Playwright in Residence – 2025

 

 

JULIA  LANGE

 

 

Melbourne Writers’ Theatre is excited to announce JULIA LANGE as its 2025 International Playwright-in-Residence. Hailing from Krakow, Poland, Julia is a poet, playwright and director. She will be in residence with MWT for the month of November, during which period she will deliver a series of online workshops while working on a new play. Welcome, Julia!

To read a little about Julia, click here.

To follow Julia on Instagram, please visit  @julia.zofia.lange

 

 

Q&A with JULIA LANGE

1. You are a poet, a playwright and a director. How do you synthesise all of these interests when working on a theatrical piece?
I prefer to think of myself simply as myself, using my artistic, literary, and theatrical background in an organic way. When I write a play, I don’t consider whether I’m doing it as a poet, playwright, or director — I write as an author who deeply believes in her story and seeks to uncover the truth of her characters.

 

2. Where does your inspiration for poetry come from?
My poetic inspiration comes primarily from language itself — from testing and expanding its boundaries. I like to see how far a linguistic structure can stretch, something greatly enhanced by my experience of writing in both Polish and English and through my translation practice.

 

3. What kind of theatre spaces are you used to working in?
As someone on the verge of her professional directorial debut, I’m most familiar with gallery-type spaces such as Rotacyjny Dom Kultury at Jazdów in Warsaw or Dworek Sierakowskich in Sopot. All the performances of my first widely recognised play, Snow Fell on the Ashes of Eden, took place in art galleries, which was a remarkable experience — such spaces carry a different kind of charge than a conventional proscenium stage.

 

4. Where does a play ‘start’ for you when you are writing something new?
I always write from beginning to end and feel quite attached to a chronological order, even though most of my plays are experimental and composed of loosely connected, non-linear scenes. For me, a play begins with its very first line.

 

5. In contemporary terms, whose playwriting impresses you and why?
I don’t read many contemporary playwrights. As a director, I tend to adapt novels — often contemporary Asian prose — or write my own scripts. The poetic prose of Anne Carson was a major discovery for me, but I don’t think I have a single favourite playwright of the 21st century.

 

6. In historical terms, whose playwriting impresses you and why?
From my literary studies, I remember being profoundly moved by John Synge. Recently, I’ve also become increasingly interested in writers for the Japanese Noh theatre.

 

7. You have worked as an assistant to Marcin Wierzchowski, Agnieszka Glińska and Katarzyna Minkowska. What have you learned from them?
Marcin Wierzchowski — an outstanding Polish director — taught me everything I know about theatre. He is my mentor and a great source of inspiration. I plan to discuss his unique method of working with actors in one of my upcoming workshops.

 

8. What will you be writing during your residency with MWT?
I intend to write a play titled THE AFTERLOVE, a collection of monologues expanding on an earlier piece of mine. I feel I’ve grown out of both that text and the language I used then, so I wish to explore the theme of the female condition in a heterosexual romantic relationship from a more mature perspective.

 

Images from Julia’s plays

 

JULIA’S RESIDENCY

 

While in residency with MWT, Julia will present three online workshops. To be added to the attendee list for any, or all, of these

please email us one week prior to the workshop at: melbournewriterstheatre@gmail.com

 

Workshop 1 – Monday 10th November @ 6pm – 7pm
Contemporary Playwriting in Poland and Europe
This workshop offers an overview of the contemporary theatrical landscape in Poland and across Europe, with a focus on the unique dramaturgical and playwriting tools developed in these contexts. Participants will gain insight into how cultural, political, and institutional frameworks shape the creative process and the kinds of stories told on European stages today.

Workshop 2 – Monday 17th November @ 6pm – 7pm
The Method of Marcin Wierzchowski
An introduction to the original creative method developed by Polish director Marcin Wierzchowski — the only director in Poland who consistently applies this approach to every project. The session will explore his process of building a script and performance from the ground up through collaborative improvisation, dramaturgical layering, and a deep focus on actor-driven storytelling.

Workshop 3 – Monday 24th November @ 6pm – 7pm
‘The Afterlove’ – Script Reading
Julia will be writing a new play during her residency titled ‘The Afterlove’, a collection of monologues. At this workshop a professional actor will be reading one of these, after which we will invite actor, director and audience feedback. Julia can then use this feedback as she moves forward with the work.

 

Julia’s residency has been generously sponsored by the Melbourne City of Literature Office.
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