Australian Theatre Festival NYC Announces 2024 New Play Award Winner & Runner-Up

Co-Artistic Directors Mark Barford, Connor Delves, and Jillian Geurts has announced Eddie Grey as the winner of the 2024 New Play Award for "CIRC". Aliyah Knight is named runner-up for "Snakeface".

The award is generously sponsored by Shane & Cathryn Brennan.

"CIRC" by Eddie Grey - WINNER

As the winner, Eddie Grey will receive $15,000 USD, developmental support, and a presentation of "CIRC" in the 2024 festival in NYC.

"CIRC" - When an eighteen-year-old boy undergoes an elective circumcision, he's confronted with his soon-to-be-excised body part in human form, demanding answers. What follows is an exploration of Australian queerness, wherein the boy is thrust back into his seminal sexuality-forming memories in order to provide an answer, so that he can wake up from this nightmare.

"I'm absolutely thrilled to be the recipient of this award. Not least because it's been a decade since I won anything. Secondary to that, I'm also grateful to the Australian Theatre Festival NYC and Shane and Cathryn Brennan for facilitating this truly wonderful opportunity to share our words and amplify Australian writers."

Eddie Grey's Bio: I write, direct & act and the Guinness world records says I'm the first and only person to do that. Now to third person so it's less cringe: Eddie's scripts have won accolades and been produced into short films. As an actor he has appeared on Broadway in shows including The Book of Mormon and Harmony to name exactly two. In his spare time, he loves to write bios.

"Snakeface" by Aliyah Knight - RUNNER-UP

As Runner-Up, Aliyah Knight will receive $5,000 USD.

"Snakeface is a modern day retelling of the myth of Medusa, exploring power, sexuality, creation, and destruction. Following the titular Snakeface from age 13 to 23, It's a revenge fantasy which confronts our relationship with rape-culture, and asserts that victims don't have to be perfect."

Aliyah Knight is a storyteller and performer living and working on unceded Gadigal land. She is passionate about telling queer and diverse stories. Aliyah is the recipient of Performance Space's 2024 Stephen Cummins Residency, during which they are developing a new hybrid work THE DOG HOUSE. She us also a member of ATYP's Fresh Ink cohort, and will have her short play Four Legs Good performed as part of ATYP's 2024 Intersection Festival. 

"We are excited to announce Eddie Grey as the winner of the 2024 New Play Award! "CIRC" is a funny, unique, and incredibly human story that was unanimously voted as this year's best play. We look forward to presenting it at this year's festival. We also extend our congratulations to Aliyah Knight on being named runner-up for "Snakeface", a poetic and bold play that also resonated deeply with the judging panel. The New Play Award is in its fifth year, and we are grateful to these playwrights for their brave and powerful writing. Finally, we want to express our thanks to Shane & Cathryn Brennan for their ongoing support of the award." expressed Barford, Delves, and Geurts.

In 2021, the 2020 award-winning play 'The Tiniest Thing' by Richard Jordan, was produced as the centerpiece of the festival program. The 2021 winner was Lewis Treston for his play 'Hubris & Humiliation', which was presented alongside the 2022 winner 'Paradise Lost' by Melissa-Kelly Franklin at the 2022 festival. In 2023, Sally Alrich-Smythe's winning play "Wavelength" opened the Festival week.

For more information visit https://www.australiantheatrefestival.com/2024newplayaward

To post a comment, you must register and login.