AustLit

Playwright, director, actor.

Ron Blair was educated at Christian Brother's College, Lewisham. He first became involved with theatre during his student years at Sydney University, particularly through the Sydney University Dramatic Society (SUDS). After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Blair worked for several years as an advertising copywriter before joining the ABC in 1967 as a play reader. He later became a producer for the ABC's radio Drama and Features Department.

In 1970 he and a group of friends created the original Nimrod Space in the Sydney city area of Darlinghurst. This venue staged a number of his early works, including the music theatre productions, Biggles (the first-ever Nimrod production, staged in late 1970) and the ballad opera Flash Jim Vaux (1971). The same year Blair collaborated with several other writers to create Hamlet on Ice, which was staged at the Nimrod to much critical acclaim. Blair is also the author of Kabul (1973) ; President Wilson in France (1973) ; The Christian Brothers ; Mad, Bad and Dangerous To Know ; and Marx (1978). In 1983 he worked as co-scriptwriter for the mini-series The Dismissal, which deals with the 1975 dismissal of the Whitlam government.

Blair's other career achievements include being awarded a one year fellowship by the Australia Council of the Arts in 1974. He was appointed Assistant Artistic Director of the South Australian Theatre Company in 1977 and in 1985 edited the Currency Press publication Popular Short Plays for the Australian Stage. The collection includes his work, A Place in the Present.