eBULLETIN
MARCH 2014
“The story has to have a narrative logic and be plausible. The characters have to have the unpredictableness and independence of mind that human beings have, so they don’t feel like puppets in your puppet play. But an argument is at the deep heart of the thing. There’s not really much else you can do in theater. It can’t create worlds in the way you can do in a film. The thing that you sharpen as a dramatist is conflict. What did this character come onstage to get? Did he or she get it? If not, what stopped them?”
Tony Kushner in The Independent
Kia ora <<First Name>>
In Wellington we have been treated to some fine New Zealand work in the New Zealand Festival plus the Fringe and the Putahi Festivals had an abundance of new work to offer. (This included staff member Stuart Hoar’s Pasefika at Circa theatre. Congratulations Stuart.) Soon the Dunedin Fringe gets underway providing a platform for more new locally and regionally produced work to be seen. These are but two of the outlets now available around the country where there are opportunities for work to have a longer life and to reach a wider audience. A significant proportion of my time is spent advising playwrights on getting more traction for their work and brokering with producers to encourage this. The extensive network and activity of festivals throughout NZ is a welcome addition to the theatre landscape that facilitates this process.
Last month I hosted a small function at Fortune Theatre for local Dunedin playwrights, producers, teachers and theatricians to catch up and for me to promote Playmarket. This was a lovely occasion and it was great to meet old friends and to say hello to a few new ones. I was pleased that community theatre and school representatives were able to ask me some burning questions. Despite the fact there was a mix up with copies of the books arriving, many took advantage of the chance to buy copies of our fine publications. My thanks to Fortune Theatre for hosting this event.
Right now we are collating the judges marks for the shortlist of the Adam NZ Play Award (detailed below). This is always an exciting phase of our year and it is satisfying to read the wide range of work in that list. It is interesting to note that last year there were very few Maori playwrights entered into this competition and this year many; whereas to our knowledge none of this year’s playwrights identify as Pasifika writers. We have a plethora of entries into our Brown Ink programme each year so I encourage all of those (and other) Pasifika writers to consider entering the Adam NZ Play competition next time round.
Don’t forget to enter or encourage others to enter the Playwrights b4 25 Competition closing at the end of the month. There will be a modest cash prize for 2014 donated by our friends at the Robert Lord Cottage Trust.
Below you will also find a call for entries in our 2014 Brown Ink and Asian Ink programmes and before long the deadline for Plays for the Young will be upon us. We are looking forward to reading lots of new work.
It is time to consider applying to be part of our bi-annual retreat. This provides ten playwrights with a full week of accommodation, three meals a day, and pampering in the company of like minded and focused writers - away from work, homelife, and all other distractions.
Our slate of publications for 2014 is almost confirmed and it has led me to ponder on the very full display shelf taking pride of place in the Wellington office which houses a single copy of all NZ plays currently in print. It is chock full and we are selling heaps of these publications every day. Photo above.
Nga mihi mahana
Murray Lynch - Director of Playmarket
NEWS
ADAM NZ PLAY AWARD
The Adam NZ Play Award celebrates the best in new writing for the theatre. Playmarket is excited to announce the shortlisted plays and playwrights for 2014.
- Philip Braithwaite - Lingua Franca
- Sam Brooks - Riding in Cars with (Mostly Straight) Boys
- Nancy Brunning - Hikoi
- Rachel Callinan - Pakehell
- Justin Eade - Central Otago Man
- Elisabeth Easther - Seed
- Pip Hall - Mule
- Mei-Lin Hansen - The Mooncake and the Kumara
- Stanley Makuwe - Footprints on Ika’s Heart
- Alice Miller - Three Sisters
- Carl Nixon - The War Artist
- Andrew Parker - Occupy: The Road to Joy
- Arun Subramaniam - A Moment or Two
The winner will be announced at the end of the month at Circa Theatre followed by a rehearsed reading of the play.
As well as the major award, Playmarket will be announcing winners in the categories of Best Play by a Maori Playwright and Best Play by a Woman Playwright. Thanks to the generosity of the Adam Foundation the winner will receive a cash prize of $5000, with the category winners each receiving $1000.
VALE DENISE WALSH
 We were saddened to learn of the passing of Denise Walsh. She was undeniably one of the most prolific writers of plays for and about adolescents that this country has produced. Denise was also one of the key teachers involved in the push for Drama to be accepted as a stand-alone subject in the New Zealand secondary school curriculum.
You can read her full obituary written by Alister McDonald here
CONGRATULATIONS
Playmarket Board Member, Catherine Fitzgerald received the South Pacific Pictures Award for Achievement in Film for The Orator at the 2014 WIFT NZ Awards.
Lauren Jackson's short film I'm Going to Mum's won Best Short Film at FIFO in Tahiti and the Seattle International Children's Film Festival.
The Bookbinder by Ralph McCubbin Howell won a swag of awards at the NZ Fringe Awards including Best Theatre, Best of Fringe and the Melbourne Fringe Tiki Tour Award.
2014 RETREAT
17 – 24 June 2014
The Retreat is a chance to focus on your writing in a distraction free, comfortable and inspiring environment. There will be no cooking or cleaning to do, no television or internet to distract, nothing to organise or prepare and no deadlines to meet.
It is just a time to write.
We are again returning to the beautiful Strathean in Otaki (just north of Wellington) and meals and accommodation are provided at no charge to you. Also, if travel to the retreat is an issue for you please let us know as we may be able to help, both with costs or arranging lifts.
The meals will be healthy and made from local produce and you will have your own room.
We are now accepting submissions from Playwrights.
Please email us with a brief bio and some details about what you hope to work on and/or achieve if accepted on to the retreat.
Submissions close Monday 28 April 2014 and successful applicants will be notified by Monday 5 May 2014.
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ARTICLES
THE BUSINESS CASE FOR RADICAL HOSPITALITY, OR NO COST ACCESS TO THEATER
Aditi Kapil for HowlRound
Since the 2011–2012 season, Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis has practiced Radical Hospitality, providing no-cost access to all mainstage productions for any audience member. Aditi Kapil, playwright-in-residence at Mixed Blood, examines the pragmatics of how Radical Hospitality works.
Read more here
CREATIVES WILL LOSE DEFAULT COPYRIGHT UNDER GOVERNMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
Deborah Stone for artsHub
The Australian Law Reform Commission has recommended introducing a ‘fair use’ defence against copyright infringement. This change would mean creators no longer have the right to give or deny permission for any use of their work.
Read more here and here
CLIMBING #THESUMMIT
Elissa Goetschius for 2am Theatre
Elissa Goetschius, Artistic Director of the Strand Theater, Baltimore, reports on The Summit, a series of discussions hosted by Arena Stage, Washington DC. Goetschius addresses the gender and racial imbalance in DC theatre, the high cost of tickets and subscriptions.
Read more here
TOP GIRL
The Economist
At 75, Caryl Churchill is creating some of her finest work yet.
Read more here
CREATIVE WRITING COURSES ARE A WASTE OF TIME, SAYS HANIF KUREISHI (WHO TEACHES ONE)
Alice Jones in The Independent
The author Hanif Kureishi has rubbished creative writing courses as a “waste of time”, saying that the vast majority of students taking them – including many of his own pupils – are “talentless”.
Read more here
CAN CREATIVE WRITING BE TAUGHT? NOT IF YOUR TEACHER’S A PRICK
Tim Clare for Tim Clare
I try not to respond to manifestly stupid statements from authors, in the same way that I don’t respond to toothless medicine-swigging men’s bellowed warnings to pigeons that MI5 are poisoning our Irn Bru with flourine. There are just too many of them and engagement sometimes convinces these people that they are rational interlocutors in a debate, when really they are deserving of our pity and baffled compassion. But I can’t let this one go.
Read more here |
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