Verity Laughton Explained

Verity Laughton
Notable Works:	The Mourning After

Verity Laughton (born 1952) is a South Australian writer, editor and playwright.

Education

Laughton was educated at the University of Adelaide, graduating with a BA (Hons) in 1973.^[1] As a student she appeared in several plays produced by the university's dramatic society.^{[2] [3]} She then completed a Diploma in Library Studies at the South Australian Institute of Technology (incorporated in the University of South Australia in 1991) in 1975. Laughton was awarded a PhD by Flinders University for her thesis "Depicting the Gorgon: the making of theatre about historic-political trauma".^[4]

Career

Following graduation, Laughton worked at the State Library of South Australia as a librarian for two years, while co-editing Ash Magazine, a literary magazine. She filled several roles in support of Writers Week at the Adelaide Festivals from 1982 to 1986.

Laughton wrote her first play, I Saw a Dinosaur, in 1987.^[5] Numerous plays have followed. The Mourning After, which premiered in 1996 directed by Tony Sheldon and starring Nancye Hayes, was described as "a compelling theatrical experience".^[6] She later adapted Patricia Wrightson's The Nargun and the Stars for the stage. It premiered at the 2009 Sydney Festival at the Riverside Theatres Parramatta and was considered "a vividly memorable creation".^[7]

Most recently, in 2023 her adaptation of The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. It premiered at the State Theatre Company of South Australia, before transferring to the Sydney Theatre Company and then Arts Centre Melbourne.^{[8] [9]} The production was described as "a very clever realisation...and gives great power to key moments of this epic story".^[10]

She has also written poetry and short stories.

Selected works

• I Saw a Dinosaur, 1987
• The Ballad of Bonnie Wheeler, 1988
• Imagine the Night Sky, 1989
• Bad Luck Clancy!, 1991
• Artizane, 1992
• Tales at Tarpeena, 1993
• Carrying Light, 1995^[11]
• The Mourning After, Currency Press, 1996^[12]
• Burning, Australian Plays, 2001
• The Lightkeeper, Australian Plays, 2003^[13]
• The Fox, 2003 (radio play)
• Davy, 2008 (radio play)
• Moon Door, 2008 (radio play)
• The Nargun and the Stars, 2009 (adapted from the book by Patricia Wrightson)
• The Sweetest Thing, Australian Plays, 2010
• The Red Cross Letters, 2016^[14]
• Long Tan, Currency Press, 2017^[15]
• The Dictionary of Lost Words, 2023 (adapted from the book by Pip Williams)

Awards and recognition

• 1995 shortlisted for the Australian National Playwrights' Centre New Dramatists Exchange
• 2001 winner, Griffin Award for New Australian Playwriting for Burning^[16]
• 2004 winner, AWGIE Awards Stage Award for Community Theatre for The Lightkeeper
• 2004 winner, AWGIE Awards Radio Award for Original for The Fox
• 2011 highly commended, Blake Poetry Prize for "The Fox Man"^[17]
• 2012 shortlisted, New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting for The Sweetest Thing
• 2023 shortlisted, Text Prize for Young Adult and Children's Writing for "Una and the Many worlds of Dream"^[18]

External links

• The Dictionary of Lost Words review – stage adaptation of bestseller finds power in the silences

Notes and References

1. Web site: Verity Laughton . 2023-10-25 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
2. Web site: The Fighting Cock . 2023-10-25 . AusStage.
3. Web site: Kongi's Harvest . 2023-10-25 . AusStage.
4. Web site: Laughton . Verity . Depicting the Gorgon: the making of theatre about historic-political trauma . 2023-10-26 . Flinders University . en.
5. Web site: I Saw a Dinosaur . 2023-10-25 . AustLit: Discover Australian Stories . The University of Queensland.
6. News: Kohn . Peter . 8 November 1996 . Joining Nancye Hayes on a journey through life . 63 . 5 (What's on) . . 8 . Victoria, Australia . 26 October 2023 . National Library of Australia.
7. Gallasch . Keith . Feb–Mar 2009 . the other dancing . Realtime . Open City Inc . 2023-10-26 . Trove.
8. Web site: Fewster . Russell . 2023-09-28 . A journey of discovery and identity formation: The Dictionary of Lost Words makes its wonderful stage debut . 2023-10-25 . The Conversation . en-US.
9. Web site: The Dictionary of Lost Words . 2023-10-25 . Arts Centre Melbourne.
10. Web site: Fewster . Russell . 2023-09-28 . A journey of discovery and identity formation: The Dictionary of Lost Words makes its wonderful stage debut . 2023-10-26 . The Conversation . en-US.
11. Web site: Carrying Light . 2023-10-25 . AusStage.
12. Web site: The Mourning After . 2023-10-25 . AusStage.
13. Web site: The Lightkeeper . 2023-10-25 . AusStage.
14. Web site: The Red Cross Letters . 2023-10-25 . AusStage.
15. Web site: Verity Laughton . 2024-07-23 . Griffith Review . en-US.
16. News: Morrison . Peter . 6 July 2001 . Award-winning mystery . 106 . 26 . . 40 . New South Wales, Australia . 26 October 2023 . National Library of Australia.
17. Web site: 2011-09-18 . 2011 Blake Poetry Prize winner announced . 2023-10-26 . Books+Publishing.
18. Web site: 2023-06-05 . Text Prize 2023 shortlist announced . 2023-10-26 . Books+Publishing.