What will YOU write in 2024?
Whether you are an aspiring or established playwright, MWT is the place to be in 2024. Regardless of what you will write or have just written, chances are we have a dramaturgical program, production opportunity, showcase event or online workshop that is a perfect match for your script and your skills and will help you, creator of the first and owner of the second, to grow bigger and shine brighter.
In our intensive dramaturgical program Page to Stage our creative teams are preparing to present their scripts at The Stage Door Readings. Full details soon! Writers participating in Gasworks Script Lab, presented by MWT in partnership with Gasworks Arts Park, are also preparing to share these with the public. Meanwhile submissions for The 2025 Amethyst Award, which closed on 31st August, are now being read by our selection panel – thank you to everyone who submitted their work for this award. And in between these opportunities are our monthly writing workshops. We will be welcoming a special new facilitator for the month of November – to find out more, visit our News page.
We’d love you to be a part of the MWT journey, so take a moment to wander through our website and find out what we can offer you. If you’re not already a member of Melbourne Writers’ Theatre, we encourage you to join. If you’d like to be added to our Playbill mailing list, click here. For all other queries, please contact us.
Whichever part of Victoria you come from, whoever you are, whatever you have written and whatever you will write in 2024, MWT is here to support you and your creative aspirations.
2024 CALENDAR
Our monthly Workshops are usually held on the first MONDAY of the month from 7pm – 8pm, and usually via Zoom. They are open to members and non-members alike. After each workshop, attendees can choose to stay online for an informal chat with the group. Details of our 2023 sessions can be found on the EVENTS page. Below is the Calendar at a glance.
February 5
Workshop #1
Outstanding Plays contain …
Facilitator: Brooke Fairley
*Zoom
This first workshop for 2024 was preceded by the AGM.
March 4
Workshop #2
Writing Great Dialogue
Facilitator: Megan J. Riedl
* Zoom
April 8
Workshop #3
Know your Characters
Facilitators: Jennifer Munday & Louise Hopewell
* Zoom
Saturday May 4 @ 2pm – 5pm
EVENT
Scripts @ The Dock
Excerpts from 8 new MWT plays are read by actors
* The Performance Space – Library at the Dock
June 3
Workshop #4
Story, Story, STORY
Facilitator: Naomi Sumner Chan
* Zoom
July 1
Workshop #5
Writing Historical Drama
Panelists: Karyn Lee Greig, Marli van der Bijl and Bruce Shearer
* Zoom
August 12
Workshop #6
The Winter Read
Group discussion of the play Prima Facie
Facilitator: Melissa Forge
* Zoom
September 2
EVENT
Monologue Soiree
5 new MWT monologues are read by actors
* Zoom
October 7
Workshop #7
Getting those Grants
Facilitator: Clare Mendes
* Zoom
November 11, 18, 25
UNESCO Workshop Series
Facilitator: Our 2024 international playwright. Details soon!
* Zoom
Show photos by Anna Moloney-Heath, John A. Edwards and Cosima Gilbert
P a g e
t o
STAGE
2 0 2 4
Q & A with Hayden Dun
Hayden participated in Gasworks Script Lab 2024. Here he talks about the short play he wrote in the program.
What is the name of your short play and what, briefly, is it about?
The title of my short play is ‘Second Chance’. The play follows two gay male detectives in the year 2044, who investigate the mysterious death of an elderly woman found in their best friend’s apartment.What was the inspiration for it?
The play was inspired by my experience in Melbourne’s queer, particularly gay male, community, which has a strong focus on youth, aesthetics, and drug use. In my experience, this scene embraces Botox, fillers, steroids and recreational drug use more than the general population. Additionally, I’ve always had a passion for sci-fi, so this story is a combination of two topics that interest me.You have considerable writing and performing experience in various music worlds. How have you found the workshops’ focus on a new, short-form play with its dialogue-driven script?
Wonderful. I have learned many things I would never have considered. For example, my script initially had multiple settings, but I realised with the help of our mentor that keeping the story in one location made the play much more engaging—especially for a short play. I’ve learned that giving a character a repeating catchphrase is satisfying, and that having characters echo snippets from previous lines in their responses can give dialogue more punch. These little tricks are things I now notice in successful movies and shows.
Hayden’s script will be presented at Showcase Night 1 of Gasworks Script Lab.
Photos:
Top: Hayden Dun in a workshop for Gasworks Script Lab 2024. *Photo by MWT
Bottom: Hayden Dun in performance. *Photo supplied by writer
Interview by Ros Varley
Become an MWT Member
Meet writers, directors and actors, and get your work on stage!
Our Productions
Melbourne Writers’ Theatre
Established In
Members Joined
Scripts Edited
Plays Staged
Melbourne Writers’ Theatre respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land, the Bunurong Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation, and pays respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.
Melbourne Writers’ Theatre
is a registered charity with Deductible Gift Recipient status.