Australian Theatre Festival NYC Names 2023 New Play Award Winner & Runner-Up

Co-Artistic Directors Mark Barford, Connor Delves and Jillian Geurts announced Sally Alrich-Smythe the winner of the 2023 New Play Award for "Wavelength". Wendy Mocke was named runner-up for "REALish".

The award is generously sponsored by Shane & Cathryn Brennan.

"Wavelength" by Sally Alrich-Smythe - WINNER

As winner, Sally Alrich-Smythe will receive $7500.00 USD, developmental support and a staged reading of "Wavelength" in the 2023 festival in NYC.

"Wavelength" - Georgia and Marcus, best friends and coworkers at a right-leaning radio station, confront a sexual assault allegation. Using spoken word poetry, the play delves into questions of consent and blame as Georgia, navigating her own past trauma, takes a stand to support the victim, sacrificing her career and friendship in the process.

"I'm overjoyed that my play Wavelength is the winner of The 2023 New Play Award. Having worked on this one through the pandemic, I'm hungry to see it finally lifted off the page, and where better than on a stage in New York City?! Thank you to the team at Australian Theatre Festival, and sponsors Shane and Cathryn Brennan, for granting this opportunity. The recognition of the award alone is a huge privilege. "

Sally Alrich-Smythe, a Sydney-based screenwriter, playwright, and performer, holds a Masters degree in Writing for Performance from NIDA. Currently a full-time storyliner on Channel 7's HOME AND AWAY, her TV pilot script recently received Highly Commended for The Australian Writer's Guild's Monte Miller Award (2022). Sally's theatre writing credits include The Stargazers PROJECT (2020) and HOMESICK (2019) . She has performed internationally in Russia, Scotland, and America. @Sally.alrich_smythe (Instagram)

"REALish" by Wendy Mocke - RUNNER-UP

As Runner-Up, Wendy Mocke will receive $2,500 USD.

"REALish"- 30-something Stella is having a very bad day. Barricaded inside her apartment, all Stella wants is to be left with her own thoughts - the problem is, her thoughts keep talking back. And they've brought KFC. REALish is a wild new comedy about dealing with the outside world by looking within.

Wendy Mocke is a Papua New Guinean playwright, screenwriter and a NIDA Acting graduate. Wendy's plays have been in development programs at Melbourne Theater Company, Queensland Theater Company, Griffin Theatre Company and Darlinghurst Theatre Company. Wendy is currently a Writing Fellow at Queensland Theater Company. One of Wendy's quests as an artist is to make alive what is quiet and asleep in Melanesian stories and unpack the myriad of layers within Black Pacific Islander identity. @relentlesslywendy (Instagram); WendyMocke (Twitter)

"We are thrilled to announce Sally Alrich-Smythe as the winner of the 2023 New Play Award! "Wavelength" is an innovative and powerful piece that was unanimously voted as this year's best play. We also wish to congratulate Wendy Mocke on being named runner-up for "REALish", a fresh and fierce play that also resonated deeply with the judging panel. We celebrate these playwrights in our fourth year of the New Play Award and thank them for their ambitious writing. Finally, we want to express our gratitude to Shane & Cathryn Brennan for their ongoing support of the award." expressed Barford, Delves and Geurts.

The 2020 winning play 'The Tiniest Thing' by Richard Jordan, was produced as the centerpiece of the festival program in 2021. The 2021 Winner was Lewis Treston for his play "Hubris & Humiliation", which was presented as a part of the 2022 Festival, alongside that years' winning play "Paradise Lost" by Melissa-Kelly Franklin.

For more information visit https://australiantheatrefestival.com/2023newplayaward

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ABOUT AUSTRALIAN THEATRE FESTIVAL NYC

The Australian Theatre Festival NYC, is an annual celebration of Australian stories and artists in New York City. We aim to: create opportunities for an exchange of culture through the presentation of diverse theatrical content, cultivate the development of Australian artists and their work on a global stage, and connect Australians living in New York to foster a sense of community through a festival setting.

The Australian Theatre Festival NYC is led by Co-Artistic Directors Mark Barford, Connor Delves & Jillian Geurts.

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