Winners from Dramafest 2010

AWARDS FROM DRAMAFEST 2010 Best Overall production: Goldfields Repertory “Derek Drives a Datsun” Best Director: Simon James “When Nixon Met Elvis” Arena Arts & Entertainment New Writing: John Grimshaw “Checkout” Melville Theatre Rob de Vaak Most Innovative Production “Striptease” Upstart Theatre Co. Encouragement: Stage Left Theatre Troupe Adjudicators Award: Zoe Hollyoak “Hush Little Celia” last minute replacement and fine performance as Celia Stirling Players Best Actor: Nathan Catalano in “Hooker from Hell” KADS Best Actress: Leonie Lever in “Hooker from Hell” KADS Best Support Actor: Zach Hawke in “The Shock of recognition” Stage Left Best Support Actress: Lisa Skrypichayko in “Past Loves” Old Mill Best Costume Award: Stage Left “ Work – You’re doing it wrong”. People’s choice award: “Hooker from Hell” KADS Certificates Martin Watkins masterly property master Irish Players Adrian O’Neill for Mr Wedgecock in Checkout Melville Set Design and Decor for Stage Left’s Work-You’re doing it wrong The cast of When Nixon Meets Elvis for absolute Precision Doreen Hill for the splendid keening finale in Riders to the Sea - Irish Players SPY “Black Skirt” for fine ensemble performance LX design/execution for The Game - Melville

Stage Manager - Sarah Gane, Stage Left Theatre Troupe (and Goldfields Repertory) A Certificate of Appreciation for Inter-Club Camaraderie was presented Stirling Players from the committee for assisting Stage Left when their projector decided to blow up. Thank you to all the participants, and to everyone at Melville Theatre

Nice spread of plays in that lot

Congrats to all the award recipients

1:I'd like to offer my sincere thanks to those unsung heroes, the Dramafest organisers and volunteers, who give, and gave so much of their time (not to mention effort) in making this event possible for we, the theatre people's. Thanks guys. 2: My thanks and appreciation to Val Riches at Melville for seeing potential in the script. 3: To Felicity and the cast of 'Checkout' for realising that potential.I say with sincerity, that you nailed the script to a tee. 4: To my long time friend Adrian O'Neill who in only his second production, was awarded a certificate of merit for his efforts as Mr Wedgecock. BRILLIANT! I'm delighted for you. PS: It will be at least a week or more before the smile leaves his face. 5: Having been fortunate enough to be awarded best new writer for the second year running, suggest the ITA may need to rename this award (how about an addiitonal award - 'best script by an aging hippy, who once upon a time had long hair?' 6: I feel most humble to win this award knowing that there are some wonderful writers amongst our OWN theatre community. For an old bugger like me it doesn't get any better. 7: To close, I make a request to our local theatre community. Please check what we have in our own backyard before looking further afield, and if possible find room to give our YOUNG writers an opportunity as part of your season. You may not be rewarded with full houses, but you will defintely gain some satisfaction in knowing that you've provided an opportunity to a young writer, who one day may become a household name in this country, if not further afield. I'd pick that over doing 'The Importance Of Being Ernest' any day (sorry, I wasn't going to mention Ernest, but my fingers got the better of me). cheers Johnny Grim

Sorry John to disagree but as someone who has done both new plays and Earnest... In fact the last two plays I was involved with were a new play and Earnest... You need to do the great plays and do them often, and if the new writers see them and pay attention they will learn how to become better writers. I like to see new works, but I like to see GOOD new works (so not a dig at you John, I really like your writing) but I would rather sit through another Earnest every two months than sit through some of the really inane english comedies or TV adaptations that get trotted out FAR more often!!! THEY are the true enemy to new writing, not the Earnests!

Just to let you know, we are holding a 'Fresh Ink' writing for the stage masterclass for young writers in Perth in association with Sydney's ATYP on Saturday October 16th Full details at http://waytco.wordpress.com/freshink

Congratulations to all! A wonderful showing! :D

Elliott Cook
Managing Director - Ellandar Productions

Hi Paul, May I say that I hold up Earnest merely as a representation of the plays that are done over and over ,some say to death, but they do seem to keep coming back from the grave. There are numerous other plays that would slip easily into this category. Recent threads on this site suggest our theatre audiences are dying, and I think that's very true in a literal sense. The question begs, can we attract the young with plays like Earnest and co? My view is that we cannot, however, I'd be interested in hearing from the younger members of our theatre community on that score, for I would suggest it is they who should be giving us direction for the future, not that I'm suggesting we old buggers can't have our say, but we need to somehow show the young that theatre can be as exciting as Facebook and Twitter, oh s**t, there goes my argument..DOH! cheers Johnny Grim