Andrew Bovell
Encyclopedia
Andrew Bovell is an Australian writer for theatre, film and television.
and until recently lived in Adelaide
, South Australia
before moving to New York
. He has recently now moved back to the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. His AWGIE
award-winning play Speaking in Tongues (1996) has been seen throughout Australia as well as in Europe and the US and Bovell adapted it for the screen as Lantana
(2001). Both the play and screenplay have been published by Currency Press
along with After Dinner (1988), Holy Day (2001), Scenes from a Separation (written with Hannie Rayson
) (1995) and Who's Afraid of the Working Class? (1998), written with Patricia Cornelius, Melissa Reeves, Christos Tsolkas and Irene Vela. Who's Afraid of the Working Class? was adapted to film as Blessed
.
When the Rain Stops Falling (2008) won the 2008 Victorian Premier's Literary Award
and the 2008 Queensland Premier's Literary Awards
.
(2001) and Blessed
(2009) as mentioned above. Bovell also co-wrote the screenplay for Strictly Ballroom
(1992) with Baz Luhrmann
and Craig Pearce
and Head On
(1998) with Mira Robertson and Ana Kokkinos
. His other films credits include Edge of Darkness (2010) starring Mel Gibson
and The Book of Revelation
(2006).
Life
Bovell was born in Kalgoorlie, Western AustraliaKalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
and until recently lived in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
before moving to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He has recently now moved back to the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. His AWGIE
AWGIE Awards
The AWGIE Awards is an annual awards ceremony conducted by the Australian Writers' Guild, for excellence in screen, television, stage and radio writing. The awards began in 1967....
award-winning play Speaking in Tongues (1996) has been seen throughout Australia as well as in Europe and the US and Bovell adapted it for the screen as Lantana
Lantana (film)
Lantana is a 2001 Australian film, directed by Ray Lawrence and featuring Anthony LaPaglia, Kerry Armstrong, Geoffrey Rush and Barbara Hershey. It is based on the play Speaking In Tongues by Andrew Bovell, which premiered at Sydney's Griffin Theatre Company...
(2001). Both the play and screenplay have been published by Currency Press
Currency Press
Currency Press is Australia's only specialist performing arts publisher and its oldest independent publisher still active. Their list includes plays and screenplays, professional handbooks, biographies, cultural histories, critical studies and reference works....
along with After Dinner (1988), Holy Day (2001), Scenes from a Separation (written with Hannie Rayson
Hannie Rayson
-Biography:Rayson was born in Melbourne, Victoria and graduated from the University of Melbourne and the Victorian College of Arts. She has worked as a freelance journalist and editor in addition to her primary career as playwright and screenwriter. Rayson was the co-founder of the community...
) (1995) and Who's Afraid of the Working Class? (1998), written with Patricia Cornelius, Melissa Reeves, Christos Tsolkas and Irene Vela. Who's Afraid of the Working Class? was adapted to film as Blessed
Blessed (2009 film)
Blessed is a 2009 drama film. It was released in Australia on 10 September 2009. It stars Miranda Otto and Frances O'Connor. It is a film adaptation of the play Who's Afraid of the Working Class?....
.
When the Rain Stops Falling (2008) won the 2008 Victorian Premier's Literary Award
Victorian Premier's Literary Award
The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards were created by the Victorian Governmentwith the aim of raising the profile of contemporary creative writing and Australia's publishing industry....
and the 2008 Queensland Premier's Literary Awards
Queensland Premier's Literary Awards
The Queensland Premier's Literary Awards were inaugurated in 1999 and have grown to become a leading literary awards program within Australia, with $225,000 in prizemoney over 14 categories. One of Australia's richest prizes, top categories offer up to $25,000 for 1st prize.-Fiction Book...
.
Films
Bovell's film credits include LantanaLantana (film)
Lantana is a 2001 Australian film, directed by Ray Lawrence and featuring Anthony LaPaglia, Kerry Armstrong, Geoffrey Rush and Barbara Hershey. It is based on the play Speaking In Tongues by Andrew Bovell, which premiered at Sydney's Griffin Theatre Company...
(2001) and Blessed
Blessed (2009 film)
Blessed is a 2009 drama film. It was released in Australia on 10 September 2009. It stars Miranda Otto and Frances O'Connor. It is a film adaptation of the play Who's Afraid of the Working Class?....
(2009) as mentioned above. Bovell also co-wrote the screenplay for Strictly Ballroom
Strictly Ballroom
Strictly Ballroom is a 1992 Australian romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Baz Luhrmann and produced by M&A Productions. The film is the first installment in The Red Curtain Trilogy, Luhrmann's trilogy of theatre-motif-related films; the follow-ups were Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!...
(1992) with Baz Luhrmann
Baz Luhrmann
Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann is an Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for The Red Curtain Trilogy, which includes his films Strictly Ballroom, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!...
and Craig Pearce
Craig Pearce
Craig Pearce is an Australian actor and writer.Pearce co-wrote the play Strictly Ballroom and the screenplay of the movie adaptation with Baz Luhrmann. He wrote the screenplay for the 1996 film Romeo + Juliet and co-wrote the 2001 film Moulin Rouge!, both with Baz Luhrmann.-External links:Brother...
and Head On
Head On (1998 film)
Head On is a 1998 award-winning Australian film directed by Ana Kokkinos. Based on the acclaimed novel Loaded written by Christos Tsiolkas, it stars Alex Dimitriades as a young gay man of Greek descent, living in the inner city of Melbourne. The film gained notoriety upon its release for its sexual...
(1998) with Mira Robertson and Ana Kokkinos
Ana Kokkinos
Ana Kokkinos is an Australian film director. Kokkinos was born in Melbourne and prior to her career in film, she worked as an industrial lawyer...
. His other films credits include Edge of Darkness (2010) starring Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
and The Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation (film)
The Book of Revelation is a 2006 Australian film directed by Ana Kokkinos, which she adapted with Andrew Bovell to screen from the novel by Rupert Thomson. It was produced by Al Clark, with original music by Cezary Skubiszewski...
(2006).
Theatrical productions and reviews
In 2010 a production of When the Rain Stops Falling opened in New York. The New York Times reviewed the play describing it as "a fitfully moving but diagrammatic play about the long legacy of unnatural acts" and commenting that "the relationships eventually emerge with an emotional clarity that the play’s elliptical structure works against."External links
- Short video interview with Andrew Bovell talking about his plays and writing methods
- In an interview with Dr. Tess BradyTess BradyTess Brady is a writer and interviewer/presenter. She is currently the Artistic Director for Clunes Back to Booktown.-Biography:Brady was born in Adelaide, South Australia. She studied at the University of Adelaide, Flinders University, Exeter University, and Deakin University...
, Andrew Bovell shares some tips on writing a play - Teacher's Notes on Andrew Bovell