Australian Theatre Festival

The Australian Theatre Festival was a series of adaptations of Australian plays filmed by the ABC in 1979-80 and first aired August 1980. Six plays were filmed first the first season at an estimated budget of $5,000 an episode. They aired on Sunday night opposite movies on the commercial channels. Six additional plays were filmed for season two. They were partly inspired by a government ruling that the ABC could keep any money it made selling projects overseas.

The series was not a ratings success.

Episodes
First Series:
 * 1) "Carolie Lansdowne Says No" by Alex Buzo
 * 2) "A Toast to Melba" by Jack Hibberd
 * 3) "Big Toys" by Patrick White
 * 4) "Departmental" by Mervyn Rutherford
 * 5) "The Department" by David Williamson
 * 6) "Bedfellows" by Barry Oakley

Second Series:
 * 1) "Going Home" by Alma De Groen
 * 2) "Rusty Bugles" by Sumner Locke Elliot
 * 3) "A Hard God" by Peter Kenna