PLAYLAB'S NSW SYLLABUS SUGGESTIONS 2021
TOPIC 2: CONTEMPORARY AUSTRALIAN THEATRE PRACTICE
The following plays have been selected by Playlab staff in order to provide an extended list of title suitable for study in Topic 2: Contemporary Australian Theatre Practice to assist educators and students explore contemporary practices of Australian drama and theatre. We have compiled the following selection of plays that are suitable for classroom study and exemplify some of the most exciting new writing in Australian theatre. The selection of plays in this list span across a myriad of styles, forms, techniques and conventions and explore a wide range of topics and themes that reflect Australia’s contemporary artistic, cultural, social, and political landscapes.
Medea
by Kate Mulvany and Anne-Louise Sarks
THEMES: Love, Passion and Revenge
LENGTH: 2 Hours
CAST SIZE: 3 – 4 Cast Members
TARGET AUDIENCE: Senior Years
The Longest Minute
by Robert Kronk and Nadine McDonald-Dowd
THEMES: Family, Identity, Sport
LENGTH: 1.5 Hours
CHARACTER AGES: 18–55
CAST SIZE: 5-6
TARGET AUDIENCE: Senior Years
Blue Bones
by Merlynn Tong
LANGUAGE: English, Mandarin, Malay and Hokkien
THEMES: Domestic Violence, Relationships, Self Empowerment
CHARACTER AGES: Young Adult
LENGTH: 1.5 Hours
CAST SIZE: 1 – 2 Cast Members
TARGET AUDIENCE: Senior Years
The 7 Stages Of Grieving
by Wesley Enoch and Deborah Mailman (25th Anniversary)
THEMES: Grieving, Death, Indigenous People, Aboriginality
CHARACTER AGES: Any age
LENGTH: 1 Hour
TARGET AUDIENCE: Middle Years
CAST SIZE: 1 – 2 Cast Members
DISCLAIMER: This new edition is a celebration of the 25th Anniversary of this iconic work. The script remains unchanged in this 25... Read more
Oedipus Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
by Daniel Evans
THEMES: Family, Community, Tragedy, Loss
CHARACTER AGES: 18-40
LENGTH: 1.5 Hours
CAST SIZE: 5 – 6 Cast Members
TARGET AUDIENCE: Adult
Cinderella
by Matthew Whittet
THEMES: Love, Identity, Comedy
LENGTH: 1.5 Hours
Bastard Territory
by Stephen Carleton
THEMES: Family, Identity
CHARACTER AGES: Adult
LENGTH: 2.5 Hours
CAST SIZE: 5 – 6 Cast Members
TARGET AUDIENCE: Adult
Spontaneous Human Combustion
by Daniel Evans
THEMES: Trauma, Defiance, Grief
CHARACTER AGES: 16 – 18
LENGTH: 1.5 Hours
CAST SIZE: Large Cast Without Doubling
TARGET AUDIENCE: Senior Years
Chasing the Lollyman
by Mark Sheppard
THEMES: Indigenous Themes, Identity, Story-telling
Length: 1.5 Hours
CAST SIZE: 1-2
TARGET AUDIENCE: Senior Years

The Dark Room
by Angela Betzien
THEMES: Violence, Sex, Police, Isolation
CHARACTER AGES: 14 – 40
LENGTH: 1.5 Hours
CAST SIZE: 5 – 6 Cast Members
TARGET AUDIENCE: Adult
Bustown
by Lachlan Philpott
THEMES: Consumerism, Contemporary Society, Exclusion
LENGTH: 1.5 Hours
CHARACTER AGES: 13–25
CAST SIZE: Large cast without doubling
TARGET AUDIENCE: Middle Years
Chinese Take Away
by Anna Yen
LANGUAGE: English and Cantonese
THEMES: History, Family, Poverty, Chinese Culture, Traditionalism
CHARACTER AGES: 30
LENGTH: 45 Minutes
CAST SIZE: 1 – 2 Cast Members
TARGET AUDIENCE: Senior Years
The Dead Devils of Cockle Creek
by Kathryn Marquet
THEMES: Environmentalism, Ideology, Compromise
LENGTH: 1.5 Hours
CAST SIZE: 3 – 4 Cast Members
TARGET AUDIENCE: Adult
The Harbinger
by David Morton and Matthew Ryan
THEMES: Storytelling, Loss, Memories
CHARACTER AGES: All Ages
LENGTH: 1 Hour
CAST SIZE: 9 + Cast Members
TARGET AUDIENCE: Adult
Jurassica
by Dan Giovannoni
THEMES: Displacement, Identity, Home
CHARACTER AGES: Various
LENGTH: 2 Hours
TARGET AUDIENCE: Adult
CAST SIZE: 5 – 6 Cast Members
Kryptonite
by Sue Smith
THEMES: Multiculturalism, Politics, Love, National Identity
CHARACTER AGES: 23 – 48
LENGTH: 1.5 Hours
CAST SIZE: 1 – 2 Cast Members
TARGET AUDIENCE: Adult
The Long Way Home
by Daniel Keene
THEMES: Military Service, Mental Health, Trauma, Relationships
CHARACTER AGES: 18+
LENGTH: 1.5 Hours
CAST SIZE: 9+ Cast Members
TARGET AUDIENCE: Adult