Published in 1987, The Playmaker is a novel by the Australian writer Thomas Keneally. The book is based in 18th century Australia, in a British Penal colony. The convicts, bored and alone on the island, all work together to make a play to entertain themselves. Though written in novel form to begin with, Timberlake Wertenbaker adapted the story so that it could be performed on stage.
Born in 1935, Keneally has worked on many novels and plays. He grew up in Sydney, Australia, attending a Christian school throughout his childhood. The Playmaker is his 19th published novel, and not one of his more popular books. Schindler's Ark (or Schindler's List), another book by Keneally, won him the Booker Prize of 1982, just 5 years before the publication of The Playmaker.
