Ah… writers… some of my favourite people. And playwrights – my favourite – whom I refer to as “sociable hermits.” Playwrighting is one of the most difficult writerly forms because it is so collaborative.

One playwright recently wrote on my Facebook Wall: “Why do plays take such a long time to write?”

And I responded with two thoughts:

“Because the voices in your head keep squabbling?”

“Because there are 26 letters in the alphabet and you’ve only got 8 fingers (and 2 thumbs?) – if you had 26 fingers I think it would be 3 times faster.”

Being a writer is quite a solitary act. Being alone alot can result in paranoia and self-interrogation and over-thinking and insomnia. Combine that with a rehearsal room full of attractive, ambitious, talented, intelligent actors and director – and it can be extremely challenging.

Being a playwright takes great audacity, great vision and sturdy self-awareness. It also takes time and people skills.

So I’m a fan of writers – I direct them, I produce them, I review them. And I am honoured to be talking on a couple of panels at the NSW Writer’s Centre’s Playwriting Festival… It’s on the 3rd March, I hope to see you there!

**********************************************************************************

The blurb of the Writer’s centre goes like this:

“The NSW Writers’ Centre is a government funded not for profit organisation that exists to promote writing-based culture and the rights and interests of writers in NSW. The Centre provides a dynamic program of activities each year including writing workshops, course for writers, publishing seminars, festivals for writers and writing competitions, as well as providing mentorship opportunities, manuscript assessments and providing support for writers and writing organisations in Sydney and across New South Wales.”

The blurb of the Playwrighting Festival goes like this:
The first in our festival program for 2012 is the Playwriting Festival curated by award winning writer Kate Mulvany.

The Playwriting Festival will bring together some of Australia’s best and brightest playwrights, dramaturgs, artistic directors and reviewers including Van Badham, Vanessa Bates, Wayne Blair, Jane Bodie, Fraser Corfield, Duncan Graham, Kevin Jackson, Andrea James, Leland Kean, Mark Kilmurry, John McCallum, Tony McNamara, Tommy Murphy, Debra Oswald, Lachlan Philpott, Polly Rowe, Diana Simmonds, Sam Strong, Augusta Supple, Alana Valentine and more to be announced.

The program will cover the craft and business of playwriting with panels on the changing face of Australian playwriting; the pros and cons of working with directors and dramaturgs; what mainstage theatre companies are looking for; working in the fringe theatre scene; the reviewed versus the reviewer; and the playwright’s role in the production process. A full program will be released very soon.

There will be script sales, gourmet food and coffee, plenty of free parking and you are welcome to join us on the veranda at the end of the day for a complimentary post-festival drink. NSW Writers’ Centre members also receive a generous discount on festival bookings.

Bookings can be made from 30 January. NSW Writers’ Centre Members $55 / Concession Members $45 / Non-members $80.

Kate Mulvany

Kate’s play The Danger Age was shortlisted for the Sydney Theatre Company 2004 Patrick White Playwright’s Award and she was the winner of the 2004 Philip Parsons Young Playwright’s Award, for which she was commissioned by Belvoir to write The Seed. The Seed went on to win the Best Independent Production and was nominated for Best New Australian Work at the 2007 Sydney Theatre Critics’ Awards. It was also nominated in 2008 for an AWGIE Award, the Queensland Premier’s Literary Award and received a honourable mention in the Asher Awards. After two sell-out seasons at Belvoir The Seed went on to tour Australia and in 2012 it makes its Melbourne premiere for Melbourne Theatre Company. In 2009, Kate’s play The Web was co-produced by Black Swan Theatre Company and Hothouse Theatre Company. In 2010, her play The Wreath was developed for Bell Shakespeare’s Minds Eye initiative, and she completed a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, which toured Australia in 2011 for Bell Shakespeare.

CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE: http://www.nswwc.org.au/?page_id=1613

So… what are you doing this Thursday?

In a fast and furious experiment – and frankly an opportunity to get out of the house and to dip your pen in some ink and just write something – IPAN (International Performing Arts Network) has asked me if I will host a fast furious, writers workshop. And I gleefully agreed…

Look, it’s not one of those sit around in a room and think about the play you’ve been writing for the last 5 years. This is something else… a series of tasks and exercises which I call ONE PAGE WONDERS… an opportunity to unclog, unblock and have fun with writing. It’s easy and fast and focused on fun.

Here’s the specs:
WHAT TO BRING:
1. Bring your laptop or a pen and paper – what ever you’re keen on…
2. Bring $10 (not bad for an hour workshop)
3. bring your willingness to write, your sense of adventure and humour

HOW IT WORKS
1. There are three exercises I will lead you through.
2. At the end of the exercises you can choose to “keep it private” or “air it” via some actors
3. Should you air it 4 actors from the cast of Bite Size will be directed by Sama Ky Balson and present your writing to a supporting crowd OR
You can read it yourself…

WHAT IS IT?
It can be anything – a thought a poem, a monologue, dialogue.. the beginning on an end to something –
IT can be ANYTHING
but not longer than 1 A4 page (12 size font)

WHY?
This is an opportunity for you to get out and about in the world, meet new people, creative people, put yourself under a tiny, fun deadline, explore the possibility of the nervous energy of a writing workshop.
Unlock, unthink your writing.
Hear it on stage.
Read it onstage.

WHEN/WHERE?
Thursday 1st September 2011
7pm-9pm
World Bar (upstairs) – behind a wall made of books
24 Bayswater Road, Kings Cross
Sydney

Workshop leader: Augusta Supple
Director: Sama Ky Balson
Actors: Drew Wilson, Abi rayment, Laura McIntosh, Adam Dear

WANT TO KNOW MORE? QUESTIONS? QUERIES?
Send me an email… augusta@augustasupple.com
Or otherwise just rock up at The World Bar (Upstairs on Thursday night) and I’ll see you there!

Friday was a stunning Sydney day. Three things- The Writer’s Festival, a series of absurdly ill-timed computer crashes and one of my best ever/long-time friends lured me down to the Wharf on Hickson Bay to sit among the readers and writers and listen to some talks. I had been schedule to see Delia Falconer’s talk on Sydney – but the line up was such we were relegated to listening to each other talk about Delia Falconer a(nd other writers) over astronomically priced caffeine. But it was a beautiful day, crisp and bright – blue sky and silver sparkling water. I do love Sydney.

In the evening I returned to the Wharf to see the play which received the Patrick White Award – delighted to see that Kit Brookman’s play “Close” was shortlisted (it was also shortlisted for Griffin 2010…wasn’t it?) amongst so many amazing playwrights. In addition to the Patrick White Award, the STC announced a new Fellowship – yes it seems the thing at the moment – I think Sarah Giles is the inaugural Richard Wherrett Fellow -and the STC is reaching out to have local emerging affiliates walk amongst the established STC stars.
This new fellowship makes the Patrick White Award itself no longer the $20,000 prize of yester-year but a $7,500 prize. Still, an award is an award – and a cheque is a cheque – and the STC are making moves to support more playwrights – so these are all good things.

The Shortlist (my favourite thing about Awards) was as follows:
Every Breath – Benedict Andrews
War Crimes – Angela Betzien
Close – Kit Brookman
Beached – Melissa Bubnic
1975 – Stephen Carleton

And of course I was very delighted that Melissa Bubnic was announced as the recipient of the Patrick White Award… She’s been on my radar for a while – since I had read a very early draft of a play called “Shedding.” In what seems eons ago, but which was only 5 years ago, I had freshly returned to Oz and had arranged a panel talk of Emerging Playwrights for TINA (This is Not Art Festival in Newcastle)… I was hosting a panel to discuss matters of opportunities for young playwrights that had caught my eye – Melanie Tait, Ian Meadows, Lally Katz and Melissa Bubnic. To my profound disappointment is was not the most popular session of the day – a 10 am on a Saturday is a tough slot… but we ended up having a really naaaaaaaaasty burger in a grimy diner in Newy… the best bit of the whole festival…

And for the SMH take on things click this link

Bubnic’s play, Beached, is a poignant and funny portrait of a morbidly obese teenager, affectionately known as Moon. He is much loved (and well fed) by his mother Jo Jo, but it is not until a crusading Centrelink representative enters his life until everything changes – for everyone.

The play asks the question – “how much is enough” of everything – love, food, fantasy, familial need, contribution to the world and is a sharp examination of contemporary consumerism and insatiable emptiness. It’s a story about hope and work and love – and asks tricky questions -leaving us feeling ambivalent about who is right, who is wrong, who is evil, who has control and who doesn’t.

The Fellowship was awarded to Raimondo Cortese who, with his luggage in tow, addressed the audience with a profound gratitude at being awarded such a fellowship – and the sizable cheque. He spoke of a feeling of loneliness, of the desire for validation. He spoke of the financial insecurity, the worry playwrights have -and what a relief such a fellowship gave to him -in buying time to write.

I look forward to seeing the wonderful ripple effects of this new fellowship – As i believe stable and supported writers write better plays… and I look forward to watching Bubnic’s continuing success as it flourishes…

It’s time to tell me what you want…what you really, really want.

In the past year Sydney’s Independent scene has been shaken about and jostled – B-Sharp was dissolved, venues have hiked up their hire prices, companies are moving to different venues and other companies are slowing down, changing direction, offering programs that were developed under a different State Government Art Ministry – and where does that leave us?

It leaves us in the position of grand possibility.

What do you want?

What do you need?

If the space was there, what would you do with it?

To bring you up to speed on what I’m specificly reacting to, some of you may have seen Diana Simmonds’ Facebook Note:
“Tonight (Monday) Sydney City Council unanimously resolved to request the CEO to investigate the option of retaining a theatre in the Reg Murphy Centre, Greenknowe Avenue and to recommend the most appropriate management model. In her remarks on her Lord Mayoral Minute, the Lord Mayor made it clear that her intention is that the Darlinghurst Theatre will continue to operate as a theatre once the Darlinghurst Theatre Company transfers to its new home in the Burton Street Tabernacle.She spoke about the importance of small theatres, and the shortage of small theatres due several small theatres being lost over the past 20/30 years. This is great news for Sydney’s independent theatre scene. Now what peeps?? Action!!”

http://sydney-central.whereilive.com.au/news/story/future-unknown-old-darlinghurst-theatre-venue/

So it’s time for some action folks!

I have a few ideas I’d like to tell you about, and a model for a company to assist in the development and promotion of new Australian work…. and I’d love to hear YOUR thoughts, YOUR interest… what you want – and hopefully create a space for artists to practice AND produce. This is an invitation for playwrights, actors, directors passionate about the creation of new work, and the formation of a new company.

A discussion will be held:

TOWARDS A WRITER’S THEATRE
MONDAY 23rd May, 2011
6.30pm
Studio #10, Fraser Studios
10–14 Kensington Street, Chippendale NSW 2008 AUSTRALIA
MAP: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=103778365548975749878.00046ab5e4e2b48ed07a4&source=embed&ll=-33.884676,151.201776&spn=0,0
RSVP by 21st May 2011 augusta@augustasupple.com

At the opening of Brand Spanking New (Week 2), Ned Manning (one of the writers for Week 1 of Spankers and 7 On-er) mentioned a group in Melbourne he thought I should check out once Spankers was put to rest…and that group is MKA Richmond. www.wix.com/mkamkamka/mkarichmond

A week earlier Ari Lander had told me that he couldn’t come to week 2 of Spankers as he was heading to Melbourne for MKA Richmond and he quizzed me on what I knew about it – and did I know Tobias Manderson-Galvin. “Sort of, i replied – “We are facebook friends… I’ve read his work and have chatted over email – but not really, not in the “invite him-over-for-dinner” kind of know”).

And then a couple of hours ago I received an email from Van Badham (as per below) alerting me to what was happening in Melbourne.

MKA RICHMOND : Melbourne’s New Writing Theatre SHUT DOWN BY LOCAL COUNCIL!!!!

Tobias Manderson-Galvin
Artistic Director | MKA RICHMOND
Lot 2/ 24 Tanner St, Richmond VIC, Australia 3121
+61 3 94215476 | +61 412 834 129

For many Sydney-based artists Melbourne is land of ever-green grass… (I wonder if Sydney is regarded in the same way by artists in Melbourne? Hmmm… let me know…) and MKA Richmond has certainly created a stir with emerging and established writers alike… the concept, the line up, the website – all of it- impressive… clearly the attention and talk about MKA Richmond is testament to the energy of Glyn and Tobias… and their vision to give writers a home – a physical space for discussion and for airing of work.

Are councils really that petty – especially give the context of the venue or is there more to this “shutting down” besides bizarre claims of footfall and insufficient parking? After all 44 seats is less than many house parties I have attended – surely there is something else to this? I just can’t believe that a council – especially a council in the “milk and honey” land of Melbourne would be petty and so hostile toward cultural development?

I find it interesting to think about the changes that have been made in 30 years of theatre in Australia. let’s think about La Mama – would David Williamson exist and would many of our plays have been written if La Mama was at the mercy of stringent building codes and the need to abide by all rules, recommendations of housing/commercial standards etc? Interesting to think how much our generation of theatre practitioners and artists have to fight that little bit more to have space to create and share ideas because we have inherited a fearful and conservative beaurocratic structure. (ooh I am sounding a little bit punk aren’t I?)

That being said, I reckon we are up for it. If there is a way for us to stand up for new initiatives to support writers and artists, I reckon the network is brave, bold and articulate enough to do it. I reckon the sydney Melbourne divide doesn’t need to exist when it comes to supporting writers in our country – this is a national concern – and not confined to the minute of council regulations.

Theatre people are people who love big ideas, who invest their thoughts and talent and time discussing and examining universal truths and struggles – passion, power, money, selfishness, greed – and I reckon we are the group that can stand up to this. As I mentioned, playwrights talk – as demonstrated earlier in the year with the NSW literary Awards – DON’T PISS OFF THE PLAYWRIGHTS! They are irrepressible, empowered and intelligent enough to take on any battle they deem fit.

Write an email, write a letter… request that if Richmond council want to shut down MKA Richamond, that they should at least fund a fully compliant writers theatre which Tobias and Glyn are employed on council salaries to run… if to do nothing else but save Melbourne’s reputation amongst the arts community, and maintain Sydney’s fantasy that Melbourne’s grass is greener!

A flurry of text messages had been flying around. “Did you hear some playwrights have decided to hold their own night on Monday? Are you going?” “Are you going to the playwright’s thing?” “How do I RSVP?” In the past few weeks, I had been casually thumbing through newspapers at cafes when waiting for my coffee, to see if and when and how the topic of the absence of a play shortlist for the 2010 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards had been noted. Not really… one article from Bryce Hallet:
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/playwrights-snubbed-by-award-judges-20100516-v6aa.html and this one from Marc McEvoy http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/playlist-for-judges-in-search-of-a-premier-shortlist-20100412-s413.html
No response from Kristina…

Every self respecting new Australian work enthusiast/ literary manager/ playwright/ director had been keeping their eye firmly on Joanna Erskine’s Cluster blog http://www.joannaerskine.com/cluster/cluster/playwrights-to-celebrate-on-may-17-2010/ … as the responses from around Australia and the world from Australian playwrights voiced their outrage, disappointment and vehmence towards the decision- and swelled the support for Australian playwrights.

The previous Monday at Belvoir St Theatre, I had been wrestling with a spinach pastizzi during a break in the WOMEN DIRECTORS ACTION PLANNING FORUM when Tahli asked me if I was free on the 17th. I wasn’t. I was scheduled for the Symphony-(the one night I hold sacred in my schedule- my dates with the SSO- where I can relax and enjoy myself without strings (so to speak) or expectations). But nothing is immovable. And especially this- THIS topic, which I spend most my waking hours puzzling over, planning for, fighting for, thinking about… This thing- which is so deeply rooted in who I am can not and must not be ignored.

Last Monday I arrived early. James Waites and I had anticipated the cluster of playwrights (my preferred collective noun) and had hoped to avoid the crush by positioning ourselves early amid the elegant lounge chairs of the Macquarie Hotel first floor bar. By the time I had arrived, a cluster of playwrights had already congregated- no less those who had organised this event- and whom all I had commissioned/worked with on either Stories from the 428 or Brand Spanking New- Joanna Erksine, Rebecca Clarke, Kit Brookman, Tahli Corin, Tamara Asmar, Rick Viede- set up on chaise lounge with a bucket of chilled Champagne and grins all round.

Downstairs multi-award winning, soon-off-to-London for a reading of his play Bison- Lachlan Philpott sat with friend and beverage, Kate Mulvany arrived, Matt Edgerton triple threat actor/director/writer arrived. Caleb Lewis in tie and shirt. when I looked up from my conversation with one writer, I realised- the room was full of the great minds of my generation- and the best of Australian Contemporary Performance writing.

Recently in a post by 5th Wall, he refers to playwrights as a “rivalry of playwrights”… http://5thwall.wordpress.com/2010/05/12/playwrights-posse-up/
The truth of the matter is that Australian playwrights I have worked with/for are generally very happy to band together, especially with a common cause. As someone who is in the position of reading nearly 200 plays/pitches/submissions a year from playwrights (often for colleagiate framed multi-playwright projects) I am well aware of the paranoia, competition and the nature of playwrights… playwrights (like all artists) at their worst (usually due to a lack of love/production) are vindictive, nasty, abusive, irrational, statistical machines who churn out lists of their accolades as proof of their legitimisation and their neglect by an industry that doesn’t care and doesn’t understand. But that is not the natural state of a playwright.

In my experience the natural state of a playwright is that of curiosity… of observation. They beleive in ideas. They talk about love. They talk about the hidden, difficult corners or our minds and hearts. Despite economic sense and career path ease, they are stubborn and idealistic enought to push on through with theatre (which is not the most lucrative of the writerly forms- the only writerly form which is less lucrative than theatre is possibly blogging… and sometimes (often) I question blogging’s legitimacy as a writerly form). They are brave and all have a sense of humour and humanity. And ALOT of time by themselves infront of computers, staring at the glowing screen wondering if what they have written is any good, or will it ever be finished?

And I love them… as a group… and as individuals. Sometimes playwrights are badly behaved- but that is the exception not the rule.

And they are a very good looking bunch of people. This is easy to forget as they are often not the topic of newspaper articals- they often aren’t publicized- and they spend alot of their time alone writing- but our playwrights are clever, funny and they have something to say.

As guest speakers three of the industry’s most respected champions of Australian Playwrights spoke. First the elegant and inspiring Katharine Brisbane- one of my all time favourite thinkers and doers- one of Australia’s most inspiring cultural leaders who gave us perspective on the history of the literary awards, the problems that have evolved and debated over the years- she told us of a famous literary bun fight which was sparked up over a dinner debate and at the centre of it all she spoke of the need to be vigilant and active. She encourage the room full of writers, directors, critics, actors and punters – to keep up the conversation. Secondly, everyone’s favourite bearded champion of Australian writing- John McCallum- Academic, reviewer and author of “Belonging: Australian Playwrighting in the 20th Century” who thanked the playwrights for their plays. He gave warm, enthusiastic encouragement. He reminded us to keep literate and articulate about writing for the stage- who reminded us that “playwrights have alot of friends and some of us are critics.” And thirdly, Leland Kean- the only Artistic Director who was in the room- who in a scruffy flanny and baseball cap read passionately an eloquent call to arms for all Australian Playwrights- and said that it wasn’t good enough how Australian playwrights are treated. It was a rousing and forceful speech that caught in my throat. I choked back tears several times as I felt his frustration, my frustration, and the frustration of all who have worked hard, who have actively contributed and risked, who have worked with honour and integrity- all to be ignored- or worse- offered an opportunity to apply for a development grant.

The major thing I noted were the absences- who wasn’t there. The Artistic directors, the artistic associates, the literary managers, the CEOs. I saw who wasn’t there. You know who you are. And I am fairly disappointed in those who didn’t feel like moving their prior engagements this ONCE for something as vital and important as a show of support and solidarity to those who are the source of text based theatre- the writers.

One of the first to arrive- and one of the last to leave- I am honoured to say I was there- and I am here silently supporting all those who are playwrights and yet to be playwrights: all those who dream big, work hard, fight, write, say the unsayable, confess their fear and their anger, embrace their vulnerability. I was there. I am here.

When the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards were announced last month, there was one thing that no one expected… there was no shortlist for the Play Awards category.

Was no play worth even nomination? Surely this was a clerical error- had the envelope bearer had lost the nomination envelope in a taxi on the way to the announcement? Had there been a cut and paste error on the website?

Nope. No clerical error. A major philosophical one though- a major political one.

Instead $30K has been offered up, not as an award celebrating excellence- but has been transposed into a grant “to support professional development opportunities for new playwrights in 2011.”

No clerical error. But a major political error.

Development? Development? Sorry… What? No shortlist, but a grant for Development?

Stunning. Absolutely stunning. I was stunned. Were you stunned? I know Currency Press was stunned. http://www.currency.com.au/resources/1/NSW%20Premier%27s%20missing%20Play%20Award.pdf
James Waites was stunned. http://jameswaites.ilatech.org/?p=5422
Seven of Australia’s most celebrated and remarkable playwrights were stunned:
http://sevenon.blogspot.com/2010/04/playwrights-are-homeless-of-arts.html
I am stunned.

Utterly! I think of it and I am absolutely befuddled. This would NEVER happen to a novellist. Why is this happening to the playwrights?

In a press release, Premier Keneally said that the NSW Premier Literary Awards ‘Perpetuate a cultural legacy in our state; a legacy of ideas, imagination and history.’ It has sent a message that plays aren’t literature. Also it was claimed that the judges weren’t able to see the productions- and therefore couldn’t judge. Plays are literature too. They are a marker and perpetuator of culture. I don’t understand.

Many of the new Australian plays I saw last year have also been published (pushing the point a little harder that plays ARE literature) or will be by Currency Press- they include:
Poor Boy by Matt Cameron and Tim Finn, Pig Iron People by John Doyle, Realism by Paul Galloway, Concussion by Ross Mueller, Savage River by Steve Rodgers and Shafana and Aunt Sarrinah by Alana Valentine. Excellent plays- why aren’t they included?

What happens to an artform when excellence is replaced with a development grant? Does that say, in a very loud way, that development is more important than publishing or production? Is it also saying to our established writers “You still have a LOOOOOO-OOOONG way to go, do back to your laptop, do some workshops coz yer just aint there yet”? What does this mean?

What this means is that the support for Australian plays and playwrights has been GROSSLY underestimated. The community of writers has been underestimated. A collective of writers who refer to themselves as “Write Club” two Sundays ago got together at the Stables theatre for an impromptu night of readings to raise money to help Lachlan Philpott attend a reading in the UK… I received in my inbox this letter:
Dear Folks, One and All,
Hoping all’s well.
This is an invitation to what I hope will be a fun evening in aid of a worthy cause (one of our own).
To wit: A Benefit Night to help get fellow playwright, Lachlan Philpott to London to
be part of the production of his play, Bison, at The Oral House in late May. Another way of saying this might be – ‘Don’t Sell Your Car, Lachlan, We’ll Help!”
A number of us are each inviting their nearest and dearest and other generally interesting persons to come along to an evening in which Lachlan will arrange a reading of Bison, there will be an interval in which persons consume food and drink and rave-on-John-Donne about theatre to each other, after which the extroverts among us read/perform/whatever short, and hopefully entertaining pieces of their old work/ new work/ work-in-progress (and yes, I will be doing the birth scene from The Mourning After AGAIN but since none of you are from South Australia, I am unconcerned.)
And we laff or moan and groan before we wander out into the night.
And each person brings a bottle of something (plonk or non-plonk, depends on what you fancy) and $10.00 to go into the kitty for young Mr Philpott’s fare to London.
Pizza will be provided.
And if we raise more than the airfare we will park the money in Griffin’s account and use it for the next needy adventurer.
_________________________________________________
DATE: SUNDAY 2ND MAY
TIME: 6.00 p.m – ? 8 p.m (party animals can move on to a pub at this point)
VENUE: GRIFFIN THEATRE (Thank you, Griffin!).
If you would rsvp and bring as many of your own address list as possible, that would be pleasing, but if you are TOO LAZY TO DO THAT, we’d still love to see you on the night.

Verity.

And it was a hoot of a night- the community was out in force to get behind Lachlan and to raise money. How many times to playwrights have to be this resourceful? How often do we lose our playwrights to other countries. Ben Ellis, Van Badham, Tommy Murphy, Suzie Miller… why? Because they are often ignored. Often disregarded or overlooked in favour of American Classic plays, the hottest script out of the UK. To be a playwright in Australia is a tough fight. Its a long haul. There are precious few opportunities to have your work produced (but you can have endless developments and residencies). This HAS to change. This is RIDICULOUS! Playwrights are our historians, our cultural barometers, our social conscious. We need them. We need to reward them. We need to give them a reason to stay. A reason to write. A mechanism to help us see ourselves, understand where and who we are in time and space. Playwrights are my rock stars- they are inspirational, brave and sexy. Why is it that our leaders don’t get it?

Well- guess what Kristina Keneally. Playwrights aren’t passive folk. They are not taking this lying down. Guess what? They are holding their own ceremony… and here is the email I received this evening:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Tahli Corin

I’ll be there. This is too important to miss. I suggest if you are a person of taste- you will be there too!

Sustainability is something I have been thinking about alot lately: in relation to the environment, to culture, to practitioner development, to the philosophies behind the explosion of festival culture, my own practice in the theatre. Triggered by a conversation I had with Ash Dyer- a performance maker who I have known for years who has been developing and producing performance works for sometime, he mentioned that he sometimes wonders how much longer he can sustain creating work in Australia. I think about that for myself too- and I think about that question for all the practitioners out there who are squeezing projects in around their day (or night) jobs- who forego the luxuries of a bourgeois life that are so readilly advertised- who are delaying marriage or having babies or having a holiday until they are more financially stable- artists who are all deserving chasing the same limited available residencies or grants…

Some actors I know have had enough of Australia- and are pursuing their dreams in LA… in fact many of them are. And directors head overseas to make films. Recently I read that one of my favourite Australian playwrights is moving to the UK- because her career as a playwright is taking off there- and hasn’t here. And it IS Australia’s loss… it is our industry’s loss and anyone who doesn’t care or who doesn’t feel that loss is a part of the problem.

We are now living in a global villiage- whereby we eat fresh food that travels from halfway across the world, we listen to music and see films that are made in other countries, we consume more Internationally product because it is readilly available to us. However, the food that travels from far away places is heavilly modified to with stand the travel, the music and films talk to us in a voice which is not our own about things that are not necessarilly relevent to our lives but present to us a fantasy of a world outside our own. This fantasy creates an impossible competition wherein the colours of our day to day life appear lackluster and inferior. Our TV stations are not overflowing with Australian content. Our cinemas are not full of Australian film product. And out theatres look to the stories of other countries.

As in Alison Croggan’s recent post www.theatrenotes.blogspot.com/2010/01/le-mort-de-theatre-again theatre is not dead. Live performance (music/ live art/ performance art/theatre) is not dead- in fact it is pretty well attended. So I am not worried about the sustainability of the artform- for as long as there are people, there will be a need for entertainment. I worry about the sustainability of the Australian voice, Australian literature of the Australian theatre industry in the context of the global villiage.

In 2006, my mother (an avid newspaper reader) cut out an article and sent it to me… it was talking about the lack of Australian plays represented on Australia’s mainstage theatres. It gave a statistic that “of the five state theatre companies that between them produce 43 plays a year- 6 were new Australian plays.” And not much has changed. I carry this statistic in my heart and it is something that I can’t shake. It is the reason why I started to review- I wanted to be able to provide New Australian work with reviews (whenever possible). It is the heart of what I am trying to encourage in emerging practitioners… and it is why I hold our established playwrights in such high regard- because there aren’t many mainstage commissions going around- and yet they continue to write and continue to contribute to the Australian canon.

I firmly believe that if you want to be in theatre- go see plays. Know your industry. If you want there to be an industry for you to work in- participate in it. Every dollar we spend sends a message to the wider community of what we value- because money talks- and just as when you chose to buy groceries locally- you support the local community, when you chose to take a punt on an Australian writer- you support the Australian industry.

I am by no means saying that we should only see one type of theatre (diversity of style, genre and artform is essential in a heathly intellectual/spiritual diet) but I am asking that we be more conscious of where the money is going. If our money goes to other countries- our talent will head there too… because that is what we are saying about what we value. I value the playwrights, the directors, the actors and all the theatre makers that work tirelessly to bring us the best stories possible. I believe strongly in investing in the here and now.

My personal wish is that Cate Blanchette finds a play by a local writer- a play that speaks to her… and programmes it, and performs in the prodcution. That would instantly skyrocket that writer to recognition. Let’s not forget she performed in a Timothy Daly play when she was starting out… so she is not adverse to new work by local writers, surely. But imagine- if Geoffrey Rush rang Simon Phillips and asked for him to programme a new Australian play as a part of the MTC season… imagine if all the celebrities became leaders and advocates for new local plays… imagine!

And this year- I am doing my small part. I have committed to creating even more platforms for writers to have their voices heard- to have their work produced and developed… starting with “Stories from the 428.” I’m committed to asking writers to dream big- dream globally, and write locally. (not the other way around)

I pledge to think globally and act locally. I’m committed to seeing all the new Australian work I can, and I’d absolutely love it, if you will join me.