AustLit logo

AustLit

Maxine Mellor Maxine Mellor i(A78986 works by)
Gender: Female
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

Works By

Preview all
1 y separately published work icon The Fledglings (and) Good Grief Maxine Mellor , Merlynn Tong , Brisbane : Playlab , 2020 19562167 2020 selected work drama
1 The Fledglings Maxine Mellor , 2020 single work drama
— Appears in: The Fledglings (and) Good Grief 2020;

'The Fledglings reimagines and updates the in-between scenes of Checkov’s The Seagull, giving special attention to the younger characters, teetering on the edge of their nests with eyes on their horizons. These three hopefuls – Konstantin, Nina, and Masha – want to soar far and free from the stultifying artificial lake estate where their parents idle away their time. They do not want their dreams and desires to be eroded into disappointment, despondency, meaningless rage, and callousness; they do not want to become like their parents.

'But it’s hard to leave the nest with clipped wings. Will these fledglings have the strength to hold their weight against the pull of the lake?' (Production summary)

1 y separately published work icon Horizon Maxine Mellor , 2020 Brisbane : Playlab , 2021 18831597 2020 single work drama

'Lovers on the highway, chased down by their past.

'Cole and Sky, a young couple, are driving in a classic car from the coast into the guts of the country. Cole’s father is on his deathbed and there are rumours Cole is set to inherit the earth after a life of aimlessness. They set out with unbridled enthusiasm for the road ahead; swept up in romantic dreaming and poetic ruminations amid the boundless plains. They knit new narratives for themselves; give themselves new names and identities in sync with their seemingly unanimous versions of utopia. Their newfound freedom is underscored by a long-forgotten mix tape buried deep in the glovebox, but out of the static following the final song, a pubescent voice cracks — a younger, angrier, more violent Cole and his teenage manifesto recorded to tape.

'Equal parts Mad Max: Fury Road, Thelma and Louise, and the classic films of the Ozploitation era, Horizon keeps who we are in the rear view mirror, whilst asking what it is we can see in the warping heat-distorted bitumen ahead. With a smack of Wolf Creek, a slap of Wake in Fright, and a firm grip on the true stories of those lost to the isolation of the outback, Horizon is a high-octane journey that’s over the limit, over heating and tearing right into the heart of Australia.' (Production summary)

1 The Wind in the Willows Maxine Mellor , 2015 single work drama fantasy

Adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's novel.

1 y separately published work icon The Silver Alps Maxine Mellor , 2014 2015 13570753 2014 single work drama

'Heidi and her daughter are being evicted. Her brother comes to the rescue, offering to drive them to a cabin in the mountains to start afresh.

'As the scenery shifts and the mountains divide, in a series of near-identical motel rooms, Heidi battles with past addictions and paranoia. It seems there’s an unsettling ulterior motive for this trip, but will anyone take the driver’s seat to avert the danger?

'A play of mystical mountains and itchy motel rooms, charged with sexuality and secrets, The Silver Alps rips the hood off the family car and drags things lurking out from under the motel bed.'

Source: Author's website.

1 1 Group Show Maxine Mellor , Bridget Mackey , Nakkiah Lui , Chloe Martin , Leila Rodgers , 2013 single work drama A group show of 5 short works from 5 new and emerging playwrights from around Australia.
1 The Wizard of Oz Maxine Mellor , The Danger Ensemble , 2013 single work drama

'We've asked The Danger Ensemble to employ their matchless vision to expose the hopes and fears of our own realities, using L. Frank Baum's original book and its 13 sequels. In 2013, who is the heroine? Who are those who lack courage? Who lack heart? Who lack brains?

'For this La Boite and Brisbane Festival world premiere event, we promise a fantasy equal to, but disturbingly different from, the Oz we know and love. What will be at the end of the rainbow? Not even the Wizard himself knows the answer yet, but we can't wait to find out!'

Source: La Boite program.

1 y separately published work icon Trollop Maxine Mellor , David Morton , Wesley Enoch , Pete Foley , Ben Hughes , 2011 Brisbane : Playlab , 2013 6485116 2011 single work drama

'Clara lives with her partner, Erik, in a clean, modern home untouched by a flood that has ravaged many parts of their town. Recently unemployed and growing fat and slovenly, her days are spent in front of the television, awash with images of disasters and destruction and programs that flaunt versions of the woman Clara could be if she tried. She is overwhelmed to the point of apathy; immobilised. Feeling so numb, she toys with Erik'’s emotions, and sends him on excursions to fetch her obscure items for a book he has obligated her to make, as if to extract some new reaction from him. She is, perhaps, trying to sabotage their comfort.

'One stormy night, Eugenie comes to the door as a Jehovah'’s Witness to speak to them about the End Days. When she is invited in to take shelter, the evening soon drips with danger, violence, and ugly truths. And Clara’'s hideous troll skin will be revealed and burst open. ' (Publisher's blurb)

1 The Timely Death of Victor Blott Maxine Mellor , 2010 single work drama 'Victor Blott was born without a heartbeat, no one expected him to live for long. This gothic fairytale for grown-ups combines puppetry and live performance to weave a dark fable that is not for the faint of heart. Queensland's most exciting new performance company, Dead Puppet Society, invite you to enter their fractured world where fantasy meets reality, the exquisite touches the horrific, and the mythic sits alongside the macabre.' Source: www.metroarts.com.au/ (sighted 20/07/2011).
1 y separately published work icon Bustown [and] Desiree Din and The Red Forest Lachlan Philpott , Maxine Mellor , Brisbane : Playlab , 2010 Z1780803 2010 single work drama
1 2 y separately published work icon Anna Robi and The House of Dogs Maxine Mellor , 2010 Fortitude Valley : Playlab , 2012 Z1742214 2010 single work drama

'In a claustrophobic suburban house, overrun by in-bred dogs, young Anna is getting itchy. She's in love with Roger, and she's ready...

'But how do you lose your virginity when you share a bed with your mother?'

Source: Old Fitzroy Theatre website, http://www.rocksurfers.org/
Sighted: 15/11/2010

1 Desiree Din and the Red Forest Maxine Mellor , 2010 single work drama children's young adult
— Appears in: Bustown [and] Desiree Din and The Red Forest 2010; (p. 85-156)
'"Desiree Din and the Red Forest" follows Desiree, her sister Iona and oldest brother Asher as they prepare for major changes at home. After a family fight, Desiree is led into the Red Forest by a strange new friend. It’s a magical place where the frightened forest creatures are battling to save everything they know.' Source: www.atyp.com.au/ (Sighted 16/08/2010).
1 1 Maxine Mellor's Mystery Project Maxine Mellor , 2009 single work drama mystery children's humour

In this exciting murder mystery, Agatha, an aspiring detective, meets Elspeth, a girl from the nineteenth century. Elspeth explains that she was murdered and she wants Agatha to use her detective skills to work out who murdered her. As the play progresses, various murder suspects and their motives are considered in a fun and playful way, with plenty of laughs from the audience along the journey.
(Source: State Library of Queensland, John Oxley Library website) Sighted LB 22/12/09

1 y separately published work icon My Mother's Machines Maxine Mellor , 2009 Z1618762 2009 single work short story
1 The Cicada Movement Maxine Mellor , 2006 single work drama 'Cicadas can survive underground for seven years, somehow sensing when to emerge. Cid has been living in the basement for seven years since the childhood accident. "The Cicada Movement" is a play about Cid's crawl to the light.' Source:www.metroarts.com.au/ (Sighted 12/01/2009).
1 1 Magda's Fascination with Wax Cats Maxine Mellor , 2005 single work drama
— Appears in: Independent Brisbane : Four Plays 2008; (p. 172-221) The Australian Play Bundle # 2 2013;
1 y separately published work icon Little Hitler's Ode to an Austrian Bentwood Maxine Mellor , 2003 Hobart : Australian Script Centre , 2006 Z1076729 2003 single work drama satire There's a Russian bride, a war veteran, a Reverend, a cowboy - all little Hitlers - and an Austrian Bentwood chair. See them live and see them die. In the end only one will be left standing: simple, sturdy, lasting ... Because no matter how bad people get, there's always death; sudden or slow - a testimony to the poor craftsmanship of mankind. sometimes a chair is more lasting than us all. - (synopsis, Collection #6 (2006) p. 41)
1 Boy Slaughter Maxine Mellor , 2002 single work drama
X