Debra Oswald facts for kids

Debra Oswald (born 1959) is an Australian writer. She creates stories for many different types of media. These include movies, TV shows, plays, radio, and books. She also writes books especially for kids.

Debra Oswald has won several awards for her work. In 2008, her play Stories in the Dark won the Best Play award at the NSW Premier's Literary Awards. She also created and was the main writer for the TV show Offspring. This popular drama series is now available on Netflix. For her work on Offspring, she won another NSW Premier's Literary Award in 2011. She also received the AACTA Award for best TV screenplay in 2014.

Her novels include Useful (2015) and The Whole Bright Year (2018). Both were published by Penguin Random House. Her book The Family Doctor came out in March 2021. Debra Oswald also performed her own one-woman stage show. It was called Is There Something Wrong With That Lady. She performed it in Sydney in April 2021 and again in 2023. Her novel One Hundred Years of Betty was published in March 2025.

Debra Oswald's Writing Journey

Debra Oswald started writing when she was a teenager. Her very first play was worked on at a special conference in 1977. She was only 17 years old at the time. This play was later broadcast on ABC Radio.

She studied at the Australian National University. She also attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School. Since then, she has made a living as a writer. She writes for movies, TV, stage, and radio. She has also published many novels for children. Debra Oswald lives in Sydney with her husband, Richard Glover. He is also a writer and radio personality. They have two sons.

Plays for the Stage

Debra Oswald has written many plays. Her play Dags has been performed many times in Australia. It has also been published and performed in Britain and the United States. Other plays she wrote include Going Under (1983) and Lumps (1993).

In 1996, her play Gary's House was shown in several cities. These included Melbourne, Penrith, and the Gold Coast. It was also performed in Adelaide, Hobart, Newcastle, Canberra, and even in Denmark. Gary's House was part of the New South Wales Year 12 drama syllabus. This means high school students studied it.

In 2000, her play Sweet Road was performed in Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney. Several of her plays have been recognized for awards. Sweet Road, Gary's House, and The Peach Season were all considered for the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards.

Two of her plays, Mr Bailey's Minder and The Peach Season, first opened at the Griffin Theatre Company. Mr Bailey's Minder traveled around Australia in 2006. It also premiered in the United States in 2008. In 2008, Gary's House was even performed in Japanese in Tokyo.

TV Shows and Children's Books

Debra Oswald has written for many television shows. These include the mini-series Palace of Dreams (1985) and Dancing Daze (1986). She also wrote for popular shows like Police Rescue (1991), Bananas in Pyjamas (1992), and Magic Mountain (1997). Her scripts for Police Rescue were nominated for several awards.

She was a key writer for the TV series Offspring. This show aired from 2010 to 2017. Debra Oswald was involved in the first five seasons of the show.

She has also written many books for children. Some of her children's novels are Me and Barry Terrific (1987) and The Return of the Baked Bean (1990). She also wrote The Fifth Quest (2002). She wrote three "Aussie Bites" books too. These include Nathan and the Ice Rockets (1998) and Frank and the Emergency Joke (2000). Other novels for young people are The Redback Leftovers (2000) and Getting Air (2007). Her book Blue Noise (2009) is about teenagers who start a blues band.

Plays for Young Audiences

Debra Oswald has written four plays specifically for teenage audiences. Her most recent play for teens is House on Fire. It was performed by the Australian Theatre for Young People in June 2010. She also wrote Skate and Stories in the Dark for this theatre group. Skate even toured to the Belfast Festival.

The judges who awarded Stories in the Dark the NSW Literary Award praised it. They said the play showed how imagination helps people survive. It explored how stories help us understand the world. They noted that the play showed the importance of hope.

In 2021, Debra Oswald performed her own show on stage. It was called Is There Something Wrong With That Lady?. She performed it at the Griffin Theatre.

Awards and Recognition

Debra Oswald has received many awards for her writing:

• AACTA Awards, Best TV Screenplay, 2014: She won for Offspring, series 4, episode 13.
• New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Script Award, 2011: She won for Offspring.
• New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Play Award, 2008: She won for Stories in the Dark.
• Queensland Premier's Literary Awards, Drama Script (Stage) Award, 2005: Her play Mr Bailey's Minder was shortlisted.
• Griffin Award for New Australian Playwriting, 2004: She won for Mr Bailey's Minder.
• Seaborn Playwright's Prize for The Peach Season (2005).