David Williamson is without question one of Australia's most significant and celebrated cultural figures. For over thirty years his plays have been the mirror to which many Australians have turned to see themselves reflected - from the early, coruscating sensations of Don's Party, The Club and The Removalists to the annual smash-hits like Emerald City, Travelling North and Brilliant Lies, Williamson's plays have been the way Australians have known themselves.
And Williamson's life has been as engaged and interesting as his art.
For thirty-five years, Williamson has been at the white-hot welding point of art and politics - friend of most of the significant artistic and political figures of his generation: Peter Carey, Jack Hibberd, Gough Whitlam, Bruce Beresford, Clifton Pugh, Paul Keating. Through his plays and his articles, Williamson's views have characterised and galvanised generations of Australians. He has been, above all, passionate.
Who better to invite us into that life than the woman with whom he has shared it, his wife Kristin? Kristin takes us behind the scenes - into the study, the dining room, the rehearsal room - to give us the ultimate portrait of the man whose plays have so defined his times and his country.
Bio
David Marr
David Marr is a journalist at the Sydney Morning Herald, he is also trained as a lawyer and previously presented ABC TV's Media Watch.
He is the co-author, with Marian Wilkinson, of Dark Victory, about the Tampa affair, and The Henson Case, about the Bill Henson controversy of 2008. He is also Vice President of Watch on Censorship.
Kristin Williamson
Kristin Williamson is an Australian journalist and author.
Kristin Williamson was born in Melbourne, went to school in Geelong and trained as a teacher. On graduating she took up a scholarship at the University of Florence in Italy to study Italian. She taught drama in Victoria and moved to Sydney in 1979 where she worked for The National Times.
With husband David Williamson, she co-wrote the film Touch the Sun: Princess Kate, she also researched his films The Last Bastion and Gallipoli. She co-produced and wrote for the television series Dog's Head Bay.
She is the sister of Australian filmmaker Chris Löfvén. She has had four children, one child with David Williamson.