Dear Playwrights, Colleagues, Educators, Supporters and Friends,  

I am thrilled to be writing to you for the first time as the inaugural Executive Producer / CEO of Australian Plays Transform. 

APT was established in 2021 through the consolidation of two organisations, Playwriting Australia (working in play development) and Australian Plays (working in play publication, promotion and licensing). 

I took up the position on May 24, arriving at the Sydney office in The Rocks with great joy, and a sense of carrying forward all the hard and focused work of the predecessor organisations, and the future vision for this new entity APT. You can read more about our Vision, Purpose and Values here. 

Jump forward four weeks from May 24, with the announcement of the NSW stay-at-home order, and Michelle Kotevski (General Manager) and I were packing files, setting up laptops, knowing that we may not see each other in the real world, for some time.  

Whilst we are experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic in different ways across Australia, what we experience in common is the impact on our sector, our livelihoods, and our ability to connect with audiences. Our thoughts are with the sector in this time of uncertainty.  

It is a devastating time for playwrights, for those who work with them, and the on and off-stage artists and crew. APT stands in solidarity with the wider sector and we are thankful when we see the work of playwrights meeting audiences where able. We celebrate the tenacity and determination of Australian theatre. We find it incredibly heartening that Production Licensing enquiries continue to come into our office every day, from schools and communities across the country. 

I now sit here, in the Inner-West of Sydney on Gadigal Country, working remotely. For those of you who have worked closely with me over the last 20-plus years as a dramaturg and developer, you will know that I talk about playwrights being either bears or rabbits. Sometimes playwrights can be both bears and rabbits… let me explain; rabbits are playwrights who like to pop-up through their process, check in, have a chat, send a few pages, have a yarn; and bears are playwrights who, after setting their agenda for their next draft, disappear, or hibernate. Bears emerge from their cave only when they are ready to share their work.  

APT has been in bear-mode, but it’s now time for us to be a rabbit and share with you the work we have been doing to activate Australian Plays Transform.  I’m also happy to be able to share with you the date for the upcoming announcement of our 2021/2022 program of activity.  

But before I do, I would like to update you on a range of internal work we have been doing:  

We had our first NAP remote meeting since my appointment in early August. It was a combination of a sober audit of the impact of recent years amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic and a bracing rush of ideas, connections and plans for APT.  

I’m also very happy to announce that we have secured two further members for the National Advisory Panel; Nathan Maynard will join and represent lutruwita/Tasmania, and Mary Anne Butler, the Northern Territory. Welcome to these two playwright powerhouses.

Rosie fills the shoes of the wonderful Sarah Hamilton, who is on maternity leave. We wish Sarah every success and joy on the next step of her journey. We had a remote party on the day of Sarah’s departure, it was a hoot. She will be missed but she, also a playwright, is off now writing a new Act.  

APT also welcomes Jason Cupitt to the role of Digital & Marketing Manager. We’re happy that he has  joined us at APT. You’ll literally be hearing from Jason as he manages us publicly and digitally.  

We’re thrilled to continue our relationship with Dr Meg Upton, a highly regarded educator. Meg continues to work with us on our Education Strategy. APT highly values the education sector and sees tremendous value in the work of Australian playwrights in education settings, in cultural and economic terms. Check out Meg’s most recent recommendations. And if you’re an Educator, do subscribe to our Education Newsletter.

The machine of APT would not function without the work of the wonderful Barbara Peters, APT’s Bookkeeper and Emma Murphy, officially known as our Finance Consultant but often referred to in-house as our finance whizz extraordinaire.

Australia Council for the Arts 
APT was successful in securing funding from Australia Council for the Arts for the First Nations Playwrights Retreat and Development Strategy. We will work closely with our partners Ilbijerri Theatre Company, Moogahlin Performing Arts Inc., and  Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company to deliver this program. APT considers it a privilege to work with, support and amplify the voices of First Nations playwrights. We look forward to announcing dates for the expression-of-interest call-out as part of our program launch.   

Chair Rob Brookman, General Manager Michelle Kotevski and I also met with Australia Council staff to discuss the future and positioning of APT. It was a much-welcomed meeting which will assist APT in its strategic planning and future thinking.  

We are also now working on a funding submission to Australia Council for the Arts for a new and specific program for 2022. 

It is important to note that Australian Plays Transform, whilst working diligently to identify, seek support for and deliver programs, does so in an environment without ongoing organisational / operational support. The strategic work that is required of APT is significant in this current context and vital to the organisation’s ongoing health.  

Create NSW  
APT are grateful for the support of Create NSW organisational funding and pleased to be in receipt of support for 2021-2022.  

We have just submitted a funding application to Create NSW for a new and specific project in 2022.  

Arts Tasmania  
APT has offices in Sydney (Arts Exchange) and Hobart (Salamanca Arts Centre). We submitted an organisational funding application to our peers and colleagues at Arts Tasmania and await their consideration. Support was sought for a portion of our operational costs, and for program activity with playwrights and partners in Tasmania to support new work, and sector capacity building. It is a program pitch that we’re proud of and was designed after sector conversations. 

RISE 
Like many companies, organisations and artists, APT has submitted to the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund. We are thrilled to see many colleagues supported through this Fund, and we await the outcome of our submission.  

The submission argued that the impact of Covid-19 on the new work / playwriting sector has been devastating. The Covid-19 impact on playwrights was outlined in local, national and international contexts, and how these impacts are ongoing. The argument for funding centred on how the playwright in new work is the lever to engage the rest of the sector and allied industries into economic activity. In essence, if a playwright is supported to write a new play and it moves toward audience, then this modest investment leverages significant economic activity and return. 

APT pitched a two-year program of activity including a range of development strategies for plays, playwrights and pathways in the sector.  

The Fund, as we know, is competitive. If APT is unsuccessful in securing RISE funding, we are well placed to use the thinking, design, partners and artists that we connected with to build and pitch this program, for other funding submission opportunities.  

Donors, Philanthropists and Allies  
We have had the privilege and opportunity to connect with donors and philanthropists who, like us, believe in the importance and centrality of the Australian playwright to our sense of nation-building, meaning-making, and canon-building. We have had some wonderful conversations, resulting in pledges and also invitations to pitch program designs for future partnerships. We are grateful for the support and connection of these donors, peers and philanthropists. We have designed a number of programs to support playwrights and their plays and continue active engagement to resource and partner on these. We will announce our partners as we move forward toward program announcements. 

The Federation 
I’ve started talking with playwrights, peers, our National Advisory Panel and Board members across the Country about their home-states, sector needs, and possible partnerships. APT is a national organisation and we are re-building and re-activating pathways in order to achieve a great national overview and strong connections. 
 

Consider buying a play.
Consider purchasing a membership.

We can’t wait to announce our 2021-2022 programs and open them for expressions-of-interest from you.  

We will send out a big announcement with all the details at the end of September. Stay tuned, sign-up, get ready.  

Until then, we at APT will continue to work as we have over the last couple of months: to imagine the sector for tomorrow and the day after that; to support a rich and wide-ranging canon of Australian playwrighting, with exceptional craft and reach; and to centre the playwright at the core of our new work theatre culture.  

Louise Gough
Executive Producer & CEO