Bio
WRITER
Kathryn Marquet is a playwright and actor with a passion for saving the planet. Her plays include: The Dead Devils of Cockle Creek (Playlab/La Boite); The Owl and the Pussycat (Little Match/Commonwealth Games); Pale Blue Dot (La Boite); Furious Creatures (Queensland Premier’s Drama Award Finalist); The Grand Ragtag Animal Band (Little Match); The Secret Garden (Dead Puppet Society/Queensland Theatre Young Artist Ensemble); and was invited to write a monologue in the form of a metaphorical postcard entitled Dear Australia for Playwriting Australia as a reflection on the COVID lockdown.
As an actor, Kathryn has worked extensively in Australian theatre, film, and television for La Boite, Queensland Theatre, Playlab, Bell Shakespeare, Elbow Room, and many other independent companies. She performed in the recent feature Don’t Tell, Channel Ten’s Secrets and Lies, and the ABC miniseries Sisters of War.
Awards Include: Matilda Awards: Best Emerging Artist (winner); Best Supporting Actor – The Crucible (nominated); Lord Mayor’s Award for Best New Australian Work – Pale Blue Dot (nominated); Best MainStage Production – Pale Blue Dot (nominated); Melbourne Green Room Awards: Best Ensemble – Prehistoric (winner).
Notable positions include: Playwright In Residence, Playlab, 2017; Playwright in Residence, La Boite, 2013; Associate Artist, Queensland Theatre, 2011-2013; Emerging Artist, QT, 2009. Training: USQ (Acting); UQ (Playwriting).
She is currently writing the screenplay of A Pale Blue Dot in conjunction with Apocalypse Films.
Reviews
“Something magical is happening at La Boite, and the sorcerer is Brisbane actor turned playwright Kathryn Marquet...."
Brisbane Times
...Her first play, Pale Blue Dot, spins the majesty of space science, the comedy of alien conspiracy theories, and the terror of domestic relationships into a stellar theatrical yarn.”
Brisbane Times
"Kathryn Marquet’s The Dead Devils of Cockle Creek is a backwoods tall tale in the grand tradition of John Millington Synge, Sam Shepard and Louis Nowra...."
"...Ultimately it’s a play about the issues of our time — climate change, species loss and the corrupting power of the market — but it’s also about ideology’s capacity to dehumanise...."
"...There are few things more satisfying in theatre than seeing a young playwright emerging toward maturity, and this sophisticated and assured ripping yarn filled with the blarney represents a creative leap forward for Marquet.”
The Australian
“Marquet’s script is deliciously rich...I was riveted.”
The Courier Mail
“Kathryn Marquet’s The Dead Devils of Cockle Creek is a must-see of the season...."
"...The script is as sharp as it is unapologetic, as rich as it is comedic. It challenges political correctness without edging on insensitivity, and reaches the corners and curves of broader cultural issues.”
Peril Magazine
“Kathryn’s libretto was brilliantly crafted to engage children [...] The entire theatre were totally enraptured.”
The Owl and the Pussycat, Paris, Cut Common.
“It's a testament to the skill of local actor and playwright Kathryn Marquet that Pale Blue Dot is so bleak and yet so beautiful, riddled with a savage dark humour that paradoxically serves to lighten the mood.”
Weekend Notes