Darren Brealey is an award-winning Australian playwright and theatre-maker whose works have been produced in Australia, London, Singapore, Malaysia, and beyond.

 

Since launching his career in 1996 with the award-winning The Meeting Place at the Melbourne Fringe Festival, Darren has written and staged over twenty plays, including seventeen one-act works and five full-length productions.

 

His plays are recognised for their daring subject matter, dark humour, and emotional honesty, drawing critical praise and enthusiastic audience support.

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Darren is the author of Stage to Stardom: Audition Monologues for Actors (available on Amazon). This resource provides a wide range of original audition monologues, crafted from Darren’s extensive experience as a playwright for actors seeking fresh, challenging, and performance-ready material. It has become a valuable tool for emerging and professional performers alike, offering monologues across genres to help actors showcase their versatility and individuality in auditions.

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Darren’s international career began with his London theatre debut No White Mongoose for Wilma, inspired by the late Mr Phil Setren at Camden’s Etcetera Theatre, part of the Black Box Festival, marking his first step toward a West End production.

 

This was followed by In the Eyes of My Heart at The Lost Theatre, Stockwell, and Fergus’ Envy at The Cockpit Theatre, both of which received supportive and positive responses from audiences and critics alike.

 

Back home in Australia, works such as Shattered Reflection, Comfort Zone (co-written with Stuart Pursell), and Separating the Dust have provoked strong reactions and conversations, with Separating the Dust even banned at two festivals while simultaneously winning major awards and sparking national media attention.

 

Most recently, Broken River debuted at the 2023 Melbourne Fringe Festival, selling out both opening and closing nights and leaving audiences buzzing with its intense themes of elder abuse, family conflict, and love on trial.

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Throughout his career, Darren has published collections of plays, including Performing the Goat (2006), and seen individual works such as Disturbing Mavis and The Mechanics performed internationally to acclaim.

 

His writing has been described as “hilariously self-referential and thematically bold” (BNews) and “terrifyingly accurate portrayals” (Buzz Cuts). With a gift for blending wit and poignancy, Darren’s plays confront social issues head-on, whether addiction, mental illness, sexuality, or class, with characters so are sharply drawn, flawed, and undeniably human.

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Darren’s journey began early, with a love of theatre sparked at age four while watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. By ten, he was performing on stage at Melbourne’s Palais Theatre as part of the Gang Show. He trained with Arena Theatre Company, where he learned the art of character, storytelling, and ensemble craft, later joining community companies such as the Dandenong Light Opera Company and Panorama Theatre Company.

 

For over seventeen years he immersed himself in the business of community theatre, learning everything from stage management and lighting to set construction and design; skills to underpin his later professional work. He also served as Secretary of the Kyneton Theatre Company, nurturing relationships with artists and strengthening regional theatre.

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His professional experience extends into television and film, with appearances in Neighbours, The Flying Doctors, The Comedy Company, Australia’s Most Wanted, The Battlers and numerous commercials.

 

He studied writing at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) and attended Robert McKee’s world-renowned Story Seminar, further honing his craft in narrative and dramatic structure.

 

A career highlight was working with Malcolm C. Cooke and Associates on the professional Australian tour of The Hobbit, a hallmark of his professional development.

 

Today, Darren continues to write, consult, and produce theatre and challenges audiences, build community, and brings vital, often underrepresented stories to the stage.

 

His plays are not just entertainment; they are conversations, catalysts, and reflections of the society we live in. Whether through a satirical one-act comedy or a hard-hitting full-length drama, Darren’s mission is clear: to create theatre to resonate, provoke, and ultimately connects us all.