Paul Davies (writer)

Paul Michael Davies is an Australian television script writer, novelist and playwright, who has worked on a number of Crawford television series. He has written several plays for the TheatreWorks theatre company, a leader in staging situation theatre.

Davies in 2010

Television work

Paul Michael Davies was born in Murwillumbah, New South Wales in 1949.[1] He took his BA with Honours from the University of Queensland and his MA in 1973. He began tutoring at James Cook University before taking a script writing role at Crawford Television Productions in Melbourne, Australia in 1974.[2] He was a script editor and writer on the police television series, Homicide (1974-1975),[3] before moving to work on the Crawford series The Box (1975-1976) and The Sullivans (1976-1978). He also contributed to scripts for Against the Wind (1978), Skyways (1979), Rafferty's Rules (1985), Blue Heelers (1997), Pacific Drive (1996), Stingers (1998-2003), Something in the Air (1999-2001 and Headland (2005).

Film work

Davies moved into film and theatre work, working as a writer, actor and director. He co-wrote and directed the documentary drama film Exits (1980) which was taught on the history syllabus of selected high schools.[4] He co wrote Niel Lynne (1985) with David Baker. He wrote and performed in four John Hughes short or documentary films[5][6] - November Eleven (1979), Traps (1985), All That Is Solid (1988),[7] and One Way Street (1990). He has also co-written Red Ted and the Great Depression (1994)[8] and Holy Rollers (2000),[9]

Theatre work

Davies became a founding member, writer and performer of the TheatreWorks ensemble in Melbourne. He wrote several “location theatre” plays for TheatreWorks - Storming Mont Albert by Tram (1982) which was performed on trams in Melbourne, Adelaide and around the world for a number of years with great success.[10][11] He also wrote Breaking Up in Balwyn (1983) which was staged on a riverboat,[12] Living Rooms (1986), which was staged in an historic mansion and Full House/No Vacancies (1989) which was staged in a boarding house. On Shifting Sandshoes was staged in 1988.

He published his first novel, 33 Postcards from Heaven in 2004.[1]

Davies has taught film and scriptwriting at a number of Australian universities and has been published in drama and industry journals and magazines. He completed his PhD at the University of Queensland in 2013 with a thesis entitled Really Moving Drama, a study of TheatreWorks’ ‘location plays’.[13] 49 boxes of his papers, scripts and other materials are held in the University of Queensland Fryer Library.[14]

Awards

References
  1. Davies, Paul (2005). "My life in soap: The Joe Deegan diaries". Metro Magazine: Media and Education Magazine. 146/147: 54–61.
  2. "Paul Davies". AustralianPlays.org. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  3. Davies, Paul (2006). "Killing Homicide: the demise of a cultural icon". Metro Magazine: Media and Education Magazine. 149: 181–183.
  4. Davies, Paul (2006). "Remembering 'Exits' and 'November Eleven'". Metro Magazine: Media and Education Magazine. 150: 158–159.
  5. "John Hughes - The Screen Guide". Screen Australia. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  6. Davies, Paul (2016). "The films of John Hughes: a history of independent screen production in Australia [Book Review]". Metro Magazine: Media and Education Magazine. 187: 122.
  7. "All That Is Solid (1989) - The Screen Guide - Screen Australia". www.screenaustralia.gov.au. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  8. "Red Ted And The Great Depression (1994) - The Screen Guide - Screen Australia". www.screenaustralia.gov.au. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  9. "Holy Rollers (2000) - The Screen Guide - Screen Australia". www.screenaustralia.gov.au. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  10. "Re-enactment of real-life fiascos". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995). 25 April 1982. p. 8. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  11. "Saturday magazine Storm from real drama before comedy begins becomes shower of blessing Show on wheels a sell-out". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995). 2 April 1988. p. 16. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  12. "On the Yarra, charting a new theatrical course". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995). 6 March 1983. p. 12. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  13. "UQ eSpace". espace.library.uq.edu.au. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  14. "Paul Davies Papers - Fryer Manuscripts". manuscripts.library.uq.edu.au. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
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