Playlab Theatre Shares David Williamson Prize 2022

Playlab Theatre has shared the prestigious David Williamson Prize for 2022. The prize, worth $100,000 in total, is one of the richest theatre awards in the country, which is shared between a playwright and the commissioning and producing Theatre Company. 

The award was announced at the 55th Australian Writers’ Guild annual AWGIE awards in Sydney last week. 

Playlab Theatre’s prize money of $80,000 was awarded for their commissioning and producing of Horizon by Brisbane-based writer Maxine Mellor, this year’s winner of the AWGIE for Excellence in Writing for Australian Theatre. Horizon also took out the AWGIE in the Stage – Original category. 

Horizon is a visceral and evocative piece of theatre that follows a young couple on a soul-baring road trip through the Queensland outback. 

Maxine Mellor developed the piece as a Playwright-in-Residence at Brisbane’s Playlab Theatre. The project began as a provocation by Playlab’s Artistic Director Ian Lawson, who wanted to tell an allegorical story about Australian identity as a “road movie” onstage, complete with car. Maxine Mellor responded with a brilliant synopsis for Horizon and was commissioned immediately. Playlab Theatre produced Horizon in 2021 at Brisbane Powerhouse.

Playlab Theatre’s $80 000 share of the David Williamson Prize will enable them to develop and program more new work for the Australian stage. (awg.com.au)

Artistic Director of Playlab Theatre Ian Lawson said: “Horizon is in keeping with Playlab Theatre’s commitment to challenge perspectives of Australian culture through theatre. Playlab Theatre is unique by taking a work from idea through development, into production and then publication. The playwright is always at the centre of the creative process. This is an excellent outcome, and we look forward to supporting more playwrights in the future.”

www.playlabtheatre.com.au

You can purchase a copy of Horizon at Book Nook - https://booknook.com.au/product/horizon/