Kate Mulvany

Writer

Kate Mulvany OAM is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and actor.

Kate was the winner of 2020 Mona Brand Award for Women Stage and Screen Writers. In 2025, Kate’s stage adaptation of D’Arcy Niland’s The Shiralee, commissioned by the Sydney Theatre Company, will receive its world premiere at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House. In 2021, her stage adaptation of Ruth Park’s Playing Beatie Bow also premiered at the STC, launching the newly restored Wharf 1 Theatre. Her adaptation of Friedrich Schiller’s Mary Stuart premiered at the STC in 2019 and was nominated for the 2020 AWGIE Award for Stage. 2019 also saw Kate’s original work The Mares premiere at Ten Days on the Island for the Tasmanian Theatre Company. The Mares won the 2020 Tasmanian Theatre Award for Outstanding New Writing along with 5 other Tasmanian Theatre Awards. It was also nominated for the 2020 AWGIE Award for Stage. 

In 2018 Kate's adaptation of Ruth Park’s acclaimed novel The Harp in the South premiered at the STC. The Play won both the Stage AWGIE Award and the Major AWGIE Award, along with the David Williamson Prize. It was also nominated for a Helpmann award for Best New Australian Work and won the Sydney Theatre Award for the same category. In 2017 Kate’s AWGIE nominated play The Rasputin Affair was produced at the Ensemble Theatre. Her adaptation of Craig Silvey’s Jasper Jones has been produced nationally at STCSA, QT, Belvoir St Theatre and the MTC, following its Barking Gecko premiere in 2015. In 2015 Kate’s play Masquerade, a reimagining of the much-loved children’s book by Kit Williams was co-produced by the Griffin Theatre Company and the STCSA and performed at the Sydney Opera House for Sydney Festival and the State Theatre Company of South Australia as well as the Melbourne Festival. 

Kate’s autobiographical play The Seed, (Belvoir St Theatre) won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Independent Production and toured nationally. It has since become a much-loved and studied Australian text which will soon be produced by Black Swan State Theatre Company in late 2024. Medea, co-written by Kate and Anne-Louise Sarks was produced by Belvoir Street Theatre in 2012. The play won several awards including an AWGIE and five Sydney Theatre Awards and has gone on to be produced in Perth, Warsaw, Basel, Auckland and London. In 2024 it was produced by Queensland Theatre. Other works include The Danger Age, Blood and Bone, The Web, the musical Somewhere (music and lyrics by Tim Minchin), the oratorio Towards First Light (composition by Iain Grandage), and Storytime, which won Kate the 2004 Philip Parsons Award.

As a screenwriter, Kate has worked on the development of several television series for Australian production houses. She co-created and wrote on the award-winning TV series Upright (Foxtel) and wrote for the anthology series Summer Love (ABC).

Kate is also an award-winning stage and screen actor. In 2025, Kate will star alongside Josh McConville in her stage adaptation of The Shiralee for the STC. She also starred in Bernhardt/Hamlet for the MTC in 2023. Her TV credits include The Clearing for Star/Disney+, The Twelve for Foxtel/Warner Bros. and two seasons of Hunters for Jordan Peele/Amazon. Kate’s recent film work includes Elvis for Bazmark/Warner Bros, and the upcoming Robbie Williams biopic Better Man and How to Make Gravy, based on the Paul Kelly song, for Speech & Drama Pictures/Warner bros.

Kate is an ambassador for survivors of Agent Orange/dioxin, and a mentor to emerging playwrights, particularly those with disabilities. 

For enquiries regarding Kate Mulvany's writing, please contact us via email or on (02) 9319 7199.

For all acting enquiries, please contact Sharron Meissner at Meissner Management via email or on (02) 8005 5797