In 2000 she was awarded a Commonwealth Medal for Services to Playwriting and in 2012 she was made a Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Melbourne.[9]
Notable productions
Many of Murray-Smith's plays have been performed around the world. Honour has been produced in more than three dozen countries, including productions on
Broadway and at the
Royal National Theatre in London.[7]
Ridge's Lovers was performed in New York under the direction of Brian Leahy Doyle.[13]Honour, Nightfall, Rapture, Ninety, Fury and Day One, a Hotel, Evening have all had staged readings or productions at the annual New York Stage and Film Festival at
Vassar College.[citation needed]
The Female of the Species, based on events in the life of
Germaine Greer,[17] opened in the West End at the
Vaudeville Theatre in July 2008, directed by Roger Michell and starring
Eileen Atkins. A Broadway production, originally planned for 2008 with
Annette Bening was postponed.[18][19] It was nominated for
Best New Comedy in the 2009 Olivier Awards. In February and March 2010, the play was staged at the
Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles with
David Arquette and Bening.
Charles Isherwood of The New York Times wrote about this production: "The Female of the Species is not just antifeminist. In its depiction of women as variously pompous, deluded, self-obsessed, hypocritical, sexually obsequious or just plain crazy, it comes closer to being antifemale."[20]
Switzerland was commissioned by the Geffen Theatre in Los Angeles but by arrangement with the Sydney Theatre Company artistic directors Andrew Upton and Cate Blanchett had its world premiere production at the Sydney Theatre Company starring Sarah Peirse as Patricia Highsmith in 2014. A new production of Switzerland was produced at the Geffen Theatre in 2015 directed by
Mark Brokaw and starred Laura Linney in the Highsmith role. The play was also produced at the Melbourne Theatre Company, the Queensland Theatre Company, the State Theatre Company of South Australia and Black Swan Theatre, Perth. It has been produced in numerous productions in Germany, Denmark and Switzerland. In 2019 it played an
off-Broadway season at
59E59 Theaters in New York City.[21] Its UK premiere was in 2018 at the
Theatre Royal, Bath, starring
Phyllis Logan as Highsmith. The production moved to the West End in November 2018 at the
Ambassadors Theatre.[22]
Murray-Smith's 2010 one-woman play written for
Bernadette Robinson, Songs for Nobodies, opened immediately after Switzerland at the same theatre in January 2019 and marked Robinson's West End debut. The show was nominated for an Olivier award.[23]Songs for Nobodies has toured Australian cities starring Robinson three times since its 2010 premiere production. The play's first production featuring another performer in the role was in New Zealand in 2017 and 2018 when Ali Harper performed the play.[24] Its US premiere at Milwaukee Rep in 2018 starred Bethany Thomas[25] who will perform the role at the Northlight Theatre in Chicago in May 2020.[26]
Murray-Smith made her directorial debut when
Queensland Theatre produced her 2019 comedy L'Appartement.[27]
Works
The plays and novels of Murray-Smith have been translated and performed widely around the world.[10][28] According to the
Australia Council, Murray-Smith and
Daniel Keene account for half of all foreign productions of Australian plays.[29] However, Murray-Smith feels that within Australia, and especially at the
Sydney Theatre Company, her work and that of other Australian writers, e.g.,
David Williamson's, is insufficiently supported.[30][31]
Plays
Angry Young Penguins, 1987 (Church Theatre, Melbourne) (see also:
Ern Malley)
^Bunyan, Marcus (17 March 2020).
"Current recipients". Faculty of Arts. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
^
abFourteen of the plays have been published by
Currency Press (Australia) and others have been published by Nick Hern Books (UK) and Dramatist Play Service (US).
"Murray-Smith, Joanna". AustLit. 27 June 2006. Retrieved 18 February 2008.