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Richard Harris

edenhouse@orcon.net.nz

Richard started with amateur drama in Central Africa in the 1970s. His hobby has continued to the present day - treading the boards, directing and writing. 

Richard has been nominated for two acting awards, one in UK and one in New Zealand, and has had one full length play published.
Midwinter Macabre:   A series of three one act plays involving the supernatural.
 
1        A Visit From David  - Drama - supernatural,   approx 25 mins.
 
2m  3f
 
Single set, present day:  The lounge of a remote farmhouse in Otago.
 
The unexpected arrival of Stella’s brother David, previously believed lost in the Iraq war, provides the catalyst for a family to come to terms with tragic events of the past. A stirring and compassionate drama with a poignant ending.
 
This one act play was written specifically for the Octagon Theatre Whangarei contributing to an evening of the supernatural.  It ran for ten performances and was received with commendations.
The Blackness of Blackmail:  Thriller approx 20 mins
 1m 2f
 
Single set, present day:   An up market apartment in Central Auckland. 
 
Julie is distraught when a man she thought of as a confidant blackmails her with information that she revealed to him in a moment of despair. When she calls upon her friend Karen to help her deal with the situation the resulting plan quickly starts to unravel with disastrous results.  A sharp thriller with a twist at the end.
 
The play was runner up in the 1998 NZ Nikon national one-act play awards.
 
It was first performed in 2008 by the Whangarei Repertory Company as an evening to celebrate 40 years.
 
It was then chosen for an evening of three one-act plays, running for 10 performances.
2        Reaching For The Other Side Comedy, supernatural,  approx 25 mins.
 
3m 5f
 
Single set, present day:  A rather run down room in a house on the suburbs of Dunedin
.
Is it possible to reach ‘the other side?’  Two couples visit a clairvoyant in order to contact recently deceased relatives.  Their attempts are influenced by disbelief and an uncertainty at what the final outcome of the evening will be. A light comedy with a twist to the end.
 
This one act play was written specifically for the Octagon Theatre Whangarei’s evening supernatural stories, ‘Midwinter Macabre’. It ran for ten performances.
Bon Appétit:  Thriller – approx 20 mins
 
1m 2f, 1m/f
 
Single set; present day. A smart café in Whangarei. 
 
Vera decides to wind up their partnership when Jeanette attempts to blackmail her after catching her dipping into the profits from their business. But, this would put Jeanette into a financial black hole, so she enlists the help of her husband to resolve the dispute with the ruthless attitude of ‘the end justifies the means’.  But all is not as it seems.
 
The play was performed at the Whangarei Repertory Society’s performance of three one-act plays running for 10 performances.
3        Friend of the FamilySupernatural horror.  Approx 20 mins
 
1m 2f
 
Single set, present day:  A residence in the suburbs of Wellington. 
 
As a favour, the pragmatic Reverend Peter Townsend is asked by an old friend to visit a grieving widow. A psychological assessment of her strange story is needed but, his scepticism ill prepares him for the awful horror that awaits.
 
Runner up in the 2010 PANZ one-act play competition.

the Playwrights Association of New Zealand - PANZ