Geraldine Aron

(1941-) Dramatist, poet, copywriter.

Biography

Born in Galway, the Republic of Ireland, but came to South Arica as a young married woman and lived in Cape Town between 1967 and 1986, where she continued her career in advertising by managing a freelance copy bureau. During this time she became a naturalized South African citizen, and her initial dramatic output was produced while resident in South Africa. She returned to England in 1987.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

For the stage

She began her career as playwright at the Space Theatre, Cape Town, when her short, poignant verse dialogue Bar and Ger (1975) was successfully staged there with Yvonne Bryceland and Wilson Dunster (1978). Most of her earlier works were performed at The Space Theatre, and while associated with them she also wrote Zombie, based on a storyline conceived by Brian Astbury, and helped with the writing of The Disguise of the Ashes that arose out of the Karnaval at Scarborough to prove that Leonardo was Right – an investigation of guilt and The Final Sting of the Dying Wasp for The Space.

After the closing of The Space she wrote works for CAPAB and other companies, till her return to England in 1987, where she continued her career.

Works produced during her South African period include: Bar and Ger, Mr. McConkey’s Suitcase, Mickey Kannis Caught my Eye, Joggers and A Galway Girl) to two full-length plays (Spider and The Spare Room) and four monologues (On the Blue Train – Constantia Gable, On the Blue Train – Joe Harris, On the Blue Train – Kathy and The Shrinking of Alby Chapman).

While at The Space she also wrote Zombie, based on a storyline conceived by Brian Astbury and helped with the writing of The Disguise of the Ashes that arose out of the Karnaval at Scarborough to prove that Leonardo was Right – an investigation of guilt and The Final Sting of the Dying Wasp for The Space.

A number of the South African plays were collected in Seven Plays and Four Monologues (David Philip, 1985), while some plays appeared in other collections. Most of her earlier works were performed at The Space Theatre. After the closing of The Space she wrote for CAPAB and other companies, works including Brenda (1983), the children’s play Why Strelitzias Can’t Fly, **.

In 1987 she returned to London, and has continued writing plays there. Her work since includes **, ** and ** (which was performed at the Baxter Theatre in 200*).

For television

Two of her works were adapted and filmed for television, namely Bar and Ger (Ashley Lazarus, 19**) and Mickey Kannis Caught my Eye.

Sources

Aron, Geraldine. 1985. Seven Plays and Four Monologues Cape Town: David Philip. (Foreword by Ian Feruson) A collections of plays and monologues by Geraldine Aron. Contains: Bar and Ger, Joggers, A Galway Girl, Mickey Kannis Caught my Eye, Mr McConcey's Suitcase, Spider, The Spare Room, The Shrinking of Alby Chapman, On The Blue Train - Kathy, On The Blue Train - Constantia Gable, On The Blue Train - Joe Harris.)

Astbury, 1979

De Beer, 1995

Gosher, 1988

Joyce, 1999

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