Winners of National Young Playwrights’ Competition

MEDIA RELEASE - 13 March 2007

WINNERS OF NATIONAL PLAYWRIGHTS’ COMPETITION ANNOUNCED
Who will be the next Roger Hall, Briar Grace-Smith or Jo Randerson?

Six young playwrights have been singled out in the Ninth New Zealand Young Playwrights Competition, an event that has established itself as an important stepping- stone in the development of new writers for our theatre. Organised by script development agency Playmarket, the competition (open to those aged between 16 and 24) has recognised six winners:

Northern Region: Ashley Milne (Papakura, Auckland) and Thomas Sainsbury (Ponsonby).

Central Region: Branwen Miller (Brooklyn, Wellington) and Georgina Titheridge (Aro Valley, Wellington);

Southern Region: Kate Morris (North East Valley, Dunedin) and Thalia Henry (Karatane, Otago).

Special mention went to nine other writers: Northern Region: Claire van Beek, Kathryn Haworth and Mike Borgfeldt; Central Region: Samuel Bradford, Sam Gaskin and Biddy McCallum; Southern Region: Pieta Pemberton, Kat Thomas and Faye Tiffin.

The competition was judged by Stephen Sinclair (Ladies Night, The Bellbird, The Bach), Elizabeth O’Connor (a script developer, director and playwright based in Christchurch), and Janie Walker (playwright and Script Development Co-ordinator at Playmarket.)

Ms Walker says there were three-times the amount of entries as the previous competition. “It’s so exciting to see young people still passionate about telling stories on the stage.”

The winning writers will team up with professional directors, dramaturgs and actors for a week of workshops and professional development at The Edge in Auckland, September 3-7. On Friday the 7th of September, the winning scripts will be presented to the industry and public as part of the Playmarket at THE EDGE playwright development programme.
Hear from THE WINNING WRITERS over the next two pages

WINNERS of The Ninth NEW ZEALAND YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS COMPETITION

NORTHERN REGION

17 year old Ashley Milne is currently studying for a BA at University of Auckland. She’s worked part time at No.1 Shoe Warehouse and has been involved in acting and dancing at the Papakura Theatre Club. She was a winner at last year’s Flip the Script competition at The Edge. A line from Ashley’s winning play Gotta Light: “Aint no other beat boxin’, out foxin’, bad assed, super fast, fine mother brother that know what he knows.”

“Having the opportunity to have a play produced, directed and acted by professionals is really amazing, especially for someone so young. So I’m really excited to get a glimpse at the professional theatre scene and to see how it compares with what I’ve done in the past, and even more excited just to see my play come alive on stage.”

Thomas Sainsbury is interested in unusual people and drama. He has had productions/readings at The Edge (And then you die), Young & Hungry (Butt Ugly) and Auckland’s Wine Cellar (Caustic). He’s also directed and produced for theatre and has a first class honours in English Literature at University of Auckland. He’s been a Gecko-carer, Deli worker, body double and has sold floral aquariums and retractable hoses. A line from Thomas’s winning play Bruised: “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to. But sometimes you make me do it. Sometimes you make it so hard.”
“I entered NZYPC again because it is such a fantastic opportunity that any young writer shouldn’t pass up, and it was my last chance to enter. Having your play workshopped with enthusiastic passionate practitioners is such a privilege and such a joy.”

CENTRAL REGION
Branwen Miller discovered her love of playwriting when she was in America and has a BA in politics, theatre and development studies from Victoria University. Last year Branwen also completed the Ken Duncum’s scriptwriting MA course. She’s served drinks, stuffed envelopes, ushered people to their seats, and holds high hopes for saving the world. A line from Branwen’s winning play Armslength: “They lived on the top of the world, on the axis of this planet, and the world revolved around them.”

“I entered NZYPC because I wanted to extend the life of my play, and to meet other young writers and industry professionals who support what we do.”

Georgina Titheridge had acted in seven plays and is about to publish poems in an anthology of Wellington poets. She’s trained at Victoria University and Hagley Theatre Company, and can sing. She says she’s waitressed everywhere in Wellington and Christchurch and has sold and eaten chocolate. A line from her winning play We Should Catch: “Kiwibanks great. It’s great cause it’s Kiwi, ya know. It’s real.”

I entered NZYPC because I was doing temp hospo, and going insane, losing hope in life and all that.. I had three weeks to do it. I had printer issues. When I found out I’d won…how it really felt needs bad language to paint it true.

SOUTHERN REGION

Thalia Henry has written since she was a “wee dot” and her short story Huriawa was a runner up in the Clear short story competition. She has a theatre and film degree from Otago University, has made fish and chips and worked as a home help for the elderly. She likes fire-dancing and gliding. A line from her play Sound of a Car: “Strutting around like you’re the king of the world you silver BMW mother fucker.”

“The play addresses some gay issues and being gay myself I thought this a key topic to try to make people aware of in today’s society. This is a story about the nature of love. When I discovered that I’d won a place in the competition I just about cried, I must have sounded like a complete idiot on the telephone. This competition is a step in the right direction for me.”

Kate Morris is doing the MA Scriptwriting course at Victoria University and has won this compeitition twice before. She also won the 2006 Gibson Award Winner for Favourite New Writer and was a 2004 NZ Film Commission 1st Writers’ Initiative Finalist. She’s worked for ages at The CD & DVD Store to pay the bills. A line from her play Waking Monarch: “He’s like a shaken snow globe. This faint image behind a blizzard. I just hope when the snow settles, he won’t be forever buried.”

“To be honest I thought when Playmarket rang me they were going to tell me my entry had been damaged in the post because I put these metal clips in the envelope to keep the pages together and was worried they would poke a hole in the packaging. I can’t wait for the workshop; the only downside is that I have to wait until September. I mean, come on guys, I’m from the generation of impatience and immediacy!”

ENDS

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