Cirrus@Austlit

'When a young girl is murdered at the hands of one of her male contemporaries, what is the aftermath? How will her friends cope? How can such violence be understood?'

Source: Australian Plays (https://australianplays.org/script/CP-366/). (Sighted: 22/02/2018)

Nothing's easy for Lockie Leonard. Dumped by his girlfriend, he's back to being the loneliest kid in town and life looks bleak. That is until he meets Egg - who might be the weirdest human being he's ever met. On top of all that, Lockie decides to save the planet; at least the bit of it he lives on. Then he falls in love again, which would be OK except she's younger and surfs better. Can a thirteen-year-old surfrat have a headbanger for a best mate? Will he save the town from vile pollution? Will his love outlast the school term? Another gnarly situation for Lockie Leonard, Scumbuster!

'Any plan for a skate park in Narragindi are dead in the water. The kids of the town are left to skate on the town hall steps and take their chances avoiding the local police. Zac, a young leader among the many youth committees set up to get a skate park wants no part in another attempt. His best mate, Corey, a guy with a troubled history, has a passion for the new campaign sparked by his interest in Lauren, a member of the new committee. When tragedy strikes, the town is galvanised into action, and what was originally a fight for a skate park grows into a struggle for acceptance and unity." - publisher's blurb in The Peach Season (2007)

Three lost children stumble across an abandoned orphanage in the bush. they become trapped in a timeless world, haunted by spirits from the past. They are tormented, too, by the black skirt, a cruel governess who floats up and down the orphanage corridors wielding enormous scissors. But as the stories of these forgotten children are told - from pickpocketing incidents in the eighteenth century to the tragedies of the Stolen Generations in the twentieth - their spirits are released, one by one.

Children of the Black Skirt is a gothic fairytale with bite. Roald Dahl meets Charles Dickens under the harsh Australian sun, as Angela Betzien explores Australia's history and the healing power of storytelling.

'This work explores incredibly important aspects of the Australian history and is rapidly becoming cult viewing for young audiences across Australia through its schools' touring and main stage exposure' Sally Chance, Come Out Festival Director.

Source: Currency Press Publication

'Did Hitler's daughter, Heidi, really exist? Four country children waiting in the rain for the school bus take turns telling stories. In an unusual twist, Anna's story takes the children to Nazi Germany. An intriguing tale about Heidi, a young girl caught in the turmoil of World War II, whose father was one of the most dreaded men in history.

'One of the children, Mark, becomes engrossed in Heidi's story. In his conversations with his friends, his teacher and with his parents, he explores the moral and ethical issues it raises.

'This intriguing play poses powerful questions about a frightening period in history and forces us to examine moral issues in relation to society's fears and prejudices in a fresh, compelling light.'

Source: Monkey Baa Theatre for Children website, http://www.monkeybaa.com.au/
Sighted: 07/08/2007

'Set in 1932 against the magical backdrop of Bondi Beach, in the year the Sydney Harbour Bridge opens, the days of Phar Lap and Charles Kingsford Smith, Keiran a boy from Bondi hopes to help his family survive the depression.

'Hurtling towards the beach one morning in the famous Bondi 'Rattler', Keiran is inspired to become a paper boy on the Bondi trams. No sooner does his dream begin to take shape than it is threatened by Saxon, the chief paper boy. Tensions build as their rivalry grows and culminates in a dramatic climax with unexpected results. Can dreams really come true? Keiran's quest is to find out. (Publisher's blurb)

'A terrified 12-year-old boy finds himself separated from his family in the unfamiliar streets of a war torn city. Dodging sniper fire and mortar shells he takes refuge in a bombed-out house and in the total blackness his bravado crumbles into tears.

'Into his life steps Anna - older, street smart and scornful of his crying. As a way of shutting the boy up, she starts to tell him a story that she vaguely remembers from her own childhood. And so begins a journey into the shifting, shimmering world of ogres, princes, singing bones, foolish lads and wolf-mothers.'

Source: Riverside Parramatta website, http://www.riversideparramatta.com.au
Sighted: 10/04/2007

'An epic chronicle of the refugee experience, Beautiful Words weaves together three very different stories of survival, told through the eyes of three children in different times and places. The outcome is heart-rending, humorous, and surprising by turns. From the horrors of Auschwitz Concentration Camp in the final days of World War II, to Taliban-ruled Kabul, to present day Australia, this enthralling play presents a rich tapestry of human experience, overlapping lives, and the bonds that unite generations.'

Source: Currency Press website, http://www.currency.com.au/
Sighted: 12/05/2008

'Every week somewhere in Australia news headlines proclaim yet another tragedy of young lives lost in a car wreck. Communities are shocked, politicians duck for cover and families are torn apart... the same story again and again.

'Set a month after the crash, Engine is the story of 'Grumpop' who lost a grandson and Natasha who lost a brother. Engine is a highly charged theatrical event about family, friends and cars and of fixing what's broken and celebrating life.' (From the publisher's website.)

'Thursday's Child is Tin, born on a Thursday and like the old nursery rhyme, has far to go. A strange and lonely child who digs, his wanderings take him underneath the earth into the subterranean tunnels that he's pre-destined to roam. Told by his sister Harper Flute, it is a story of an Australian farming family's strength as they battle their way through the great depression of the 1930's. A surreal and epic piece of theatre that explores the themes of memory, fate, family camaraderie and the spirit of determination in a time of great change.'

Source: Monkey Baa.

'Kiki Coriander wants to run away with the circus and have an affair with a bearded lady, Bob dreams of time travel but knows it's impossible and Jumper is in a love triangle with Kiki and his pet snake. Things are complicated further when Jumper dies unexpectedly in a bus crash. "Cut Snake" is the story of how this event changes these three lives and the extraordinary ripple effect it has on the world at large.

Source: www.melbournefringe.com.au/ (Sighted 11/10/11).

'A monologue about a recovering anorexic and bulimic, taking the audience into the painful reality of a woman afflicted by eating disorders. Based on Sancia Robinson’s own experiences. ' (Publication summary)

'Pete the Sheep is a brand-new 50-minute musical, based on Jackie French and Bruce Whatley’s quirky and quintessentially Australian picture book.

'Shaun is the new sheep shearer in Shaggy Gully. Since shearing is such hard work, all the other shearers have sheep dogs to help them, but not Shaun. His partner is Pete, a sheep-sheep! The other shearers in the shed are not happy with Shaun and his sheep-sheep.

'Following rejection by the shearers and their dogs, Shaun and Pete set up their own Shearing Salon in town where they are inundated with woolly clients, who delight in Shaun’s styling prowess.

'This hilarious musical comedy, imaginatively told by four performers playing shearers, dogs and sheep, explores the challenges and rewards of being an individual, and will be a lasting tribute to honouring your own spirit and strength, whilst working with the flock!' (Source: http://monkeybaa.com.au/show/pete-the-sheep-world-premiere/ )