Information about shortlisted scripts
SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED FOR SHORT+SWEET SYDNEY 2009
The plays shortlisted for Short+Sweet Sydney 2009, the largest ten-minute theatre festival in the world, have been announced in Sydney today by the Director of Short+Sweet Sydney 2009, playwright Alex Broun.
The bulk of the 306 plays shortlisted are from Australia (226) and - in great news for the state of playwrighting nationally – every state and territory is represented.
The top state is Victoria with an impressive 114 plays shortlisted, more than a third of the entire shortlist! Next up comes NSW with 93, followed by Queensland (7), Western Australia (6), Northern Territory (4), Tasmania (2) and the ACT (1).
Of the international entries the USA has won 41 places on the shortlist, followed by Singapore with 29, showing the huge boost that Short+Sweet has given to local theatre writing since its inception there in 2007.
Malaysia is next with three plays shortlisted followed by New Zealand (2) and Ireland and Canada (1 each).
“I was very impressed and of course very pleased with the incredibly high quality of plays submitted to Short+Sweet Sydney 2009,” said Broun. “In the end we had 984 plays to consider and the standard was even higher than in previous years.
“As Sydney Short+Sweet falls at the end of the international Short+Sweet cycle we are in the privileged position of being able to consider the best plays from the Singapore, Malaysia and Melbourne Short+Sweet Festivals as well as the plays entered just for Short+Sweet Sydney 2009.
“It’s clear that writers are constantly testing and expanding the ten-minute form and many of the world’s leading exponents of the ten-minute form, many who are Australian, feature prominently on the shortlist.”
The top writer in terms of plays listed is Victoria’s Mark Andrew, who had a stunning 11 plays shortlisted!
Mark was followed by a number of other Victorian playwrights, some of whom are also among the world’s leading short form playwrights: Jane Miller (5 plays shortlisted), Bridgette Burton (4), Cerise de Gelder (3), Jill Lever (3), David Astle (3) and Tom Taylor (2).
It’s clear, due to the success of Short+Sweet Melbourne, that Short+Sweet has given a massive boost to the craft of playwrighting in Victoria and writers from that state are forming an exciting new wave of Australian dramatists.
Even better still – many of those writers are women playwrights!
And a number of New South Wales writers, who have developed their skills through involvement with previous Short+Sweet Festivals, are prominent : Gerry Greenland (3 plays shortlisted), Jackie Greenland (2), Kate Toon (2) and David Sharpe (2).
Regional writers are also well represented with Griffith writer Dona Garofali Parise having two plays shortlisted.
High profile writers to feature on the list include Movie Extra host, Renee Brack (whose play “One Star” is based on her recent trip to Iraq as part of a host of entertainment tour for Australian troops), performance poet Benito di Fonzo and Pat Shiel from the Sydney Morning Herald’s Column 8.
The oldest playwright on the list is legendary 94-year-old Victorian playwright, Julia Britton, the subject of the recent documentary “Fearless”.
And Short+Sweet is also uncovering exciting comedy writing teams such as Christine Brown and Andrew Bertuleit (2 plays shortlisted) and husband and wife playwrighting team, Jessikah and Angus Brown (also 2 plays shortlisted).
Short+Sweet is regarded now as the premiere ten minute play festival on earth and that is reflected in the quality of overseas submissions and the names of some of the world’s best ten-minute playwrights featured in the shortlist: Dean Lundquist (2), Gregory Hardigan (2), Craig McNulty (2), Aoise Stratford (2) and Ian Grody (2).
The top ranking plays on the shortlist have now been distributed to the directors for Short+Sweet Sydney 2009 as it is they in the end who decide which plays they would like to direct and thus which plays will end up actually being performed in the Festival.
“High quality plays make for a high quality festival” explained Broun, “and our Short+Sweet directors had the thrill of choosing from some wonderful scripts this year – and fighting over them in some cases”.
“We are also delighted to be presenting a number of wonderful Independent Theatre Companies (ITCs) in Short+Sweet Sydney 2009,” continued Broun, “many who are travelling from interstate to perform at Short+Sweet, such is the high regard the festival is held in nationally.
“Without a fringe Festival in Sydney, Short+Sweet is now clearly established as the unofficial Sydney Fringe Festival and since our season begins on January 6th, right in the middle of the Sydney Festival, it forms a wonderful addition to the Sydney entertainment scene and a very enticing option for audiences looking for something different.”
The full schedule for Short+Sweet Sydney 2009 will be announced at the official launch of Short+Sweet Sydney 2009 at 6pm on Monday December 15th at the Sound Lounge of the Seymour Centre.
The festival kicks off on January 6th at the Newtown Theatre, being joined by the Seymour Centre Downstairs on January 21st and running right through till the Gala Final in the York Theatre of the Seymour Centre on February 20th and 21st.