Link to report is here.
P 7-8
t is generally acknowledged that the Commission's contribution in the field of music is important and appreciated. It is not as commonly recognised that a considerable contribution has also been made in the field of drama. Since the commencement of television we have produced 393 television plays including a total of 90 serial episodes, which in all represent 4,920 performances by Australian actors and actresses. Of this total, 218 of the plays were written by Australian authors. The direct cost of this activity has reached almost a million dollars.
P 12
DRAMA AND FEATURES Drama (Television) Of the 41 plays produced during the year 36 were written by Australian authors. While Sydney and Melbourne studios have produced the bulk of our drama output a number of plus produced in other capital cities have been televised locally.
The Television Society of Australia presented an award to the serial "My Brother Jack" and to the ''Australian Playhouse-series. The magazine TV Week also awarded "Logie" to Australian Playhouse" for its contribution to Australian television. A new series of Playhouse productions returned to programme schedules towards the end of this year.
In order to further stimulate local activity we presented 13 episodes of a comedy series. Nice 'N Juicy", written by Colin Free.
In Wednesday Theatre, productions included Shakespeare's ''Twelfth Night'', John Arden's series "Sergeant Musgrave's Dance” and the Old Tote production of Pinero’s ‘The School Mistress". Two famous Arthur Halley plays, which were among the first written specially for television were produced in Melbourne. Six locally written plays were produced , four of which were programmed during rite year: '"Fire Third Witness" JN Callendar "The Runaways'' (J, Croyston ), "The Man Who Saw It" (Allan Trevor) and ''Goodbye Gloria, Hello" (Peter Kenna.)
Pilot episodes of two important projects were successfully made and production of both series has begun, One of them, ”Bellbird" produced in Melbourne is serial to be screened four timea week and the other "Contrabandits" a Sydney produced 50 minute series about the Department of Customs and Excise will be shown once a week. Both will be screened in all states during the latter half of 1967. During the year drama producers from all states attended a seminar in Sydney to study tire use of film for television.
We gave further encouragement to writers by holding seminars in Grafton and Canberra, The Director of Drama (TV) lecturerd on on several occasions at the A.B.C. Training School, toured Queensland lecturing In Little Theatre Groups, talked writers' seminars ad adjudicated at the Central Queensland Festival of Drama.
P 44
C—TELEVISION PLAYS The following plays were produced during 1966-67:
The following plays were produced during 1966-67:
From Sydney Australian Playhouse
''Watch It” Dick Barry
*The Empty Day” Pat Flower
*Nice Widow at Quinto” Colin Free
*The Lace Counter” Pat Flower
“Across the Bridge * Liane Keen
“John Forester Awaits the Light” Michael Boddy
*Breakdown” Michael Boddy
*Construction” John Croyston
*Enough to Make a Pair of Sailor's Trousers” Barbara Vernon
'''Casualty . . John Croyston
*Keep It Clean E. R. Thomas
''Touch of Gold Gwenda Painter
Plays of 60 minutes or more in duration
'*The Runaways John Croyston
*Twelfth Night Shakespeare
*The Man Who Saw It Allan Trevor
*Intersection . . Michael Boddy
The Schoolmistress Pinero
Sergeant Musgrave's Dance . John Arden
Serial episodes
*Ten episodes Nice 'N' Juicy Colin Free
Two pilot episodes
Contrabandits Colin Free
*From Melbourne
Australian Playhouse
*Ticket to Nowhere by John Bragg
*The Decision by John Warwick
*Objector by Tony Morphett
*A Small Wonder by Jeff Underhill
*V.I.P.P. by Pat Flower
*The Paradise Shanty by Kevin McGrath
''' Easy Terms by Pat Flower
'' The Attack by Kenneth Hailes
''' Boy with Banner by Michael Wright
'''Shadow on the Wall” by Ruth Pullen
*Slow Poison by Allan Trevor
*The Black Infuriator by Alexander Macdonald
*The Heat's On by Pat Flower
*On the Hop by Michael Laurence
*The Five-sided Triangle” by Brian Faull
Plays of 60 minutes or more duration
*The Third Witness R. N. Callander
Flight into Danger Arthur Hailey
Course for Collision Arthur Hailey
'''Goodbye Gloria, Hello Peter Kenna
*A Ride on the Big Dipper Ron Ha rriso n
Serial episodes
Four half-hour episodes of Bel/bird Barbara Vernon
BAPH States Australian Playhouse
*Th e Captain and the Cox'n . Kenneth Hailes
In hindsight, I feel it was the success of Bellbird that killed the Australian TV play.
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