Michelanne Forster

Michelanne Forster (born 26 April 1953) is a New Zealand playwright and scriptwriter who was born in California, US. Her writing career began in the 1980s at Television New Zealand where she worked on the popular pre-school programme Play School. Her plays have been performed both nationally and internationally and are often based on historical accounts. In 2011 Forster was the writer-in-residence at the Michael King Writer's Centre.

Education
Forster graduated from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Arts and also holds a Diploma in Teaching from the Auckland Secondary Teachers College. In 2014 she completed her honours in Drama through the University of Auckland.

Plays

 * Always My Sister
 * Don't Mention Casablanca
 * Tic Tac (with Paul Barrett)
 * The Great Storm of 1868
 * My Heart is Bathed in Blood
 * This Other Eden
 * The Rosenberg Sisters
 * Larnach – Castle of Lies
 * Songs My mother Taught Me (Music by Felicity Williams)
 * Daughters of Heaven
 * A Dream Romance (Musical)

Plays for children

 * Sapai and the Yam Snatchers (with Leilani Unasa)
 * The Butcher and The Bear of kirstyn
 * The Secret of Dongting Lake
 * In the Deep End
 * Mean Jean the Pirate Queen
 * The Bungling Burglars (music by Felicity Williams)
 * Rodney Rat and the Sneaky WeaselGang
 * Rivals and Idols
 * Arabella and the Amazing Wardrobe
 * Musical Beasts

Awards

 * 2011 Writer-in-Residence Michael King Writer's Centre, University of Auckland
 * 1997 Best Radio New Zealand Drama, The Rosenberg Sisters
 * 1996 Best Radio New Zealand Drama, Larnach – Castle of Lies
 * 1994 Buckland Memorial Award for Literature, Daughters of Heaven
 * 1993 Writer-in-Residence University of Canterbury

Publications

 * Daughters of Heaven (Polish translation) in Dwa Oceany (Agencja Dramatu i Treatru ADiT, 2013)
 * When Its Over: New Zealanders Talk about Their Experiences of Separation and Divorce (Penguin, 1998)
 * The Rosenberg Sisters in Playlunch: Five Short New Zealand Plays (Otago University Press, 1996)
 * Daughters of Heaven (Otago University Press, 1992)
 * Rodney Rat and the Space Creatures (Hodder and Stoughton, 1989)
 * Rodney Rat and the Sneaky Weasel Gang (Hodder and Stoughton, 1985)
 * The Four-Legged Prince (Hodder and Stoughton, 1985)
 * Rodney Rat and the Sunken Treasure (Hodder and Stoughton, 1983)