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| Playwriting Australia | |
|---|---|
| Name | Playwriting Australia |
| Formation | 1973 |
| Type | Non-profit arts organisation |
| Location | Australia |
| Focus | Playwriting development, playwright support |
Playwriting Australia Playwriting Australia is a national organisation dedicated to developing playwrights and new Australian plays. Founded during a period of cultural institution-building, the organisation has worked alongside state theatres, arts councils, academic departments, and independent companies to foster careers and catalyse productions. Its programs have intersected with major festivals, national awards, and international residencies to place Australian drama on domestic and global stages.
Playwriting Australia emerged amid the expansion of cultural institutions in the 1970s, influenced by networks such as the Australia Council for the Arts, state theatre companies including the Melbourne Theatre Company, Sydney Theatre Company, Queensland Theatre, Griffin Theatre Company, and venues like the Belvoir St Theatre. Early collaborations linked the organisation to playwrights associated with NIDA, Victorian College of the Arts, and the burgeoning community theatre movement in cities such as Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, and Brisbane. During the 1980s and 1990s it partnered with funding bodies like the Australia Council and trusts including the Ian Potter Foundation and the Myer Foundation to scale mentoring and commission schemes. The 2000s saw links with festivals such as the Melbourne International Arts Festival, the Adelaide Festival, and the Malthouse Theatre program, while international exchange projects connected Australian writers with institutions like the Royal Court Theatre, the Donmar Warehouse, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, La Mama Theatre, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The organisation’s mission focuses on the professional development of playwrights, public presentation of new work, and advocacy within cultural policy frameworks shaped by entities like the Australia Council for the Arts, state arts ministries, and parliamentary inquiries into cultural funding. Activities encompass script assessment panels drawing members from companies such as Belvoir, Company B, Playbox Theatre Company, and Sydney Theatre Company; national workshops hosted with tertiary providers like UNSW, Monash University, The University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, and Griffith University; and mentorship pairings with artistic directors from La Boite Theatre Company, Black Swan State Theatre Company, and St Luke's Theatre. Advocacy work has interfaced with unions and associations including the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance and peak bodies like the Australian Writers' Guild.
Programs have included commissioning schemes similar to those of the Kennedy Center exchange programs, dramaturgy residencies modelled on the Royal Court’s}}\ initiatives, and prize sponsorships akin to the Vogel Literary Award and the Patrick White Playwrights' Award. Grants have been underwritten by philanthropic partners like the Australia Council, Sidney Myer Fund, and corporate sponsors such as foundations linked to the Macquarie Group and ANZ. Project-based funding supported playwrights to attend international labs including those at the Sundance Institute, Atlantic Theater Company, Berkshire Theatre Festival, and the New Dramatists program. Regional development schemes coordinated with local councils in Geelong, Newcastle, Wollongong, and Darwin.
The organisation produced playtext series showcased alongside publishers such as Currency Press, Playlab Press, and Penguin Random House Australia, and curated online resources with archives similar to collections held by the National Library of Australia, the State Library of Victoria, and the National Film and Sound Archive. It issued program guides and editorial essays featuring contributors from institutions like ABC Radio National, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age (Melbourne), and critic circles tied to Limelight (magazine). Educational materials have been used in curricula at conservatories including NIDA, Victorian College of the Arts, and university drama departments at University of Queensland and Deakin University.
Playwriting Australia forged collaborations with festivals such as Brisbane Festival, Perth Festival, and the Sydney Festival, and with companies including Malthouse Theatre, Belvoir, Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, Griffin Theatre Company, La Boite, and Black Swan. International partnerships linked it to institutions like the Royal Court Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Teatro Nacional Dona Maria II, and the Japan Foundation. Collaborations extended to media organisations like ABC, commercial producers, and broadcasters such as SBS to adapt plays for radio and screen, and to cultural diplomacy programs run by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The organisation’s alumni and commissioned works have been staged at major venues including Sydney Opera House, Arts Centre Melbourne, State Theatre Centre of Western Australia, and international stages such as Royal Court Theatre and festivals like the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Playwrights associated with its programs have received awards including the Helpmann Awards, Green Room Awards, Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, NSW Premier's Literary Awards, and internationally recognized prizes like the Pulitzer Prize (through co-productions) and residencies at institutions such as the MacDowell Colony and Yaddo. Its archival collections and recorded interviews have been acquired by the National Library of Australia and cited in academic research produced at universities including La Trobe University, University of Sydney, and Monash University.
Category:Theatre in Australia