The Patrick White Playwrights’ Awards will be taking place tomorrow night at The Wharf. The winner will receive $7,500 and the opportunity to work with a director and actors, as well as have a rehearsed reading of their play at the event.
This year 106 entries were received, and from those 106 the following five plays were shortlisted. The nominees include:
- Briony by Ben Chapple
- Extinction of the Learned Response by Emme Hoy
- The River of Grace by Vernon Pua
- Hot Tub by Lewis Treston
- Sundown by Sean Wilson
The Patrick White Playwrights’ Award is for an original, unproduced play. The scripts are submitted anonymously with the aim of acknowledging a playwright whose play is ambitious, skilful in application of craft and reveals great potential for a stage production. This years judges are Kip Williams (Sydney Theatre Company Artistic Director), Tommy Murphy (playwright and current Patrick White Playwrights’ Fellow), Sarah Giles (director) and Shari Sebbens (actor).
The Patrick White Playwrights’ Fellowship will also be announced on the night. Now in its fourth year, the Fellowship is a position for an established Australian playwright whose work has been produced professionally in Australia within the last four years. The winner will receive $12,500 and a commission from Sydney Theatre Company, which they will develop during the yearlong fellowship (26 May 2017 through to 25 May 2018).
The Award and Fellowship are initiatives of Sydney Theatre Company and exist to foster development of Australian playwrights while honouring Patrick White’s contribution to Australian theatre.
Limited tickets for the event, which is part of the Sydney Writers Festival, are available from the STC box office: Tickets are just $5 – head here for more details.
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