New Australian theatre commission a step closer

15 February, 2016

The Ensemble Theatre New Writing Commission 2016, an initiative supported by the Australian Writers’ Guild and one of Australia’s greatest playwrights, David Williamson is a step closer to fruition with the announcement of the competition’s shortlist.Ensemble’s Artistic Director Mark Kilmurry said the quality of the entries made shortlisting a very hard task for the judges.“The outlines of ideas, structure and next stage development were wonderfully detailed, making it a very hard task. We were like the 12 angry men - but not angry and not all men – narrowing down the short list. The panel felt each and every one of these plays deserves a production sometime in the near future and the enthusiasm for each writer’s work is a testimony to the talent on display.”The Shortlist comprises: Kit Brookman, The Plant; Christopher Harley, Losing Things; Suzie Miller, Assumed Bliss; Sam O'Sullivan, The Three Stages of a Pilgrimage; and Nick Parsons, Qalbun Saleem.The five talented playwrights will be given entry into the AWG’s Pathways Program, a professional development scheme that links talent with opportunity, helping to forge relationships between writers, producers and theatre companies.The winning playwright will receive a commission to write a play for Ensemble Theatre’s 2017 season. The commission includes Williamson’s gift of the prize money he received from winning the NSW Premier’s Special Award in early 2015.Williamson says words on a page alone don’t help playwrights, but having their plays performed does, so he is happy to gift his Premier’s prize to encourage a commission and performance of a new work: “So I was delighted when the Ensemble Theatre and The Australian Writers’ Guild accepted the challenge and Ensemble Theatre’s new writing Commission was born.“The winning commission will be announced on 4 March.The competition’s Long List included Chris Aronsten, Vanessa Bates, Mary Rachel Brown, Sunara Fernando, Michele Lee, Sally McKenzie, Katie Pollock, Virginia Proud, John Shand, Karen Sierp and Roger Simpson.