Australian Theatre Festival NYC Announce 2023 New Play Award

Co-Artistic Directors Mark Barford, Connor Delves and Jillian Geurts open submissions for the Australian Theatre Festival NYC 2023 New Play Award. 

The Australian Theatre Festival NYC New Play Award is generously sponsored by Shane & Cathryn Brennan and will celebrate two new Australian plays/musicals with a total prize pool of over $14,000. The winning play or musical will be presented as a staged reading in New York City as a part of the 2023 Festival.

"We are thrilled to announce our New Play Award for a fourth consecutive year and the increase of the winner's cash prize to $7,500 USD. In addition, the winner will receive the unique opportunity to have their new play or musical presented in New York City as part of our 2023 Festival. The award exists to help fulfill our mission of celebrating and showcasing Australian plays and artists in New York City and is the only award of its kind. We are very grateful to our award sponsors, Shane and Cathryn Brennan, for their continued support." expressed Barford, Delves and Geurts.

Now in its fourth year, the Australian Theatre Festival NYC 2023 New Play Award will celebrate two new plays/musicals with distinct Australian voices.

This award is the only Australian writing prize that offers a unique opportunity for the winner to have their work presented in New York. The winning play or musical will also be developed with ATF Co-Artistic Director Mark Barford.

The award offers a total cash prize of $10,000 USD for two unproduced, full-length plays/musicals written by Australian writers, over the age of 18. The increased cash prize will now award one winner with $7,500 USD and one runner-up with $2,500 USD.

The 2022 Australian Theatre Festival NYC saw the 2021 winner, 'Hubris & Humiliation' by Lewis Treston, and the 2022 winner, 'Paradise Lost' by Melissa-Kelly Franklin performed in New York. Lewis Treston's "Hubris & Humiliation" has since received a production at the Sydney Theatre Company, receiving stellar reviews and lauded as "startlingly good" (The Guardian, 5 stars).

Before submitting your play or musical, please carefully read the following eligibility criteria and terms & conditions.

To be eligible plays or musicals must-

1. Be written by a playwright or writing team who are all Australian citizens or permanent residents of Australia. For Musicals, all members of the writing team (Composer, Lyricist, Librettist) must be Australian citizens or permanent residents of Australia.

2. Be at least 60 minutes in length.

3. Not have been previously submitted to the Australian Theatre Festival NYC New Play Award.

4. Not have been previously published, including self-published.

5. Not have been previously produced at a production level in any context (previous readings, fellowships and workshops are acceptable).

6. Not be encumbered by agreements or contracts for future production/s.

7. At the time of submissions close date (April 3rd 2023), not have won, been a runner-up, or a finalist in another Australian or International writing award (short-listed is permissible).

Terms and Conditions-

1. Due to the large volume of entries, The Australian Theatre Festival NYC is unable to give feedback.

2. Plays submitted may be original ideas or adaptations from other forms providing that permission to adapt the material has been obtained from the copyright holder. The rights for all material in the work must be secured by the playwright prior to entry, including any songs, poems or quotes.

3. The Australian Theatre Festival NYC has worldwide first right of refusal to produce the winning play for a period of 12 months following the announcement of the winner.

4. A limit of one entry per playwright/ writing team.

5. If submitting as a writing team, the cash prize is required to be split equally amongst the writing team.

Entry Requirements-

To submit your entry, please complete the following Google Form before midnight (NYC, EST) Monday, APRIL 3rd 2023: 2023 New Play Award Submission Form

In sending us your play, you assure us that you have read the above terms & conditions and eligibility requirements for the ATF 2023 New Play Award. You declare your eligibility under the conditions and your agreement to the terms listed. You guarantee that the script is your original work, that you are the sole copyright holder of all material used and that it has never been produced for public performance. Failure to meet the above terms and conditions and eligibility requirements will result in automatic disqualification.

Submissions are due midnight Monday April 3rd, 2023 (NYC, EST).

Finalists will be announced Monday June 12th, 2023 (NYC, EST).

The winner & runner-up will be announced Monday June 26th, 2023 (NYC, EST).

For more information visit australiantheatrefestival.com/2023newplayaward

 

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