I Am My Own Wife - Tasmanian Theatre Company production

In 2011 Tasmania Performs  is presenting a statewide tour of the Tasmanian Theatre Company production I Am My Own Wife by Doug Wright and staring Robert Jarman.

One of the most extraordinary pieces of theatre written in the last few decades I Am My Own Wife tells the true story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf and her escape from persecution during the Second World War. What makes her story so astounding is that Charlotte was a man and she lived her defiant, distinctive life adamantly on her own terms. As playwright Doug Wright researched this fascinating life, disturbing contradictions began to emerge, leading him to question whether Charlotte truly lived as uncompromisingly as she recalls…

For tour venues and to book tickets visit the website here

Samuel A Taylor Works - Now Available!

Samuel A. Taylor found success, not only as a Broadway playwright of such hits as Sabrina Fair and The Pleasure of His Company, but also as a co-writer of two memorable films- The Hitchcock classic, Vertigo and the 1954 adaptation of his play, Sabrina that starred Audrey Hepburn which was later remade in 1995 by Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond. Starting his life in Chicago, Taylor studied at the University of California at Berkeley in the early 1930’s, whose studies were interrupted by stints as a merchant seaman. By the mid 1930’s Taylor moved to New York to start his writing career as a journalist. His journalistic endeavours were cut short when he was assigned to interview people, a task that was not his forte.   He moved on to become a play reader and eventually went on to re-writing other playwrights’ works and gained the reputation in the NY theatre community as a “play doctor.” For this work he received no listed credit. Taylor went on to marry singer, Suzanne Combes and continued his writing career in radio and television. It would not be until the success of his comedy, The Happy Time, adapted from the Robert Fontaine novel that he decided to give up writing for radio and devote himself fulltime to the development of his own plays. Success followed with plays that included Sabrina Fair which later Director, Billy Wilder made into a film with Audrey Hepburn, William Holden and Humphrey Bogart.  Then came the San Francisco set play, The Pleasure of His Company' which a critic described as “the sort of gay and silken comedy of manners that puts everyone at ease on and off the stage”. While working on his own plays Taylor was called on to use his previous experience as a “script doctor” to re-write the screenplay, Vertigo. The screenplay was in trouble and had already been through two different writers when Hitchcock approached him. Taylor would make considerable changes to the story and added additional characters. The film would premiere in 1958 to mixed reviews and in 1998 would be named one of America’s 100 best films by the American Film Institute. Taylor only ventured once into the world of the Broadway musical with the 1962 Richard Rodgers’ musical No Strings. Taylor wrote the book while Rodgers wrote both score and lyrics, the only time in Rodgers’ career that this occurred. While not a race based story, Rodgers was socially progressive and chose to comment on Interracial romance by casting Afro-American actress, Diahann Carroll to play the female lead opposite Richard Kiley.  The show received a Tony Nomination for Best Musial and ran for 580 performances.  Taylor’s passion for writing would continue throughout his life right up to his death on May 26, 2000. He was a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Writers' Guild of America, the Century Association and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.  “It’s great to see that audiences still enjoy my father’s work more than 10 years after he died,” said son Michael Taylor, who, with his brother, David, likes to see Samuel Taylor’s plays on the boards in theatres around the world. “Clearly, he was writing about people who resonated with audiences of all kinds, and we hope his work will be presented for many years to come.” Title Author Type Category M F T First Love Samuel Taylor Drama Full Length 23 3 26 The Happy Time Samuel Taylor, based on stories by Robert Fontaine Comedy Full Length 8 4 12 Legend Samuel Taylor Romantic Comedy Full Length 15 1 16 The Pleasure of His Company Samuel Taylor (with Cornelia Otis Skinner) Comedy Full Length 5 2 7 Sabrina Fair Samuel Taylor Romantic Comedy Full Length 7 7 14 A Touch of Spring (or Avanti!) Samuel Taylor Romantic Comedy Full Length 7 2 9 Offer 1: Order any of these scripts before the end of July 2011 to receive 20% OFF the recommended retail price of A$17.95 (GST inc) each. Offer 2: Order 3 or more of any of these scripts before the end of July 2011 to receive 25% OFF the recommended retail price of A$17.95 (GST inc) each.   Please visit our website for order forms or to apply to perform one of these exciting plays. www.halleonard.com.au We look forward to working with you on your next production!