# Catherine Duncan

Catherine Duncan (17 March 1915 – 14 August 2006) was an Australian documentary filmmaker, actor, playwright, film researcher, script writer, film critic, archivist, and collagist. She is most well known for her work in radio broadcasts and short documentary films.

## Early life

Catherine Duncan was born in 1915 in Launceston, Tasmania, to parents Gordon and Claire Duncan. Claire grew up immersed in the arts through her mother, who was an actress and producer herself. Duncan began acting by participating in Allan Wilkie's Shakespearian Company when it visited Launceston. When Duncan turned 16, she enrolled at the University of Melbourne to pursue an arts degree. While enrolled, she joined the Union Theatre Repertory Company and became their lead actress.

## Personal life

Duncan was married three times. Her first husband was Roy Mitchell, who later became a program director for Radio Australia. The two were only married for four years before getting a divorce. Next, Duncan met Kim Keane, a journalist with whom she had two children, Micheal and Margarita. In 1947, they divorced and Duncan decided to leave her children with her parents and move to Europe. On her way there, she met Roger Copillet, the first officer on the ship. They married in 1954 and she spent some years living with him in Paris.

## Career

Duncan began her career on stage by joining Melbourne's Worker's Theatre Group after university. Her first success as a playwright was when she won the Sydney Theatre League's Playwriting competition in 1937 for The Sword Sung.
Duncan also had a successful radio career where she performed and wrote shorts on air. For her success in radio, she was recognized with an inaugural Macquarie Award in 1946.
| Title | Duncan's Role | Theatre/Media | Date |
| How to Escape from Prison | Scriptwriter | ABC Radio Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC | 1936-09-13 |
| Money With Menaces | Scriptwriter | ABC Radio Brisbane, South Brisbane, QLD | 1940-03-13 |
| No Time For Comedy | Actor | Theatre Royal, Sydney, NSW | 1941-02-08 |
| Private Lives | Actor | Theatre Royal, Sydney, NSW | 1941-03-15 |
| Ladies in Retirement | Actor | Theatre Royal, Sydney, NSW | 1941-03-29 |
| Soak the Rich | Playwright | Adelaide, SA | 1941-04-03 |
| Mr Smart Guy | Actor | Minerva Theatre, Kings Cross, NSW | 1941-05-10 |
| Moon Upside Down | Scriptwriter | ABC Radio Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC | 1942-09-30 |
| We The Living | Playwright | Melbourne, VIC | 1945-01-01 |
| Children in Uniform | Actor | 2GB, Sydney | 1946-04-07 |
| Sons of the Morning | Playwright | New Theatre, Sydney, NSW | 1945-06-23 |
| Sons of Morning | Playwright | Rockhampton Little Theatre Inc, Rockhampton, QLD | 1947-05-01 |
| Roundabout | Adjudicator | National Theatre, Launceston, TAS | 1957-04-03 |
| The Rose and Crown | Adjudicator | National Theatre, Launceston, TAS | 1957-04-03 |
| The Verdict | Adjudicator | National Theatre, Launceston, TAS | 1957-04-03 |
| Among Those Present | Adjudicator | National Theatre, Launceston, TAS | 1957-04-04 |
| The Hands of Hardouin | Adjudicator | National Theatre, Launceston, TAS | 1957-04-04 |
| Sganarelle | Adjudicator | National Theatre, Launceston, TAS | 1957-04-05 |
| Her Husband's Consent | Adjudicator | National Theatre, Launceston, TAS | 1957-04-06 |
| Dragons in the Caves | Adjudicator | National Theatre, Launceston, TAS | 1957-04-06 |
| And Now- The Journey | Adjudicator | National Theatre, Launceston, TAS | 1957-04-06 |
| Pictures on the Wall | Adjudicator | National Theatre, Launceston, TAS | 1957-10-06 |
| The Hermit Crab | Scriptwriter | ABC Radio, Melbourne, VIC | 1957-10-06 |

## Filmography

By the end of 1945, Duncan grew tired of radio and began to make documentary films with the Australian National Film Board and made documentaries to promote Australia to prospective immigrants. A few of her works were:
| Film | Year |
| This is the Life in Geelong | 1949 |
| The Meeting Place | 1948 |
| Christmas Under the Sun | 1947 |
| Men Wanted | 1947 |
| This is the Life | 1947 |
Catherine Duncan also worked together with radical film maker Joris Ivens and Marion Michelle on a documentary called Indonesia Calling. Duncan worked as a scriptwriter for the film, while Ivens was the Director and Michelle was the cinematographer.

## Select radio credits

* The Path of the Eagle
* The Moon Upside Down (1942)
* We Shall Not Lament the Dead (1945)
* The Other Side of Sundown (1945)

## Recognition

The Catherine Duncan Cup, awarded to the winner of an annual competition for Tasmanian amateur theatre groups, was named in her honour.