Brendan has enjoyed major success both within Australia and abroad since his first play, Men, was a sell-out hit at the Old Fitzroy Hotel in 2000. Brendan has been the recipient of a number of writing awards, including the Patrick White Playwright’s Award for Bed, the Phillip Parsons Playwright’s Award and the Griffin Award for Rabbit. Brendan also received an Australia Council grant. Brendan’s most recent play Ruben Guthrie sold out the B Sharp season in 2008 and will transfer to the Company B mainstage in 2009. His plays have been produced in Berlin, London, Edinburgh and New York.
Brendan was a core writer for all three series of the award winning cable series Love my Way. He wrote the script for the inaugural film experiment Pov and his short film Europe screened at international festivals. Brendan co-wrote the feature film Ten Empty which was released in 2008. He has several feature film and television projects in development and is writing his first novel.
Brendan Cowell
Ruben Guthrie
Photo by Alex Craig
Ruben Guthrie is on fire. He’s 29, he’s the Creative Director of a cutting-edge advertising agency, he’s engaged to a Czech supermodel and Sydney is his oyster. He pours himself a drink to celebrate, a drink to work, a drink to sleep and one spectacular night he drinks so much he thinks he can fly.
Ruben Guthrie is Brendan Cowell’s brutally honest comedy about work, family and excess. This is a special play which taps a deep vein of Australian life and asks, is it unAustralian to refuse a drink?