Murder, Murder, Hair! A tragedy
Playwright: Suvi Derkenne
Suvi Hannah Derkenne is a Finnish-Australian writer and early career scholar, whose creative and critical work is deeply rooted in her experience growing up in remote parts of Australia. Her work has been published by Southerly Magazine, the Quarry Journal, and has also been recognised by the Academy Awards Nicholls Fellowship (2014 & 2016), the INSIGHT award (2015), the Marjorie Robertson award (2015) and the John Hinde Award (2017).
In 2018 Suvi obtained a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the National Institute of Dramatic Art, with a focus on writing for radio and sound design. Currently, Suvi has just completed a PhD in Philosophy from Macquarie University in queer death studies and ecological necropolitics. ‘Murder, Murder, Hair! A Tragedy’ is Suvi’s first stage play, and her first comedy.
Writing on Yuin land on the south coast of New South Wales, Suvi has witnessed, in the last few years, her community burn, flood, mourn, and wait for political leadership that is promised but never delivered. The exhaustion is palpable. ‘Murder, Murder, Hair’ has been written as a sugary and theatrical distraction from the challenging realities of her community. She hopes ‘Murder, Murder, Hair!’, as a humorous but honest story with a whole lot of heart, finds professional production not just on the mainstage but in her hometown. As a regional writer, Suvi knows how important it is to have stories which represent the cultural currency of contemporary Australia and is incredibly grateful for the leadership of the Lysicrates Foundation in mentoring Australian playwrights and supporting the development of new works.