NSW Playwright Takes Top Award at Noosa Playwriting Competition

The 2011 Noosa Arts Theatre National One-Act Playwriting Competition has been won by NSW writer Mark Langham for his comedy Nothing.

The 3 finalists had known they were finalists in the competition back in February. Their plays were staged for the first time at the intimate Noosa Arts Theatre, with the winner finally announced at the conclusion of the final performance.

It was Langham’s relaxed knock about comedy, about 3 friends sitting around in a shed talking about all the important things in life, that was chosen by the reading panel. Actors Frank Wilkie, Michael Morgan and Meegan Maguire did the script justice, underplaying the humour and allowing the script to shine.

The competition, which has been running for over 30 years, fosters new playwrights, and this year the competition received a record 87 entries from right around Australia and beyond, including 2 from the United States.

Mr Langham, took home prizemoney for the Best Play award, of $2500 sponsored by Macquarie Private Wealth. Born in Nottingham UK, he studied acting at Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and only moved to Australia in 2008. He has previously written sketches for the Edinburgh Festival and short stories for BBC Radio, concentrating mainly on prose work.  This is the first one-act play he has written and we would suggest, perhaps not his last!

In 2nd Place, was last year’s winner, Bruce Olive with the gut-wrenching drama, The Knock on The Door, and in 3rd place was Jenny Bullimore from Victoria with a moral dilemma piece titled Star Crossed.

All 3 playwrights travelled to Noosa for the final performance, presented as part of the Noosa Longweekend 10 day cultural festival.

The 3 plays, were staged over a 2 week, sellout season and were a hit with audiences.

The Nancy Cato Audience Choice Award, also announced on the night, went to Knock on the Door, by Bruce Olive. Mr Olive from Queensland, who won Best Play in last year’s competition, took home a publishing contract with Maverick Musicals & Plays, and a Cash prize donated by the late Nancy Cato’s family. Author Nancy Cato, famous for her novel “All the Rivers Run”, was the first winner of the competition in 1978.

Knock on the Door tells the parallel stories of 2 families, a century apart, waiting for loved ones to come home from war. 

Brisbane actress and Director, Karen Crone was on hand to adjudicate the acting and Directing, but the night was all about the playwrights, with the Festival also featuring a Playwriting Masterclass with Brisbane based creative genius Michael Futcher.

Playwrights interested in entering the 2012 playwriting competition, can download an Entry Form from ‘Competitions’ page of the website, at www.noosaartstheatre.org.au, or email oapcomp@noosaartstheatre.org.aufor more information.

Image: Finalist Playwrights, Bruce Olive, Jenny Bullimore and Mark Langham  (Photograph: Geoff Powell - Photographica Creative Solutions)

Lower image: Winning playwright Mark Langham.

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Read Simon Denver's review