It’s an exciting time of the year – season launch season! We love this time, as it’s an opportunity for us to celebrate all of the excellent Australian plays that will be making their way to our stages in 2025. We love seeing seasons announced, and ring a little bell in our office for every new or remounted Australian play that pops up on our screen. As the seasons continue to go live, keep an eye on our socials – we’ll be doing a roundup of Australian works, looking at the stats, and celebrating the plays that have made it to this crucial nexus of ideas and audiences.
In the meantime, we have a bunch of updates on our programs that exist in the bit before – the ideation, the brewing, the developing, the testing. Take a look below.
Plus, our team has grown! We wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to some new faces that have joined us at APT, and are working with us to deliver programs across the country.
The next time you hear from us, it’ll be when we’re all wrapping things up for 2024 – and we’ll be giving you some more info about what we’re up in 2025. Until then, join us in celebrating the excellent work our playwrights are doing across the country.
Many thanks,
Erin and the APT team
P.S. If you have a minute, please fill out this short survey about our website and its functionality for educators – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Australian First Nations Retreat:
Meet Our Playwrights!
We are delighted to announce the six playwrights that will be attending our 2024 Australian First Nations Playwrights Retreat!
Congratulations to Alexis West, Bjorn Stewart, Jada Alberts, Jenny Fraser, John Harding and Nicola Ingram.
For 10 days in October, these writers will be joined by Retreat dramaturgs Glenn Shea and Shari Indriani Irwin on beautiful Dharawal and Dhurga land in Bundanon, to spend focused time on the development of their new works.
Extending huge thanks to our partner companies, Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company, Moogahlin Performing Arts Inc, and Ilbijerri Theatre Company, and our supporters at the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation.
“The option to go to [a dramaturg] in real-time for feedback and provocations, or for help in navigating challenges – it was invaluable.”
Alone Together: the Value of Playwriting Retreats
In preparation for our Australian First Nations Playwrights Retreat, we penned some words on our what Retreats mean to us – and why we will always advocate for dedicating time to communal solitude.
We also spoke with our Creative Producer (NSW), MoJo Orbase, who has had the rare privilege of attending as both playwright and producer. Head to our LinkedIn to read the full article, and be sure to follow us on LinkedInfor other longform discussions.
“Together, we aimed to emerge from this experience not only as more informed dramaturgs but also as advocates for diverse narratives and innovative storytelling practices.”
Developing the Dramaturg (SA):
A Wrap on Story Lab 2024!
Earlier this month our Developing the Dramaturg (SA) participants participated in Story Lab – three days of masterclasses, workshops, and open discussions with industry leaders around everything from Writer/Dramaturg relationships, to First Nations dramaturgy, dramaturgy in children’s theatre and what it is to be a resident dramaturg.
Our participants penned a quick roundup of the Lab, covering their biggest takeaways, learnings and the ideas of what dramaturgy is (and can be) that resonated with them most strongly.
Identity + Motherhood, Public vs Private, Home-grown Political Comedy Thriller, Climate Crisis
Family Epic, Artists searching for Self Worth, Expression + Escape (from their Crime Family)
Duologue: Supporting Collaborative Playwright – Dramaturg Partnerships
Our Duologue program is in full swing! The following playwright/dramaturg pairs have been working hard over the past few months to develop their new plays:
Sheridan Harbridge (NSW) and Jessica Arthur (NSW)
Emily Sheehan (VIC) and Sarah Goodes (VIC)
Julie Ritchey (QLD) and Sarah Lockwood (VIC)
Ross Mueller (NSW) and Chris Isaacs (WA)
Elise Hearst (VIC) and Jessica Bellamy (VIC)
Olivia Satchell (VIC) and Emma Valente (VIC)
Interested in what they’re working on? Head to our website to find out more.
APT is growing! We’re thrilled to be introducing you to the newest recruits at team APT, with two new program producers joining us from South Australia and Victoria, as well as a Grants and Development Manager joining the team in NSW.
Introducing (from top to bottom):
Danielle Lim (Program Producer: Developing the Dramaturg South Australia). Dani is a Malaysian-Australian actor, writer, theatre maker and producer based on Kaurna Country/Adelaide.
Sam Booth (Senior Strategy and Development Manager). Sam joins us from years in the public sector, and is excited to be working towards the growth of APT and new writing in Australia.
Sian Murphy (Project Producer: Australian First Nations Retreat and Development Program). Originally from regional NSW and trained at WAAPA, Sian is a writer/director/producer based in Naarm/Melbourne.
We’re now past the mid-point of our 2024 Pilot Program, the ‘Write Together, Rise Together’ Playwrights Groups, led by Wesley Enoch and Anthea Williams. We recently caught up with our playwrights to hear how the program is going. Take a look at what our playwrights are saying about the program:
“Write Together, Rise Together is the best thing I have ever done as a professional playwright: empowering, inspiring, collaborative and motivating. I feel nationally connected and included in a way I have never felt before. Wesley Enoch is a fiercely intelligent, cohesive, generous leader – a brilliant role model for how to conduct oneself in this industry. APT has managed this program with efficiency and aplomb. Every playwright in Australia deserves this opportunity. ‘Write Together, Rise Together’ truly is focused on us all rising together. As a national program, it’s a game-changer. Congratulations, APT on this visionary model.”
– Mary Anne Butler, Mid-Career Playwrights
“This program is a fantastic opportunity to connect with other playwrights, share strategies, reveal fears, and celebrate successes. The routine of the program offers productive accountability (who doesn’t love a deadline!), and a wealth of shared knowledge and advice. It is a unique and precious thing to be able to spend time with other writers who are also figuring out what they want to say and how they want to say it, and to be guided through this process by Anthea and the APT team.”
– Sarah Peters, Emerging Playwrights
“Taking part in ‘WTRT’ has been a brilliant experience. It has pushed my playwriting practice and asked me to explore new things, and connected me with a group of intelligent and compassionate writers with disability. Writing is, of course, a solitary act, and very often writing with disability even more so – so the connections drawn from this group have been wonderful. Anthea and APT have fostered a room with so much respect for the art of playwriting, each meeting is the highlight of my fortnight.”
We acknowledge that we live and create on unceded lands. We pay our respects to the First Peoples of Australia, and to their elders past, present and future.
