2015 playwriting australia
we seek, develop and champion new australian stories for the stage
Andrew Bovell Keynote Address, National Play Festival 2014 (Sydney). Photo: S. Godfrey
welcome Welcome to Playwriting Australia’s 2015 program You’ll see in the following pages that we’re bursting at the seams with the range of programs we’re offering. As the national company charged with developing new writing for the stage, our job is simple – to ensure there are more astonishing new plays in Australian theatres; to ensure those plays are always extraordinary; and to ensure the range of those writers is as wide as possible to reflect the Australia we live in. No small task. This is our biggest year yet. More programs than ever before. More opportunities for playwrights to develop their work with us. More workshops. More readings. More writers doing what they do better than any of us – imagining and shaping new worlds. At the core of Playwriting Australia’s work is a fervent commitment to extending the craft of writing plays. How do we match the bravery of our biggest and boldest ideas with the skills needed to make those plays unignorable? Our range of creative development work extends this year to include one-on-one dramaturgical support, and Rapid Fire bursts of activity around your new play. Following our most successful National Play Festival yet in Sydney last year, in July we decamp to Adelaide to revel in all that’s magical about writing for the stage, stacked with incendiary new plays and inspiring conversations.
Playwriting Australia has long been recognised as an incubator of the very best new talent, and we seek out and celebrate writers of exceptional promise from every region, culture and background we can find. In 2015, we present readings of new Asian Australian plays in three cities and launch a unique retreat for our leading Indigenous playwrights. In Melbourne we’ll be working with a group of midcareer artists to hone and extend their dramaturgy skills, and we’ll be searching nationally for the country’s hottest emerging directors to participate in our Directors’ Studio. And, as if that weren’t enough, we end the year with the Chain Play, a raucous and magnificent celebration of playwriting. We invite a cohort of twenty phenomenal writers to contribute one scene each to a brand new play. There’s something magical underpinning our expanded program – it’s a belief and assertion that new plays change the way we think about our lives. I hope you’ll join us throughout the year. Tim Roseman Artistic Director
new play development
2013 Photo: E. Amato National Script Workshop 2014
cultivating excellence
igniting excellence The widest range of opportunities for the creative development of new scripts A new play is a fusion of imagination and ambition, made in collaboration. Our writer-led programs offer time, space, flexibility and creative expertise to explore and invent, supported by the best actors, dramaturgs and directors in Australia. In 2015, we launch a more tailored approach to the way we support new plays by offering three different development programs: National Script Workshop: our intensive development workshop of one or two weeks. Rapid Fire Sessions: a one-day workshop giving playwrights the chance to hear their script and receive immediate feedback. One-on-One Dramaturgy: up to six months of on-going individual dramaturgical support. Alongside national submissions, development opportunities are offered to Western Australian playwrights, playwrights of Indigenous or diverse cultural backgrounds nominated by theatre companies or producers and the winner of the Max Afford Award.
More info Submission closing dates 26 Jan National submissions TBC
Max Afford Award
3 Aug
National submissions
14 Aug
Theatre companies & producers nominations
Where Sydney Perth When February April September November Website www.pwa.org.au/new-playdevelopment
Playwright Jane Bodie, National Play Festival 2014 (Sydney). Photo: D. Prichard
pwa lab inspiring new ways of writing Re-imagining the role of the playwright in the theatre-making process The PWA Lab supports the creative combustion that happens when playwrights are involved in innovative theatre practice. The Lab is a workshop for non-traditional forms of theatre, multiauthored text and non-writer-led work. This might mean established writers experimenting with new forms or genres; cross-artform collaborations with artists working in other disciplines; adding writers into devising ensembles; or creative teams looking to explore a new idea or working methods. Companies, collectives and individual artists wishing to develop a new idea, a new partnership or a new form are invited to apply. Proposals need to have a playwright involved and include details of other creative team members attached to the project. More information about the application process and full guidelines will be available in March 2015.
More info Application closing date 11 May When August
Website www.pwa.org.au/pwa-lab
Playwright Julia-Rose Lewis, National Play Festival 2014 (Sydney) Photo: D. Prichard
national play festival 22 – 25 July, Adelaide Festival Centre The highlight of the new writing calendar, the National Play Festival is a sumptuous feast of new Australian drama. We cherry-pick the finest works developed through our core programs, and the result is four days of gourmet theatrical indulgence. Showcase: Public readings of the most dynamic new plays in Australia from our greatest writers and thrilling new voices. Public Forums: The National Play Festival fizzes with a sizzling series of public events featuring Australia’s leading artists. Writers’ Program: Playwrights are invited to discover new frontiers in craft and ambition in masterclasses, forums and discussions. Industry Program: Playwrights, creatives and producers assemble to unpick the key issues facing our sector. The full program will be announced in May 2015. Read more at www.nationalplayfestival.org.au Festival Partners
diversity
Annette Shun Wah and participants, Lotus Playwriting Workshop (Sydney)
unearthing the greatest stories nationwide
Playwriting Australia is pioneering a national search for a generation of playwrights that better reflects the country we live in. One of our key aims is to cast the widest net to discover and nurture new voices we don’t often hear. We offer training and mentorship opportunities to aspiring playwrights, in partnership with schools, communities and theatre producers. We also insist upon diversity throughout our programs, including the National Script Workshops and in our research and development work. In 2015 we focus on Indigenous storytelling and dramaturgy and new works by Asian-Australian playwrights in our Lotus project. If you are an Indigenous or Culturally and Linguistically diverse artist interested in developing your playwriting skills, or have an idea for a partnership, contact our Diversity Programs Coordinator Teik-Kim Pok by email at diversity@pwa.org.au or call 02 8274 0904. Read more at www.pwa.org.au/diversity
Indigenous Playwrights Retreat
A new program to bolster Indigenous playwriting in Australia, supporting a group of outstanding First Nations writers.
More Info Expressions of Interest by 24 April
A week-long creative residency at Bundanon (Regional NSW), the retreat will focus on writing, sharing work and creating a community for exploring ideas, taking risks, mentoring and collaborating.
When 30 September – 7 October
The program will be self-facilitated by the playwrights themselves around a framework developed by PWA.
Where Bundanon (Regional NSW)
Website www.pwa.org.au/indigenous-retreat
supporting indigenous stories Songrites
In 2015 we continue our work with the Sydney Opera House to support the development of new plays by Indigenous musicians Casey Donovan, Abie Wright and Troy Brady. Each artist will receive a week-long development of their work to explore pathways towards production.
Indigenous Dramaturgy
What are the unique challenges of developing Indigenous plays? How might dramaturgs navigate the adaptation of traditional creation and Dreaming mythology, respect oral storytelling traditions in communities, or performances incorporating Indigenous languages? Led by Isaac Drandic, Playwriting Australia is working with Ilbijerri and Yirra Yaakin theatre companies and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists across Australia to define new ways of supporting and shaping Indigenous works. Principal Program Partners
Working across three states in an ambitious partnership with Performance 4a, we have spent the last year training over twenty Asian-Australian playwrights in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, offering them vital support to write new plays. In 2015, we invite the most promising young writers in each city for a special presentation of their new work-in-progress. In collaboration with local theatre partners and Sydney Writers’ Festival, we present collections of the most exciting new voices to Australian audiences around the country.
2015 Lotus Showings Brisbane 22 April La Boite Theatre
Website www.pwa.org.au/lotus-playwriting
Presenting Partners
Sydney 23 May Sydney Writers’ Festival Parramatta Riverside Theatres
Melbourne 5 June Malthouse Theatre
Playwright Michele Lee, National Play Festival 2014 (Sydney) Photo: D. Prichard
creatives academy
Playwright Angela Betzien and director Leticia Caceres (Photo Stephen Henry)
Directors Studio 2014 (Sydney)
for theatre makers working with new plays
Directors’ Studio
Following the success of our Sydney pilot, the Studio expands to a week-long national course for emerging artists focusing on the particular dynamic of directing new plays. Participants will gain tools for creative development, vocabulary for production, and techniques for working with text to realise and enhance a playwright’s vision.
Dramaturgy Training
More info Application closing dates 17 Apr Dramaturgy Internships 25 Sept Directors’ Studio Expressions of interest for Rehearsal Room Internships are open all year round.
Our six-month dramaturgy training program provides training in script assessment, playwright feedback, creative development and programming.
Directors Studio Sydney 7 – 11 December
In 2015, this highly successful program will be offered for mid-career artists based in Melbourne and will be led by Melbourne Theatre Company’s Literary Director, Chris Mead.
Dramaturgy Internships Melbourne May-October
Rehearsal Room Internships
Emerging artists are invited to join us in the rehearsal room to observe our creative development processes at the National Play Festival and National Script Workshops.
Website www.pwa.org.au/creatives
national travel grants Connecting artists across the country Grants are open to individual artists, small-to-medium theatre companies, regional producers and venues as a way to encourage playwrights to find new ways to collaborate and build a wider audience for their work.
State Exchange
More info
Facilitating national careers for Australian playwrights, State Exchange provides up to $2,000 for artists at all stages of their careers working on a new play across state borders.
Application closing dates 12 June 14 December
Erin Thomas Playwright Fund
More info
In memory of playwright Erin Thomas, the fund provides travel bursaries for emerging playwrights living outside major cities to participate in our programs or attend other career development opportunities or events.
Application process Year-round applications
Website www.pwa.org.au/state-exchange
Website www.pwa.org.au/erin-thomas Playwright Erin Thomas (photo Thomas Family)
We connect all levels of the industry in a conversation about the role of playwrights in the Australian cultural landscape. To represent playwriting nationally in 2015, Playwriting Australia will hold a series of national playwright consultations to share ideas, information and find solutions to industry-wide 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 play a critical role in advocating for playwrights and play development throughout Australia, including: Presence at major industry events, conferences and sector-wide meetings; Working with companies to encourage investment in new plays and playwright development; Working with colleagues across the sector to create a new model for best practice in new writing; Script sharing and promotion, nationally and internationally; Lending our expertise to assessment, programming or selection panels.
Stay up to date, subscribe to our e-news www.pwa.org.au/subscribe
Playwright Lech Mackiewicz, State Exchange 2014. Photo: A. Hanuszkiewicz
advocacy
pwa supported plays on stage in 2015 jan
feb
Archimedes’ War by Melissa Reeves (VIC) Melbourne Theatre Company (Cybec Electric) Melbourne, 19 – 21 February National Script Workshop 2014
The Unspoken Word is ‘Joe’ by Zoe Dawson (VIC) MKA Theatre & Griffin Indie Sydney, 21January - 7 February MKA Readings: National Play Festival 2012
Moths by Michele Lee (VIC) Melbourne Theatre Company (Cybec Electric) Melbourne, 20 – 21 February Inaugural Betty Burstall Commission National Play Festival 2014
Zak and Reefa’s Bollywood Funeral by Tasnim Hossain (ACT) Perth Fringe World 2015 Perth, 2 – 7 February Lotus Playwriting Project 2014
The Unspoken Word is ‘Joe’ by Zoe Dawson (VIC) MKA Theatre & La Mama Theatre Melbourne, 17 February – 1 March MKA Readings: National Play Festival 2012
apr Yasukichi Murakami: Through a Distant Lens by Mayu Kanamori (NSW) Griffin Theatre Company & Performance 4A Sydney, 10 – 21 February State Exchange 2014 Frogs Cry Wolf by Dan Lee (VIC) Melbourne Theatre Company (Cybec Electric) Melbourne, 12 – 14 February RE Ross Trust 2014 National Script Workshop 2014
Samson by Julia-Rose Lewis (NSW/QLD) La Boite Theatre Company Brisbane, 17 April – 2 May National Script Workshop 2014 National Play Festival 2014
may
Samson by Julia-Rose Lewis (NSW/QLD) Belvoir Theatre Sydney, 7 – 31 May National Script Workshop 2014 National Play Festival 2014 The House on the Lake by Aidan Fennessy (Vic) Griffin Theatre Company Sydney, 15 May – 20 June National Script Workshops 2013
jun
jul
aug
sept
oct
A Sri Lankan Tamil Asylum Seeker’s Story as Performed by Australian Actors Under the Guidance of a Sinhalese Director by Dhananjaya Karunarathne (NSW) Merrigong Theatre Company 16 – 26 September National Script Workshop 2013 A Rabbit for Kim-Jong Il by Kit Brookman (NSW) Griffin Theatre Company Sydney, 9 October – 21 November PWA + Griffin Theatre Commission 2012 Mortido by Angela Betzien (NSW) State Theatre Company of South Australia Adelaide, 16 October – 31 October PWA + Belvoir Theatre Commission 2013 National Play Festival 2014
Battle of Waterloo by Kylie Coolwell (NSW) Sydney Theatre Company Sydney, 6 – 27 June Redfern Salon 2012-2013 The Bleeding Tree by Angus Cerini (VIC) Griffin Theatre Company Sydney, 31 July – 5 September National Script Workshop 2014 The Fever and the Fret by Jub Clerc (WA) Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company Perth, 24 August – 12 September Broome Salon 2011 & National Play Festival 2012
nov
Mortido by Angela Betzien (NSW) Belvoir Theatre Sydney, 6 November – 23 December PWA + Belvoir Theatre Commission 2013 National Play Festival 2014
Playwright & Board Member Andrew Bovell; Photo: D. Prichard
share our passion We believe
… outstanding new Australian plays make us see the world afresh. … Australian theatre is a unique fusion of vision and craft equal to anywhere in the world. … in a playwriting culture that reflects the Australia we live in; where a wealth of new stories are produced each year and a diverse range of voices are heard. … Australian playwrights are amongst the world’s brightest visionaries.
We seek unparalleled talent and connect it with opportunity We unearth new voices We commit space, time and support for the expression of ideas, creation and craft. We create a legacy of extraordinary Australian stories. Support Playwriting Australia We can’t do this vital work without your help. Contact our Philanthropy Manager Amelia Morgan-Hunn to find out how your donation can support the future of Australian theatre. 02 8274 0902 I amelia@pwa.org.au Website www.pwa.org.au/info-for-donors
the chain play
Actress Shari Sebbens – National Script Workshops 2014. Photo: E. Amato
One of our most ambitious projects to date – the Chain Play Fundraiser is a celebrity gala crammed full of what Playwriting Australia does best; filling stages with the greatest Australian voices. Up to 20 of Australia’s most exciting and vivacious playwrights will join forces to create the inaugural PWA Chain Play. Each writer creates a scene of a brand new play and passes it on to the next playwright to take forward in their own unique style.
More info Where Sydney Theatre Company Wharf 2 When 19 November, 7pm
The Chain Play will receive a one-off gala performance by the cream of Australia’s actors. It promises to be a raucous night of humour, surprise and imagination. Following the play, guests are invited to a unique celebration with the playwrights and cast.
Buy Tickets $200 (show, party & donation) $65 (show only)
Funds raised from this gala event will go directly to supporting the work of Playwriting Australia.
To “buy” a scene, please contact Amelia: amelia@pwa.org.au | 02 8274 0902
Event Supporters
Website www.pwa.org.au/chain-play
National Play Festival 2014 (Sydney). Photo: S. Godfrey
with thanks
Our essential work with Australian playwrights can only happen with the support of extraordinary people. With grateful thanks to our 2014 donors Andrew Bovell Bruce Meagher Peter Wilson
Joanna Davidson & Julian Leeser Joanna Murray-Smith Deanne Weir
Rhonda McIver Desmond Sweeney
Playwrights Syndicate - Betty Burstall Commission Hilary Bell Jane Bodie Andrew Bovell Tom Holloway Suzie Miller Kate Mulvany Melissa Reeves Rob Reid David Williamson
Patricia Cornelius Joanna Murray-Smith
Erin Thomas Fund Marika Aubrey Tom Ballard Bridget Bantick Kate Bookallil Frances Cook Susan Daly James Doumani Stephanie & Matthew McCann Ryan Tate
James Beach Jackie Hartley Susanna Rowe
Lynne Beach Catherine Hill Augusta Supple
HLA Management
Emma Hogan
Festival Patrons, National Play Festival 2014 Cassandra Kelly Michael Taylor Emma & Angus White
Declan Greene Hannie Rayson
Playwriting Australia is a not-for-profit organisation endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office as a Deductible Gift Recipient. All donations over $2 are fully tax-deductible.
our team Staff
Board
Artistic Director Tim Roseman
Peter Wilson (Chair) Managing Director, Greenhill Australia
General Manager Atul Joshi
Andrew Bovell Playwright
Resident Dramaturg Iain Sinclair
Tom Gutteridge Artistic Director, Union House Theatre
Resident Artist Isaac Drandic
Julian Leeser Director, Government, Policy & Strategy, Australian Catholic University
Associate Producer Alice Poujois-Enari Philanthropy Manager Amelia Morgan-Hunn Diversity Programs Coordinator Teik-Kim Pok Administration Officer Felicity Pickering
Joanna Murray-Smith Playwright Leah Purcell Writer, Director, Actor Desmond Sweeney Lawyer Deanne Weir Media executive & philanthropist, Deputy Chair, Screen Australia
Special thanks to all of the script readers, artists and interns who keep Playwriting Australia moving
our partners Playwriting Australia is recognised as a Key Organisation by the Australia Council for the Arts and receives core funding from the state governments of New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia
We also gratefully acknowledge additional financial support from: Arts Victoria Adelaide City Council Brisbane City Council Copyright Agency Limited Cultural Fund Creative Partnerships Australia The Max Afford Playwrights’ Award Perpetual Trustees and the Estate of the Late James Simpson Love Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Trust Sydney Opera House The WeirAnderson Foundation
key dates 2015 jan New Play Development 26 Jan
mar
Submission closing date
Dramaturgy Internships (Melbourne) 30 Mar Application closing date Lotus - Brisbane 22 Apr Public showing
apr
Indigenous Playwright Retreat 24 Apr Closing date PWA Lab 11 May Application closing date
may
Lotus - Sydney 23 May Public Showing
jun
Lotus - Melbourne 5 Jun Public Showing State Exchange 12 Jun Application closing date
jul
National Play Festival 22-25 July, Adelaide
aug
New Play Development 3 Aug Submission closing date 14 Aug Companies nominations
sept
Directors’ Studio 23 Sept Application closing date
nov dec
The Chain Play 19 Nov Celebrity gala, Sydney State Exchange 14 Dec Application closing date
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