Stories in the Dark

by Debra Oswald

A terrified 12-year-old boy finds himself separated from his family in the unfamiliar streets of a war torn city. He takes refuge in a bombed-out house and in the total blackness his bravado crumbles into tears. Into his life steps Anna older, street smart and scornful of his crying. As a way of shutting the boy up, she starts to tell him a story that she vaguely remembers from her own childhood. And so begins a journey into the shifting, shimmering world of ogres, princes, singing bones, foolish lads and wolf-mothers. Stories in the Dark explores the power of storytelling, mingling the magic and earthy wisdom of folk tales with the hard-edged story of violence, conflict and the struggle to survive.

Genres: Plays, School

74 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Debra Oswald is a playwright, screenwriter and novelist. She is a two-time winner of the NSW Premier's Literary Award and author of the novels Useful (2015), The Whole Bright Year (2018) and The Family Doctor (2021). She was creator/head writer of the first five seasons of the successful TV series Offspring.

Her stage plays have been performed around the world and published by Currency Press. Gary's House, Sweet Road and The Peach Season were all shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Literary Award. Debra has also written four plays for young audiences—Dags, Skate, Stories in the Dark and House on Fire. She has written three Aussie Bites books and six children's novels, including The Redback Leftovers.

Her television credits include award-winning episodes of Police Rescue, Palace of Dreams, The Secret Life of Us, Sweet and Sour and Bananas in Pyjamas.

Debra performed her one-woman show Is There Something Wrong With That Lady? at the Griffin Theatre in 2021 and a month-long season at the Ensemble in 2023.

Reviews

[Leena ❥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Think it would have been better to watch live, and I do wish they leaned into the cultural aspect a bit more. There's really no indication that it's set in Sarajevo.

[Ryan Ashton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theatrically powerful and beautiful. The blurring of reality with the world of the stories provides readers/ audiences with a child’s perspective of war. Each of the stories that Tomas and Anna recite to each other reflect upon the situation they find themselves in. Each story has a key message reflective of the fear/anxiety that Tomas or Anna are experiencing

[keely (taylor’s version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

i was a part of a small show of this and i think this play is so unique. the historical context is discuss so interestingly. i don’t think i’ll ever read anything like it. each story is so different but all so entertaining. i really enjoyed this from a reading and performing perspective.

[kie-dizzle · Rating 4 out of 5]

i was a part of a small show of this and i think this play is so unique. the historical context is discuss so interestingly. i don’t think i’ll ever read anything like it. each story is so different but all so entertaining. i really enjoyed this from a reading and performing perspective.

[Kathrzn Bahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved

Reading this play on Kindle. It’s heartbreaking but a beautiful concept. My students are designing costumes for the play- imagination

[Gill Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple and beautiful.

[Christine Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the mixture of fables with real-world issues and the debate about the importance of stories. The characters are beautifully written, but the ending left me wanting more.

[Georgia Hollis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tried reading these stories in the dark….couldn’t see, would not recommend

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clever play that combines many elements. From a directors point of view there are many opportunities for young students to perform no matter what their ability. From a reading point of view the imagery is clear and makes the story very enjoyable.

[Zohal · Rating 4 out of 5]

We're reading this in english

[Imogen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love absolutely this play.
I’m currently playing Anna for a performance and everyday I fall more in love with this play.