$10,000 commission available to an under-35, NSW-based playwright
Applications close Friday July 31, 2009
Company B is inviting young playwrights based in NSW, who have had a work produced in the last year, to enter the 2009 Philip Parsons Young Playwright’s Award. The winner receives a rare opportunity – a $10,000 new play commission with the support of Company B throughout the development process.
The Philip Parsons Young Playwright’s Award and Memorial Lecture commemorate the life’s work of Philip Parsons AM (1926-1993). The Award is presented each year to a playwright under the age of 35, whose work demonstrates an original and compelling theatrical voice.
The 2008 Award-winner was Khoa Do. Previous winners include Tommy Murphy, Patrick Brammall and John Leary, Brendan Cowell, Kate Mulvany and Jonathan Gavin. Brendan Cowell’s Philip Parsons Award-winning commission, Ruben Guthrie, saw a sold out B Sharp season in the Downstairs Theatre in 2008, and is closing its sold out Upstairs season this Sunday. Kate Mulvany’s 2004 Philip Parsons commission, The Seed, has recently finished a successful tour of Australia, after acclaimed B Sharp and Upstairs seasons.
Over the past five years the Philip Parsons Young Playwright’s Award has become a significant powerhouse of new Australian writing and has proven to be a stand out model for supporting and developing young writers.
Dr Parsons was an influential teacher and mentor to many of the students, scholars, actors, directors and playwrights who created the new wave of theatre and drama in the 1970s. Both the Award and Lecture, held annually in October, are part of Company B’s artist development program.
To be eligible, writers must be under 35 years of age, based in NSW, and have had a play produced between 1 June 2008 and 31 May 2009 in Australia or internationally.
Submitted plays will be assessed by the Award panel and shortlisted writers chosen on the strength of these works. Shortlisted writers will be asked to submit a 1-2 page treatment for a proposed new work.
To download full guidelines and the application form email
