A Dusty Hoard of Unloved Plays
All Australian plays are rubbish, apart from those which are underrated and underplayed. But which are which?
The website australianplays.org, operated by the Australian Script Centre, promotes, publishes and sells play scripts. Funded by the Tasmanian, New South Wales and Commonwealth governments, it holds 2225 scripts by 909 playwrights. It’s a glossy treasure trove—or a hoarders’ palace. It promotes itself as “The definitive online destination for quality Australian playwriting. Featuring the combined catalogues of Australia’s leading theatrical publishers.” Many of the works have been published under its own imprint as PDF files, while orders for physical books from the publishers it showcases are forwarded to them to arrange delivery.
The Australian Script Centre has been collecting plays since 1979. Its archive holds performed and unperformed and never-will-be-performed texts: “Scripts are accepted into the catalogue after a rigorous selection process; all are…
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