John Henry Romeril (born 1945) is an Australian playwright and teacher. He has written around 60 plays for theatre, film, radio, and television, and is known for his 1975 play ''The Floating World''.

Early life and education

John Henry Romeril was born in 1945 and grew up in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, living in

Moorabbin Moorabbin is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 15 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Kingston local government area. Moorabbin recorded a population of 6,287 at the . Most of the ...

until 1966. He attended Bentleigh West State School, Brighton Tech., and Brighton High Schools, and then undertook a BA at

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

, graduating in 1970 with majors in English Literature and Politics.

Career

Over the course of his career, Romeril wrote plays for theatre, film, radio, and television, including stage, musicals,

puppet theatre Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. Such a performa ...

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

s, and

street theatre Street theatre is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. These spaces can be anywhere, including shopping centres, car parks, recreational reserves, college or university c ...

. In 1968 he became involved with La Mama Theatre, which had been established in that year by Betty Burstall. In 1969 a group involved with the theatre founded the

Australian Performing Group The Australian Performing Group (APG) was a Melbourne-based experimental theatre repertory ensemble formed in an official capacity in 1970 from the La Mama theatre group. Created to address a dissatisfaction with Australia's theatrical climate, th ...

(APG) in 1970 established the Pram Factory. The APG went on to perform many of Romeril's plays, which were performed at the Pram Factory. Romeril also worked collaboratively with other APG writers, including

Jack Hibberd John Charles Hibberd (born 12 April 1940 in Warracknabeal, Victoria) is an Australian playwright and physician. Biography Hibberd studied medicine at the University of Melbourne and resided in Newman College. He worked as a registrar in ...

and

Tim Robertson Tim Robertson is an Australian actor and writer. He is a graduate of the University of Western Australia] (1965) and taught at Flinders University in Adelaide, where he began adapting and directing plays. He joined the Australian Performing Gro ...

. His first plays, ''I Don't Know Who To Feel Sorry For'' (1969) and ''Chicago, Chicago'' (1970) were written while he was still a student. In 1972, Romeril co-wrote a one-act play for four actors called ''Bastardy'', based on the life of the main actor in the first production of the play, Jack Charles (actor), Jack Charles. Premiering on 23 August 1972, Charles played the main character at the season at the Pram Factory, with

Peter Cummins Peter Cummins (born 2 June 1931 in Melbourne) is an Australian retired character actor of stage and screen and chorister who was especially prominent in the 1970s and appeared in some of the most famous Australian films of the period. He was pa ...

Jude Kuring Judith Kuring (born 23 November 1948) known Jude Kuring is an Australian actress who appeared in theatre, film and television during the late 1970s and early 80s. She remains best known for her stint as the recurring character of petty crimina ...

, and

taking the other three parts. Charles plays a cat burglar who was struggling to get over his drug habit. The production was directed by

Bruce Spence Bruce Spence (born 17 September 1945) is a New Zealand–Australian actor. Spence has amassed over 100 film and television credits and has also acted in theatre. Biography Spence won an AFI Award for Best Actor for his role in the 1971 comedy ...

. Charles has taken pains to point out that the word is ''

bastardy Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

'', not ', Romeril having chosen the title because Charles "lived a life of buggery and bastardy in the Box Hill Boys' Home", and also referring to the fact that Charles was fatherless. The script of the play was published in 1982 by Yackandandah Playscripts, and a documentary film of the same title observing seven years of Charles' life, made by

Amiel Courtin-Wilson Amiel Courtin-Wilson is an Australian filmmaker. He has directed over 20 short films and several feature films. His debut feature film, ''Hail'', premiered internationally at Venice Film Festival in 2011. He is also a musician, music producer, a ...

, was released in 2008. ''The Floating World'' (1975) is his most admired play, described by one critic as "a pioneering drama in the context of the predominantly Anglo-Celtic orientation of the APG's theatrical output". His later work is placed firmly in the context of Australia being part of the

Asia Pacific Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the part of the world near the western Pacific Ocean. The Asia-Pacific region varies in area depending on context, but it generally includes East Asia, Russian Far East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Pacific Is ...

region, including Japan. He co-wrote the film script for ''

One Night the Moon ''One Night the Moon'' is a 2001 Australian musical non-feature film starring husband and wife team Paul Kelly, a singer-songwriter, and Kaarin Fairfax, a film and television actress, along with their daughter Memphis Kelly. The film was dire ...

'' with

Rachel Perkins Rachel Perkins (born 1970) is an Australian film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. She directed the films ''Radiance'' (1998), ''One Night the Moon'' (2001), ''Bran Nue Dae'' (2010), and ''Jasper Jones'' (2017). Perkins is an ...

, released in 2001.

Themes and style

Romeril is known for collaborating when creating his works, in a way that allows many others to contribute to the work. His plays have examined many influences on Australian society, such as war,

American cultural imperialism American imperialism refers to the expansion of American political, economic, cultural, and media influence beyond the boundaries of the United States. Depending on the commentator, it may include imperialism through outright military conquest ...

and national politics. His style has been described as

improvisation Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

al and musical, and is influenced by

Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

. His works frequently require audience participation, as is seen in the improvisational work ''Kelly Dance'', where members of the audience members are invited to dance on the stage with the actors.

Awards and recognition

Romeril has been a

writer in residence Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...

with Jigsaw Theatre Company in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, and Troupe Theatre in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

. Other awards and honours include: * 1976: Winner of the inaugural Canada-Australia Literary Award * 1988:

Victorian Government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive, the judicial, and th ...

Drama Fellowship * 1993: Kenneth Myer Medallion for the Performing Arts * 2003: State Library Victoria Fellowship * 2003:

Australia Council The Australia Council for the Arts, commonly known as the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announced in 1967 as the Austra ...

Literature Board Fellowship * 2003: Inaugural Australian National Playwrights Centre (later merged with Playworks to form PlayWriting Australia) Award * 2006–2007:

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...

Literary Scholarship * 2008:

Patrick White Award The Patrick White Award is an annual literary prize established by Patrick White. White used his 1973 Nobel Prize in Literature award to establish a trust for this prize. The $25,000 cash award is given to a writer who has been highly creative o ...

* 2013: Lifetime Achievement award by the Sydney Theatre Awards * 2014: Australia Council grants and awards * 2016:

AWGIE Award The AWGIE Awards is an annual awards ceremony conducted by the Australian Writers' Guild, for excellence in screen, television, stage and radio writing. The awards began in 1967. The awards are judged by over 50 writers, most of whom are previo ...

Dorothy Crawford Dorothy Muriel Turner Crawford (21 March 1911 – 2 September 1988), other names Dorothy Balderson, Dorothy Strong and Dorothy Smith, was an Australian actress and announcer, as well as a producer in radio and television, who, with her brother ...

Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession *2017:

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(AM) in the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours for "significant service to the performing arts as a playwright and screenwriter, and to theatre companies and education" Some of his works have also been awarded, including ''Tokyo Henry'' ( Playbox Asialink Playwrighting Competition, 2003) and ''Miss Tanaka'' ( Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting at the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, 2002).

Selected works

*''A Nameless Concern'' (1968) *''Kitchen Table'' (1968) *''The Man from Chicago'' (1969) *''Marvellous Melbourne'' (1970) * ''I Don't Know Who to Feel Sorry For'' (1973) * ''The Floating World'' (1975) * ''Bastardy'', with

Uncle Jack Charles Jack Charles (5 September 1943 – 13 September 2022), also known as Uncle Jack Charles, was an Australian stage and screen actor and activist, known for his advocacy for Aboriginal people. He was involved in establishing the first Indigenous t ...

(first performed 1972; published 1982) * ''

Jonah Jonah or Jonas, ''Yōnā'', "dove"; gr, Ἰωνᾶς ''Iōnâs''; ar, يونس ' or '; Latin: ''Ionas'' son of Amittai, is a prophet in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran, from Gath-hepher of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th cent ...

'' (1985) * ''Kelly Dance'' (1986) * ''Legends'' (1986) * ''Definitely Not the Last: A rock'n'roll fable'' (1989) * ''Lost Weekend'' (1989) * ''Black Cargo'' (1991) * ''Love Suicides'' (1997) * ''Miss Tanaka'' (2001) * ''

'', with

(2001)

References

External links

John Romeril
on

AusStage AusStage: The Australian Live Performance Database is an online database which records information about live performances in Australia, providing records of productions from the first recorded performance in Australia (1789, by convicts) up unt ...

One Night The Moon: Interview with John Romeril
at ''

Senses of Cinema ''Senses of Cinema'' is a quarterly online film magazine founded in 1999 by filmmaker Bill Mousoulis. Based in Melbourne, Australia, ''Senses of Cinema'' publishes work by film critics from all over the world, including critical essays, career ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Romeril, John 1945 births Living people APRA Award winners Australian screenwriters Writers from Melbourne Members of the Order of Australia Patrick White Award winners Australian male dramatists and playwrights Australian musical theatre lyricists 20th-century Australian dramatists and playwrights