Biography of Wendy Richardson

Richardson had been a school teacher and community worker before she began writing professionally in 1986, when she was commissioned by Theatre South (Wollongong) to write Windy Gully, which was presented in that theatre company's 1987 season. A resident of Mount Kembla (a mining village west of Wollongong, and now a suburb of that regional city) since 1965, she studied English Literature and Drama at the University of Wollongong. The majority of her plays, which represent a significant social history of the Illawarra region, have been commissioned by Theatre South, and were presented at that company's Bridge Theatre in Coniston, a suburb of Wollongong. As well as the awards listed here [Order of Australia, Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), 2005 Note: For service to the arts and to the community as a playwright and producer, particularly through chronicling the social, cultural and political history of events affecting the Illawarra region; Australia Council Grants, Awards and Fellowships, 1990: awarded fellowship; Sydney Theatre Critics' Circle Award, 1989: nominated], she also received the Wollongong City Council's Contribution to the Arts Award in 2006.