Media Release February 2014

Belvoir opens entries for Indigenous Playwright’s Award

Belvoir is now accepting entries for the Balnaves Foundation Indigenous Playwright’s Award. The award is open to all writers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander decent.

‘This is a prestigious award,’ said judge Wesley Enoch, Artistic Director of the Theatre Company. ‘It is significant because the award commits to creating the opportunity for playwrights to work with actors in a theatrical setting.

‘The award is an act of generosity on behalf of The Balnaves Foundation, which is so important as Indigenous storytelling often doesn’t fit into the structures of funding models.’

2014 is the third year this award has been offered. In the past two years the award has recognised playwrights Jada Alberts and Nakkiah Lui, but also inspired many Indigenous artists to dream up new plays.

At the time of winning the 2013 Award, Jada Alberts said ‘Not more than a year ago I was midway through writing the first draft of my first play, and knowing that this award had come into existence gave me inspiration and assurance that playwriting can be a practical and serious career choice.’

2012 winner, Nakkiah Lui, said: ‘Telling and sharing our stories empowers our communities and supporting new work and new voices is vital. That is why this award is such an important and innovative step for Indigenous playwrights and Indigenous theatre.'

The Balnaves Foundation is committed to working towards reconciliation and they support numerous Indigenous arts projects including Corroboree Festival and Black Diggers for Jada Alberts accepts the 2013 award from Neil Balnaves. Photo by Tom Cramond. Festival. Since 2011 The Balnaves Foundation supported the presentation of two Indigenous works as per year as part of Belvoir’s annual season. To further their commitment to the telling of Indigenous stories through theatre, the Foundation has committed $20,000 per year to this annual award for an Indigenous playwright.

‘Most non- are largely sheltered from the lives of Indigenous Australians,’ said Hamish Balnaves. ‘For many, they only see news reports of the Indigenous community’s interactions with police and justice, and motherhood statement from governments. This award is about creating the opportunity for Indigenous playwrights to tell their own stories directly to an audience that needs to hear the unfiltered reality of Indigenous experiences.’

The award comprises a $7,500 cash prize and a $12,500 commission to write a new play with the support of Belvoir.

Entries close on Friday 28 March with the winner announced in May during National Reconciliation Week.

Wesley Enoch is joined on the judging panel by the Artistic Director of ILBIJERRI Theatre Company, Rachael Maza, Belvoir’s Eamon Flack and Anthea Williams and last year’s winner Jada Alberts.

For media information contact publicist Elly Michelle Clough [email protected] | + 61 (0)2 8396 6242 | 0407 163 921

Media Release February 2014

Notes for Editors The Balnaves Foundation The Balnaves Foundation is a private philanthropic organisation established in 2006 by Neil Balnaves AO to provide support to charitable enterprises across .

Dispersing over $2 million annually, the Foundation supports eligible organisations that aim to create a better Australia through education, medicine and the arts with a focus on young people, the disadvantaged and Indigenous communities.

Judges Jada Alberts Jada is a Larrakia, Bardi, Wadaman and Yanuwa performer. She graduated in 2006 from the Adelaide Centre for the Arts with an Advanced Diploma of Performing Arts. Her stage credits include Yibiyung (Belvoir/Malthouse); The Shadow King (Malthouse/Sydney Festival); Frost/Nixon, The Birthday Party (MTC); Second to None (Vitalstatistix/Kurruru Performing Arts); Cat (Windmill Performing Arts); Wulamanayuwi and the Seven Pamanui (Darwin Festival); The Green Sheep (Cate Fowler); and Saltbush (Insight Arts). Jada was assistant director on Windmill Baby for Belvoir. She appeared in the feature film Red Hill and on television in Rush, Redfern Now and the upcoming series Wentworth. In 2007 Jada won the Adelaide Critics’ Circle Award for Best Emerging Artist for What I Heard About Iraq (Holden St Theatre).

Wesley Enoch Wesley is the Artistic Director for Queensland Theatre Company. Wesley has directed for Queensland Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, Adelaide Festival of the Arts, State Theatre Company South Australia, Belvoir, , Bell Shakespeare, Malthouse Theatre, Windmill, Melbourne Workers Theatre, Alphaville and the ERTH Festival. As a playwright he has written The Story of the Miracles at Cookie’s Table (awarded the 2005 Patrick White Playwright’s Award), The Sunshine Club, Life of Grace and Piety, Black Medea and he collaborated with Deborah Mailman on The 7 Stages of Grieving. Wesley has been Artistic Director of Kooemba Jdarra Indigenous Performing Arts and Ilbijerri Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Theatre, Associate Artist with Queensland Theatre Company, Resident Director at Sydney Theatre Company, Director of the Indigenous section of the opening ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games, a Sydney Opera House trustee, a NSW Government Arts Advisory Council member and on numerous other committees.

Eamon Flack Eamon is Associate Director – New Projects at Belvoir. He graduated from the acting course at WAAPA in 2003 and has since worked as a director, actor, writer and dramaturg for Belvoir, Malthouse Theatre, Bell Shakespeare’s Mind’s Eye, ThinIce, Perth International Arts Festival, Darwin Festival, Griffin Stablemates, Playwriting Australia and various other companies. For Belvoir, Eamon has directed Once in Royal David’s City, Angles in America, Babyteeth, As You Like It and The End (which toured to Malthouse Theatre), co-adapted Ruby Langford Ginibi’s memoir Don’t Take Your Love to Town, with Leah Purcell, and co-devised Beautiful One Day. His dramaturgy credits for Belvoir include The Wild Duck, Neighbourhood Watch, The Book of Everything and Gwen in Purgatory. Eamon’s productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (B Sharp/Bob Presents/Arts Radar) and Wulamanayuwi and the Seven Pamanui (Darwin Festival) have both toured nationally. He has adapted and directed Gorky’s Summerfolk (Bob Presents) and his adaptation of Antigone was produced at the Perth International Arts Festival and published by Currency Press.

Rachael Maza Rachael is the Artistic Director of Ilbijerri Theatre Company. She is well known as a television presenter on SBS’s ICAM and ABC’s Message Stick, and for her stunning performances in Radiance and The Sapphires. Most recently, in her role at Ilbijerri Theatre Company, she has directed Jacky Jacky in the Box (Federation Square 2009, Melbourne Museum 2010), A Black Sheep Walks into a Baa… and Black Sheep: Glorious Baastards (Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2009 & 2010) and Chopped Liver (National tours 2008 & 2009). She performs regularly with her sister Lisa in the duo ‘The Maza Sisters’, and together they wrote and performed in the highly successful theatre production Sisters of Gelam, which premiered in Melbourne in 2009.

Anthea Williams Anthea is Literary Manager at Belvoir, for Belvoir she has directed Forget Me Not and Old Man. Prior to working at Belvoir Anthea was the Associate Director at London’s Bush Theatre. While at the Bush she directed Two Cigarettes, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover at Christmas, suddenlossofdignity.com, Turf and The Great British Country Fete. Prior to working at the Bush she lived in Auckland and was the Co-Artistic Director of SmackBang Theatre Company and the Producer of Massive Company. Anthea trained as a director at the Victorian College of the Arts and the University of .