On the Couch with Patricia Cornelius

Patricia Cornelius Arts Review On the CouchWho is Patricia Cornelius?
A playwright, novelist, screen writer and dramaturg.

What would you do differently to what you do now?
I’d do something that asked something of my physical self. Not pumping iron or running on tracks but on a farm or a cattle station where there’s planting to be done, cattle to be bred or branded and put to death. To be close to all that. I think I might’ve let my run a bit late.

Who inspires you and why?
Theatre is my first love and I am gob-smacked by many of my fellow playwrights who continue against huge odds (I must tell you), to have new and Australian works put on.

What would you do to make a difference in the world?
I would re-distribute the wealth.

Favourite holiday destination and why?
I go to a small and rather suburban beach town called Broulee. It’s on the NSW coast and there’s a small bay hidden away that we call Shark Bay. It has wobbegong sharks and enormous rays and terrifying moray eels. It is divine.

When friends come to town, what attraction would you take then to, and why?
I would take them on a rough track along the Yarra near the bend, under the millions of bats hanging from the bare branches.

What are you currently reading?
I recently finished A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, and can’t work out if I’ve been stuck in a huge and over the top soap.

What are you currently listening to?
Leonard Cohen’s Love and Hate. His voice breaks my heart.

Happiness is?
Drinking wine with friends.

What does the future hold for you?
I don’t think about my future much – not very far ahead anyway. My future is more about moving from play to play and hoping they get better and more brave.

Following its critically acclaimed season in 2015, Patricia’s hard-hitting and exhilarating award-winning play, SHIT comes to Melbourne’s fortyfivedownstairs: 4 – 15 May 2016. For more information, visit: www.fortyfivedownstairs.com for details.

Image: Patricia Cornelius