Tribute to Jill Shearer (1936-2012)
Jill Shearer , who passed away on 6 May, was an important Australian playwright, living in Brisbane. Jill's plays were produced all over the world, and on Broadway ( Shimada , 1992, directed by Simon Phillips and starring Ben Gazzara, Estelle Parsons, Ellen Burstyn and Mako). She was, I think, the first Australian woman to have a play on Broadway. She had a long relationship with La Boite Theatre Company - over the years the company has produced, I think, four or five of her plays. La Boite hosted a fond memorial tribute to Jill last Sunday. There was no one like Jill Shearer. I didn’t know her well, but I do know how important she was to the community of artists in Brisbane, and well beyond. She was a genuine inspiration. I first met her when I was working for Queensland Theatre Company in the early 1990s. The company had just produced Shimada , and we were then developing her new play The Family. She was already something of a legend by then, of course. I ...