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Rainbow’s End
Rainbow’s End
Comedy/drama 15 mins
1 trans woman (70+), 1 M (60+), 1F (20-30)
‘Rainbow’s End’ was inspired by an article in The Age that opened my eyes to aged care issues for the rainbow community. I hope this play might do the same for others.
Performed with Melbourne Writers’ Theatre 2017, in the 1812 Board Shorts Festival 2018, in the UNESCO City of Literature OAP Festival in Dunedin 2019, and in Bendigo Theatre Company’s TENX10 Festival 2020.
Committed
Comedy 35 mins
4 M (35-60) 4 F (middle-aged)
In a bid to establish a name for himself, the new Vice Principal of Blackstone College persuades members of the Parents Association to replace the traditional speech night with a Lord of the Rings spectacular. Unfortunately, his big ideas rest on flimsy foundations. Just how “committed” is he?
First performed in my garden – we all have to start somewhere, and my neighbours proved very accommodating. Subsequently performed with Hartwell Players and Peridot Theatre.
Anna by Lamplight
Drama 15 mins
1 M (40+) 1 F (25-40)
Berlin, November 1938, two days after Kristallnacht. A dangerous time to be a Jew. But who presents the greater danger to Anna: the Nazis or her abusive husband Max? And who is the stranger in black, lurking under the lamplight?
Performed at the 1812 Board Shorts, Bendigo Theatre Company’s TENX10 Festival and Peridot Theatre.
‘I thought your play was the standout on the day and one of the best pieces I have seen in a long time. Well done!’ Audrey
View Performance at Peridot Theatre July 2021, with Gavin Baker, Gemma Tripp and Glenn Hunt.
Photos and video courtesy Natalie Burns. Play directed by Jane Carter.
Over the Hill
Comedy 15 mins
2M (50-60) 2F (45-55)
‘You get to our age and you suddenly realise it’s all downhill from here.’ This gloomy conclusion prompts Lynne and Judy to seek excitement away from their obsessive compulsive husbands. And Ross and Barry are off on an adventure too—but things don’t go entirely to plan.
First performed in my back garden. Later performed at the 1812 Board Shorts 2013 and in the Monash One Act Play Festival 2015.
Nomination for best original script at Monash One Act Play Festival.
Dear Lisa
Drama 10 mins
1 M (70+) 3 F (70+, 30-ish, 25-45)
Love in the time of COVID-19: the love between an elderly couple; the love of a nurse for her patients.
Performed in Bendigo Theatre Company’s TENX10 Festival May 2021.
The Things That You’ve Seen
Drama 15 mins
2 F (1 teenager, 1 middle-aged)
A traumatic event links a teenage girl and a middle-aged woman. Two stories told in parallel: the mother whose son caused the tragedy and the girl who lost her brother. (Written in the wake of a real life incident.)
Performed in the 1812 Board Shorts and in the Monash One Act Play Festival.
Winner of the Best Original Script Award (MOAPF 2019)
Treachery
Drama 15 mins
1 M (middle-aged) 2 F (21 and middle-aged)
“Germany calling, Germany calling. Even after all these years, the memory of Lord Haw-Haw chills me to the bones. Lord Haw-Haw was a traitor. After the war, he was hanged by the neck until he was dead. That’s what all traitors deserve. This story is about treachery. It starts in 1941, during those terrible days of the Blitz. I have learned to hate all traitors and there is no disease I spit on more than treachery.”-Constance
Performed in the 1812 Board Shorts 2016
Elysium
Drama 15 mins
1 M (40-ish) 1 F (35-40) 1 M/F (any age)
Every year, Jenny and Peter celebrate their daughter’s birthday in the local park. But Bonnie died six years ago. Jenny is lost in a digital fantasy land created by the predatory company Elysium. Peter wants to let Bonnie go.
Performed by Melbourne Writers’ Theatre 2020
Schmattes
Drama 15 mins
1 M (30s) 1 F (early 20s)
An aimless young woman gains a new sense of purpose following an encounter with a mysterious stranger. This play delves into the history of Flinders Lane, Melbourne.
Was to have been performed in the Shepparton Short Play Festival 2020, but cancelled due to COVID-19.
Wormholes
Comedy 20 mins
1 M (40+) 1 F (20s) 1 M/F (30+)
An old burial ground at the Queen Vic Market, Melbourne. A Shakespearian actor (failed) takes his revenge on a critic from beyond the grave – with help from an unexpected source.
Courtesy Melbourne Writers’ Theatre.
Performed by Melbourne Writers’ Theatre 2019
‘ “Wormholes” by Alison Knight is a surprising and lively piece that acknowledges the very early days of the site on which the Queen Victoria Market stands. Knight takes us into a haunted underground space or cemetery where the present, in the person of a market worker (Emma Drysdale), meets an amazing theatrical past in the form of egocentric actor (Jonty Reason) and his assistant Scamp (Ruben Francis). Apparently the ‘great actor’ was killed by a critic!’ Susan Sandow, Stage Whispers.
Rigel and Vortex
Black comedy 10 mins
2M, any age
Rigel and Vortex, two illegal immigrants from Earth, are being held in an internment camp on Omega 3, in the outer reaches of the Alpha Centauri system.
First performed in the 1812 Board Shorts 2013.
The Art of Fiction
Comedy 15 mins
1 M (middle-aged) 1 F (middle-aged)
Recently divorced Perry moves in with his widowed sister Carol. While Perry immerses himself in the fantasy Kakapopo blog, Carol takes refuge in romantic fiction. Comedy ensues when fiction and reality collide.
Performed in the 1812 Board Shorts 2011 and at Peridot Theatre 2016
Noises in the Night
Comedy 10 mins
2F (50+) 1 F (any age)
An encounter between two eccentric women on a bench under a tree at what appears to be a health farm.
Performed in the 1812 Board Shorts 2010 and at Peridot Theatre 2015
The Visit
Comedy 40 mins
The first play of mine to be performed in a theatre! We had a lot of fun with this one!
Alison Knight, Author. 