Blagoja "Bill" Neškovski ( mk, Благоја „Бил“ Нешковски, 20 January 1964 – 25 November 1989) was a

Macedonian Australian Macedonian Australians ( Macedonian: Македонски Австралијанци) are Australian citizens of Macedonian descent. Many arrived in the 1920s and 1930s, although larger numbers came to Australia after World War II and the Gre ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and actor. He wrote in both English and

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North M ...

. Born Blagoja Neškovski in

Bitola Bitola (; mk, Битола ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki ...

, Republic of Macedonia, his family migrated to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in 1974 and settled in the industrial town of Port Kembla. He wrote his first play, ''Full House'', while in his final year at Warrawong High School and then studied creative arts at the University of Wollongong and an acting course at NIDA. His second play, ''Say Goodbye to the Past'', premiered at Theatre South in 1985. He became a member of the Nimrod Theatre Company in 1986, and in 1989, he wrote his third and final play, ''Conqueror Cole''. It was performed in Wollongong,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Melbourne, as well as in his homeland

Macedonia Macedonia most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...

Craig Pearce Craig Pearce is an Australian screenwriter and actor. Pearce's acting credits include a regular role in soap opera ''The Restless Years'' in 1981, guest roles in '' Bellamy'', '' E Street'' and '' G.P.'', and film roles in ''I Can't Get Started ...

(who co-wrote the script for

Strictly Ballroom ''Strictly Ballroom'' is a 1992 Australian romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Baz Luhrmann in his feature directorial debut. The film is the first in his "Red Curtain Trilogy" of theatre-motif-related films; it was followed by 1996 ...

with

Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962), known professionally as Baz Luhrmann, is an Australian film director, producer, writer and actor. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music and recording industries, he is re ...

) played the role of Sašo in the 1989

Griffin Theatre Company Griffin Theatre Company is an Australian theatre specialising in new works, based in Sydney. Founded in 1979, it is the resident theatre company at the SBW Stables Theatre in Kings Cross. the artistic director is Declan Green. Artistic direct ...

production of ''Say Goodbye to the Past''. Neškovski's plays deal with issues confronting the

migrant experience in

. Cultural dislocation is an underlying theme in the plays. One month before his early death, he was accepted as a member of the

Association of Writers of Macedonia Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

. He was also a member of an amateur

Macedonian-Australian Macedonian Australians (Macedonian language, Macedonian: Македонски Австралијанци) are Australians, Australian citizens of Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonian descent. Many arrived in the 1920s and 1930s, although larg ...

theatre group Macedonian Theatre of Illawarra which, after his death, took his name to become the Macedonian Theatre Bill Neškovski. The

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...

published an

obituary An obituary ( obit for short) is an article about a recently deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life, this is not always the case. Ac ...

on 29 November 1989. He was posthumously given a Special Award for distinguished contribution to Australian literature in the 1991 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards.Premier's Literary Awards
(NSW Ministry for the Arts) Accessed: 1 February 2007.

Bibliography

* ''Three Plays: Full House, Say Goodbye to the Past, Conqueror Cole''. (Sydney: Macedonian Literary, 1990)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neskovski, Bill 1964 births 1989 deaths Australian male dramatists and playwrights Yugoslav emigrants to Australia Australian people of Macedonian descent Macedonian writers University of Wollongong alumni 20th-century Australian dramatists and playwrights