Suzie Miller is an Australian/British playwright, librettist and screenwriter. In April 2022, Miller made her West End debut with ''

Prima Facie ''Prima facie'' (; ) is a Latin expression meaning ''at first sight'' or ''based on first impression''. The literal translation would be 'at first face' or 'at first appearance', from the feminine forms of ''primus'' ('first') and ''facies'' (' ...

'' starring

Jodie Comer Jodie Marie Comer ( ; born 11 March 1993) is an English actress who rose to global prominence for her role as Oksana Astankova / Villanelle in the BBC America spy thriller '' Killing Eve'' (2018–2022). She has received various accolades in ...

Overview

Miller is a contemporary international playwright, librettist and screenwriter drawn to complex human stories often exploring injustice. She has often been described as a courageous writer and won the

Kit Denton Fellowship The Kit Denton Fellowship is an Australian literary award given annually by the Australian Writers' Guild (AWG). It is presented to a writer who shows courage and excellence in performance writing. The winner receives $25,000 AUD to support them ...

for writing with courage in 2008. Born 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 ...

, she now resides between London and Sydney. Miller's works have been produced around the world, winning several awards. Her play ''Prima Facie'' (premiered 2019,

Griffin Theatre 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 direc ...

) won the 2020

Australian Writers' Guild The Australian Writers' Guild (AWG) is the professional association for Australian performance writers for film, television, radio, theatre, video and new media. The AWG was established in 1962. The AWG is a member of the Australian Council of ...

Major AWGIE Award The Major AWGIE Award is awarded by the Australian Writers Guild for the outstanding script of the year at the annual AWGIE Awards The AWGIE Awards is an annual awards ceremony conducted by the Australian Writers' Guild, for excellence in screen ...

and the 2020

David Williamson David Keith Williamson Officer of the Order of Australia, AO (born 24 February 1942) is an Australians, Australian dramatist and playwright. He has also written screenplays and teleplays. Early life David Williamson was born in Melbourne, Vi ...

Award for Outstanding Theatre Writing. Its premiere production earned 5-star reviews across all platforms. Miller studied immunology and microbiology 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 ...

, then turned to law at the

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 ...

and worked as a human rights lawyer and a children's rights advocate. In 2009, she declined an invitation to a magistrate position, left the law, and moved to London in 2010 with her young family to pursue a theatre writing career full-time. Miller works in theatre, film and television. She is married to

Robert Beech-Jones Robert Beech-Jones is a Judge of the New South Wales Supreme Court since 2012, the Chief Judge at Common Law and a judge of the New South Wales Court of Appeal since August 2021. Beech-Jones began practising law in Sydney in the 1980s. He was ca ...

and has two children.

Background

Her work ranges from large scale to intimate plays (Griffin Theatre,

Sydney Theatre Company Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in The Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney, as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Thea ...

, Malthouse Theatre Company), to films of original screenplays to television work (Film Art Media;

Matchbox Phillumeny (also known as phillumenism) is the hobby of collecting different match-related items: matchboxes, matchbox labels, matchbooks, matchcovers, matchsafes, etc. Matchbox A matchbox is a box made of cardboard or thin wood and designe ...

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

). Miller has enjoyed many residencies throughout her career; in recent times these have included;

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

(Creative Fellow 2018),

Currency Press Currency Press is a leading performing arts publisher and its oldest independent publisher still active. Their list includes plays and screenplays, professional handbooks, biographies, cultural histories, critical studies and reference works. H ...

(2018 and 2019),

National Theatre of Scotland The National Theatre of Scotland, established in 2006, is the national theatre company of Scotland. The company has no theatre building of its own; instead it tours work to theatres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations, both at h ...

(2014), National Theatre in London (2011 and 2009), Griffin Theatre Sydney (2012), Critical Stages NSW (2013),

Theatre Gargantua Theatre Gargantua is a Toronto-based theatre company founded by Artistic Director Jacquie P.A. Thomas in 1992.La Boite Theatre La Boite Theatre is an Australian theatre company based in Brisbane, Queensland. La Boite was established in 1925 and is Australia’s longest continuously running theatre company. Playing a vital role in the cultural landscape, La Boite Theat ...

(2016 and 2015). She was attached to Ex Machina in Quebec with

Robert Lepage Robert Lepage (born December 12, 1957) is a Canadian playwright, actor, film director, and stage director. Early life Lepage was raised in Quebec City. At age five, he was diagnosed with a rare form of alopecia, which caused complete hair lo ...

(2012) and has been commissioned by companies in Australia, England, Scotland, Ireland and Canada. In 2006 and 2009 she was mentored by US playwright

Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III ( ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as ''The Zoo Story'' (1958), '' The Sandbox'' (1959), ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), '' A Delicate Balance'' (1966) ...

Works

Early works (2005–2008)

Miller's first play, ''Cross Sections'', was based on contemporary stories from the experience of working as lawyer for homeless youth in Sydney's red-light district ( Kings Cross). It premiered at the

Old Fitz Theatre The Old Fitzroy Theatre (also called the Old Fitz Theatre) is a pub theatre in Woolloomooloo in central Sydney, Australia. The 58-seat venue was established by Jeremy Cumpston in 1997 in the cellar of the Old Fitzroy Hotel. It is known for inde ...

before transferring to the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

. A radio version of the play was recorded at ABC Radio and won the

Australian Writers' Guild 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 ...

for radio. Her two follow-up plays ''SOLD'' (a darkly humorous play about selling our souls for materialism) and ''All the Blood and All the Water'' (tackling racism in Australia), both directed by John Sheedy, won the Inscription award and a mentorship with Edward Albee. ''SOLD'' was later produced at

Theatre503 Theatre503, formerly the Latchmere Theatre, is a theatre located at 503 Battersea Park Road in Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth, above the Latchmere pub. The venue is known for promoting the work of new writers. History The the ...

in London (2011) directed by Natalie Ibu. An early work, ''Reasonable Doubt'', played at the

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

and

New York Fringe Festival The New York International Fringe Festival, or FringeNYC, was a fringe theater festival and one of the largest multi-arts events in North America. It took place over the course of a few weeks in October, spread on more than 20 stages across seve ...

s at the

Assembly Rooms (Edinburgh) The Assembly Rooms are meeting halls in central Edinburgh, Scotland. Originally solely a meeting place for social gatherings, it is now also used as an arts venue and for public events, including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Hogmanay cel ...

and the

Cherry Lane Theatre The Cherry Lane Theatre is the oldest continuously running off-Broadway theater in New York City. The theater is located at 38 Commerce Street between Barrow and Bedford Streets in the West Village neighborhood of Greenwich Village, Manhattan, N ...

, New York, in 2008. Directed by

Lee Lewis Lee Lewis is an Australian theatre director. Early life and education Lewis trained as an actor at Columbia University in New York. Returning to Australia, she completed a Masters of Directing at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) ...

, it won the New York Fringe Overall Excellence Award for Outstanding Playwriting.

Recent works (2009–present)

* ''Transparency'' premiered at The Old Museum Theatre with Ransom Theatre Company in Belfast in 2009 before touring Northern Ireland. * ''Driving Into Walls'' premiered at the Perth International Arts Centre at the State Theatre Studio Theatre in 2012. It toured Australia, including the Sydney Opera House. * ''In the Heart of Derby Park'' had its premiere season in Glasgow, Scotland with Oran M'or Theatre Company in 2013. * ''Onefivezeroseven'' premiered at the Perth International Arts Centre at the State Theatre Studio Theatre in 2014. * ''Caress/Ache'' premiered in 2016 at Griffin Theatre, Sydney, and had other productions in New Zealand. * ''Sunset Strip'' premiered in 2016 at Griffin Theatre then toured Australia with Critical Stages. * ''Snow White – The Opera'', directed by

Lindy Hume Lindy Hume (born 25 August 1961) is an Australian opera and festival director, who has worked throughout Australia and internationally. Early life Hume was born in the Sydney suburb of Paddington and grew up in Glebe and Annandale. Her fathe ...

, had its premiere season at the Brisbane International Arts Festival in 2016. * ''The Sacrifice Zone'' premiered in Toronto with Theatre Gargantua in 2016. * ''Velvet Evening Séance'' was developed by National Theatre of Scotland, Cove Park Artists Residency and Arts Scotland for a premiere season at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and then Lemon Tree Theatre. * ''Medea – A Feminist Retelling'' premiered at the La Boite Theatre in 2017. * ''Dust'' premiered with the Black Swan State Theatre in Perth, Western Australia, at the Heath Ledger Theatre in 2017. It won the Western Australian biannual Premier's Award for Literature. * ''The Mathematics of Longing'' premiered in 2018 at the La Boite Theatre, Brisbane, Queensland. * ''

'' premiered in 2019 at the

Stables Theatre, Sydney The Stables Theatre is an 105-seat theatre in Darlinghurst, Sydney. The intimate theatre has a kite-shaped stage. The theatre was built in 1970, converting an old stables. It was originally called the Nimrod Street Theatre, giving its name to t ...

, directed by

; it has been staged at the West End in London and is scheduled for April 2022 on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

; it has been translated into several languages. * ''Anna K'' premiered at Melbourne's

Malthouse Theatre Malthouse Theatre is the resident theatre company of The Malthouse building in Southbank, part of the Melbourne Arts Precinct. In the 1980s it was known as the Playbox Theatre Company and was housed in the Playbox Theatre in Melbourne's CBD. A ...

in August 2022."Review: ''Anna K''
by Guy Webster, '' Time Out'' Melbourne, 19 August 2022 * ''RBG: Of Many, One'', a one-woman play about

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg ( ; ; March 15, 1933September 18, 2020) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020. She was nominated by President ...

, premiered in 2022 at the Wharf 1 Theatre for the

Short plays

* ''Births, Deaths & Marriages'' – Sydney, Australia * ''Flight/Fright Mode'' – Sydney, Australia; London, UK; Edinburgh Festival * ''Confused Sea Conditions'' – Walking Fish Theatre, Philadelphia * ''I Wrap My Arms Around You'' – Sydney * ''Dreaming of a Kiss on a Pier'' – Sydney * ''Extracurricular'' – Sydney * ''The Emotional Anatomy of a Relationship Breakdown'' – Melbourne * ''Eucalyptus'' – Bush Theatre, London

Awards

Miller has won or been shortlisted for a number of

s and Premier's awards (

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

and

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

). She received the 2005 Theatrelab Award and won the 2006 and the 2009 Inscription Award. She received the 2008 National

for writing with courage, and the 2008

Overall Excellence Award for Outstanding Playwriting. She was shortlisted for the Griffin Award 2009 and for the 2010 Australian Writers' Guild Award for drama. Miller has sat on the board of Playworks, Playwriting Australia, TRS, State of Play, Darlinghurst Theatre and the Australian Writers' Guild Theatre. She has been a judge for the Australian Writers' Guild for film scripts, plays and the Kit Denton Fellowship, and has sat on the

Australia Council for the Arts 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 as a theatre peer. She is also on the reader panel for various theatre companies in Australia and London.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Suzie Australian dramatists and playwrights Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Lawyers from Melbourne Monash University alumni University of New South Wales Law School alumni Writers from Melbourne Australian opera librettists