Miranda Michalowski Wins The Silver Gull Play Award for 2024

The winner of The Silver Gull Play Award for 2024 is Miranda Michalowski for her play Macaroni and Dead Things.

The Silver Gull Play Award is a competition open to NSW and ACT-based writers over the age of 18 for an unpublished and unproduced original play of 60 minutes or more duration that speaks to New Theatre's ethos of 'Plays With a Purpose'.

This year we received a record number of entries, displaying a wide variety of subject matter, and the judges praised the quality and originality of the writing. Six plays which the judges considered outstanding were shortlisted: 6069 and Counting by James Balian and Roger Vicker; Fortress by  Erica J. Brennan; Noah’s Ark  by Campion Decent; Rehearsing Julie by Noel Hodda; Roslyn Gardens  by David McLaughlin and Macaroni and Dead Things by Miranda Michalowski. In addition, three plays were Highly Commended: The Mountain Remembers by Daley Rangi, The Incorrigibles  by Melita Rowston and She Threaded Dangerously by Simon Thomson and Emma Wright.

On Monday 14 October, in front of an enthusiastic audience, excerpts from the six shortlisted plays were presented by actors Saif Alawadi, Kate Bookallil, 
Barry French, Luisa Galloway, Will Mears and Helen Tonkin, under the direction of Joseph Tanti.

Miranda received a prize of $5000 and the other shortlisted writers received $500 each, thanks to the generous sponsorship of Joy Minter, who has supported The Silver Gull Play Award since its inception in 2015.