Australian Theatre Festival NYC Reveals 2024 New Play Award Finalists

Co-Artistic Directors Mark Barford, Connor Delves & Jillian Geurts announce five finalists for the Australian Theatre Festival NYC 2024 New Play Award. 

The 2024 New Play Award Finalists are (in alphabetical order):

'Circ' by Eddie Grey,

'Riot' - Composed by Paul Hodge & Libretto by Michelle Law,

'Snakeface' by Aliyah Knight,

'The God Algorithm' by Ross Mueller,

'This Motherless Earth' by Kate Vozella.

"We are thrilled to announce these five finalists for the 2024 New Play Award. Now in its fifth year, we saw a record number of entries for this year's award, coming to us from all over the world. We were impressed by the quality and diversity of the work we received, and thank all of the artists who shared their work with us. This year's finalists represent an array of Australian voices and stories, and we are proud to acknowledge their achievements. The New Play Award was created to help realize the Australian Theatre Festival's mission of celebrating and showcasing Australian writing and theatre artists in New York City. We are deeply grateful to our sponsors, Shane and Cathryn Brennan, for their continued support of the program" - expressed Barford, Delves, and Geurts

'Circ' by Eddie Grey

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.

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. @eddiepgrey website; eddie-grey.com

'Riot' - Composed by Paul Hodge & Libretto by Michelle Law

RIOT is an original opera-musical inspired by true events. In 1888, Chinese-Australian siblings Ding and Li move to Brisbane on the eve of a state election. But when an anti-Chinese race riot erupts on election day, Ding and Li must choose whether or not to flee their home country.

Paul Hodge is an award-winning writer-composer from Brisbane, Australia. Paul's work has been produced Off-Broadway, in London, Edinburgh and Australia, including at the Sydney Opera House. Paul is currently developing the musical adaptation of the iconic Australian/BBC children's TV show Round The Twist. With Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, the Academy Award-nominated and Tony Award-winning writers of Les Miserables and Miss Saigon, Paul is co-lyricist of Martin Guerre, which will premiere in London. @pauljmhodge ; pauljhodge.com

Michelle Law is an award-winning writer and actor working in print, screen and stage. Her works include the plays, Single Asian Female (La Boite Theatre Company), Top Coat (Sydney Theatre Company), and Miss Peony (Belvoir); the television show Homecoming Queens (SBS); and the book Asian Girls are Going Places (Hardie Grant). @msmichellelaw ; ms_michellelaw (X) ; http://michelle-law.com/

'Snakeface' by Aliyah Knight

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 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 is 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. @a1iyahknight ; aliyahknight.com

'The God Algorithm' by Ross Mueller

What happens when the Prime Minister believes he can Speak in Tongues? Do the Staffers believe he believes this, or do they organise a coup? The God Algorithm is an imagined political comedy thriller set inside the modern-day Temple to power, ambition, greed and lost principles, Parliament House, Canberra.

Mueller's plays have been performed at Griffin, Melbourne Theatre Company and STC. He has been a writer in residence at Royal Court London & New York New Dramatists NYC. In 2020 he won the Georgi Markov Award at the BBC. In 2022 his comedy, A Simple Act of Kindness was nominated for most Outstanding New Writing in the Victorian Green Room Awards. He is the co-founder of Pelican Nation and Director of Australian Writers Theatre. @TheMuellerName (X) ; www.pelicannation.com.au

'This Motherless Earth' by Kate Vozella

This Motherless Earth unfolds two decades after a virus decimated the female population, leading to enforced sterilizations and the introduction of synthetic children. When two childhood friends unexpectedly reunite, they uncover secrets that challenge everything they thought they knew about their drastically altered world.

Kate Vozella (she/her) is an Australian multidisciplinary artist and playwright based in New York City. Her work, spanning theater, film, and movement, has been acclaimed at venues like the National Portrait Gallery of Australia and on platforms such as Google Arts + Culture Hub. Her play "Burning Falling Rising Monster," was shortlisted by Platform Presents and is set for a 2025 NYC production with Arterial Projects starring Damon Daunno and Gabby Beans. Vozella currently sits on the judging panel for the Scholastic Artists & Writing Awards. katevozella.com

Now in its fifth year, the Australian Theatre Festival NYC 2024 New Play Award will award two new works with distinct Australian voices. The award offers a total cash prize of $20,000.00 USD for two unproduced, full-length plays or musicals written by Australian writers, over the age of 18. This year we will award one winner with $15,000 USD and one runner-up with $5,000 USD. The winning piece will be developed with ATF Co-Artistic Director Mark Barford and presented in New York City as part of The Australian Theatre Festival NYC.

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.

The winner & runner-up will be announced on Thursday, May 30th, 2024 (NYC, EST).

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

 

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