# Susan Battye

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**Susan Battye** (born 1950) is a New Zealand playwright and drama teacher. In 2024 Battye was appointed an Officer of the [New Zealand Order of Merit](/source/New_Zealand_Order_of_Merit) for services to performing arts education.

## Education

Battye was born in 1950.[1] She attended [Christchurch Girls High School](/source/Christchurch_Girls'_High_School), and then completed a Bachelor of Arts at the [University of Canterbury](/source/University_of_Canterbury) in 1974.[1] She trained as a teacher at [Christchurch Teachers' College](/source/Christchurch_Teachers'_College), and then studied at [Newcastle University](/source/Newcastle_University) under [Dorothy Heathcote](/source/Dorothy_Heathcote) in 1979, earning a Diploma in Drama and Education.[1][2] Battye also gained a [Master of Arts](/source/Master_of_Arts) in Education Studies from [Loughborough University of Technology](/source/Loughborough_University) in 1993.[1]

## Career

Battye worked at [Greymouth High School](/source/Greymouth_High_School) from 1974 until 1983, when she moved to [Epsom Girls Grammar School](/source/Epsom_Girls'_Grammar_School), where she became Head of Drama.[1] She also taught and managed the Bachelor of Māori Performing Arts programme at [Te Wānanga O Aotearoa](/source/Te_W%C4%81nanga_o_Aotearoa).[2]

Battye's plays include *The Shadow of the Valley* (with Thelma Eakin), first performed in 1977 in Greymouth and published by Oxford University Press in 1980, which reconstructs the 1896 [Brunner Mine disaster](/source/Brunner_Mine_disaster).[1] Battye and Eakin also wrote a historical novel based on the play, *The Mine’s Afire*, which was shortlisted for the [New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards](/source/New_Zealand_Post_Children%E2%80%99s_Book_Awards) in 2010.[2] Other published plays include *Living In*, *Easy as Pie*, *Not for School but for Life* and *Radio Waves*. *The Singing Lesson*, published in 1992, is based on a [Katherine Mansfield](/source/Katherine_Mansfield) short story.[1] Battye also co-wrote *Ponsonby Road* with Tim Bray.[2]

Battye was the founding president of the New Zealand Association for Drama in Education (now known as Drama NZ), which was established in 1985.[3]

## Honours and awards

In the [2024 New Year Honours](/source/2024_New_Year_Honours_(New_Zealand)), Battye was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to performing arts education.[4]

## References

1. Robinson, Roger (2006). *The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature: Susan Battye*. eBook ed. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780191735196.

1. ["Susan Battye"](https://www.playmarket.org.nz/playwrights/susan-battye/). *www.playmarket.org.nz*. Retrieved 2024-10-16.

1. ["Susan Battye - Writer's Files • Read NZ Te Pou Muramura"](https://www.read-nz.org/writers-files/writer/battye-susan). *www.read-nz.org*. Retrieved 2024-10-16.

1. ["New Year Honours List 2024 - Citations for Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit | Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC)"](https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/honours/lists/ny2024-onzm). *www.dpmc.govt.nz*. 2023-12-30. Retrieved 2024-10-16.

## External links

- *[Dance and Drama in Uganda, The Pearl of Africa Screener](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFo-k7VGot0)*, collaboration between Battye and Ugandan playwright, researcher, teacher and folklore exponent, Dr Mercy Mirembe Ntangaare

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Susan Battye](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Battye) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Battye?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.