Draft:Stephen Measday

Stephen Measday

Stephen Measday, Author, Rottnest Island Western Australia, 2017

Stephen John Cleveland Measday (born 1950) is an Australian author, scriptwriter, script editor, playwright, poet and journalist. He is an award winning scriptwriter and is also well known for his adventurous and humorous novels for younger readers. He has been published in Australia, the U. K., the U.S.A., Germany, France, South Korea and Indonesia.

Personal life

Measday was born in Adelaide, South Australia. His family moved to the farming town of Crystal Brook in the state's mid north in 1963. At the age of 16 (while at high school) he was as appointed correspondent for his home town by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, before taking up a cadetship at the age of 18. He worked as a journalist until 1978, and since then has pursued a writing career in Adelaide, Sydney and Perth. For forty years he lived in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, and now lives in Perth, Western Australia.

Career

Measday was appointed the ABC's correspondent for Crystal Brook in 1967, and supplied copy to the Port Pirie and Adelaide newsrooms. He joined the ABC as a cadet journalist in 1969. Soon after, he co-founded the poetry magazine Dharma with Larry Buttrose and Donna Maegraith. He acted part-time in repertory theatre for a few years, then joined the Adelaide University Theatre Guild Ensemble in 1977, where his first play was premiered. From 1978 he has worked as a freelance writer and script editor in film, television, stage and publishing.

Awards

• The Laundromat Cycle (poem), co-winner of the Best of Bolton Competition,  performed at the Octagon Theatre (Bolton), U.K. on 11/11/2017.
• A Pig Called Francis Bacon listed as a Notable Book by the Children's Book Council of  Australia (1997).
• A Pig Called Francis Bacon (jr fiction novel), Sydney Morning Herald's 'Best Children's Books of 1996'.
• The News They Didn't Use  (YA novel), listed as a Notable Book by the Children's Book Council of  Australia (1996).
• Country Driving (corporate video). Winner, Bronze Cindy Award at the International Association of Audio Visual Communicators, USA (1996).
• Partners (200 min radio drama series) Winner Australian Writers Guild (Awgie) Award for original radio drama. Producer: Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1994)
• A Country Practice (tv series). Media Peace Prize awarded by the United Nations Association of Australia. Co-writer (with Leon Saunders) of two episodes, 'Listen to the Children.' (1986)

Poetry

Measday published his first poems in fifteen editions of the poetry magazine Dharma (later titled Real Poetry - 2 editions), and in the Number 1 Friendly Street Reader. His long poem Boot Hill was performed at the first Young Poets Reading at the Adelaide Festival in 1972. He organised the Young Poets Readings in 1974 and 1976, and served on the Adelaide Festival's Writers Week Committee from 1974-76. His poem The Laundromat Cycle was the co-winner of the Best of Bolton Competition, U.K., in 2017, and was performed at the Octagon Theatre.

Stage

Measday made his first stage appearance at the age of 12 singing in the Adelaide Festival Children's Choir. He acted with the Port Pirie Repertory Society in 1972-73, and studied drama at Adelaide University, joining the Theatre Guild Ensemble in 1977. His first play Blow Fly Blow premiered at the University's Little Theatre on 16th November,1977. It was immediately picked up for professional production. In 1978-79 he was the administrator of the Troupe Theatre Company, Adelaide.

• Blow Fly Blow, Little Theatre, Adelaide University (1977)
• Blow Fly Blow, La Boite Theatre, Brisbane (1980)
• Atomic Au Go Go, Cabaret Contributor, Troupe Theatre, Adelaide (1984).
• Mark Twain Down Under: The Most Beautiful Lies, Playbox Theatre, Victorian Arts Centre (1988)
• The Plainclothes Hamlet, Myrtleford Theatre Troupe (1997)
• Mark Twain Down Under: The Most Beautiful Lies, McKay Arts Festival (2007)
• Ahead of the Times, Katoomba Theatre Company (2013)
• Well Beeton! Katoomba Theatre Company (2014)

Radio / Audio Books

• Words and Music (ABC radio, 1980)
• Partners, original 200 min. radio series. Winner 1994 Australian Writers guild (Awgie) Award.
• A Pig Called Francis Bacon, My Friend Roger Bacon, Roger Bacon Reporting (audio books recorded by Measday in 2001).

Television

While working at the ABC, Measday developed his work skills in television as a reporter and news producer/director (1969-78). On moving to Sydney in 1981 he was a documentary researcher for SBS television, then moved into scriptwriting from 1982, starting with an episode of Sons and Daughters.

• Sons and Daughters (1982)
• A Country Practice (1985-89 also as script editor)
• Home and Away (1989)
• G.P. (1989)
• The Screen Test Handbook, scenes from A Country Practice (1990)
• English at Work (1990-91)
• Lift Off (1991)
• The Time Game (original 4 part series & feature 1992)
• Sky Trackers 2 (1992-93)
• The Ferals (1993)
• Ship to Shore (1994)
• Mirror Mirror 2 (1996-97)
• Blue Heelers (1994-1997)
• Wicked (1999)
• New McDonald's Farm (2004)
• Erky Perky (2008)
• Enyo (2007-2008)
• Hi-5, Hi-5 House (script editor 2001-2015)

Fiction

Measday started publishing junior fiction and young adult novels in 1993.

• The Time Game (1993)
• Frogs on the Run (illustrated 1993)
• Hilarious & Horrible Holidays (short story1994)
• Tomb It May Concern (1995)
• The News They Didn't Use (YA 1995)
• The Giant Spiders (1996)
• A Pig Called Francis Bacon (1996)
• Ship to Shore: The Hermes Experience (1997)
• Ship to Shore: The Fang Mystery (1997)
• The News on Aliens (YA 1997)
• Laba-laba Raksasa Misterius (published Indonesia 1997)
• Les Araignees Geantes - (published France 1998)
• The Gift (1998)
• My Friend Roger Bacon (1998)
• The Fungus Among Us (short story 1999 Australia/U.S.A.)
• Roger Bacon Reporting (2001)
• Kids' Night In Collection - The Dog That Barked at Sharks (2003)
• Bringing Home the Bacons (2003)
• Leaper Lane: Rugby League Rookie (2006)
• Send Simon Savage (2010)
• Die Funf Temponauten (published Germany 2010)
• Send Simon Savage: Return of the Black Death (2012)
• Time Agents 1 &Time Agents 2 (Germany 2014)

Documentary / Corporate Video

Jack Thompson and Stephen Measday trading shoes on the set of the Kakadu documentary filming, 1982

Measday has written more than 30 film / television documentaries, and corporate videos.

Some are listed below. From 1979-2003.

• All the King's Men (on microsurgery) 10 network
• Mali (on Sahel drought) 10 network
• Kakadu (with narrator Jack Thompson 1982) 10 network
• Changing Australia, SBS, series research.
• Country Driving  (Winner Bronze Cindy Award U.S.A. 1996)
• Conservation Farming
• Principles of Second Language Learning (SBS)
• The Besco Connection
• The Safe Solution
• In Your Interest
• Waste Management for Industry
• Accepting the Challenge
• Rehabilitation Works
• Invention Series 3 (researcher: Discovery Channel 1992)

References

Libraries / References

Measday has extensive collections of books, manuscripts, television scripts, interviews and other material lodged in the following institutions: