World Interplay 2009 was held in Cairns from 12th - 23rd August. Over these 12 intensive days, young playwrights from around the world met to develop skills, exchange ideas and collaborate with leading international artists. Here is a snapshot of the World Interplay 2009: VENUES World Interplay 2009 was held in Cairns, on the far north coast of Australia. The festival utilisied a number of venues in Cairns : JUTE theatre, JUTE rehearsal room, the LIBRARY, ESPLANADE and RSL. OPENING NIGHT Wednesday 12th August was the Opening Night of World Interplay. The evening included a key-note addresses from Tommy Murphy as well as Indigenous Welcome to Country. Opening night (12 August) began with a Welcome to Country on the Cairns Esplanade followed by a dinner in the Catalina Room of the RSL. Special Guest Tommy Murphy gave a key-note speech reminding playwrights that they are not “all writing the same play” and that the “theatre project” we are all engaged in is never over. The evening was a great start to World Interplay 2009!! BASE GROUPS This was the core working group of the Festival. In each group, six or seven playwrights work with two or three tutors. All playwrights will have their work discussed and developed in a secure and positive way. Base Groups also discuss general issues about writing, theatre, and culture. Base Groups make a short presentation to the rest of the festival participants by reading 10 minutes of each play discussed. ONE-ON-ONE In the first week, each playwright met with a tutor for one hour to discuss the playwright's work. Playwrights should seek out their tutor to agree on when and where to meet. In the second week, playwrights arranged a second One-on-One session with a tutor of their choice. WORKSHOPS These were sessions led by tutors. Workshops held in 2009 included Comic Effects Dialogue Action Creating Character and Scenes from Improvisation Mine the Power of Location in your Writing From Page to Production On All Fours Text and Physical Theatre The Vital Body Non- Dramatic and Post-Dramatic Techniques The Premise How to Give Feedback Writing for Space: Site Specific work and Composition Building a Play from Research INTERNATIONAL FORUMS The forums were chaired discussions for everyone attending World Interplay. Forums held at World Interplay 2009 were TRUST THE TALE NOT THE TELLER WITH TOMMY MURPHY & JOSH HECHT THE BUSINESS OF WRITING WIITH KATHERINE ASH, VICTORIA CARLESS & PAUL KOOPERMAN FILM SCREENINGS/PERFORMANCE This year the program included “Turkish Shadow Theatre: Karagoz presented by Hasan Erkek, and Hair – a physical theatre solo performed by Desislava Mincheva.and presented by Pro Rodopi Art Centre. NEW VOICES NOW Each Base Group interviewed a local Cairns resident, and then during the second week of the Festival created a ten-minute theatre piece inspired by that person's life. Locals interviewed for the New Voices Now project were Mayor Val Schier, Diane Cilento, Leigh Boswell, Warren Clements, Kier Shorey & Jodie Brownlee. These pieces were presented to a Cairns public audience in the Kokoda Room as part of Festival Cairns on the afternoon of Saturday 22nd August. Closing Night Culture Jam and Party World Interplay 2009 closed with a bang at the Cairns RSL on Saturday 22nd August. We were all old friends by now; the food was exceptional, and the evening concluded with a World Interplay Culture Jam Cabaret where Delegates and Tutors staged short acts. OTHER ACTIVITIES On Tuesday 18th all delegates enjoyed an Aussie BBQ on the esplanade hosted by Cairns’ The Young Company.