The Boy's Sheer Poetry: Alan Hopgood

Abstract

This essay documents and analyses the work of actor and writer Alan Hopgood, who was one of the most significant playwrights of the 1960's, and has contributed scripts to numerous Australian television series and feature films over many years. Hopgood has appeared in plays on stage, television and in feature film from the 1950's until the present. More recently he has developed a genre of short plays based on health issues called 'HealthPlay', that are performed around Australia especially for the medical profession. This essay analyses Hopgood's early life and early career, his work as a television actor and writer, and his highly successful work as writer and producer of specialised plays for health professionals.