50 Playwrights send postcards to Dear Australia

Between 2-5 July, 50 new short works from some of Australia’s best playwrights will be simultaneously livestreamed by more than 30 performing arts organisations from across Australia.     

At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has forced reflection and change, these playwrights have responded to questions that get to the heart of where our nation is and where it might go.

What is happening right now? What is being revealed about us? What are we not paying attention to? Where do we want to go next?

These stories are postcards addressed to Dear Australia.

Playwriting Australia (PWA), the national body for the development of Australian plays and playwrights, invited 25 theatre organisations from across Australia to each nominate two playwrights. PWA then commissioned these 50 playwrights to write a short monologue. 50 extraordinary actors recorded these monologues, many in their own homes.    

These 50 moving and sometimes provocative stories will be grouped over three nights and live streamed by the partner theatres, along with major performing arts centres such as Arts Centre Melbourne, Sydney Opera House, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Canberra Theatre Centre and Darwin Entertainment Centre.

David Berthold, the interim Executive Chair of Playwriting Australia, said that this was a project that “not only elevates the voice of playwrights, but also demonstrates the huge diversity of voices this nation enjoys.”

“Recent months have exposed and prised open many cracks in our society. These 50 micro works address major questions, allowing us to see into some of those cracks, but also inviting us to see light ahead. These stories are, in turn, confronting and comforting. Together, they are a revelation and unique celebration of Australian voices.”       

Participating playwrights include Mary Anne Butler, Rachael Chisholm, Stephen Carleton and Jada Alberts, along with actors such as Miranda Tapsell, Jack Thompson, Shaka Cook, Tasma Walton, Roxanne McDonald and Belinda Giblin.

Dear Australia livestreams over three nights (Thursday 2 July, Friday 3 July and Sunday 5 July) on multiple Facebook pages and on Playwriting Australia’s YouTube channel). 

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO JOIN THE FACEBOOK LIVESTREAM

Thurs 2 July and Fri 3 July    
7pm (NSW, Vic, Qld, Tas, ACT)
6.30pm (SA, NT)
5pm (WA)

Sun 5 July           
5pm (NSW, Vic, Qld, Tas, ACT)
4.30pm (SA, NT)
3pm (WA)

The scripts of the Dear Australia monologues will published by Australian Plays and will be available Monday 6 July on their website.