The Australian Women's Register

Summary

Feminist playwrite Suzanne Spunner’s works include: Not still lives; Edna for the garden; Running up a dress; Dragged Screaming to Paradise; Overcome by Chlorine; Radio for Help and The Ingkata’s Wife.

A founding member of the Home Cooking Theatre Company, in 1987 Spunner moved with her family to Darwin and established Paradise Productions. A board member of The Australian National Playwrights Centre, in Sydney, and 24 HR ART: the Northern Territory Centre for Contemporary Art, she has been the recipient of Fellowships from the Literature Board of The Australian Council in 1988, 1991 and 1994. Both Dragged Screaming to Paradise and The Ingkata’s Wife were highly commended by The Jessie Litchfield Award for Northern Territory Literature.

Events

• 1972

  Graduated BA Hons from the University of Melbourne

• 1973

  Graduated Dip Ed from the University of Melbourne

• 1975

  Co-ordinator of the International Women’s Film Festival in Melbourne

• 1976 - 1978

  Reviewer of the Melbourne Times

• 1977 - 1978

  Co-ordinator of the feminist journal Lip

• 1977 - 1979

  Senior tutor at Deakin University

• 1978 - 1980

  Film and theatre reviews, articles and interviews in journals and magazines

• 1978

  Seconded to Open Universiity in the United Kingdom

• 1979

  Conducted a weekly radio programme on theatre for 3RRR FM

• 1979

  Married Ian Gray (later Chief Magistrate of Victoria), they have 2 children

• 1979

  Victorian editor of Theatre Australia

• 1980

  Lecturer in Australian studies and theatre for the School of Drama at the Victorian College of the Arts

• 1981

  Reviewer of the Melbourne Times

• 1987

  With family moved to Darwin

• 1988

  Recipient of a Fellowship from The Literature Board of The Australia Council

• 1991

  Recipient of a Fellowship from The Literature Board of The Australia Council

• 1994

  One of 12 playwrights chosen to represent Australia at the 3rd International Women Playwrights’ Conference in Adelaide

• 1994

  Recipient of a Fellowship from The Literature Board of The Australia Council