Storytellers shine in record breaking year

121 entries to the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award for 2014-15 have been whittled down to just three, with two Brisbane-based playwrights and a Brisbane-born playwright announced as finalists.

Premier Campbell Newman today revealed that Daniel Evans and Megan Shorey for Oedipus Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and One In Seven respectively, would compete with London-based playwright Timothy Benzie and his work The Overflow, with the winner guaranteed a professional production of the winning entry.

“We are excited not only by the quantity of entries this year, but also by their quality,” Mr Newman said.

“Our three finalists are exciting writers, with three incredibly different and powerful plays. It’s an exciting time in Queensland for the arts and I can’t wait to see the finished work of the winner.

“The record number of entries – more than double the number we received last year – is testament to the pool of creative talent in Australia, and, importantly, in Queensland, from where the bulk of entries originated.

“Their three works will now be considered by the judging panel and the winner will be announced in June 2014, which will guarantee a professional production of their play.

“Queensland Theatre Company has been a pillar of our State’s performing arts scene for many years now and plays an important role telling the stories that define our time and place.

“In total, 21 plays have been produced as part of the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award, employing more than 160 actors, writers and directors, while generating audiences of more than 17,000 to new Queensland work.”

Daniel Evans’ work Oedipus Doesn’t Live Here Anymore is a contemporary reimagining of the events leading to the implosion of the most talked-about family in the Ancient Greek myths of The Oedipus Cycle.

One In Seven by Megan Shorey is a music theatre piece about a couple’s struggle for a baby and the tribulations every family faces in the early years of parenthood.

Timothy Benzie’s The Overflow is set in a house in Lowood three weeks after the 2010-11 floods and deals with the challenges faced by a retired couple who agree to take in neighbours who lost their home.

Artistic Director of Queensland Theatre Company, Wesley Enoch, said the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award was a truly national award.

“Writers from around the country and the world have submitted a range of plays which explore the form of theatre and the most important ideas in the country,” he said.

“This award is unique in that it is the only drama award in Australia that guarantees the winner a production of their work.”

Winner of the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award 2012-13, Maxine Mellor, said there was a strong focus on speaking to an audience through the play.

“One of the most valuable things a playwright can do is see their work on stage with an audience,” she said.

“That’s why the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award is so important – as a shortlisted applicant, you’re given the opportunity to articulate your ideas and introduce yourself to the company; as a finalist, you’re afforded several months to refine your work; and as winner, you become part of the team putting the show on stage.

“I learned so much about my work and my role through this process, and I encourage anyone interested in performance writing or making to apply for this incredibly rewarding opportunity.”

Judges for the 2014-15 Awards include Ms Anne Moffat, Executive Director of the Department of Premier and Cabinet; Mr Wesley Enoch, Artistic Director of Queensland Theatre Company; Dr Kate Foy, a prominent independent theatre artist; Ms Lee Lewis, Artistic Director of Griffin Theatre Company and Ms Louise Gough, a leading Australian-based freelance script editor.

[ENDS] 7 February 2014

Media Contact: Premier’s Office 37197000