Opportunities for Playwrights

Updated 8/4/08

Playwrights: If you have registered a script with the Script Centre in the last twelve months or so you may be wondering what is happening to Collection #7 - and whether your play has been selected for publication on the accompanying CD. If you haven't heard from us yet, don't be disheartened!

One hundred and thirty-nine scripts were submitted for consideration, and our national readers' group of directors and dramaturgs has been hard at work since before Christmas reading and assessing them. This process takes a long time as each script must be read by at least two readers - and sometimes three if the first two don't agree.

A number of plays have already been short-listed. If your script is on the shortlist, we will email you over the next few weeks to ask for backup material, photos etc. The final list of plays, selected from the shortlist, will be emailed to you all as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please email info@ozscript.org.


Congratulations to...

The short-listed playwrights for the 2008–2009 Queensland Premier’s Drama Award. The three finalists, who will receive dramaturgical assistance over the coming months are: Richard Jordan for 25 Down, Katherine Lyall-Watson for Ned’s Story and Sven Swenson for Dangerfield Park. The winning play will be judged following public readings of all finalist plays in August 2008. For more information visit http://www.qldtheatreco.com.au.

Australian plays currently on stage now!
Sydney Theatre Company – The Serpent’s Teeth  by Daniel Keene
Melbourne Theatre Company – Holding the Man by Tommy Murphy
JUTE – Tracy by Sarah Cathcart & Nicola Fearn
Glen Street Theatre – Strangers in Between by Tommy Murphy
State Theatre Company SA  – The Female of the Species by Joanna Murray Smith
Mudlark Theatre - The Flowering by Donna Cameron
Griffin Theatre Company – The Kid by Michael Gow
Jigsaw Theatre Company – Too Hot to Handle by Peter J Casey
The Theatre Royal – The Wharf Review – Beware of the Dogma by Jonathan Biggins, Drew Forsythe & Phillip Scott
La Mama – Dimboola by Jack Hibberd; Haneef: The Interrogation by Graham Pitts; Death In White Linen by Michael Dalley
Help us to promote Australian works. If you have written or produced an Australian play that will be in production early 2008 please email admin@ozscript.org

AWARDS, COMPETITIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES

PlayWriting Australia National Script Workshop 2008
The Studio Programme of the National Script Workshop is offering emerging, developing or established playwrights a unique opportunity to develop their writing over an intensive 2-week period of collaboration in a residential studio environment. Playwrights work with directors, dramaturgs and an ensemble of actors to develop unproduced scripts in early draft form.
 
The focus of the Workshop is specifically on exploration and experimentation. It is not intended that writers will produce a performance-ready script by the end of the two weeks. The Workshop is exclusively for creative dialogue between artists and does not conclude with public readings. The working process comprises time spent in conference with directors and dramaturgs, rehearsal time with actors, and writing time.
 
Up to eight works will be selected. The selection process will concentrate on finding new work that demonstrates clear commitment to an idea with the potential for further exploration of that idea in an intensive studio environment. Playwrights may apply individually, as co-writers or as part of a creative team.
 
The workshop runs from 30 June – 11 July, 2008. Applicants must be available to travel to Canberra a minimum of one day either side of these dates. Applications must be physically received at PlayWriting Australia by 5pm on Monday 14 April, 2008.

$25,000 Kit Denton Fellowship 2008: Call for Applications - National
Applications are now open for the annual $25,000 Kit Denton Fellowship, presented by the Australian Writers’ Foundation (AWF) with the generous support of Zapruders’ Other Films. The Kit Denton Fellowship, named in honour of the late father of media personality Andrew Denton, is to reward courage and excellence in performance writing and allows a writer to develop a project to be ready to present to market. A writer can demonstrate courage in their choice of project; their work; or the circumstances of their writing.

The inaugural Kit Denton Fellowship was awarded last year to renowned screenwriter Ian David, best known for his ground-breaking reality-based dramas Police State and Police Crop, which won AFI Awards in 1989 and 1990, and the AWGIE Award winning Joh’s Jury (1992).

The Kit Denton Fellowship demonstrates the continued commitment of the AWF to increasing opportunities for satisfying and rewarding work for Australian performance writers and to encouraging and promoting the excellence of Australian performance writers.

Applications for the Fellowship close 9 May 2008 with the Fellow to be announced at the 41st Annual AWGIE Awards in Melbourne on 15 August 2008. For details on how to apply go to http://www.awg.com.au/

Max Afford Playwrights’ Award - National
The Max Afford Playwrights’ Award was established to promote interest in Australian drama and to encourage the writing of plays in Australia, to help and give incentive to young writers of plays for stage, TV or films. The 2008 Award includes a $7500 cash prize. Entries close 4 July 2008. Website: http://www.trust.com.au/philanthropy/awards/max_afford/

Melbourne Writers’ Theatre Short Play Competition – VIC
MelBorn 08 is the 7th annual short play competition held by the respected Melbourne Writers' Theatre and will feature 10 brilliant new plays from 10 amazing writers matched with 10 experienced directors and 10 talented actors. The competition will take place in conjunction with the Melbourne Fringe Festival from 24 September – 11 October, 2008 at the Carlton Courthouse Theatre, Melbourne, Australia.

Playwrights are invited to submit plays (10 minutes or less) to the short play competition. Submissions are welcome from national and international playwrights. Download entry forms from http://www.melbwriters.org.au. For more information email email@melbwriters.org.au or go to  http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9086592665 or http://www.myspace.com/melborn08

The 2009 ACT Arts Fund is open for Applications - ACT
Applications are invited from all artists, groups and organisations for projects and programs of activity in any art-form that support, promote, present, develop or provide access to high-quality arts in the ACT in 2009. The funding categories are Key Arts Organisation Funding, Program Funding (a new category), Project Funding, Community Arts Funding, the 2008 ACT Book of the Year Award, the 2008 ACT Poetry Prize, and the 2009 ACT Creative Arts Fellowships.

Applications for Program Funding, Project Funding, Community Arts Funding, ACT Creative Arts Fellowships, ACT Book of the Year Award, and the ACT Poetry Prize will close 5:00pm, Tuesday 20 May 2008. Applications for Key Arts Organisation Funding will close on 5:00pm, Friday 13 June 2008. Applicants to the Key Arts Organisation Funding and the Program Funding categories must meet with artsACT prior to lodging an application.  For more information including this year's Information Booklet and application forms, visit http://www.arts.act.gov.au. If you would like a copy of the Information Booklet mailed to you, please phone (02) 6207 2384.

HotHouse Theatre presents A Month In the Country - National
Funded through AlburyCity, Arts NSW, Arts Victoria, the Australia Council, Perpetual and the Myer Foundation and operated by HotHouse Theatre, A Month in the Country is a national arts resource to facilitate the creation of new Australian performing arts work. The initiative involves an on-going residential program that brings creative teams of writers, actors, directors, designers and other performing artists from across the country to Albury Wodonga during the creative development stage of a myriad of different projects. Groups of artists from around the country will be supported to live and work in a large farmhouse and adjacent studio just outside Albury for periods of one to five weeks. The use of the farmhouse and studio is free and financial support for transport and living allowances is available. HotHouse Theatre welcomes projects which will benefit from an intense period of creative development in this quintessential rural Australian setting. Annual closing 15th August 2008. For more information contact HotHouse Theatre on info@hothousetheatre.com.au or phone: 02 6021 7433

Shorter+Sweeter For Kids - National
Short and Sweet are creating a show that will consist of 10-minute-or-less plays for children for 4-8 year olds, and one aimed at 8-12 year olds. The idea is to create new contemporary stories for a younger audience, not just a retelling of traditional tales.
For more information email kidsplays@shortandsweet.org Submissions close 16th of June, 2008.

AWG Advisory Warning!
The following ad has appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Sun Herald online
http://mycareer.com.au/jobs/sydney/media-advertising-arts-entertainment...

The AWG strongly recommends that you DO NOT submit your work to this company or to other similar companies promising to promote your work. This company cannot currently be verified and scant information is available to substantiate its capacity to deliver on the promises made. If you have any questions contact Alastair McKinnon in the national office on 02 9281 1554 or industrial@awg.com.au

LongLines and Varuna Residency Program
LongLines is a partnership between State and Tertiary Writers Centres and Varuna. Through the LongLines program, Varuna is able to offer 33 professional development places to writers living outside the metropolitan areas of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. 23 of these places are residential and give writers the marvellous opportunity of working in an environment wholly dedicated to writers and writing. For those unable to travel to Varuna there are 10 non-residential places available. Deadline for applications for the LongLines Program is April 30 2008. For more details of the program and other Varuna residencies please refer to http://www.varuna.com.au/longlinesprogram.html

Open Call For Submissions – Perishable Theatre’s 14th International Women’s Playwriting Festival
PROVIDENCE, RI. Perishable Theatre, Rhode Island's Research and Development Theatre, is looking for innovative, unproduced one-act plays by women for its 14th International Women's Playwriting Festival. Three plays will be selected to be performed by a professional cast and crew as part of the 2008 festival in Providence, RI. Each of the three winning playwrights will receive a $500 cash prize, round-trip travel to Providence and accommodation in order to participate in the development of their work and the festival. They will also receive copies of the 14th International Women's Playwriting Festival published anthology, which will feature the winning plays.

Perishable Theatre founded the International Women's Playwriting Festival in 1992 with the mission to spotlight and produce emerging female playwrights and to encourage their unique artistic voices. Each year three plays are selected out of hundred of entries received from around the globe. Among our past winners are Pulitzer-prize finalists, Susan Smith Blackburn award-winners, Hollywood screenwriters and internationally recognized talent. Winners of the Perishable Theatre's Women's Playwriting Festival are having their work performed everywhere from Broadway to the Actors’ Theatre of Louisville Humana Festival for New American Plays. The festival has grown to include opening acts by local performers, an art exhibit at a local gallery that runs in conjunction with the festival and a humanities component which includes post-performance talk-backs. For more information on online submissions, past winners and detailed submission guidelines, visit: http://www.perishable.org

Playwriting Australia’s State Exchange - National
Through their state exchange programme, PlayWriting Australia supports artists working across state and territory boundaries by contributing to travel and accommodation expenses.

Whether for a Tasmanian playwright who has found the perfect dramaturg in Cairns, or for an independent theatre company in Fremantle who wants to create a piece of verbatim theatre with an expert Sydney playwright, a state exchange grant can help make it happen.

Applications are invited twice during the year for activity to take place within the following session. Proposed activities must support the further development of a new Australian theatre work and must include one member of the creative team with at least one professional production credit. State exchange grants are available to a maximum of $2,000 for support of travel and accommodation costs only. For more info contact Playwriting Australia on info@pwa.org.au

ATYP’S Fresh Ink
atyp’s ongoing program to encourage and develop the skills of young playwrights across Australia. Want to write a play but not sure where to start? Maybe you’ve managed to get started but you need a little help along the way.  Read about some of the common mistakes made by writers. And explore our playwrights’ Twenty Top Tips to help you on your way.  Read Playwrights’ Pathways to show you that, just as there are many different styles of play, there are many different ways to become a playwright.  To find out more go to http://www.freshink.com.au/ 

Inscription Awards - National
With a total prize value of $200,000 - including a trip to Los Angeles and the chance to work with a stellar cast of leading international script developers, writers and actors - the third biennial Inscription Awards are the biggest yet. The competition continues to grow, with bigger cash prizes and more awards on offer this year. The seven prize categories include Film, Television, Theatre, Regional, Grey Matter, Youth and Indigenous. The winner of each award category will receive a prize package worth $25,000, including $5,000 cash, $15,000 worth of intensive script development with leading international talent, and $5000 in production support.

Please email marcus@inscription.com.au for an application form or phone Marcus West on 02 9386 5993. Deadline for submissions is 31 October, 2008

Are you a playwright with your own website or blog? If you have at least one play registered with us, the Script Centre will put a link from your biography to your own personal web page. Ask for more information or just send the link to info@ozscript.org

OZMADE Musicals – Musical Theatre Writer Submissions - National
OzMade Musicals, an initiative of Magnormous, is the premiere national celebration of Australian-written musical theatre. Held annually since 2003, OzMade Musicals shines a spotlight on Australian musical theatre writing and gives encouragement and exposure to new work.
 
Submissions are currently being accepted nationally for the On the Drawing Board component of OzMade Musicals 2008. On The Drawing Board is an initiative to support new work, providing writer/s with one week of workshopping and development resources preceding a gala concert where the results of the week are performed as a scene/song vignette. The writer/s will be provided with written feedback and a DVD recording of the performance. For more information on OzMade Musicals submissions, including a video highlights package of OzMade Musicals 2007 please visit  http://www.australianmusicals.com/ Submissions are open nationally until 2 May.

Australia’s Richest Radio Play Writing Competition challenges writers around Australia to write a 30-minute radio play about contemporary issues that effect and impact upon our lives. Prize money of $6000 will be awarded to the top 4 scripts. More information is available at http://www.murilla.qld.gov.au/?tid=1287&lid=10524&sid=8408 > Applications close 30 June 2008

REMINDER TO ALL ASC REGISTERED PLAYWRIGHTS: If you have written a new draft of a play since registering it with the Australian Script Centre please send the new version in a word doc format to our script manager at info@ozscript.org

Workshops and Seminars

Michael Hauge Story Mastery Seminar Tour – SYDNEY, BRISBANE, MELBOURNE.
Michael Hauge is a world leading story consultant, lecturer and expert advisor on writing and story structure who is coming to Australia for the first time this May to teach his famed Story Mastery Seminar and the Art of Pitching over one full day in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.  

Michael Hauge has spent the past 20 years working with the very best screenwriters, novelists, directors, producers, editors and development executives on their various film and literary projects.  He is on the Board of Directors of The American Screenwriters Association and the Advisory Board for Scriptwriter Magazine in London. He consults on projects for Warner Bros., Paramount, Disney, Columbia, New Line, Joel Silver Prods, CBS and Lifetime as well as working personally on scripts with actors such as Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Lopez, Val Kilmer, Kirsten Dunst, Robert Downey, Jr. and Julia Roberts (to name a few).

More than 35,000 participants throughout the US, Canada and Europe have attended his writing seminars worldwide. During this special, one-day seminar, Michael Hauge will present his unique approach to creating and marketing successful screenplays. Using clips from recent successful films, as well as hands-on exercises and direct feedback to participants, Hauge will reveal his proven methods for eliciting emotion in your readers through story concept, plot structure, character development and theme. He will then reveal his proven method for getting the people in power to read your manuscript or screenplay. Selected participants will also get direct feedback on their story concepts and pitches.

For bookings and further information go to http://www.epiphany.com.au or call 02 9572 7222.

Sydney: Saturday May 17 The Chauvel Cinema, Paddington Brisbane: Friday May 23 Dendy Portside, Hamilton Melbourne: Saturday May 24 The Palace George Cinema, St Kilda Cost: $150 for AWG members/ $195 non-members

Copyright Council 2008 Training Program -
The Copyright Council has released their 2008 Training Program. For information on the many informative sessions available go to http://www.copyright.org.au/training2008>. For the calendar of sessions go to http://www.copyright.org.au/calendar2008

Draft Busters 08 - NSW
Want to kick start or re-boot your writing project and stay motivated enough to finish the damn thing? Why not join us this April for Draft Busters, a monthly weekend workshop for script writers, memoir writers, novelists, non fiction writers, scribblers and doodlers in all genres, who want to seriously progress with their long term writing project.
 
It will provide valuable feedback and support for your work and your writing process, while instructing you in the essential elements of writing craft. See details below and contact Jan for bookings and more info whwn@jancornall.com or call 0415 921 303. When: 10am-4pm 5-6 April and 17-18 May Cost: $295 per weekend

In Conversation with Kate Cherry - WA
An opportunity for playwrights and other theatre practitioners to hear from Kate Cherry, the new Artistic Director of Black Swan Theatre Company. This wide ranging discussion and Q&A will explore Kate’s interests and influences, approaches to creating stories for theatre and her plans for Black Swan. Hosted by AWG State Committee member Kate Rice. When: 7.30pm to 9.30pm Wednesday 16 April 2008 Where: AWG, 196 Oxford St Leederville, WA Cost: AWG and Stages members free (Others $10 pay at door). Limited places Bookings:  Please email Alan Payne at wa@awg.com.au In the subject heading of your email, write “[your surname] Kate Cherry”. Inquiries Alan Payne 08 9201 1172

NOTE: The Australian Script Centre has received the above notices and reprints them in good faith but cannot guarantee the accuracy of information contained within.

Got an opportunity you'd like included? Please email details to admin@ozscript.org