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Patricia Cornelius

パトリシア・コーネリアス

Patricia Cornelius

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1952 （Australia）
Nationality
Australian
Languages
English
Residence History
Melbourne

Career

Occupations
playwright, screenwriter
Active Years
1987-
Affiliations
Melbourne Workers Theatre (co-founder)

Awards

AWGIE Award
2009
Work: Blessed (screenplay)
Category: Feature Film Adaptation
Organization: Australian Writers' Guild
Result: winner
Green Room Awards (Lifetime Achievement)
2019
Category: Lifetime Achievement
Organization: Green Room Awards
Result: winner
Patrick White Playwrights' Award
2006
Organization: Sydney theatre / related
Result: winner
Wal Cherry Prize for New Plays
2005
Work: Love
Organization: Wal Cherry / related
Result: winner
NSW Premier's Literary Award (Drama)
2011
Work: Do Not Go Gentle…
Category: Drama
Organization: New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards
Result: winner
Victorian Premier's Louis Esson Prize for Drama
2011
Work: Do Not Go Gentle…
Category: Drama
Organization: Victorian Premier's Literary Awards
Result: winner
Windham–Campbell Literature Prize (Drama)
2019
Category: Drama
Organization: Windham–Campbell Prizes
Result: winner
Mona Brand Award
2018
Organization: State Library of New South Wales
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

My Sister Jill

2002 Novel

Her first novel, exploring family relationships and the inner lives of its characters.

familyrelationshipspersonal resilience

Love

2003 Drama / Play

A play about vulnerable characters and their conflicts; staged to critical attention in 2005.

social exclusionhuman relationshipspoverty

Do Not Go Gentle…

2010 Drama / Play

A play dealing with ageing and loss; recipient of several awards in 2011.

ageinglossfamily

Slut

2008 Drama / Play

A play centered on young people, exploring wellbeing, violence and stigma.

youthstigmaviolence

Blessed (screenplay)

2009 Film screenplay

Screenplay co-written with other writers; the film won Best Screenplay at San Sebastián International Film Festival.

communityclasshuman drama
Adaptations
  • [Film] Blessed / Ana Kokkinos (2009)

The Audition

2019 Drama (co-authored)

A collaboratively written stage work performed in educational programs and festivals.

collaborationtheatre education

TRUTH

2025 Drama / Play

A recent work; a new play with limited public information at present.

truthmemory

Bibliography

  • My Sister Jill (novel)
  • Lily and May (play, 1987)
  • Taxi (play, 1990)
  • Blunt (play, 2002)
  • Love (play, 2003/2005)
  • Boy Overboard (play, 2005)
  • Slut (play, 2008)
  • The Call (play, 2009)
  • Do Not Go Gentle… (play, 2010)
  • Blessed (screenplay, 2009)
  • SHIT (play, 2017)
  • Lovely Lovely Sometimes Ugly (play, 2019)
  • Anthem (co-authored, 2019)
  • The Audition (co-authored, 2019/2024)
  • Runt (play, 2023)
  • Hog's Hairs and Leeches (play, 2024)
  • Bad Boy (play, 2024)
  • TRUTH (play, 2025)

Adaptations

  • Blessed (film, 2009)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
social realismdialogue-driven playwritingcontemporary portrayals often laced with dark humour
Recurring Motifs
working-class lifemarginalised individualsfemale perspectives

Legacy

Patricia Cornelius is a highly regarded Australian playwright known for bringing working-class and marginalised voices to the stage. She has received numerous awards and influenced community and educational theatre.

Archives

  • National Library of Australia (catalogue records)

In Popular Culture

  • Frequently cited as an important figure in contemporary Australian theatre.

Quotes

  • I often write the voices of people who are less often heard.
    Source: Interview (source needed)

Trivia

  • Co-founder of Melbourne Workers Theatre.
  • First novel 'My Sister Jill' was published by St. Martin's Press.
  • Winner of the 2019 Windham–Campbell Literature Prize (Drama).