The Australian Writers’ Guild congratulates writers shortlisted for the 2024 Shane & Cathryn Brennan Prize for Playwriting
Seven playwrights and their unproduced plays have been shortlisted for the prestigious Shane & Cathryn Brennan Prize. The prize was developed to discover and celebrate the best new scripts among Australian playwrights. The shortlisted scripts were narrowed down over several careful and considered rounds of judging across two categories: Stage and Theatre for Young Audiences.
The shortlisted projects will soon be available for producers to explore on AWG’s prestigious Pathways for Playwrights page, where they join a curated collection of projects by Australia’s top playwrights. The AWG staff and judging panels wish to thank all writers who entered these awards. It is a pleasure and a privilege to read your work.
The winning writers in each category will be announced by Olivier Award-winning playwright Suzie Miller with prize founder Shane Brennan at a special online event next Wednesday October 2. Register for the live event here. All are welcome.
THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES CATEGORY
(alphabetical by surname)
The Incomplete Works of Willow Baker by Brendan Hogan
In a dying outback town, an irrepressible ten-year-old girl goes on an unbridled creative bender of artistic expression to make sense of her role in her father’s death.
Hit Delete by Donna Hughes
Three high school students find themselves trapped in a mobile phone’s recycle bin. As they navigate the digital debris, they must figure out who deleted them before an impending software update deletes them forever.
The Flood by Dylan Van Den Berg
Australia, but not the Australia we know. Water has dried up and sand has engulfed everything. Life exists in a few small towns and the survivors cling onto a fading hope for their redemption: The Flood, a promised rejuvenation of their world.
LuNa by Keziah Warner
LuNa follows the lives of twin sisters Cali and Nira, the world’s first genetically edited humans, depicting a moment from each decade of their lives as they grapple with what it means to be different and humanity’s quest for perfection.
STAGE CATEGORY
(alphabetical by surname)
The Bees by Kit Brookman
A small mammal faces extinction. A dinner party goes awry. Speeches are made in parliament. Someone gets a job. War breaks out. There are rumours of a dragon. Neighbours move in. A child sees something strange. War breaks out again. Thanks are made for relatively good fortune. A democratic decision is reached. Someone sings a song. No one can remember if they saw it all coming. A dark comedy in three parts.
Aurochs by Kathryn Marquet
The way we treat animals and the way we treat each other are inextricably linked: our fates are tied together.
The Future is History by Steve Rodgers
A mother risks everything she has to ensure her daughter has a better life.
Nightcaps by Keziah Warner
When redundant lecturer Alan’s favourite birds suddenly drop dead, his grief-stricken search for answers suggests a suspicious government plot and Alan falls straight down the rabbit hole into the murky world of conspiracy theories.
