Angela Pope
Writer
Short Stories
Lies
Winner of the Sargeson Prize 2020, "Lies" tells the story of Tracey, a disabled young woman who deals with the pain of a disabling accident by fabricating stories about how she came to be injured. However, a chicken called Hannibal Lecter teaches her there are better ways of coping.
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"Lies" was published in Landfall 240 but you can also read it here: https://www.waikato.ac.nz/fass/about/school-of-arts/english/sargeson-prize/winners
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You can read judge, Owen Marshall's comments here: https://authors.org.nz/new-zealand-writing-thrives-in-covid-19-lockdown-dunedins-angela-pope-wins-this-years-sargeson-prize/
Waiting For The Next Thing
A woman gets onto a bus with a mannequin. The bus driver insists it must wear a mask. A teenager films the interaction on her phone and the video goes viral. But what does John Steinbeck have to do with any of this? This story, set in Covid times, was long listed for the Commonwealth Prize 2021 and is published in issue 243 of Landfall.
Change is Possible
In 2022, Angela was commissioned by the ÅŒtepoti Writers Lab to write a short story for publication on the Verb Wellington website. 'Change is Possible' can be read here: https://www.verbwellington.nz/short-stories/change-is-possible
Run
In 2018, Angela was awarded Otago University's Rhys Brookbanks Prize for Writing, for the work she submitted for the Advanced Creative Writing paper. Below is an extract from her final portfolio, entitled "Run" which was inspired by Joan Didion's "Play It As It Lays".
"Once Peter was on the beach and had carefully negotiated his way over the sand dunes through the prickle of the marram grass and the spikiness of the ice plants, he stepped out onto the sand and ran. He ran the South Brighton, the Southshore, the Spencer Park, sometimes as far as Pines; the Waimairi, the Scarborough, the Taylor's Mistake. He ran them as an ironman runs a marathon, every day more attuned to his breath, the rhythm of his feet upon the sand."
Radio New Zealand National
Angela has had one radio play and three short stories broadcast on Radio New Zealand: "Misconceptions," "Caught Short", "A Night On The Town" and "An Elephant's Tale".
Plays
In 2022, Angela was selected for the ÅŒtepoti Theatre Lab's Playwrights Programme. Under the mentorship of Helen Vivienne Fletcher, she wrote the short play 'Lessons Learned from Hannibal Lecter,' an adaptation of her short story, 'Lies'. A playreading of the script was held during the Dunedin Arts Festival in October 2022.
In March 2023, Angela produced 'Lessons Learned from Hannibal Lecter' for the Dunedin Fringe Festival. A further production of the play is planned for September 2023 at the BATS Theatre, Wellington as part of 'Five Slices of Life.'
Writing as Angela Carey, Angela also had a number of short plays performed in festivals in the early 2000s. Here are the highlights.
Pursuit of Happiness
An absurdist comedy inspired by Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot", "Pursuit of Happiness" won a People's Choice Award at the Short and Sweet Festival in Sydney in 2007 and reached the Grand Finale of the festival. It was also performed at Melbourne's Short and Sweet Festival later the same year.
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You can read a review here: https://www.australianstage.com.au/20070226170/reviews/sydney/short-and-sweet.html
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Last Man On Earth
"Last Man On Earth" is a futuristic comedy set in a future in which men have become extinct due to the Y chromosome having died out. In this all female society, heterosexual romance novels have been banned. However, when a young female scientist, comes across the illegal book,"Pride and Prejudice" she becomes obsessed with Mr Darcy. She attempts to recreate a version of him in her laboratory with disastrous and hilarious results.
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Developed under the mentorship of David McPhail, this play received a public reading at Christchurch's "Feast of New Theatre" in 2006.
Tick Tock
Angela's first stage play, "Tick Tock" was performed at the Covert Theatre in Auckland in 2004 as part of a comedy festival and was described by New Zealand Herald reviewer, Paul Simei-Barton as having "playfulness and imaginative flair".
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You can read the full review here: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/slices-of-life-with-bittersweet-relish/SI5G2UNQGV5WPEMQPSLAZ7PQ2I/
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