Welcome to our November newsletter. Our authors of the month for November are Eva Di Cesare, Sandra Eldridge and Tim McGarry, the founders of Monkey Baa, whose stage adaptation of Hitler’s Daughter recently received the 2007 Helpman Awards. Also in this issue: Lots of new releases from Currency Press and our agencies, competitions and special offers and the latest on what’s happening on stage. Enjoy!

Monkey Baa: Eva Di Cesare, Sandra Eldridge and Tim McGarry formed the dynamic and professional theatre company Monkey Baa in 1997. Their adaptation of Jackie French’s Hitler’s Daughter toured to 33 venues throughout Australia and won the 2007 Helpmann Award for Best Children’s Presentation.

We spoke to Monkey Baa about what it takes to adapt a great novel for the stage, about Hitler’s Daughter and what they are going to do next. Click here to read the interview.

Hitler's Daughter

Jackie French, adapted by Monkey Baa

Four country children waiting in the rain for the school bus take turns telling stories. In an unusual twist, Anna's story takes the children to Nazi Germany.
An intriguing tale about Heidi, a young girl caught in the turmoil of World War II, whose father was one of the most dreaded men in history.

Click here to order your copy online.

FROM OUR AGENCIES

NICK HERN BOOKS

The Improvisation Book

John Abbott

A practical guide to conducting improvisation sessions, for teachers, directors and workshop leaders that comes with a full set of improvisation cards offering an endless combination of characters and scenarios.

So You Want to Be a Playwright?

Tim Fountain

Playwright and former literary manager Tim Fountain guides the budding playwright over the many hurdles involved in getting a play on—from finding a story to the strategies you can use to get it on stage.

The Walworth Farce

Enda Walsh

A remarkable new play from the author of The Small Things—recently seen at Belvoir St Theatre—about what can happen when we become stuck in the stories we tell about our lives.

'Walsh has outdone himself with a new play more complex, dark and emotionally rich than any of his previous efforts... a theatrical experience that claws at the imagination for days afterwards' Variety

Click here to order your copy online.

Pretend You Have Big Buildings

Ben Musgrave

Winner of the 2006 Bruntwood Playwriting Competition, this debut play from Ben Musgrave, is a poetic and passionate play that explores growing up, identity and loss.

'Musgrave has a bright future... this play has a scope and a sense of recent history that too many new plays lack' Times

For more information and to order your copy, click here.

The Sexual Neuroses of Our Parents

Lukas Bärfuss, translated by Neil Blackadder

The provocative story of a modern family consumed by fear and hope, by Lukas Bärfuss, a rising star of contemporary German theatre.

'a real skirt-lifter of a play... Bärfuss' taboo-busting drama examines a powerful and particular area of society's sexual discomfort zone' Time Out

Click here to order your copy.

OBERON BOOKS

Coral Browne: This Effing Lady

Rose Collis

Described by Alan Bates as ‘mischievous, alarming, unpredictable and outrageous’ the indomitable Coral Browne towered over the British and American stages for nearly half a century.

Rose Collis’ biography draws upon interviews with friends and family of Coral Browne, and a wealth of previously unpublished correspondence between Coral and Alec Guinness, Vincent Price, Guy Burgess, John Schlesinger, Alan Bates, Alan Bennett and many others, to produce an immaculately researched and correspondingly witty account of the life of a remarkable and truly original star.

For more information and to order your copy, click here.

The Royal Court Theatre Inside Out

Ruth Little & Emily McLaughlin

This official history of one of the most important and influential theatres in the world lays bare the controversies over productions, the closely fought battles over funding and the internal struggles between huge and competitive personalities at the heart of the company.

For more information and to order your copy, click here.

Baghdad Wedding

By Hassan Abdulrazzak

From cosmopolitan London to the chaos of war-ravaged Baghdad, this is the comic tale of three friends, torn between two worlds, and a wedding that goes horribly wrong.

For more information and to order your copy, click here.

Adapted by Simon Bent

Based on the award-winning cult film, Simon Bent's hilarious adaptation of Elling has been the surprise hit of the London Theatre scene recently with sell-out seasons at the Bush Theatre and Trafalgar Studios in the West End.

'The most blissfully funny and touching evening I've had in the theatre for ages' Lyn Gardner, The Guardian

Click here to order your copy.

The Lady of Burma

By Richard Shannon

This timely and powerful play vividly portrays the life and message of the world’s most famous prisoner of conscience, Aung San Suu Kyi.

For more information and to order your copy, click here.

Competition and special offer:
Win one of two double passes for Lessons in Flight at the Darlinghurst Theatre for Thursday, 8 November: Be the first to send an email to karin@currency.com.au with ‘Lessons in Flight’ in the subject line and your contact details in the email body.
If you’re not amongst the lucky winners, make sure you take advantage of Darlinghurst Theatre’s special offer for Currency subscribers: Get your tickets to Lessons in Flight at concession price - only $20 on Tuesday and $25 on every other day. Simply quote ‘Currency Deal’ when booking your tickets. For more information, see our productions section below.

Special offer:
2000 Feet Away, written by Anthony Weigh and directed by Lee Lewis, is currently showing at Belvoir Street Theatre Downstairs, season ends 25 November. B Sharp offers Currency subscribers concession priced tickets. Simply quote 'Currency special' when booking your tickets to take advantage of this offer. For more information, see our productions section below.

Competition and special offer:
After successful seasons in London and Tokyo, Darlinghurst Theatre Company and MoFu CoSu present the Australian premiere of the beautifully bizarre The Bee, written by Hideki Noda and Colin Teevan. Win a copy of the play and two tickets for the preview on 28 November - simply be the first to send an email to karin@currency.com.au with ‘The Bee’ in the subject line and your details in the email body.
Darlinghurst Theatre also offers Currency subscribers special discounted ticket rates of $20 on Tuesdays and $25 to performances Wednesday to Sunday. Just quote ‘Currency offer’ when booking your tickets. Season goes from 29 November till 15 December. For more information see our productions section below.

NSW

Tolerance : Why can't we all get along? As part of the Sydney PEN Voices series, Christos Tsiolkas will analyse the concept of tolerance in a public lecture and conversation with journalist David Marr on 14 November at The Australian Hall, Sydney. For more information and to book tickets to the event, visit www.pen.org.au.

King Tide by Katherine Thomson is currently playing at the Stables Theatre, season ends 24 November. For tickets go to griffintheatre.com.au.
Pick up your copy of the play at the theatre at the special price of $10. If you can’t make it to the show, order your copy online.

Tales from the Vienna Woods by Ödön von Horvath opens in a STC production at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House on 19 November (season ends 15 December). Von Horvath portrays the interplay between individual selfishness and the pressures of a society in crisis. For more information on the production and to book your tickets, visit sydneytheatre.com.au. Currency supplies Tales from the Vienna Woods and other plays by Ödön von Horvath in Australia, click here to have a look.

The Wharf Revue – Beware of the Dogma opens at Riverside Parramatta, running from 13-17 November, click here for tickets.
The Review then moves to Wharf 2, STC from 21 November - 22 December. Written by By Jonathan Biggins, Drew Forsythe and Phillip Scott, this year’s review tackles everything from John Howard and Kevin Rudd to the Races and World Youth Day. For tickets go to sydneytheatre.com.au.
Jonathan Biggins has published an essay on the Wharf Revue in Currency House’s Platform Papers series. For more information, visit our website.

Toy Symphony by Michael Gow is coming to Belvoir Street Theatre Upstairs
Neil Armfield directs this breathtaking whirligig about the power of art and the force of the human mind. Season goes from 10 November – 22 December. Currency will be publishing the script in early 2008. For tickets go to belvoir.com.au.

Special Offer for Currency subscribers:
2000 Feet Away, written by Anthony Weigh and directed by Lee Lewis, is currently showing at Belvoir Street Theatre Downstairs, season ends 25 November. For tickets, visit belvoir.com.au. B Sharp offers Currency subscribers concession priced tickets. Simply quote 'Currency special' when booking your tickets to take advantage of this offer.
Lee Lewis is the author of Cross-Racial Casting, an essay published in Currency House’s Platform Papers series. Click here to read more about it.

Special offer for Currency subscribers:
After successful seasons in London and Tokyo, Darlinghurst Theatre Company and MoFu CoSu present the Australian premiere of the beautifully bizarre The Bee, written by Hideki Noda and Colin Teevan. Season goes from 29 November – 15 December. Win a copy of the play and  two tickets for the preview on 28 November - see our Specials section for details.
Darlinghurst Theatre also offers Currency subscribers special discounted ticket rates of $20 on Tuesdays and $25 to performances Wednesday to Sunday. Just quote ‘Currency offer’ when booking your tickets. Season goes from 29 November till 15 December, for bookings go to darlinghursttheatre,com. For more information on The Bee and other plays by Colin Teevan supplied by Currency Press, visit our website.

Bell Shakespeare presents The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol, translated and adapted for two actors by Roger Pulvers. Season goes from 24 October – 24 November at the Playhouse, Sydney Opera House. Bookings through www.sydneyoperahouse.com
Currency supplies NHB Stephen Mulrine’s translation, click here for more information.

Special offer for Currency subscribers:
Lessons In Flight, a new play from indigenous playwright Maryanne Sam is opening at the Darlinghurst Theatre on Thursday 8 November. Season ends 24 November 2007. Special offer: Get your tickets at the special rate of $20 for Tuesday shows and $25 for all other performances. To take up this offer, simply quote ‘Currency offer’ when booking your tickets. For bookings go to www.darlinghursttheatre.com or call (02) 8356 9987. We also have two double passes to give away for Thursday, 8 November. To win, be the first to send an email to karin@currency.com.au with ‘Lessons in Flight’ in the subject line and your contact details in the email body.

VIC

The Call, written by Patricia Cornelius, composition by Irine Vela, is playing in a Melbourne Workers Theatre production at the Fairfax Studio Arts Centre from 12-25 November 2007. For tickets call (03) 9326 6667, for more information on the production visit www.melbourneworkerstheatre.com. To see our published plays by Patricia Cornelius, go to our website.

Mr. Saigon Ms. Hanoi, written and performed by Dominic Hong Duc Golding,
writer and performer of Shrimp. Dominic presents a collection of poetic impressions written while travelling the length of his birth country, Vietnam. La Mama Theatre, 8-10 November. For more information and bookings go to lamama.com.au or call 03 9347 6142.

Deckchair Theatre is staging a production of Hilary Bell’s new play Memmie Le Blanc, from 8 November - 2 December 2007. Based on a true story, Memmie Le Blanc is a fascinating play about the wildness that lives in us all. For more information and tickets go to deckchairtheatre.com.au. To have a look at Hilary Bell’s plays published by Currency Press, click here.