PJ Hogan Honoured With Two Awards At The 51st Annual Awgies 

Last night at the Australian Writers' Guild's annual AWGIE Awards PJ Hogan was honoured with the Music Theatre Award and the 2018 David Williamson Prize for Muriel's Wedding the Musical. These two major and prestigious AWGIE acknowledgements continue to add to the productions' unprecedented list of award wins which also includes 5 Helpmann Awards and 7 Sydney Theatre Awards.

Co-producer of Muriel's Wedding the Musical and Global Creatures CEO, Carmen Pavlovic said "The AWGIE Awards importantly acknowledge the accomplishments of Australian writers. I'm overjoyed that PJ Hogan has been honoured not only with the award for Music Theatre but also with the incredibly prestigious David Williamson Prize presented to the outstanding script across all four theatre categories.

PJ's double win is a well-earned testimony to the wit, intelligence, truth and boldness with which he adeptly translated his beloved film into Muriel's Wedding the Musical on stage. On behalf of the creative team and production I extend our most heartfelt congratulations to PJ. We are also delighted that the generous prize money includes a meaningful opportunity for Global Creatures and Sydney Theatre Company to commission an additional new work which further enhances opportunities for writers and the general development of our local artists and creative industries."

The AWGIE Awards celebrate theatre, film and television. Since 1968 the Australian Writers' Guild has presented the AWGIE Awards to recognise and reward the talents, triumphs and unique contributions of Australian screen and stage writers to the Australian arts. The AWGIE Awards are the only writers' awards judged solely by writers, based on the written script - the writer's intention rather than the finished product. Muriel's Wedding The Musical is a theatrical version of PJ Hogan's iconic hit film, updated to today by the writer himself with music and lyrics by Australian award winning songwriters Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall with additional songs by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Stig Anderson written for ABBA.

Muriel's Wedding The Musical will play a strictly limited season in Melbourne at Her Majesty's Theatre from March 2019 before returning to Sydney in July 2019 playing at the Sydney Lyric Theatre. Tickets for the Melbourne season go on sale at 9am on Thursday 20th September from www.murielsweddingthemusical.com or www.ticketek.com.au.