NATIONAL PLAY FESTIVAL 2008 - CALL FOR ENTRIES Brisbane, 10 - 23 February PlayWriting Australia is calling for entries for the inaugural National Play Festival to be held in Brisbane in February 2008 and we're sure that your colleagues, members and mailing list subscribers will want to know about this amazing opportunity to see their work supported on the national stage. The National Play Festival is part of a major strategy to develop and promote new Australian performance writing to a national audience. The 2008 Festival includes a selective performance programme offering up to eight playwrights the opportunity to develop and promote their work. Together with an ensemble of actors and some of our finest theatre directors and dramaturgs, the writers of the selected plays will intensively rehearse their work over two weeks, culminating in a showcase staged reading presentation. The performance programme is designed as an industry market for producers and presenters. Key performing arts personnel from across Australia will be invited to attend the Festival to preview the eight selected works during the final four days of the performance programme. The selection process will concentrate on finding new works that demonstrate vigorous engagement with an idea, a sound understanding of the medium and an exciting product for the consideration of producers and presenters. Submissions are invited from individual playwrights or teams (including writers, directors and/or dramaturgs). Proposals are also welcome from theatre companies. Full details and instructions on the submissions process can be found by visiting the website at pwa.org.au, or can be requested by email to festival@pwa.org.au or phone on (02) 8571 9177. THE PHILIP PARSONS MEMORIAL LECTURE 2007 - FILLING THEATRES HONOURABLY A talk by Artistic Director of the Sydney Festival Fergus Linehan, and the announcement of the 2007 recipient of The Philip Parsons Young Playwright’s Award. Belvoir St Upstairs Theatre Sunday 21 October at 2pm Tickets: $15 Bookings: 9699 3444 or www.belvoir.com.au The English Director Peter Brook once posited the theory that theatres must be full but they must be full honourably. “It’s easy to fill a theatre dishonorably but even easier to empty it honourably”. How small an audience is too small? How broad too broad? What the hell is a new audience anyway? Why is our opinion of older audiences bordering on contempt? Have we struck up ‘synergies’ with our ‘stakeholders’? Should connoisseurship be subsidised? How much is a cheap ticket? Star-fucking or good casting? Are we ‘delivering’ social ‘outcomes’? Oh, and is the show any good? Fergus Linehan charts a course though the often surreal world of programming Festivals and trying to fill theatres honourably (most of the time...) The winner of The Philip Parsons Young Playwright’s Award 2007 will be announced after the lecture. An outstanding writer under 35 years of age will receive a Company B writer’s commission for its B Sharp Downstairs Theatre season. VICTORIAN PREMIER'S LITERARY AWARDS - THE LOUIS ESSON PRIZE FOR DRAMA The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards were inaugurated by the Victorian Government in 1985 to mark the centenary of the births of Vance and Nettie Palmer and to honour literary achievement by Australian writers. The awards are administered by the State Library of Victoria on behalf of the Premier of Victoria. They are designed to promote Victorian leadership by honouring Australian literature, ideas, innovation and learning. Nominations are currently being sought for 11 awards, including the Louis Esson Prize for Drama. The prize ($15,000) is offered for scripts written for theatre or radio. Theatre scripts must be produced in Australia by a professional theatre company for audience during the period of 1 May 2006 to 30 April 2007. For guidelines, nomination forms and enquiries, please contact the Awards Coordinator by email pla@slv.vic.gov.au or phone (03) 8664 7277. Further information about the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards is available on the State Library website: www.slv.vic.gov.au/pla THE QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT THROUGH QUEENSLAND THEATRE COMPANY, IS SEEKING ENTRIES FOR THE 2008-2009 QUEENSLAND PREMIER'S DRAMA AWARD - THEATRE & PUBLIC LIFE The Queensland Premier’s Drama Award was established by the Premier of Queensland, the Honourable Peter Beattie MP, in 2001 to support Queensland writers and promote the development of creative work that encourages discussion about the State’s social, economic and political life. It has a strong focus on the professional and creative development of Queensland playwrights. Eligible playwrights must be Australian citizens or legal permanent residents of Australia, and be normally resident in Queensland or demonstrate strong connections to Queensland. The Award is unique as it guarantees a professional, fully staged production of the winning play by Queensland Theatre Company, making it one of the most valuable awards in the country. Three finalists are selected for further development. Queensland Theatre Company provides comprehensive workshops for each playwright with leading industry professionals and encourages the development of future drafts of the short-listed plays prior to final judging. The development process culminates in public readings of the selected plays. From the short-list of three plays, a panel of judges selects one winner. The creative development process continues through to the production of the winning play as part of Queensland Theatre Company’s main-stage season in 2009. To enter the Award complete the entry form available online at www.qldtheatreco.com.au or for further information call Queensland Theatre Company’s Artistic Development Coordinator on (07) 3010 7607 or email mconaghan@qldtheatreco.com.au Entries close on Wednesday 31 October 2007. EMERGE PROJECT If you are interested in development programs and possible productions for your scripts at the Judith Wright Centre, Brisbane, then contact Errol Bray. The Emerge Project is currently looking for plays of all lengths from 10 minutes up! Please contact Errol on email: e.bray@qut.edu.au phone: (07) 3864 8583 mob: 0428 199 268