideration was given to the concept of a tragic hero and the female version of the ‘hero’s journey’ (Campbell 1990; Murdock 1990) including domestic imprisonment, journey through the underworld, symbolic death, discovery of the mother figure, female tradition, magical flight and rescue. Eliza’s alienation from the place and its people raises questions about what it means to belong, both then and now. ' (Author's abstract)

1 Epiphany! A Contemporary Vaudevillian Fairytale Susan Davis , 2012 single work drama
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , October no. 15 2012;
'This show was developed through working with a group of young people and professional artist with the young actors having input into character creation drawing on concepts from circus, vaudeville and freak shows. Workshop content was then shaped into a script which to date has had two performance seasons. Working within a framework drawn from the old music hall style of theatre the script is shaped into twelve stand-alone acts that, in combination, tell a gripping tale.' (Author's abstract)
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