1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Playwriting Australia exists to champion the quality and diversity of Australian plays. We connect talent with opportunity, bringing playwrights together with artists and companies to create a repertoire of uniquely Australian stories for audiences now and in future generations. Our overarching goal has not changed since our inception in 2007: to support the development of high quality new writing for performance. In that time, we have created robust structures to invest in new plays. Our nationally-recognised programs have a clear track record of success and we have provided leadership on artform sustainability, including grass roots outreach and international market development. The achievements of the organisation to date are numerous: from the sheer number of playwrights we’ve invested in to the quality of the new plays we’ve developed – around one in three have been produced. We are unique within the industry, balancing excellence with access and creating value for a wide range of stakeholders. From 2013, Playwriting Australia has a new Artistic Director, Tim Roseman, a passionate advocate for new writing and a skilled director and dramaturg. He brings unique experience of a writer-led theatre culture, having worked in the UK for most of his career, and a fresh perspective on the challenges facing Australian playwriting. This triennium sees us consolidate our existing programs and look further into the future than ever before, instigating activity that we hope will lead to generational change regarding the place of playwriting and new plays in Australian culture. A severe threat to new writing is marginalisation, with an increasing divide between text-based plays and non-text-based, ensemble devised or non-writer led performance, as well as a growing awareness that the quality of Australian plays does not match international standards. Most crucially, Australian playwriting on the mainstage is still dominated by a very narrow cultural experience and there simply aren’t enough professional playwrights from Indigenous or non-Anglo backgrounds being developed, commissioned and produced by our top-tier theatre companies. There’s a richness of story, and far broader communities of audiences, that are missing. The scale and impact of our work is chiefly constrained by financial resourcing: we have a precarious reliance on government grants in an uncertain funding climate; there is a trend away from core funding at state level; and a growing pool of ‘unfunded excellence’ due to limited capacity. Our strategic directions for the next three years reflect and respond to where playwriting sits within a complex, evolving performing arts sector. The priorities are clear and urgent:
Promoting excellence of craft is a crucial part of our role in the industry – it’s not enough to have more Australian plays in production, the quality must be better. Playwriting is inherently collaborative and by focussing on script development through workshops and best practice training, we can improve the standard of new plays as well as the artists who make them.
By working nationally, by seeking out writers with potential from the broadest possible range of backgrounds and developing their work, we can offer a much greater diversity of Australian stories to theatre companies.
To make sure the best plays and our brightest playwrights continue to find an audience, we need to advocate to industry, working with the whole sector. We also need to speak louder, building a bigger public profile for Playwriting Australia, for playwrights and for Australian stories.
Our size makes us vulnerable, sustainable growth is vital if our goals are generational. We must start laying a foundation for accessing and growing new forms of investment.
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Our goals are analogous to the Australian Government’s National Cultural Policy Creative Australia which underlines excellence in telling Australian stories and celebrating the diversity of the Australian experience. In working towards these goals our artistic program evolves in the current triennium. We continue to develop high quality new work by Australia’s experienced and mid-career playwrights, but we also break the current structures apart to encompass a wider definition of new writing, multiple access points and a greater flexibility to respond to artistic processes. In this triennium we develop a total of 72 new plays, employ approximately 330 artists and invest more than $1.8m in our artistic activities. We will measure our success not just by the numbers of playwrights, scripts and events we deliver, but also by the diversity of that work: the percentage of Indigenous artists; the mix of cultural perspectives; the presence of our work beyond Sydney and Melbourne. This broader impact is central to our marketing and communications strategies. We are not simply trying to increase numbers; we want to expand our community of artists. By building our profile around the country, access to our opportunities improves. New partnerships with small to medium producers will feed into our programming and extend our sphere of influence further. All our artistic ambitions are underpinned by a confident and innovative organisational base. The Board of directors, led by Chair Peter Wilson, is a tremendous resource, providing sound financial and risk management skills as well as leadership on the philanthropic development of the organisation. A new strategy for non-government income has been commissioned and we start to put in place the mechanisms for growth in that area over these three years. Similarly, our staffing structure grows to include a dedicated fundraiser as well as two new Associate positions to better manage the rigours of our year-round creative and production activity and enhance artistic succession within the organisation.
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2. MISSION, VISION & VALUES Mission
Playwriting Australia seeks, develops and champions new Australian stories for the stage. Playwriting Australia is the national organisation working with playwrights and theatre artists from all backgrounds and at all levels of their careers. We connect talent with opportunity to extend the art of playwriting. We advocate for positive change on behalf of artists, industry and audiences.
Vision A society where new Australian plays are consistently outstanding, more widely produced and embraced by audiences as central to Australian life; where our playwrights are esteemed cultural beacons whose unique vision of the world inspires present and future generations.
We value
Artists as our greatest resource
The transformative power of new plays
Talent and excellence in the craft of playwriting
Opportunity and equality for writers of all backgrounds
Accessible, nation-wide programs
Best practice and ensure artists are paid for their work
Respect and integrity
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3. CONTEXT History Since our establishment in late 2006, Playwriting Australia has worked tirelessly to see more high quality Australian plays in production. We invest in the development and promotion of thrilling new work and nurture the career development of promising artists, delivering a critical mass of scripts to the sector. By the end of 2012, we had supported over 200 new works selected from 1713 script submissions, and employed almost 800 Australian theatre artists. Playwriting Australia’s inaugural Artistic Director, Chris Mead, worked with a slowly growing staff base to build a range of programs that sought to achieve both access and excellence; balancing the demand of the industry for better product with the urgent need playwrights have to develop as genuine theatre artists. This balancing of risk with craft was reflected in the initial tranche of core programs: the National Script Workshop and National Play Festival, PostScript, State Exchange, Dramaturg Register and Creative Development Studio. From 2009, the organisation also diversified in two important new directions: pursuing international market development opportunities; and creating pathways for artists from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Relationships were formed with a network of companies, artists and agencies in overseas territories, where we provided international opportunities for over 40 playwrights. More locally, our 200 Stories High outreach initiative saw us partner with schools, migrant resource centres and community arts organisations. Around 600 young people in Western Sydney, Redfern, Broome and Footscray have participated in Playwriting Australia’s introductory playwriting workshops and a further 40 individuals have been through the Salon mentoring program. Each year, we have expanded our offer to playwrights and producers in new ways. We piloted playwright residencies in NSW in 2011-12, and created new emerging artist strategies through internships and the popular RE-GEN workshops. We have pioneered a new co-commissioning structure supported by philanthropic donors, allowing us to partner with theatre companies on the genesis of new plays. To date, we have initiated the co-commission of eight new plays by Australian playwrights. Following the departure of Chris Mead in late 2012, Playwriting Australia appointed Tim Roseman to the role of Artistic Director. With more than 15 years experience as a director, producer and dramaturg of new plays in the UK, Tim brings the unique perspective of a writer-centric performing arts culture to the next phase for Playwriting Australia.
We connect talent with opportunity Many of Australia’s best new plays and finest playwrights have come through our programs, they include: Angela Betzien - we invested in the development of War Crimes at the National Play Festival 2010, a National Script Workshop of Helicopter (produced by MTC in 2011) and co-commissioned Mortido with Belvoir Silent Disco by Lachlan Philpott went from the National Script Workshop 2009 to Griffin Theatre Company and The Arts Centre Melbourne in 2011 Return to Earth by Lally Katz won the RE Ross Trust Award in 2008, was showcased at the National Play Festival 2009, premiered at Melbourne Theatre Co in 2012 and will play in Griffin’s Independent season in 2013 Wulamanayuwi and the Seven Pamanui by Jason de Santis was developed at the National Script Workshop in 2010 ahead of the Darwin Festival and Come Out Festival in 2011. In 2013 the play had a further regional NSW tour including the Message Sticks Festival at the Sydney Opera House We co-commission of Jane Bodie’s This Year’s Ashes in partnership with Griffin Theatre Company, leading to a successful premiere season in Sydney Following the National Play Festival 2011, The Damned by Reg Cribb premiered at Black Swan State Theatre Company and recently won the inaugural Nick Enright Prize at the NSW Premiers Literary Awards in 2013
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Internal Analysis: Strengths Playwriting Australia is unique in the entire arts sector: the only national service organisation that actively invests in the development, creation and promotion of new work. We are a rare open door for playwrights and work closely with producers to see that the country’s finest plays reach an audience. We have a solid reputation and profile as a talent accelerator, our financial investment in individual playwrights is magnified because we connect them with professional pathways, a legacy that is enacted throughout their careers. Our track record grows exponentially, with increasing numbers of Playwriting Australia supported scripts and playwrights on stages each year. In our last Business Plan we noted that one in four plays we support have received a production, is it now one in three supported plays. The development of new plays is central to our role in the theatre ecology. Our focus on excellence sets us apart: we are an artist-led organisation and work with the highest calibre creative teams of artists throughout Australia. We offer competitive national submissions and use proven models for new work development that put the writer at the centre of the creative process. Our services to playwrights are provided free of charge and all professional artists working on our projects are paid at industry standard rates for their time. No producer in the country is able to offer this profound and sustained development of new plays. We maintain close relationships with theatre companies and producers both nationally and internationally. Our closest allies are a network of likeminded organisations and individuals, including dedicated new writing companies Griffin in Sydney and MKA in Melbourne, Stages WA and Playlab in Queensland, the literary managers of major companies, the Australian Script Centre and ATYP’s Fresh Ink program. Our key international ties include Playmarket New Zealand, the National Theatre of Scotland and the National Theatre in London, plus the Lark Play Development Centre and National New Play Network in the US. Our range of programs means we can sustain support for Australian playwrights throughout their career development, from new playwrights with a clear potential through to respected mid-career writers who are developing an impressive body of work. We strive for diversity, balancing access and excellence. In 2012 we employed equal numbers of male and female playwrights and directors. Of the artists employed, 21% were emerging, 18% were Indigenous artists and 15% were from a CALD background. Through the National Script Workshop we have made a significant investment in the development of a play by an Indigenous playwright each year. At the Yellamundie National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Playwriting Festival, eight of the ten plays presented had been developed by Playwriting Australia. We punch well above our weight, leveraging core funding to more than double turnover, maximising artistic outcomes while also growing our financial reserves by 27% since 2010. The board’s commitment to philanthropy has increased individual giving in excess of $40K in 2012, from a previous average of $3K annually, and brought in 70 new donors.
Organisational weaknesses As a young company, we are keenly aware of our limitations, with identified weakness in our capacity to access new talent, to target our opportunities more strategically and extend our national reach. In relying on open submissions, we can only respond to work that arrives at our door. As a result, we can tend to work with a limited pool of qualified artists rather than actively expanding that circle. Our artistic intervention is proven successful throughout the industry, but limited capacity renders us unable to create maximum impact. We share the Australia Council’s frustration at the level of excellence that remains unfunded. In 2012 we received 128 submissions for 4 workshop opportunities, and a further shortlist of at least 16 playwrights strongly merited support. With such a small range of opportunities, our meritbased selection process can bias more experienced voices, severely disadvantaging playwrights who are still developing their craft but no longer qualify for emerging artist programs.
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The unavoidable truth is that our size makes us vulnerable. Our tiny staff base works under enormous pressure to deliver national programs, meeting peak workload demands with regular unpaid overtime. As an industry service organisation, limited visibility with the wider public brings challenges in generating additional revenue, particularly without dedicated fundraising expertise to significantly, and imaginatively, increase private support.
External threats Key challenges stem from the place of playwriting in the broader performing arts ecology. We have seen playwright-led work increasingly marginalised with contemporary Australian theatre culture driven by auteur directors and collaborative devising methodologies. Programming practices have shifted: many companies are now likely to seed an idea and bring a creative team together rather than pick up a ready-to-go script. Second productions are rare and so opportunities for writers to develop their careers (and earn a living) across various productions or at a range of companies are rarer still. Opportunities for mid-career writers are diminishing as producers are increasingly attracted to brand new playwrights. In addition to the demise of dedicated new writing companies like Deckchair and Melbourne Workers Theatre, the trend towards adaptations of classics (at the major theatres) and ensemble-devised work (within small to medium companies) has meant playwrights feel a growing frustration at a dearth of production and commission opportunities. However, most are ill-equipped to adapt to new ways of working. There is a craft deficit. Dramaturgical rigour and the quality of Australian playwriting against international standards continue to be an issue, compounding the limitations of our artform. Our annual research highlights a severe lack of cultural diversity in the Australian stories being produced. In 2011, plays by Indigenous writers represented only 6% of plays produced, and a further 7% were by a writer from a non-English speaking background. These figures were even lower for commissions and development. Work by female playwrights was only 43% of productions. The majority of Australian plays are produced by small to medium sized theatre companies, up to 70%, but they have a very limited capacity to commission or develop scripts outside of a production, averaging only 24 per company each year. Approximately two productions nationally per year have a cast size of over eight.
Impact on productions Each year we commission Ipsos Eureka Social Research Institute to undertake a survey of Australian theatre companies and in 2011 they included a list of Australian plays produced by surveyed companies that year: 17 had been supported by PWA, 2 were plays we had co-commissioned in 2009/10 A total of 219 plays by 266 writers or collectives were produced. 11% listed an ensemble of more than two individuals as the author One quarter of playwrights have engaged with PWA, e.g. through projects, internships, script assessments or board membership
Our activity level year to year is at risk from unpredictable funding at state level. State budget cuts have seen investment disappear from Queensland, Tasmania and, from 2013, Victoria. Arts NSW have recently announced a funding review that specifically questions the value of funding service organisations like Playwriting Australia. More than ever we are reliant on one-off project funding, creating instability in our activity levels and an unmanageable workload for staff in applying for, and reporting on, project grants year to year. Regular increases to operating costs, including professional artist wages, staff remuneration, superannuation and travel coupled with a lack of CPI indexation, has meant the value of our core funding has eroded significantly over the triennium, making it harder to even maintain current levels of output.
18 playwrights had more than one production on in the year, the most being eight by the same writer, Finnegan Kruckemeyer
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Opportunities & Questions The fundamental opportunity for us to meet all these challenges is organisational growth and artform evolution. By increasing the number of development opportunities we can deliver many more high quality new works to the sector, provide opportunities to more diverse playwrights and give more creative artists enhanced skills in working with new writing. One of the five headline goals of the Australian Governments Creative Australia National Cultural Policy launched in 2013, supports “excellence and the special role of artists and their creative collaborators as the source of original work and ideas, including telling Australian stories”. Other key goals celebrated indigenous culture and the diversity of the Australian experience. This speaks directly to the reasons that Playwriting Australia’s exists. There is much scope for us to extend our reach beyond the major companies in capital cities, to work with small to medium producers and venues, in regional centres and diverse communities. This would enable us to develop plays from a rich and vibrant range of Australian perspectives. We also have a genuine opportunity to respond to the evolution in how theatre is made in Australia. Creating opportunities for playwrights to work collaboratively would extend their practice and professional networks. Playwriting Australia is ideally placed to promote dramaturgy in cross artform or non-text-based disciplines so that the quality of storytelling increases across all Australian performance practice. There is scope to work with leading companies who are co-resident in our home base at Carriageworks, such as Force Majeure, Version 1.0 and Erth. While Australia leads the world in producing exceptional theatre for family audiences, most playwrights are not engaging with this genre, but it is crucial to unlocking future audiences. Playwriting Australia can broker relationships with high-achieving TYA companies to offer a broader range of playwrights an opportunity to learn how to write for young audiences. With some solid runs on the board, we now have a rare chance to grow our fundraising capacity, to diversify our income by seeking financial support from a much broader range of stakeholders who have an interest in preserving and promoting Australian culture. There is also an opportunity to partner with the Major Performing Arts Companies to leverage funding opportunities only available to them to invest in artists and artform development. Incoming Artistic Director Tim Roseman brings from the UK a strong desire to promote playwrights as cultural beacons that should sit at the heart of society. There is still a major endeavour to raise the profile of our work and, in turn, actively promote the valuable role that new writing for performance plays in shaping the nation’s culture for future Australians.
Generational change This new program gives us an opportunity to explore longer-term quandaries, and to discover panoply of new questions as we start to address the place of new writing in our culture in 20-30 years time.
How do we create a robust audience that fights to be present at every new play?
How do we populate the national cultural arena with astounding writers as well as visionary directors?
What is the dramaturgical model that best suits the ways plays are generated in Australia?
How can a service organisation create change beyond our immediate stakeholders?
How can the dialogue between playwrights and theatres be made less mutually defensive?
These are seismic questions, and we don't have definitive answers for them yet. Where we can, we will create initiatives that further this debate to complement our research and development. Through dialogue, provocation and, crucially, listening, Playwriting Australia will use this triennium to start recalibrating the paradigm, creating cultural shifts by galvanising our industry partners and upping the creative ante. Playwriting Australia 2014-2016 | Page 7
4. STRATEGIC OVERVIEW 2014-16 GOAL 1:
A playwriting culture in Australia that is consistently outstanding and places writers at its heart
Objectives
Invest in the creation and development of high quality new Australian plays Provide artistic leadership to extend the boundaries of what playwriting can be
GOAL 2:
To be a truly national organisation that invests in the broadest possible diversity of Australian theatre
Objectives
Maintain and extend equality of access to our program nationally Support playwrights from the widest possible range of backgrounds
GOAL 3:
More Australian plays in production watched by a growing national audience
Objectives
Connect the highest quality new works and writers with producers nationally and internationally Champion and advocate the value of playwrights in Australian culture
GOAL 4:
Manageable business growth to significantly extend the impact of Playwriting Australia's activities
Objectives:
Grow operational capacity while preserving the quality of support for artists Invest in the development of more diverse and sustainable sources of income
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Strategies GOAL 1: A playwriting culture in Australia that is consistently outstanding and places writers at its heart
Program
Innovative, best practice models to create, develop and promote a wide range of scripts
National Script Workshops National Play Festival
Work with high calibre artists from Australia and overseas
All programs
Skills development for all artists working with new Australian plays
National Script Workshops National Play Festival Directors Studio Dramaturgy Internships
Opportunities for playwrights to extend their practice and collaborate across artforms
National Script Workshop PWA LAB
Involve playwrights in key decision-making roles in all activities
All programs
GOAL 2: To be a truly national organisation that invests in the broadest possible diversity of high quality Australian theatre stories Identify and nurture talented writers from a range of cultural backgrounds
Diversity programs Asian Australian writers
Create professional pathways for Indigenous playwrights
Redfern Salon Indigenous Writers Retreat
Offer open, national calls for submissions to core programs
National Script Workshop Travel grants
Hold key events outside of Sydney and Melbourne
National Play Festival Diversity programs
GOAL 3: More Australian plays in production watched by a growing national audience Partner with a broad range of performing arts organisations
All programs
Promote the best scripts nationally and internationally
All programs
Track, monitor and share sector-wide research
Annual research & reporting
Build the profile of Playwriting Australia and advocate for playwriting in the national arts agenda
Advocacy Marketing Plan
Create opportunities for Australian playwrights to participate in, and lead, the national cultural debate
Advocacy Marketing Plan
GOAL 4: Manageable business growth to significantly extend the impact of Playwriting Australia's activities Maintain, grow and regularly review professional, accountable programs of activity
Annual reporting
Grow fundraising income
Fundraising Plan
Be an accountable, professional and well managed organisation and comply with all legal and financial requirements
All programs
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Key performance indicators GOAL 1: A playwriting culture in Australia that is consistently outstanding and places writers at its heart
2014
2015
2016
New works in development
18
25
30
Playwrights supported
37
30
35
Professional development opportunities
45
60
60
International partnerships
2
1
2
Playwrights in decision-making roles
10
10
10
100
110
120
GOAL 2: To be a truly national organisation that invests in the broadest possible diversity of high quality Australian theatre stories Artists employed -
ATSIA Artists %
15%
15%
18%
-
CALD Artists %
15%
15%
18%
-
Female Artists %
50%
50%
50%
-
Young and Emerging Artists %
15%
20%
22%
20%
22%
25%
4
4
4
New works presented or commissioned by PWA
10
10
10
Industry partnerships for activity delivery, funding or in-kind
5
8
8
PWA supported scripts and playwrights in production
15
18
20
Surveyed companies with positive attitudes to PWA %
70%
72%
75%
Performance against budget
+-5%
+-5%
+-5%
Non-government income
19%
22%
27%
Operating costs ratio
32%
32%
31%
6
6
6
Submissions received -
Submissions from outside NSW/VIC %
Events held outside Sydney / Melbourne GOAL 3: More Australian plays in production watched by a growing national audience
GOAL 4: Manageable business growth to significantly extend the impact of Playwriting Australia's activities
No. of board meetings per annum
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5. ARTISTIC PROGRAM Artistic Rationale In the six years since Playwriting Australia was founded, our successes have been manifold. New writing is resolutely on the cultural agenda, and its place on our stages more secure than it has been for years. This, plus a new Artistic Directorship, inspires a renewed vision for the next triennium and beyond. Major questions will not be fully addressed within three years, Playwriting Australia must engender generational change: asking what place playwriting will have in our culture in 20 years, and what are the mechanisms we must put in place now to achieve it? Whilst there is much to celebrate, there is an uncomfortable but unavoidable truth that the overall level of craft in Australian playwriting is not commensurate internationally. The lack of development opportunities, coupled with a strong auteur director culture, ensures playwrights are not pushed sufficiently hard to continually extend their practice. This shortfall leads to our work staying within our borders and only a small number of voices being produced. There are, of course, notable and prized exceptions – our intention is to ensure these exceptions become the norm. Every program in this plan is designed to foster excellence and/or create change. Excellence that is vibrant, imaginative, unexpected and enthralling; it is our duty to push at the boundaries of what theatre can be. It is not enough to have more Australian plays in production, the quality must be better. Change is a broader definition: who writes our plays, who watches, the ways writers collaborate, craft levels, where we host activity and the standing of playwrights in our wider national debate. Generationally, it is vital we change the palette of stories on our stages. Our outreach strategies evolve into a broader diversity program. We continue successful relationships with marginalized communities, notably with indigenous artists. But we reach out to communities largely overlooked in the current ecology. Diversity must include race, gender, sexuality, disability, regional and socio-economic variety. We fervently believe that the Australian voice will not be complete until it supports all our stories, and that it is the only way our audiences will ever grow. More activity presents more possibility to reach emerging, mid-career and established playwrights artists in every corner of Australia. Vitally, playwrights have a voice in all programs and decision-making structures. The National Script Workshop is our central program, a unique extended play development scheme and our most successful activity - 70% of developed scripts have gone on to production. We intend to increase output, and include a new PWA Lab for cross-artform collaborations, multi-authored text and non-writer-led work. We recognise unique skills are required to realise a new play sensitively, and will invest in support and training for directors and dramaturgs. The National Play Festival will undergo a major review over the next three years. Its program will be selected from the projects and playwrights we develop, and our primary aim will be a major national celebration of new writing, rather than solely an industry market place. We feel the major theatre companies are developing new writing more effectively and passionately than previously. Our focus will expand to create new partnerships with small to medium companies, who produce the vast majority of new work but who often have little resource or expertise for development. With the conclusion of our discrete International Market Development strategy in 2013, our international program will be folded into our core creative development work, providing artists with international collaborations on their scripts, ensuring that international artistic practice feeds our own. High-quality work is rarely submitted to PostScript, our unsolicited script-reading program. We will merge Postscript submissions with the National Script Workshop so companies and readers are assessing both pools simultaneously, creating genuine opportunities to invest in the potential that comes through. This is, by definition, activity with immediate outcomes, but we hope it also creates tectonic change over the next 20 years. We also leave room in our programming for surprise, discovery and reassessment as our work evolves over time in response to industry needs and cultural shifts.
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CORE ARTISTIC PROGRAM National Script Workshop The National Script Workshop is the fundamental essence of Playwriting Australia’s activity. It is the most successful way we know to cultivate excellence and deliver to the sector a critical mass of scripts significantly enhanced by expert intervention. Past outcomes speak volumes about the success of this program. RATIONALE: Too many new plays are under-wrought and no one else is doing this vital work - producers are still not investing sufficiently in script development; directors are papering over cracks in production Artists need room to fail. The only outcome here is exploration. Expand the program to encompass a greater diversity of work and offer multiple points of access Playwrights need to adapt to working in a changing sector and embrace collaborative methodology A playwright collaborates with a team of actors, director and dramaturg to develop a new play: this is invariably an exploratory and revelatory process. We upskill a writer’s craft by practically investigating character, structure, narrative and form. The workshop is also a wider training ground for artists working with new writing. The National Script Workshop primarily caters for mid-career/established writers, with a focus on well-wrought scripts. From 2014, we will merge the existing 3-day Creative Development Studio program into the main workshop. Redefining our traditional two-week structure we create a writer-led bespoke approach. Playwrights are offered up to ten days workshopping which can be taken consecutively or spilt – whatever suits each writer. The majority of workshop plays are selected via open submissions, casting a wide net with three national closing dates each year for unaffiliated playwrights. All submitted plays are read in their entirety and assessed against a range of dramaturgical categories across two rounds of selection. The first stage is a blind reading by a panel of playwrights, dramaturgs and personnel from theatre companies via the PostScript readers’ database. The Artistic Director then convenes a second round panel to review a shortlist and make the final selection. As we grow our capacity, additional workshops will be reserved for strategic development opportunities including: o Open national submissions for a minimum of 4 scripts including the Max Afford Playwrights Award o Re-Gen workshops for 1-2 unproduced playwrights o S2M partnerships offering a separate selection process for projects pitched by companies with work in development o International workshop for one Australian playwright annually to develop work overseas alongside local experts o Outstanding scripts from our Diversity Programs (from 2015) o State-based partnerships: a new WA script development strategy and the RE Ross Trust Award in Victoria o A priority will be given to work for younger audiences
Funding increase: $45K The proposed increase to our core funding of $45,305 will be applied directly to create additional National Script Workshops. Each script in development costs us $10-15K. The uplift will provide for the addition of 3-4 extra workshops per year. $30K will be wages paid directly to artists. At least one of those will be a PWA Lab session for playwrights to develop work in non-traditional ways We will also add a third open submission round, giving playwrights an extra access point each year.
Vital to the program will be dedicated opportunities for exploration in the PWA Lab, encouraging artists to re-imagine the role of the playwright in the theatre-making process. These may be established writers experimenting with new forms or genres to them e.g. dance or physical theatre; cross-artform collaborations with other artists in any artform and creative teams looking to explore a new idea or working methods. Short sessions called Rapid Fire Slots will also be offered for a playwright to hear their work read by actors and gather immediate responses from PWA’s creative staff and assembled advisers.
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National Play Festival A celebration of richness and diversity, the National Play Festival presents audiences with a glorious palette of new Australian stories. Curated from work developed through our core programs including the National Script Workshop and our Diversity programs, the Play Festival is an explosion of unseen imaginative invention for industry and audiences. RATIONALE: Provide a public showcase of the best work PWA has developed for the national sector Reach new communities of artists and engage directly with audiences about new writing A national spotlight for local artists and an opportunity for PWA to engage with S2Ms An opportunity for industry to gather and for audiences to see new work that will otherwise never visit their locale Over four days, a selection of new plays are performed as polished readings, open to public audiences as well industry colleagues from around the country. The program contains a rich mix of work by established, midcareer and emerging playwrights. Each event will be hosted by an established performing arts company or venue in a new location, giving us an opportunity to extend our national reach. This is no longer simply a conference or marketplace for scripts, the National Play Festival works with local artists and the national industry to create a captivating experience for audiences. Over time we will also invite Australian theatre companies to showcase their own plays, whether that be work in development, remounts of successful previous productions, new ideas or new voices. We continue to use the Play Festival as a key gathering of artists and producers working with new writing, creating opportunities for industry-only discussions on key issues facing the sector and inviting playwrights to connect with colleagues from around the country. In 2015/16 we intend to hold the Festival away from a major city for the first time, and have initiated a conversation with NORPA about hosting. RE-GEN Emerging Playwrights Showcase: Leading on from stand-out Play Festival moments such as the Broome showcase in Melbourne in 2012, the western Sydney Salon in 2011 and Re-Gen WA in Perth in 2013, in 2014 and each subsequent National Play Festival we will turn the spotlight on developing playwrights. Local emerging artists will be invited to develop, rehearse and present their work with respected experienced directors, dramaturgs and performers.
2014 National Play Festival: Adelaide The seventh National Play Festival will travel to South Australia for the first time, in partnership with the State Theatre Company of SA. This is already shaping up to be a Play Festival that breaks the mould – working with local producers to deliver a new kind of showcase for Adelaide audiences to sample the most amazing new work we have been working on, and shining a spotlight on local talent for our national networks. The program will include STCSA’s production of Nikki Bloom’s new play, to be presented in the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, adding a fully realised production for the first time. Artists from local and regionally based S2Ms will be invited to work throughout the Play Festival program, as has proven so successful with MKA in 2012 and Perth Theatre Company in 2013. We will further our commitment to the role of writing in theatre for young people by initiating partnerships with the vibrant TYA scene in SA, inviting companies such as Windmill, Slingsby and Patch to present work at the Play Festival. We will also collaborate with one of the UK’s most exciting companies, Headlong, and STCSA to develop Ben Ellis’s new play KEITH at the Play Festival.
Playwriting Australia 2014-2016 | Page 13
Developing Creative Artists We will lead the industry on best practice in working with new writing, filling a skills gap found in both training and professional environments through a series of programs. RATIONALE: Directly influence those who work with new plays The skills required to direct a brand new play are distinct from those needed for an extant or classic text Provide critical insight on how to ensure a new play is developed fully before production Ensure excellent dramaturgs are working throughout the industry, increasing the understanding of the importance of dramaturgy in creating high-quality new plays Dramaturgy relates to all new work, not just new writing The Directors Studio is a 1-2 week course aimed at directors and will feature sessions led by key professional artists, including PWA’s Artistic Director, established playwrights, directors and dramaturgs. Course components include: the role of the playwright in development, workshops and rehearsals; understanding the writer’s process; tools and vocabulary for creative development and working with text as well as implementing and enhancing a writer’s vision. The Dramaturgy Internship is a six-month practical training program for emerging dramaturgs and theatreartists interested in building professional networks and developing skills in: o Critical assessment of new plays and feedback for playwrights; o New play development in a workshop environment; and o Selection processes and programming. With the success of the 2012 pilot in Sydney, the new triennium will see Playwriting Australia roll out similar opportunities interstate, starting with a Victorian intake in 2014, led by Chris Mead in partnership with Melbourne Theatre Company. We will also develop a more advanced follow-up for interns with high aptitude and potential, as well as other, more senior artists across the sector, ensuring they continue to build dramaturgical skills and practice. Successful graduates will be eligible to join experienced dramaturgs on Playwriting Australia’s Dramaturg Register, a national resource allowing Playwriting Australia to match skilled dramaturgs with playwrights or producers who need support in the development of new projects.
National Travel Grants Our travel funds are promoted widely to individual artists, small to medium theatre companies and regional producers and venues to encourage playwrights to find new pathways and audiences for their work. RATIONALE: Improving access for playwrights outside of major metropolitan centres Supporting playwrights to build national careers Facilitating national partnerships and extending regional practice State Exchange provides travel grants of up to $2,000 for artists at all stages of their careers working on a new play across state borders, facilitating national careers for Australian playwrights. Since 2008, more than 20 interstate collaborations have been funded, with most leading to a production outcome. The new Erin Thomas Memorial Fund has been established in memory of playwright Erin Thomas. This fund will be created with a donation from the Thomas family of $30K in 2013, and will provide travel bursaries for emerging playwrights from outside major cities to participate in our programs or attend other career development opportunities or events.
Playwriting Australia 2014-2016 | Page 14
DIVERSITY PROGRAMS We engage with Australians from Indigenous and culturally diverse backgrounds to promote the craft of playwriting and to develop new plays from the widest possible range of perspectives. Our diversity strategies work to create a new generation of playwrights, expanding the concept of ‘diversity’ to capture the experiences of all Australians, leaving no stone unturned to find the best stories. RATIONALE: Creating opportunities for writers from diverse backgrounds to learn playwriting skills Promoting the craft of playwriting widely Redressing the misperception that theatre is solely for white middle class people Intervention now will transform the range of Australian stories on our stages within a generation, attracting new audiences We deliver two training models: 1: 200 Stories High Playwriting Workshops Casting a wide net, we deliver introductory playwriting workshops in targeted diverse communities through priority high schools, Indigenous community and arts centres, youth theatre companies and migrant resource centres. Through theatre games and writing exercises, participants learn the basic elements of dramatic narrative and create their own characters and stories, moving to more detailed tutoring on developing voice and subtext. A new facilitator training program will invite cultural leaders from around the country to learn how to deliver the introductory workshops in their own contexts, extending our reach ever further. 2:
The Salon Mentoring Program
We bring groups of individuals together to undertake an extended mentoring process, meeting regularly with a professional playwright. In 2014 we will engage Sydney-based playwright Jane Bodie to lead the playwright groups. Each group is also connected with participants around the country through on-line networks. They see new plays, read and discuss scripts, learn key skills and write and share their work. An industry reading of their work begins to introduce these writers to our theatre colleagues. Our communities of focus for 2014-2016 are: Asian-Australian Playwrights: P4A Playwrights Project Working across three states, we are building an ambitious new outreach stream to ignite a groundswell in contemporary Asian-Australian theatre. The initiative will be driven by key strategic partnerships including with Chris Kohn, the Australia Council’s Diversity Associate in Queensland; Footscray Community Arts Centre in Victoria; Annette Shun-Wah’s Performance 4A, providing an invaluable channel for recruiting participants through their national database of Australian Asian theatre artists. Aboriginal Playwrights Project: Redfern Salon Working in partnership with Moogahlin Performing Arts we continue to deliver a program of writer development in the Redfern community. Following the success of the 2012/13 Redfern Salon group whose work was showcased at the Yellamundie Festival, there is great interest in the neighbourhood to launch new workshops and sustain our writers group. We have an established network of cultural leaders who will recruit participants.
Indigenous Playwrights’ Retreat We will seek additional philanthropic funding from 2015 to invest in new support systems for Indigenous artists to further the pursuit of excellence. In recent years we have seen a number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander playwrights with enormous talent and tenacity start to build careers and audiences. Aimed mostly at a group of established Indigenous playwrights with some exceptional new voices, we will provide an annual week in the countryside, self-facilitated, for writing, sharing experiences and work and creating a supportive environment for creative exchange and collaboration.
Playwriting Australia 2014-2016 | Page 15
ADVOCACY RATIONALE: Leading the industry Promoting best practice Involving playwrights in our process progresses the idea of playwrights as cultural beacons
Facilitating the National Conversation We connect all levels of the industry in a conversation about the role of playwrights in the Australian landscape and the centrality of Australian stories in our cultural legacy. Involving playwrights in a discussion with the broader arts community will open doors. To represent playwriting nationally, we must understand the concerns, joys and ambitions of writers. We will hold a series of national playwright consultations to share ideas, information and find solutions to industrywide questions. These conversations will be as much about art as mechanics, and we will create room in our program to respond to the issues raised. We will also utilise existing relationships with international producers to find opportunities for collaboration and create bespoke script promotion and writer recommendations that are matched with the programs, interest and audiences of international producers, as well as continuing to reference the australianplays.org site as a key on-line portal.
Advice, referral, support and lobbying Each year we provide invaluable advice and guidance to playwrights, theatre companies and others pursuing new play development. Our recommendations successfully lead to commissions, grants and productions for playwrights. We also deliver tailored workshops and masterclasses and are frequently called upon to lend our expertise to the government, education and arts sectors. Part of our national mission must be to hold theatre companies to account regarding the place of new plays and playwrights in their programs. We play a critical role in advocating for playwrights and play development. Key areas of engagement include: o
Presence at major industry events, conferences and sector-wide meetings
o
Maintaining a network of PWA Advocates who meet annually to feed into our strategic planning and act as a contact point for local artists
o
Encouraging MPA companies to access MPAB’s funds to invest in new plays and playwright development e.g. residency programs, fellowships and associateships.
o
Script sharing and promotion, nationally and internationally
o
Sitting on assessment/selection panels for artform opportunities and awards
Annual Research and Reporting We commission an in-depth survey of Australian theatre companies each year through Ipsos Eureka Social Research Institute, providing a snapshot of quantitative data on Australian plays in production, in development or under commission, as well as qualitative responses on current attitudes and trends. From 2014, a new research report structure will include an audit of productions, tracking plays that have previously been supported through Playwriting Australia’s programs as well as generating reports on the current level of local content on our stages. This will give us a valuable source of data for measuring our own impact as well as a resource to share with the wider sector.
Playwriting Australia 2014-2016 | Page 16
2014-2016 Timeline The following table summarises activity for the triennium.
Program
2014
Timing
2015
2016
National Script Workshop
3 closing dates; total 10 scripts developed
Year-round
3 closing dates 12 scripts
3 closing dates 14 scripts
National Play Festival
Adelaide
June TBC
Regional NPF TBC
TBC
Directors Studio
Pilot (Sydney)
September
Melbourne
Sydney
Dramaturgy Internships
Sydney; Pilot (Melbourne)
Feb – Jul
Sydney; Pilot (Perth)
Melbourne / Sydney
Travel funding
State Exchange Erin Thomas Fund
Jan / July Year-round
Jan / July Year-round
Jan / July Year-round
RE-GEN
NPF14 SA
June
Annual
Annual
International Collaboration
New Visions New Voices International Script Wkshp
May TBC
International Script Wkshop
International Script Wkshop
Outreach
2014
Timing
2015
2016
200 Stories High Workshops
Asia Australia: Bris, Syd, Melb Western Sydney
Mar-Nov
Western Syd Regional NSW
TBC
Salon
Redfern Salon
May-Dec
Asia Australia: Bris, Syd, Melb
On-line Pilot
Indigenous Writers Retreat
Fundraising and scoping
On-going
Pilot: NSW
Annual
National Advocacy
2014
Timing
2015
2016
Industry Meetings
NSW, VIC, SA
Mar/Jun/Oct
Australian Theatre Forum
TBC
Annual Plays Research and Audit
2013 Report
Feb-May
2014 Report
2015 Report
Playwriting Australia 2014-2016 | Page 17
6. MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS PLAN As an industry-facing national service organisation, Playwriting Australia maintains relationships with a broad range of communities and stakeholders: those who invest in our work (government and philanthropic funders, donors), those we engage with directly through our work (such as the artists we employ), and those who our work benefits (such as theatre companies and, through them, audiences). Our artistic program in 2014-2016 will extend existing connections and forge new ones as we target particular communities of interest and grow our profile nationally. Higher visibility and more targeted communication strategies for key market segments enables us to feed our artistic programs as well as to simply promote them.
Market Analysis
Playwrights A survey of more than 260 Australian playwrights in 2013 provides a recent market snapshot: o
Demographic profile: 50/50 male/female; 78% capital city or outer metropolitan; 22% rural or regional
o
Ethnicity: 91% European or Anglo-Celtic ethnicity; 97% English as a first language
o
One quarter surveyed had no professional training, more than half have completed some postgraduate or undergraduate study in a relevant field
o
Only 15% consider themselves as a professional playwright; less than 2% had a playwriting income above $40K in 2012 and only 11% received funding for their work
Surveyed playwrights identified key barriers to their professional practice: - Financial resources and time to devote to playwriting - Limited opportunities to develop, particularly beyond young and emerging stage - Lack of access to professional theatres via networking, programming or geographic isolation - Low confidence in skills or craft There are two major market segments we target through our artistic program: Experienced, mid-career and developing playwrights: Australian playwrights who have had at least one professional mainstage production, ranging from those still developing to mid-career and senior playwrights, are supported through the National Script Workshop and Play Festival, providing recognition of excellence and promoting their work to national and international industry and audiences. The PWA Lab is a new space for these experienced writers to try new things.
Playwriting Australia 2014-2016 | Page 18
New playwrights: Defined as writers with less than one professional production, including young and emerging or graduate playwrights. The RE-GEN branded opportunities provide exclusive access to the National Script Workshop and Play Festival for unproduced or emerging playwrights. Our Diversity strategies nurture artists with a related performative practice who are new to text-based theatre. The new Erin Thomas Fund will enhance access for emerging playwrights in regional communities. While the majority of non-professional or hobby playwrights will have an interest in our work, this is not directly through script development, but by tapping into the conversation via on-line and social media. Theatre Industry Australian theatre companies of all sizes are a critical constituency of Playwriting Australia, providing productions of new work as well as commissions, workshops, training and residencies for playwrights. Annual research data conducted by Ipsos Eureka Social Research Institute surveys 65-70 companies annually. o
91% of surveyed companies produced or presented text-based Australian plays in 2012, averaging 4.6 per company. This figure was 4.1 in 2011 and 5.2 per company in 2010.
o
One third of surveyed companies indicated that they produce works across a range of art-forms, including plays, self-devised work incorporating other art-forms or performance types.
o
Attitudinal responses show that while Australian plays are overwhelmingly viewed as of high quality and able to compete with international works, there is also a persistent view that the processes to ensure such works are developed and programmed are lacking.
o
Seven in ten theatre companies that had heard of Playwriting Australia agreed that its programs have improved at least one aspect of Australian playwriting.
For 2014-2016 strategic planning, we have taken a more holistic view of the industry, looking to the extended ecology in which Australian theatre is made. Producers - We must be visible to all organisations who produce or present Australian theatre across the sector, spanning independent companies, small to medium and major performing arts companies, as well as producing venues, youth theatre companies, training institutions and other national service organisations. Our programs are a source of talent, high quality scripts and sector knowledge, working with companies, not just for them. Sector-wide dialogue will focus on how playwriting or dramaturgical skills can be incorporated into less traditional modes of theatre-making. Creatives - We support skills development for artists working with new writing, including dramaturgs, directors, artistic directors and theatre-makers of all stripes. Formal training through the Directors’ Studio and Dramaturgy Internships course will inject critical skills throughout the sector as well as our informal mentoring of artists and small to medium companies through our core national activities. Audiences - Audiences for new Australian playwriting are the ‘end user’ for our immediate goals: high quality scripts that speak about a time and place. Our Play Festival is focussed on engaging with local audiences and we also seed potential new audiences in the long-term through our Diversity program.
Stakeholders Our major stakeholders in government value a uniquely Australian culture and a vibrant, innovative performing arts experience for all audiences. The National Cultural Policy, in particular, directly reflects the core mission of Playwriting Australia in terms of excellence and diversity of Australian stories. These values are shared by our philanthropic partners and donors who invest in outreach, development and creation of opportunities for playwrights throughout their career cycle. New stakeholders are emerging, in particular established playwrights and new writing audiences looking to support our work, such as through the co-commission syndicates in 2012-13. Annual research and reporting back to our investors is critical as a way of celebrating our successes and cultivating further on-going and increasing support for our work.
Playwriting Australia 2014-2016 | Page 19
Communication Strategies Our communication strategies invite and promote participation in our programs, allowing us to engage with various stakeholders across the sector and as a catalyst for shaping a generational change in the role of playwrights in Australian culture.
Our brand Excellence Plays, playwrights and artists that have been supported through Playwriting Australia’s programs are recognised for quality and craft.
1. Our community: We create a robust conversation with our networks across a range of channels: o
pwa.org.au - average 3000 hits monthly Following a long-overdue upgrade in 2012, our website is a useful portal for information on our opportunities and successes as well as a space for a broader creative discourse on playwriting through the PWA Blog.
o
E-News - 1,130 members
Diversity Playwriting Australia represents a wide range of Australian perspectives, voices and places, leaving no stone unturned to find a good story.
Leadership As the national advocate for the artform, Playwriting Australia leads from the front not only to guide the sector but champion it.
Providing updates on our programs and other opportunities nationally, growing at an average of 20 new subscribers each month o
Social networking: Facebook (1,500 followers) and Twitter (2,361 followers) Actively participating in an on-line conversation, content sharing and encouraging a dialogue through comments, targeting 1,000 new followers annually.
o
Maintaining a comprehensive industry database of theatre companies, playwrights, arts organisations and international contacts, with direct emails targeting specific communities of interest for participation in our programs.
2. Collaboration: engaging with new market segments through partnering with a range of industry stakeholders to achieve our goals and promote the playwriting nationally: o
National Play Festival host venues, sharing marketing, promoting local talent and projects, branching into regional or non-traditional spaces
o
Working closer with S2M theatre companies for workshop, travel or training opportunities
o
Creating a new network of contacts throughout regional arts services as a way to promote the Erin Thomas Playwrights Fund to playwrights and arts organisations based outside of major cities
o
Engaging community leaders in diverse sectors to connect with and promote our work
3. Media presence: mainstream arts coverage through editorial, profiles and events: o
Position Playwriting Australia as the voice on issues of national cultural significance
o
Invite high profile artists to act as patrons and advocate on behalf of the value of our work
o
Promote respected Australian playwrights as cultural beacons and commentators of Australian society
o
Create high quality, nationally recognisable brand for Australian plays in production
Playwriting Australia 2014-2016 | Page 20
7. FUNDRAISING Playwriting Australia is a deductible gift recipient under Australian tax law and also has Tax Concession Charity status. As a service organisation whose work is largely behind the scenes, Playwriting Australia has traditionally had limited access to non-government income. Despite this we have grown our philanthropic donor base in recent years, principally through our board member’s personal networks. We now have a small number of passionate individuals who we can approach to support urgent projects, including Deanne Weir who donated $17K enabling us to present Andrea James’ Winyanboga Yurringa at the National Play Festival 2013. Our successes in 2012-13 have been encouraging, in particular the popularity of the donor co-commissions. We invite donors – either as individuals or in a syndicate – to contribute Playwriting Australia’s half of a full commission fee of $12,500. We then partner with a theatre company who put in the rest and engage a writer. After a successful pilot in 2010 for Jane Bodie’s This Year’s Ashes at Griffin Theatre, we saw four new co-commissions funded last year: o
A syndicate of eight donors led by our Chair Peter Wilson co-commissioned Angela Betzien’s Mortido with Belvoir
o
Board member Bruce Meagher and his partner Greg Waters invited guests at their 25th Anniversary party to contribute to a new play commission for Declan Greene at their local theatre, Griffin, bringing in 50 new donors
o
o
Donor Rhonda McIver donated $6.5K for Sue Smith’s Kryptonite in partnership with STC in 2012 and has provided an extra $5K for a script workshop in 2013 The inaugural Playwright Syndicate co-commissioned Moths by emerging Victorian playwright Michele Lee in partnership with Griffin Theatre in Sydney
Similarly, funding from trusts and foundations has increased. We partner on the RE Ross Trust award for a Victorian playwright and the Max Afford Award. Our outreach and diversity programs have also been funded by the Ian Potter Foundation and Perpetual Foundation. However, time constraints on our staff have meant we have only just ‘scratched the surface’. Without dedicated resources and expertise we will be unable to significantly increase philanthropic yields and there is the real danger that we cannot properly service donor relationships.
The Playwrights Syndicate Melbourne playwright Tom Holloway has brought together a group of 12 established Australian writers to donate to Playwriting Australia for a co-commission of an emerging playwright with Griffin Theatre Co. The playwrights have already expressed a desire to see this be an annual event. “My first commission was such a massive thing for me. I'm so, so excited we're getting to help give that to another writer” Tom Holloway The 2013 Playwright Syndicate: Andrew Bovell (SA), David Williamson (Qld), Finnegan Kruckemeyer (Tas), Hilary Bell (NSW), Joanna MurraySmith (Vic), John Romeril (Vic), Kate Mulvaney (NSW), Melissa Reeves (Vic), Patricia Cornelius (Vic), Robert Reid (Vic), Suzie Miller (NSW) and Tom Holloway (Vic)
Development Strategy 2014-2016 The Board engaged ex-board member and development professional Helen Salmon in 2013 to develop a new three-year fundraising strategy for the organisation. DEVELOPMENT AIMS 1. Playwriting Australia is visible to donors and considered essential to Australian contemporary culture 2. A strong organisational capacity for fundraising 3. A diverse, sustainable funding base where income streams are maximised 4. Relationships with donors and prospects that are engaging and mutually beneficial Playwriting Australia 2014-2016 | Page 21
KEY RECOMMENDATIONS
Create a part time Development Manager position for an experienced fundraiser to drive applications to philanthropic foundations as well as managing relationships with individual donors.
On-going Board development and creating a Development Committee or Advisory Council to provide leadership, networks and bring in donations.
PRIORITY PROGRAMS
Trusts & Foundations
Program Diversity Programs Asian Australian Playwrights Indigenous Playwrights Retreat
Key Messages Giving voice to a wide range of Australian experiences Expression of culture and building community identity Fostering empathy across cultures Creating professional pathways for artists who are not normally seen on our stages Fostering a uniquely Australian theatre for audiences here and overseas
200 Stories High playwriting workshops in priority schools
Literary, self-expression in disadvantaged or marginalised communities Giving young people a voice Developing appreciation of Australian writing and culture
National Script Workshops PWA Lab
Craft development for artists Pushing artform boundaries Development of excellence in Australian contemporary culture
Individual Giving Establish an annual fundraising event – the Chain Play – inviting Playwriting Australia’s donors and supporters to sponsor a scene of new play multi-authored by Australia’s best writers and hold a ticketed gala event to perform the new work. Establish Script Development Syndicates by developing our relationships with individual donors who have contributed to the co-commissions to subsequently support a script development workshop for a new play. The co-commissions are most useful as a hook to attract and get to know donors – our journey with them may begin with a partnership with a major theatre, but we can cultivate those relationships over time, extending their giving to support workshop development and introducing them to the work of smaller companies. As supported scripts reach production, we can use those performances as bespoke donor events for Board members and existing donors to invite new prospects and create additional syndicates.
Playwriting Australia 2014-2016 | Page 22
8. MANAGEMENT PLAN Rationale The Management Plan sets out the organisational resources and strategies needed to achieve sustainable growth over the 2014-2016 triennium. The projected increase in our scale, while modest, is imperative; not just in supporting core artistic goals and activities over the period, but to ensure that Playwriting Australia is robust and fortified so that it may continue to effect generational impact beyond these three years. In order to sustain that growth beyond a three-year planning cycle, a genuine investment must be made in longevity. This has implications across all areas of our organisational management: o
Expertise: recruitment of artistic, production and fundraising staff; a reinforced giving culture and advocacy at board level
o
Resources: increased revenue across a range of sources to support both core activity and new initiatives; balancing public subsidy with philanthropic and earned income.
o
Operations: ensuring that procedures and processes are in place to manage, monitor and evaluate business growth against achievable milestones.
We make the case for increased federal investment of $45K per annum to meet our capabilities in developing high quality and more diverse Australian stories through the National Script Workshop. This is the most successful area of core business and directly enhances the quality of plays on our stages. If the increase is not funded in full, we will reduce activity in line with confirmed resources and work in the long-term to find alternative funding sources for our development programs. As a way to mitigate the risks of such a heavy reliance on government funding, we have developed a new fundraising capacity that will enable us to grow revenue in future years from a much broader range of stakeholders with an interest in Australian culture.
Governance Playwriting Australia was incorporated in 2007 as a company limited by guarantee. The Board of Directors is responsible for setting the company’s vision, overseeing business planning and approving budgets, monitoring financial controls and governance issues, and appointing the Artistic Director. The Board meets six times a year and are assisted by the work of two sub-committees who work closely with the General Manager in the areas of finance and fundraising. Chair Peter Wilson is a Principal with Greenhill, where he provides financial and strategic advice to major Australian corporations and governments. He is also an emerging philanthropist and with his family supports a range of cultural interests, including contemporary visual arts, writing and theatre in Sydney. Peter is joined on the board by experts in performing arts and playwriting, business, law, finance and arts administration. A board audit in April 2013 has identified key areas for Board development to support organisational goals in the 2014-2016 triennial: Board membership Seek to fill four to six vacancies on the board against priority areas for recruitment: established or developing playwrights; artists or arts executives from a culturally diverse background, government experience, fundraising expertise and emerging donor networks. Skills development Build capacity at board level for increased individual philanthropy
Playwriting Australia 2014-2016 | Page 23
Board Membership (at May 2012) Director
Special Responsibilities, Qualifications and Experience
Tenure
Peter Wilson, Chair
Principal, Greenhill & Co. Australia Pty Limited Director, Belvoir St Theatre Ltd Special responsibilities: Chair (from Oct-12); Sits on Finance Subcommittee; Fundraising Subcommittee
5 yrs
Tom Gutteridge
Artistic Director, Union House Theatre (VIC), ex-AD Black Swan State Theatre Company (WA)
6.5yrs
Bruce Meagher
Director of Corporate Affairs, Foxtel, ex-SBS Director, Save the Children Australia and Legs on the Wall Special responsibilities: Chair of Fundraising Subcommittee
6 yrs
Joanna Murray-Smith
Noted playwright Director, Wheeler Centre
2.5yrs
Irene Stevens
Arts administrator; ex-Australia Council, ex-Arts NSW Special responsibilities: Company Secretary
6.5 yrs
Desmond Sweeney
Lawyer, previously a partner of Freehills for 12 years. Adviser on corporate governance and regulatory issues. Director, Force Majeure Special responsibilities: Treasurer & Chair of Finance Subcommittee
6 yrs
Human Resources Playwriting Australia currently retains six on-going staff positions, with a total full time equivalency of 4.1 (effective 31 May 2013). We recruit additional full-time, casual and contract staff as required to assist in the delivery of our programs, including over 100 creative personnel each year. Playwriting Australia’s staff is led by Artistic Director Tim Roseman, who was appointed in late 2012 and relocated from the UK. Tim is a highly skilled director and dramaturg specialised in working with new writing. He had previously been Joint Artistic Director of Theatre503, a multi-award-winning new writing theatre in London since 2006. In 2012 he directed two new Australian plays in Sydney: Story of the Red Mountains by Ben Ellis at NIDA, and Hollywood Ending by CJ Johnson at Griffin. Staffing Structure The Artistic Program has been driven by a desire to do more, travel farther and engage with a larger community. As such, PWA proposes a new organisational structure from 2014 that will increase the skills base of the organisation, alleviate pressure on the executive staff and enhance artistic succession. This new structure will have minimal impact on the budget as we will reposition existing expenditure and is therefore not dependent on additional funding.
Playwriting Australia 2014-2016 | Page 24
Staffing Structure 2014
FTE
Artistic Director and Chief Executive Officer – existing position
1
Lead the artistic and strategic vision across all aspects of the program; maintain relationships with key stakeholders; act as the spokesperson for the sector Tim Roseman (since November 2012) - Director, dramaturg and producer specialising in new writing; ex-Theatre 503 (London) General Manager – existing position
1
Oversight of financial management, corporate governance, strategic planning, marketing and communications and human resources Amanda Macri (since 2010) - BA (Communications), ex-Australia Council, ex-Arts Law Centre Associate Artist – revised position
0.8
A playwright, director or dramaturg providing creative and strategic advice and leadership across a range of projects. From 2014, we merge the casual Associate Director role with the international program manager position, creating a permanent position for organisational artistic succession. Susanna Dowling (since 2009): Theatre director; previous productions at Belvoir, Griffin; currently studying director’s course at NIDA Associate Producer – new position
1
An evolution of the current Administrator role, the Associate Producer has responsibility for delivery of our major events throughout the year, including the Script Workshops, PWA Lab and Play Festival. In addition to logistical coordination and company management, the year-round scope will enhance cohesion across all our events and provide for longer planning and delivery timelines. Alice Poujois (Administrator since 2011): Arts administrator; experience at performing arts organisations across France, New Zealand and Australia Administration Officer – revised position
0.5
An entry level position tasked with coordinating the front line: being the first point of contact for inquiries, keeping the day to day office running smoothly and providing support across programs as needed. Additional marcoms responsibilities in updating content for the PWA website and blog, E-News and social media sites. Recruited in 2014 Outreach Coordinator – existing position
0.6
Delivering playwriting programs in culturally diverse communities and assisting in increasing participation in playwriting by a wider, more culturally diverse section of the Australian community. Teik-Kim Pok (since 2011) - Theatre-maker, performance artist and a NSW-qualified secondary drama teacher. Development Manager – new position
0.6
An experienced fundraiser driving philanthropic income strategies tasked with increasing funding from trusts and foundations as well as managing our growing donor relationships. Recruited in late 2013
Playwriting Australia 2014-2016 | Page 25
Professional Development We will ensure the organisation maintains relevant, innovative and contemporary management practices and a learning environment through training and professional development opportunities in areas of leadership, media, public relations, digital technologies and social networking. National Advocates To assist the company to fulfil its obligations as a national service organisation, we retain a panel of state Advocates who are able to provide expert local knowledge and a point of contact between Playwriting Australia and artists in the states and territories outside our home base in Sydney. We look to create ongoing opportunities to meet throughout the year, either through our own activities or other industry events.
Advocate Jon Halpin Liz Burcham Van Badham Geordie Brookman Charles Parkinson Talei Howell-Price Vacant
Position Artistic Director, HotHouse Theatre Executive Producer, Metro Arts Artistic Associate (Literary), Malthouse Theatre Artistic Director, State Theatre Company of South Australia Artistic Director, Tasmanian Theatre Company Director, Stages WA
State NSW/Vic Qld Vic SA TAS WA NT
Succession Planning The Board of Directors is committed to regularly reviewing its composition and effectiveness through skills audits and identifies targets for development in accordance with these processes as well as guidelines for recruitment as vacancies arise. A board audit process in 2013 has identified critical skills and constituencies for board membership, particularly those that support the organisational context and goals in the next phase of development. The staff recruitment plan outlined above contributes to greater organisational stability by ensuring workloads are manageable, skills are balanced more evenly across the staff base and enhanced operational efficiencies are achieved. Succession Planning Strategies 2014-2016 Sustainability Address staff burnout by recruiting new second-tier positions Secure funding for new staff as capacity grows Contract services from external consultants in key areas where needed Address peak workflow periods by recruiting temporary staff and consultants Recruitment
Continue Board recruitment in response to audit outcomes Use existing networks and advertising in relevant publications to find qualified, skilled staff as required
Skill set
Regularly audit board skills and profile Outsource projects to skilled consultants where appropriate
Turnover
Recruit additional staff to mitigate loss of continuity and organisational knowledge in the event of staff loss New organisational structure provides credible career paths within the company
Professional development
Conduct annual staff performance reviews Implement professional development program for current staff
Diversity
Prioritise cultural diversity in Board recruitment process Encourage applicants from culturally diverse backgrounds for staff positions, internships and development projects
Playwriting Australia 2014-2016 | Page 26
Finance In line with the artistic and management plans, our budget expectations for the next three years provide for modest growth strategies for core and project grants in the short term, as well as a new investment in our long-term business development and sustainability. The organisation’s financial planning and management are overseen by the Board finance sub-committee who meet regularly with executive staff. Since inception, Playwriting Australia has been funded triennially as a key organisation of the Theatre and Literature Boards. Over 2011-13 triennial, we continued to leverage that core funding to raise project grants and earned income. Investment in artist wages and production costs has exceeded operating costs each year and at 31 December 2012, Playwriting Australia retained $153K in reserves. Summary budgets for 2014-2016 are included on the following pages.
Australia Council Key Orgs Funding Increase For 2014-2016, an increase of $45K per annum is sought to fund the development of an additional 3–4 new plays at the National Script Workshop every year. Each additional workshop costs from $10K to $15K each, principally for artist wages and travel costs. Australia Council project funding decreases from 2014 with the conclusion of two major initiatives, the Broome Playwriting project and International Market Development Strategy, as well as the discontinued Opportunities for Young and Emerging Artists fund.
State Funding In recent years, we have seen a shift away from core program funding to project-based grants that are attached to local activity. For 2014-2016, we will create key state-based partnerships as a way to continue to deliver for bespoke local initiatives and events: o
Diversity projects in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria
o
A new Western Australian script development strategy in partnership with Stages WA
o
Arts SA and STCSA for the Play Festival 2014 in Adelaide and a 2015 regional partnership
Investment in business development Over the 2014-2016 triennium, our fundraising strategy will build capacity to attract non-government income as a way to mitigate risks associated with heavy reliance on state funding. This will see the organisation grow our earned income ratio to 27% of turnover through increased philanthropic income, driven by a new Development Manager position established from 2014.
Playwriting Australia 2014-2016 | Page 27
Budget 2014 2013 Forecast
2014 Budget
Note
41,402
54,600
1
44,638 13,632 24,273 82,542 123,944
44,000 24,726 41,000 109,726 164,326
2 3 4
361,386 29,250 144,095 155,325 690,056 814,000
403,467 12,500 149,095 145,000 710,062 874,388
5 6 7 8
182,892 76,340 259,232
202,676 82,090 284,766
9 10
393,239 175,791 20,150 589,180 873,946
11 12 13
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
371,649 137,687 29,561 538,897 798,129
SURPLUS
15,871
443
INCOME Earned income Sales, fees & other income Philanthropy & Sponsorship Donations (Cash) Sponsorship Trusts & Foundations Total Earned Income Government grants Australia Council - Core Australia Council - Projects State Funding - Core State / Other Gov Project Funding TOTAL INCOME EXPENDITURE Operating Costs Management & Operating Salaries Infrastructure Artistic Program Costs Creatives & Production Wages Production & Travel Marketing & Promotion
Notes to budget
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.
Includes project management income, interest, and Play Festival ticket sales Existing donors ($25K), new donors ($12k), event ($7K), refer to Fundraising Plan In-kind sponsors re National Play Festival including creatives wages, STCSA venue & marketing Confirmed Max Afford & RE Ross Trust Playwright Awards ($21K); unconfirmed Diversity grant ($20K) Australia Council total includes proposed increase of $45K for 3-4 additional scripts in development Theatre Board New Visions New Voices travel ($7.5K confirmed); and potential Market Development Go See travel funding for National Play Festival incoming producers ($5K unconfirmed) Arts NSW ($102K - confirmed); SA ($7K); WA ($40K unconfirmed) Unconfirmed grants for Play Festival (Arts SA $80k); Diversity P4A (State or philanthropy funding $35K) and Redfern playwrights (Arts NSW Aboriginal Arts Strategy $30K) On-going salaries for the General Manager and Outreach Coordinator, as well as for the reduced Administrator role and new Development Manager position, plus on-costs (see HR Plan) Office rent ($23k), running costs and staff travel ($34K), insurance and governance ($25K) Core artist salaries of ($160K) for AD and new Associate positions, and casual creatives for workshops inc playwrights, dramaturgs, directors, actors, facilitators ($174K), plus on costs Venue and production costs (70K), travel including workshop creatives, State Exchange and Erin Thomas Fund grants ($86K) and project contingencies ($20K) Fundraising expenses ($5K); Play Festival promotion ($15K) inc in-kind STCSA season brochure
Playwriting Australia 2014-2016 | Page 28
2014 by Program Total
Admin
Wkshops
Festival
Diversity
Projects
INCOME Australia Council Key Organisation Government and Project Funding Philanthropic Trusts & Foundations Sponsorship & Donations Earned Income TOTAL INCOME
403,467 306,595 41,000 68,726 54,600 874,388
224,674 134,095 7,000 43,600 409,369
95,709 15,000 21,000 15,000 146,709
40,810 85,000 29,726 6,000 161,536
30,924 65,000 20,000 5,000 120,924
11,350 7,500 17,000 35,850
EXPENDITURE Salaries, Wages & Fees Production Costs Marketing & Promotion Infrastructure Costs TOTAL EXPENDITURE
595,915 182,541 20,150 75,340 873,946
329,586 4,000 75,340 408,926
86,923 59,786 146,709
72,391 72,996 16,150 161,537
99,755 21,169 120,924
7,260 28,590 35,850
Surplus / Deficit
443
443
-
-
-
-
Summary Budget 2014-2016 INCOME
2013
2014
2015
2016
Growth 2014 - 2016
Earned income(1) Donations & sponsorship(2) Government grants(3) Philanthropic Trusts & Foundations (4) Total income EXPENDITURE Operating costs Artistic program costs (5) Total expenditure SURPLUS
41,402 58,269 690,056 24,273 814,000
54,600 68,726 710,062 41,000 874,388
60,700 80,000 698,420 61,000 900,120
68,700 95,000 688,420 91,000 943,120
26% 38% -3% 122% 8%
259,232 538,897 798,129 15,871
278,447 595,498 873,945 443
285,641 613,800 899,441 678
293,442 639,011 932,453 10,667
5% 7% 7%
Equity position Equity ratio
169,673 21%
170,115 19%
170,794 19%
181,461 19%
7%
Government Income Earned income ratio
85% 15%
81% 19%
78% 22%
73% 27%
Notes to budget
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Project management fees increase from philanthropic project funding In 2015 - Existing donors ($30K), new donors ($15k), event ($10K) Unconfirmed Australia Council $408K, NSW $102, SA $7K, DCA $40K plus $80K Festival + $50K other Confirmed awards ($21K) plus unconfirmed grants ($40K in 2015 and $70K in 2016) Increases in line with additional philanthropic income related to artist wages and travel.
Playwriting Australia 2014-2016 | Page 29
Risk Management The risk management plan aims to foresee contingent risks that may prevent us from achieving our goals, and to lay the groundwork of suitable action to avoid or prepare for such risks. Playwriting Australia carries suitable insurance policies covering public and product liability, directors’ and officers’ liability, workers’ compensation, voluntary workers and business operations. The Board maintains and regularly reviews all policies including Fraud Controls, Risk and Workplace Health and Safety policies. The nature of our business is such that the major risk factors are financial, organisational and reputational. The following table outlines key risk factors and their respective impacts/mitigation strategies. Identified Risk
Consequence / Impact
Likelihood
Mitigation Strategies
Financial: decrease in core funding
SIGNIFICANT Discontinuation or reduction of core projects, loss of script development opportunities Loss of growth opportunity Increased pressure on current staff Increased pressure on project based and non-government income
Unlikely
Financial: decrease in project funding
MAJOR Discontinuation or reduction in strategic capabilities Loss of income for artists Diminished national presence and responsiveness Inability to grow outreach programs MODERATE Loss of opportunities to grow activity Limited visibility outside of the industry
Likely
1. Maintain good relationships and communication with key funders 2. Secure triennial funding contracts for 30% of budget 3. Participate in sector consultation for government funding reviews and policy discussions 4. Increase capacity to attract alternate sources of funding 5. Develop contingency plans to reduce budget in line with reduced funding if required 1. Maintain relationships with a range of funders, stay up to date on project funding timelines 2. Flexible employment arrangements for project-related staff 3. Increase number of project grant applications to a wide range of funders
Possible
1. Employ a high level fundraiser with a min 5 years experience 2. Board development for maintaining and growing networks of prospects 3. Annual fundraising KPIs are set and monitored
Human Resources: Loss of Staff
MODERATE Loss of organisational knowledge Decreased capacity during recruitment or transition periods
Possible
1. Create new associate positions to ease burden on existing team and enhance succession planning 2. Motivate staff and extend skills
Marketing: Loss of reputation
MINOR Fewer high quality playwrights and other artists want to work with us Decrease in industry partnerships
Unlikely
1. Advocacy and profile-raising throughout the industry 2. Communicate our successes, promote high quality scripts to producers 3. Establish our credentials as a diverse, accomplished staff
Financial: decrease in private donations
Playwriting Australia 2014-2016 | Page 30