Michelanne Forster Explained

Michelanne Forster
Occupation:	Playwright, scriptwriter
Birth Date:	26 April 1953
Birth Place:	California, US
Alma Mater:	University of Auckland

Michelanne Forster (born 26 April 1953) is a New Zealand playwright and scriptwriter who was born in California, US.^[1] Her writing career began in the 1980s at Television New Zealand where she worked on the popular pre-school programme Play School.^[2] Her plays have been performed both nationally and internationally and are often based on historical accounts. In 2011 Forster was the writer-in-residence at the Michael King Writer's Centre.^[3]

Education

Forster graduated from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Arts and also holds a Diploma in Teaching from the Auckland Secondary Teachers College. In 2014 she completed her honours in Drama through the University of Auckland.^[1]

Plays

• Always My Sister
• Don't Mention Casablanca
• Tic Tac (with Paul Barrett)
• The Great Storm of 1868
• My Heart is Bathed in Blood
• This Other Eden
• The Rosenberg Sisters
• Larnach – Castle of Lies
• Songs My mother Taught Me (Music by Felicity Williams)
• Daughters of Heaven
• A Dream Romance (Musical)

Plays for children

• Sapai and the Yam Snatchers (with Leilani Unasa)
• The Butcher and The Bear of kirstyn
• The Secret of Dongting Lake
• In the Deep End
• Mean Jean the Pirate Queen
• The Bungling Burglars (music by Felicity Williams)
• Rodney Rat and the Sneaky WeaselGang
• Rivals and Idols
• Arabella and the Amazing Wardrobe
• Musical Beasts

Awards

• 2011 Writer-in-Residence Michael King Writer's Centre, University of Auckland^[4]
• 1997 Best Radio New Zealand Drama, The Rosenberg Sisters^[1]
• 1996 Best Radio New Zealand Drama, Larnach – Castle of Lies^[5]
• 1994 Buckland Memorial Award for Literature, Daughters of Heaven^[6]
• 1993 Writer-in-Residence University of Canterbury^[3]

Publications

• Daughters of Heaven (Polish translation) in Dwa Oceany (Agencja Dramatu i Treatru ADiT, 2013)
• When Its Over: New Zealanders Talk about Their Experiences of Separation and Divorce (Penguin, 1998)
• The Rosenberg Sisters in Playlunch: Five Short New Zealand Plays (Otago University Press, 1996)
• Daughters of Heaven (Otago University Press, 1992)
• Rodney Rat and the Space Creatures (Hodder and Stoughton, 1989)
• Rodney Rat and the Sneaky Weasel Gang (Hodder and Stoughton, 1985)
• The Four-Legged Prince (Hodder and Stoughton, 1985)
• Rodney Rat and the Sunken Treasure (Hodder and Stoughton, 1983)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Michelanne Forster. New Zealand Book Council. 7 August 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150923194728/http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/writers/fostermichaelanne.html#. 23 September 2015. dead.
2. Web site: Michelanne Forster. NZ On Screen. 7 August 2015.
3. Book: Forster. Michelanne. Plumb. Vivienne. Twenty New Zealand Playwrights. 2013. Playmarket. Wellington. 9780908607471.
4. Web site: Michelanne Forster. The Michael King Writer's Centre. 7 August 2015.
5. Web site: Michelanne Forster. Nga Taonga Sound & Vision New Zealand. 8 August 2015.
6. Web site: Michelanne Forster. Playmarket New Zealand. 7 August 2015.