PAUL BROWN trained as a geologist in Sydney, and is an expert on ocean floor rocks at Gundagai. In 1981 he founded one of Australia's foremost community theatre companies, Death Defying Theatre, which is now Urban Theatre Projects.
In 1985 he turned to writing, and wrote
Coal Town, a play about social and political struggle in mining towns and designed for performance on a football field.
He has since worked as a freelance playwright, often in community contexts, and on drama and documentary films as writer, producer and songwriter. His community plays include
Kahkwa Hakawati, which was made with Sydney's Arab-Australian community about the Gulf War, the riverbank extravaganza
Murray River Story and most recently
Maralinga.
His films include the screen version of
Aftershocks and an episode for the ABC series
Naked: Stories of Men.
For two years Brown was Campaign Manager for Greenpeace Australia. He is a lecturer at the University of New South Wales, where he teaches and researches Environmental Studies while continuing to write plays and films.