Adam New Zealand Play Award Shortlist

Thanks very much for all playwrights entries. Out of 70 entries we are pleased to announce a short list of a dozen.

Denis Edwards                      
Jack's Big Big Day

Ella West
The Middlemarch Singles Ball

Fiona Samuel                           
Ghost Train and The Liar's Bible

Greg McGee                           
Me & Robert McKee

Hannah McKie
The Avon Lady

Justin Eade                           
Home Invasion

Lorae Parry & Pinky Agnew
Sex Drive

Mike Hudson                           
A Thousand Hills

Paul Baker                           
Unfinished Business

Stuart Hoar                           
Pasefika

Thomas Sainsbury                  
The Canary

Whiti Hereaka                           
Te Kaupoi      

It's great to see that while there are some well known names here, three had previously received Playmarket Script Assessments. The shortlist is now being assessed by Playmarket staff and four independent judges.


New Clients

We're very pleased to welcome to the Playmarket agency a number of excellent writers: Ellie Smith, Louise Tu'u, Gavin McGibbon and Eli Kent. And as associates representing specific works, going into professional production Grant Buist, Neil Troost and Caroline Lark. Please check our website for biographies and works for these writers as they become available.

2009

We're also pleased to be able to announce that 2009 was a record year both for the number of licenses issued for New Zealand plays and for royalties collected on playwrights' behalf. As well as the success of Roger Hall's Four Flat Whites in Italy, box office was strong for New Zealand work of all kinds - something we hope our theatre naturally will build on. It was a busy year for Playmarket . We circulated 670 Scripts, licensed plays for 76 professional productions, 62 amateur productions and 94 school and tertiary productions. We received 199 new New Zealand plays, 63 of them by Playmarket clients.


The 2010 NZ Play Series

Now available from our online bookshop in the New Zealand Play Series, featuring two classic New Zealand works in one book are David Geary's country duo Pack of Girls and The Learner's Stand, Sarah Delahunty's youth and adult theatre hits 2b or nt 2b and Eating the Wolf, and Dave Armstrong's classic The Tutor and Niu Sila (with Oscar Kightley). These will be on sale in November.

Playmarket News Content Here

Our Spring issue is out now and available to all members. Membership ($30 for playwrights, $40 for others) entitles you to discounted theatre tickets and at our bookshop, parties and provides important support to the organisation. To join up or purchase a copy, info@playmarket.org.nz.

In this issue our cover star and playwright interview is with Lynda Chanwai-Earle, in conversation with fellow writer Philip Braithwaite and arts journalist Natasha Hay looks at what we're writing about and why - talking to a range of our most vital playwrights. James Hadley reports on our work from a London perspective. Plus we have an extract from Richard Huber's exquisite play Glorious. Click here for Mark Amery's editorial on closer relationships between playwrights and producers and here for the interview with Lynda Chanwai Earle.  

Podcasting

In order to keep you informed and inspired, podcasting allows to you to listen or re-listen to conversations from all Playmarkets events on the web or on your Ipod. Available online now are recordings from the recent NEW WRITING NEW PRODUCING forum in March 2009. Featuring short addresses by Dave Armstrong, Tim Bray, Gary Henderson and Vela Manusaute. Listen here: More will be added over time and automatically updated to your computer if you are able to subscribe.


Writing from History 

We publish exclusive to the Playmarket website a lecture by playwright Michelanne Forster on the dilemmas of writing from historical fact: 'Raiding the past to write in the present'. From the classic Daughters of Heaven to her last work My Heart is Bathed in Blood (pictured is Mel Dodge in the premiere production) Forster provides valuable insight into dealing with the ghosts of history.