Jane Harrison (playwright)

Jane Harrison is an Aboriginal Australian playwright, novelist, literary festival director, and researcher.

[1] Stolen premièred in 1998 at Playbox (now Malthouse Theatre) Melbourne directed by Wesley Enoch followed by seven annual seasons in Melbourne, plus tours to Sydney, Adelaide, regional Victoria, Tasmania, the United Kingdom (twice), Hong Kong and Tokyo, with readings in Canada, New York City and Los Angeles.

[4] Rainbow's End premièred in 2005, and toured Melbourne, Sydney, regional Australia, and Japan in 2007, and has had numerous subsequent productions.

Rainbow's End tells the simple, yet convoluted story of three generations of First Nations women; young Dolly, her mother the happy-go-lucky Gladys, and the wise and stern Nan Dear, living in their shanty perched on the flats of the Goulburn River in 1950s regional Victoria.

[6]The Visitors re-imagines the arrival of the First Fleet on Gadigal country from the perspective of seven elders meeting on the shores of the harbour.

[10] Victorian Opera commissioned Harrison to collaborate with composer Christopher Sainsbury to develop an operatic version of The Visitors, staged at Arts Centre Melbourne in October 2023.

[14] In an act of generous courage, Harrison confessed in 2010 to her own struggles with mental health in an essay published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

In recognition of her contribution to mental health awareness the Medical Journal of Australia awarded Harrison the Dr Ross Ingram Essay Prize.

Harrison created and led Blak & Bright - First Nations Literary Festival[16] in Naarm (Melbourne) from its inception in 2015 in the role of Artistic Director / Chief Executive Officer until August 2024.

Harrison contributed a chapter to Many Voices, Reflections on experiences of Indigenous child separation, which was published in 2002 by the National Library of Australia, Canberra.