Brisbane’s La Boite Theatre Company have announce a year long Playwrights Residency program that invites four local writers into the national conversation on new work.
Four local playwrights will have an opportunity to develop their work in a national context as part of a new Playwrights-in-Residence at La Boite Theatre Company. Sydney’s Griffin Theatre Company (Australia leading new writing theatre) and Playwriting Australia (the national peak body for writing for the stage) have joined the program as partners.
Playwrights Maxine Mellor, Kathryn Marquet, Julia-Rose Lewis and Future Fidel will each develop a new work as part of a year-long artistic process guided by La Boite Artistic Director David Berthold, Program Manager Nicholas Paine, and visiting professional artists. As part of the residency, each playwright will workshop their piece with actors and dramaturgs, and La Boite will facilitate public readings of the four plays.
The residency will also create opportunities for the playwrights to forge closer connections with the wider theatre culture through monthly meetings, masterclasses with professional playwrights, and creative development sessions. These talented writers will become part of La Boite’s fabric, and tap into artistic development programs at Griffin and Playwriting Australia.
Thanks to the partnership with Playwriting Australia, La Boite’s four resident playwrights will also participate in PWA’s internship program, take advantage of their script assessment process, and be automatically eligible for inclusion in the annual National Play Festival.
La Boite’s teaming with Griffin Theatre Company, through Artistic Director Lee Lewis and Associate Artist Jane Bodie, will ensure that these four writers and their plays are part of the practical efforts made by many around the country to develop and produce new work. Griffin’s expertise in this area will be invaluable.
This Playwrights-in-Residence program has been made possible through these partnerships and funding from Brisbane City Council’s Creative Sparks Program and the Australia Council’s In The Mix initiative.
La Boite is keen to contribute to the national theatre culture in a way that is driven by the local, and this program will provide, we hope, a distinctive, fulfilling and much needed way forward.
For more information, visit: www.laboite.com.au for details.
Image: courtesy of La Boite Theatre Company
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