Erin Thomas Regional Playwrights Fund – Recipients Announced
APT is excited to announce the 2023 recipients of the Erin Thomas Regional Playwrights Fund.
The Erin Thomas Playwright Fund honours the legacy of the late playwright Erin Thomas by supporting emerging regional playwrights to pursue their creative dreams.
Commemorating its 10th year, the Fund has been expanded with the support of the Thomas family and playwright Andrew Bovell to offer even greater opportunities.
Playwrights will develop their skills through mentorship with a seasoned dramaturg or development director as they work on a new play.
This year the Fund will also host three playwriting masterclasses and a travel bursary which had paused during COVID allowing writers to connect with the wider Australian theatre community .
The Erin Thomas Playwright Fund is a tribute to Erin Thomas’ optimism, talent, and generosity, and is dedicated to helping the next generation of playwrights make their mark.
Betty Sweetlove (NT)
Betty Sweetlove is a playwright and performer based in Mparntwe (Alice Springs). Her recent writing and dramaturgy credits include Wired Differently (in development, 2023) and REBIRTH for Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre (site specific, Meanjin, 2022), and The Nestmakers (Desert Festival, 2022), for which she was awarded an Arts NT Varuna Fellowship. Betty was a 2020 Fresh Ink writer with Australian Theatre for Young People and her monologue Swallows was published in This Was Urgent Yesterday (Currency Press, 2020). Betty is interested in making theatre that intervenes in the historical record and generates moments of collective joy.
Adam Fawcett (VIC)
Adam Fawcett is a regionally based queer playwright with a practice that explores the impact of trauma through text.
Their debut play Become The One was awarded the 2018 Midsumma Queer Playwriting Award, before embarking on a national tour in 2022. Adam is currently developing the story into a TikTok series for Matthewswood Productions, due for release later in 2023.
Adam’s second play, Every Lovely Terrible Thing has been commissioned by Theatre Works in a co-production with Lab Kelpie, and will premiere in November 2023.
You can follow them on Twitter at @abfawcett or visit adamfawcett.com
Jude Elliot (TAS)
Jude Elliot is an award winning musician, writer and creative producer currently residing in lutruwita/Tasmania. Jude has had an extensive career spanning two decades throughout Australia and the United States where she has composed seven albums, performed as a touring artist, and has worked with some of the world’s top producers in LA and New York as a songwriter and recording artist.
Jude’s career has taken her from touring original music, composing string works, film and music scores, and contemporary works to producing theatre shows and studio albums, mentoring hundreds of aspiring singers and actors, and performing new music/theatre works.
Jude has been signed to both independent and major publishing and record deals, had songs on high rotation, and collaborated with many of the big names in the international music industry. She has worked collaboratively on projects throughout the Arts and Science as a writer and creative producer.
Most recently, Jude has launched into writing for theatre. Drawing on her experience of creating soundscapes and film, Jude aims to tell her stories with an immersive experience.
STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN
There were 19 applications to the Erin Thomas Regional Playwrights Fund in 2023. Applicants to APT’S programs have the option to self report on certain identifiers. These identifiers are not factored into assessment of applications, but help APT assess the reach of our programs.
Below is a statistical breakdown of these applications:
Female: 52.63%
Male: 10.53%
Non-binary: 10.53%
Australian First Peoples: 5.26%
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse: 10.53%
LGBTQIA+: 52.63%
Living with a disability: 31.58%
