Competition 2012
Entries are now closed
The 3 finalists for 2012 are: (in no particular order)
- The Boy in the Cardboard Box by Rainee Skinner (Maroochydore)
- Here's the Thing by Debra Chalmers (Brisbane)
- Three Angry Brides by Hugh O'Brien (Brisbane)
Competition 2013
Offering a total prize pool of $6,000, the winner of Best Play will take home a prize of $3,000 (sponsored by Macquarie Private Wealth), 2nd place $2,000, and 3rd place $1,000.
Winner of the Nancy Cato Audience Choice Award wins a publishing contract with Maverick Musicals & Plays and a cash prize donated by the family of the late Nancy Cato.
The Noosa Arts Theatre National One-Act Playwriting Competition attracts entries from playwrights throughout Australia, New Zealand and the USA.
This playwriting competition offers a unique opportunity for the winning playwrights to see their new work performed on stage at Noosa Arts One Act Play Festival, for a 7 performance season over 2 weeks each June, as part of the Noosa Longweekend 10 day cultural festival - fast becoming one of the nations top cultural festivals.
During the Festival, the audience are asked at each performance to vote for the ‘Audience Choice Award', with prize money plus a publishing contract for the winning script.
Presentations of Awards take place after the final performance.
Titles such as Michael Olsen's Two Women and a Chair (Winner in 2001) are top sellers both here, in NZ and the UK, and Jane Tara's Bombshells (Winner in 2000) went on to an acclaimed production in New York. Cerise de Gelder, winner in 2006 with her comedy Man of Snow, has gone on to become one of Melbourne's hottest playwrights.
Entries close, Monday 12th November 2012.
Download the rules and entry form here:
In Word format
In PDF format
This competition is open to playwrights from all nations, not just Australian residents.
Payment options include electronic funds transfer and PayPal, please contact the convenor if you wish to use these facilities.
For more information, please contact the Convenor, Synda Turnbull, at oapcomp@noosaartstheatre.org.au or phone 61 (0)7 5449 9972 during office hours
And the winner is...
Congratulations to Mark Langham - Winner of Best Play 2011 with his comedy Nothing.
2nd Place - Bruce Olive - The Knock on the Door
3rd Place - Jenny Bullimore - Star Crossed
The Nancy Cato Audience Choice Award went to Bruce Olive, for The Knock on the Door.
Adjudicator, Karen Crone, awarded:
- Best Director - Liza Park - The Knock on the Door
- Best Actress - Jenni McCaul - The Knock on the Door
- Best Actor - Frank Wilkie - Nothing
- Commendation - Michael Parlato - The Knock on the Door
- Commendation - Rebecca Plint - Star Crossed
Photos 1 to 4 and 6 to 8 courtesy of Xanthe Coward of XSEntertainment
Photo 5 courtesy of Geoff Powell of photographica
The Competition and Festival are proudly supported by Macquarie Private Wealth, Maverick Musicals & Plays and the Sunshine Coast Council
A word from two finalists:
"I wish to convey my thanks to Liza Park and the actors that presented the play reading of Persons of Mass Destruction last Thursday evening. I thought that the reading was most professional and went down well with the audience. It was very good for me to see and hear it
I would also like to thank the Noosa Arts Theatre for running the one-act play competition which is a good opportunity to have script writers work read and evaluated. I appreciated the opportunity to see the three winning plays for 2010. To me the plays were all very good and very profesionally presented and performed."
Frank Rotherham 2009
"I really want to say a huge thank you to everyone connected with the festival. I am very disappointed I wasn't able to attend and I really did try but it wasn't possible.
Vic and Erika had a wonderful time and are full of praise for the way everything was organised, the committment of those involved and warmth of their reception - Vic was even asked for her autograph in a fish and chip shop! I would like to pass on my thanks to the director, cast and crew of my piece and, indeed, all those who took part in the three plays. It is a source of great inspiration to me that my play did well and I am just thrilled beyond words to have won.
I also want to say thank you to you for all your tireless work and enthusiasm for this event. Vic is already onto me to write something for next year! I have a vague idea about a comet striking the earth.
If I can find 12 working dinosaurs, I think it might work...
If there is anything that I can do to help you promote this event for next year or anything else, please do not hesitate to let me know.
Once again, many thanks for the whole experience."
Mark Langham 2011
News of previous winners:
Roger Gimblett has had 3 of his plays presented by the Hunters Hill Theatre in May and June 2011. Two of the plays were previous winners of the competition - Three Chairs (2004) and Decline and Hall (2008).
Three Chairs has also been performed in South Africa, the UK and around Australia.
Michael Olsen's Two Women and a Chair has been a popular festival entry (including the Edinburgh Festival) almost from the day it won the Audience Choice in 2001, including winning Best Play, Best Actress in a Comedy and Best Director at the Sunshine Coast Theatre Festival in 2003.
Bruce Olive heard the following from TORQUAY THEATRE TROUPE: "Great news, we entered God Willing in the Anglesea 1 Act Play Festival last weekend and scooped the pool!
BEST PRODUCTION
BEST FEMALE ACTOR - Lisa Berry playing Nadia.
2nd BEST MALE ACTOR - Fred Preston as Narrator
ADJUDICATORS' AWARD - Rehanon as Suria. (Even the dead body, Lisa's daughter, got a mention!)
We had a celebratory champagne, of course, we raised a glass to you and I even got a thanks for finding the play! I did get to the Noosa Festival and enjoyed your play - The Knock on the Door and our Troupe would appreciate reading the script. I said I would let you know of our (and your) success. We are thrilled! You might care to visit the web site of the festival. www.angleseaperformers.org.au. Cheers and thanks!
Mark Langham's play Nothing (winner 2011) was performed at the Sunshine Coast Theatre Festival in August 2011 and picked up 3rd Best Play (out of 20!), Best Actor in a Comedy (Michael Morgan) and short-listed for Best Director (Jane Rivers).