Australian Theatre Festival NYC Reveals 2026 New Play Award Finalists

Co-Artistic & Executive Directors Mark Barford & Connor Delves have announced four finalists for the Australian Theatre Festival NYC 2026 New Play Award. The Australian Theatre Festival NYC 2026 New Play Award is generously sponsored by Shane & Cathryn Brennan.

The 2026 New Play Award Finalists are 'La Malattia' by Danny Ball, 'The Spoil' by Piri Eddy, 'Wiran's Dream' by Brodie Murray, and 'BOGQUEENS' by Grace Wilson.

"We are thrilled to announce the four finalists for our seventh annual ATF New Play Award. This year we received over 100 submissions of new Australian pieces from Australian writers across the country and around the world, and were incredibly impressed by the quality, originality, and ambition of the work.

These finalists represent bold and exciting Australian stories, and we are proud to support them as part of our mission to champion Australian writers on the international stage here in New York City. In 2026 we have four distinctly Australian plays that bring fresh and specific narratives to the forefront. They are deserving of this recognition and we congratulate them on their selection.

We extend our sincere thanks to all the artists who shared their work with us, and to our New Play Award sponsors, Shane and Cathryn Brennan, for their continued support."- expressed Barford & Delves

'La Malattia' by Danny Ball

An Italian family in rural Australia is torn apart when their son Aurelio forms a relationship with a troubled boy, leading to violence and exile. Years later, Aurelio is missing, the land is failing, and the family are forced to confront the past and the cost of their choices.

Danny Ball is an actor, playwright, screenwriter and acting coach. A NIDA Acting graduate (2016), his theatre credits include work with Malthouse Theatre, Belvoir St Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, Bell Shakespeare, Queensland Theatre, The Old Fitz and La Mama. His debut play The Italians premiered at Belvoir 25a to a sold-out, critically acclaimed season. His play Scab won the ATYP Foundation Commission, and he is currently developing La Malattia through Sydney Theatre Company's Watershed: Writers program.

'The Spoil' by Piri Eddy

When a nascent pathogen wreaks ecological havoc on the planet's arable soil, the world's food security is plunged into chaos. Working alone on her family's old farm, Sarah, a gifted biologist, sifts through thousands of seeds - and the memories of her family - in search of something that might grow.

Piri Eddy is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and producer living and working on Kaurna Country. His work for performance has been produced by Radio National, ATYP, and State Theatre Company South Australia. His play Forgiveness won the Jill Blewett Playwrights Award and was later published by PlayLab Theatre. As a screenwriter, Piri won an AWGIE for Best Short in 2021. His shorts have screened at festivals such as Sitges Film Festival and Adelaide Film Festival, and his debut feature script is currently in production.

'Wiran's Dream' by Brodie Murray

Wiran's Dream is an Indigenous story of brotherhood and sacrifice. Two Aboriginal cousins from the bush, Jack and Nathan have been selected on scholarship to go to a prestigious All-Boys boarding school in the city. Nathan feels like he has finally found his place. For Jack, will the cost of living between two worlds be too high?

Brodie Murray is a First Nations Australian (Wamba Wamba) multidisciplinary artist, based in Naarm/Melbourne. A VCA Theatre graduate (2025) and Aboriginal Performance graduate WAAPA (2020), Brodie's practice spans playwriting, performance-making and acting. Driven by a passion for Aboriginal storytelling and truth telling, Brodie has written four plays: Soul of Possum, Billy's Choice, The Whisper and Wiran's Dream. Awards include the Melbourne Fringe Best Emerging Indigenous Artist Award and the Creative Australia First Nations Emerging Career Development Award.

'BOGQUEENS' by Grace Wilson

As Cunnamulla experiences its worst drought, Moddi knows she must act to save her new home. She wants to be Cunnamulla's first drag king, BOGQUEEN, and fundraise for water and supplies. But changing tradition isn't so easy. A community outrages, a drought worsens but nothing will stop the fire inside.

Grace Wilson is an emerging playwright living between Yidinji and Gadigal country. She was the winner of the 2022 Young Playwrights Award, and has been a finalist for the Patrick White Playwrights' Award, Griffin Award, Queensland Premier's Drama Award, QWC's Stageable, shortlisted for the Martin-Lyscirates Prize, Young Playwrights Award 2021, and longlisted for the Griffin Award 2024, ATYP Foundation Commission and Queensland Premier's Drama Award 2026. She is currently completing her MFA in Dramatic Writing at NIDA.

Now in its seventh year, the Australian Theatre Festival NYC 2026 New Play Award will celebrate two new plays or musicals with distinct Australian voices.

The award offers a total cash prize of $20,000 USD for two unproduced, full-length plays or musicals written by Australian writers, over the age of 18.

This year's award winner will receive a cash prize of $15,000 USD, development work with Co-Artistic Director Mark Barford, a publishing commitment from Playlab Theatre, and be presented as a staged reading as part of the Australian Theatre Festival NYC (conditional upon ability to appropriately cast NY based Australian actors.) This year's award runner-up will receive $5,000 USD.

New Play Award alumni include 2025 Winner 'The Flood' by Dylan Van Den Berg, 2021 winner Lewis Treston's 'Hubris & Humiliation', which has since received a production at the Sydney Theatre Company, receiving stellar reviews and lauded as 'startlingly good' (The Guardian, 5 stars) and 2022 winner Melissa-Kelly Franklin's 'Paradise Lost' which also won the 2024 Jill Blewett Playwright's Award (South Australian Literary Awards).

The Winner & Runner-Up will be announced Thursday April 16th 2026 (NYC, EST).

For more information visit www.australiantheatrefestival.com/2026newplayaward