Patricia Best was educated in Kent, England, and wanted to go to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art after leaving school. However, her parents migrated to Australia, and hearing of the National Institute of Dramatic Art shortly after arriving, she auditioned and was accepted at the age of sixteen. She graduated from NIDA in 1962. She also has a BA (Hons) and an MA from the University of Western Australia and a Certificate of Advanced Drama Directing from the Australian Film, Radio and TV School, Sydney.
Her MA thesis was on "The Symbolism of Crime in Dickens' Novels", and she describes herself as a keen Dickensian (private correspondence). Patricia has lectured in poetry, novel and drama at the University of WA and Midland Technical College, and has conducted workshops in drama. She is an actress, director, producer and film-maker. She worked for five years in the advertising industry as copywriter, director and producer of film, TV and radio advertisements. She won an AWGIE Award - the Monte Miller, for her first screenplay, "The Punch and Judy Man" (1992) and the following year was a USA semi-finalist in the Academy Foundation "Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting" Awards. She was given a grant from the SA Dept of the Arts towards writing her stageplay "Rosetti" which was completed in 1995, and in 1999 won an AWG/State Theatre of SA Mentorship for workshopping and public performance of the work. Her short story "The Secret" was read on Radio 5UV in 1992, and "Trains" in 1999. In 1993 "Trains", "The Secret" and an extract from "The Punch and Judy Man" featured at "New Writing Performed" at Cafe Tapas.
