Playwright / Producer

 

Darren Brelaey

Seventeen of my One-Act plays and three of my Full-Length plays have been produced in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and London.

I have won a number of awards on the Fringe circuit and I have a number of self-published collections of plays; one-act and full-length. I was born in Melbourne, Australia and my heritage descends from Irish and English stock. 

 

No White Mongoose For Wilma was my London Theatre debut, held at the Etcetera Theatre, Camden in the Black Box Festival; the first step towards my goal of a West End production. Following my London debut, In The Eyes Of My Heart opened at The Lost Theatre, Stockwell as part of the 5-Minute Festival. The Cockpit Theatre welcomed Fergus' Envy as part of their theatre in the pound festival with positive and supportive feedback from the MC and audience.

 

My mother says my theatre awakening came to light watching a performance of Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs when I was aged 4. Now, I’m taller, a lot older, and a playwright with writing and producing expertise beholden in the Fringe theatre arena. For more information, visit the About page under the Home link (above).

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Director

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Elizabeth Way

The fragile thin line our destinies hang on is extraordinary and never has a truer phrase related to my destiny as a playwright, been so true when it comes to this brilliantly talented lady. Actor. Director. Theatre Maker. Production Manager. Entrepreneur. Mother.

 

In 1996 I was setting up the day for auditions in a primary school hall for my first production, The Meeting Place, with no clue what I was doing, solely depending on my past 15 years of personal experiences in amateur theatre; except, this time, I was in charge. Help!

 

The first person to arrive early, prior to the Director turning up was, Elizabeth. Somehow she knew I needed assistance in this mad venture. Little did we know, this was the beginning of a beautiful lifetime friendship. Elizabeth auditioned for the role of Sheryl Anderson in The Meeting Place. Successful in gaining the role, pleasing all those on the audition panel (there was a panel, to stop me from making poor hiring choices - remember, this was my first production).

 

Apart from extraordinary performances each night in The Meeting Place, bringing audiences to laughter and tears at all the right times, Elizabeth assisted in building the set (with her, then, 2-year-old son, Tomas), distributing advertising materials, spreading the word of The Meeting Place and always being there when help was needed. These incredible and dedicated traits never wavered over the coming years.

 

Elizabeth teamed up with me to Direct my next production, Three Shorts. This was serious Mum, I had to dig in and pay attention - I had a lot to learn as a playwright, and now, I am to be called, a producer. The consummate teacher, Elizabeth, enjoyed teaching me new skills and loved Directing the show.

 

Many, many, and more shows later, Elizabeth Penny played Actor, Director, and production manager for many Cosmic Players productions, producing Darren Brealey plays in festivals and stand-alone events. Thank you, Elizabeth Penny, without you, I believe The Meeting Place would have been one of those amazing and incredible theatrical experiences that would've been a one-off event.