Ned Manning Shares the Stories Behind His Plays, Memoir, and Debut Novel

PHOTO: Author, playwright, and educator Ned Manning, celebrating 50 years in the classroom and a lifetime of powerful storytelling across stage and page.

Bringing History, Education, and Imagination to Life

Ned Manning reflects on his creative process, the inspiration behind Painting the Light, his experiences as a teacher, and the importance of authenticity in writing across genres and generations.

Ned Manning is a singular voice in Australian storytelling—fiercely original, profoundly compassionate, and unafraid to dig deep into the social and personal histories that shape our world. With a body of work that spans more than three decades and encompasses over 30 plays, a critically acclaimed teaching memoir, and now a powerful debut novel, Manning has built a career that defies categorization while championing truth in all its forms. His writing—whether for the stage, classroom, or page—is as grounded in empathy as it is in artistry.

Alice Dreaming, his celebrated reimagining of Alice in Wonderland, continues to delight and challenge young audiences with its uniquely Australian voice, while Close to the Bone stands as a landmark work in Australian theatre—one of the first to dramatize the experiences of the Stolen Generations, created in close collaboration with First Nations performers. His memoir Playground Duty is essential reading for anyone who’s ever stepped into a classroom with the hope of making a difference. And with his recent novel Painting the Light, Manning steps into long-form fiction with a deeply personal and sweeping narrative that explores war, love, and political awakening through the lens of his own family history.

As a writer, actor, and educator, Manning brings rare depth and integrity to every project. In this interview, he reflects on his creative journey, the importance of honoring lived experience, and how his many roles continue to inform his voice as a storyteller. It’s a conversation that reveals not only the heart behind the work, but the enduring power of stories to illuminate, provoke, and inspire.

A fearless, compassionate storyteller whose work bridges generations, Ned Manning transforms real-life experience into unforgettable, socially conscious and deeply human narratives.

What inspired you to turn your parents’ story into a novel with Painting the Light?

My parents’ experiences in WW2 changed their lives forever. In my father’s case he returned from war determined to make Australia and fairer, more equitable place. Before the war, my mother had dreams of being an artist and perhaps a writer. By war’s end she was the mother of two little boys and was married to a man who had become a radical in a conservative world.

How did your own experiences as a teacher shape the writing of Playground Duty?

Playground Duty is a teaching memoir, charting my experiences from being a neophyte, first year out teacher in rural Australia, to teaching at a First Nations Performing Arts Centre in Redfern to teaching at Newtown High School of the Performing Arts. The book is a “fly on the wall” account of those experiences in the classroom that celebrates teachers and teaching.

“One of the students said, ‘You’ll have to write it, it’s too Close to the Bone for us.’” — Ned Manning

What was the biggest challenge in capturing the historical context of WW2 while writing Painting the Light?

Turning the research I had done into a story about the effects of war on a young couple. I had a lot of material on my father’s experiences but had to use snippets of information to imagine those of my mother.

You’ve written over 30 plays—how do you decide whether an idea should become a play, a novel, or something else?

Because I am an actor, writing for the stage was the most natural thing to do. I did try and write my father’s story as a mini-series, but it ended up as Painting the Light. I wrote Playground Duty as a celebration of teachers and teaching, so it was suited to long form writing. Writing Painting the Light as a novel enabled me to tell a big story set in many locations with a large cast of characters without any restrictions.

What was the process like in developing Close to the Bone with students at the EORA Centre?

Working on Close to the Bone was an extraordinary experience. I was working with a group of First Nations Australians aged from 16 to over 70. We had spent a few years together and I suggested they write their own show. We went to Redfern Park, and I recorded their stories. One of them was a Stolen Generations story. I had known nothing about it. We did some workshops over a few weeks before the deadline for the show was approaching. One of the students said, “You’ll have to write it, it’s too Close to the Bone for us”. So, I did and we did the show and toured it around NSW, taking some of the cast to the towns where they had been stolen from.

“I try and be true to the world I’m creating.” — Ned Manning

How do you approach writing for young people differently than writing for adults?

I think it’s about finding the voice. Because I spend so much time with young people, that comes pretty naturally to me.

You’ve written about very different worlds—war, education, Indigenous experience—how do you shift between these themes authentically?

It depends on the story I’m telling. Or the world I’m trying to create. It’s a mixture of research, personal experience, and imagination. I try and be true to the world I’m creating.

Which of your many roles—writer, actor, teacher—do you feel most influences your creative voice today?

I have always felt that my tree loves (acting, writing and teaching) inform each other. Juggling the three has created challenges but they all inform each other. I have never understood why we need to pigeonhole people rather than accept they can work in a number of disciplines.

“You have to be true to yourself no matter what you are writing.” — Ned Manning

In Painting the Light, Alec undergoes a political awakening. How closely does this reflect your own views on Australia’s social history?

Alec conversion from right wing conservative to left wing radical in Painting the Light reflects Australia’s emergence from 23 years of conservative rule in 1972 and its current realignment embracing issues of social justice, climate change and indigenous representation.  

What advice would you give to emerging authors trying to write across multiple genres and forms?

I think you have to be true to yourself no matter what you are writing. Choose the form and genre that most suits your work and you are most comfortable with.