T h e A M E T H Y S T A W A R D
is a biennial playwriting award offered by
M e l b o u r n e W r i t e r s’ T h e a t r e
for a new, unproduced, full-length play of outstanding quality, integrity and originality
T h e P r i z e
The winning play is performed in a theatrical season that is fully produced by MWT.
T h e 2 0 2 5 A m e t h y s t A w a r d
Submissions for The 2025 Amethyst Award closed on 31st August 2024.
We are thrilled to announce that the winning script was
LYCEUM HIGHWAY by K V Adams
LYCEUM HIGHWAY will be performed across seven nights.
It will be directed by Brooke Fairley
and feature acclaimed performer Laura Iris Hill
LYCEUM HIGHWAY will be presented from
12th – 18th March 2025
at
T H E S T A B L E S
Meat Market Melbourne
in a double-bill season with Metropolis Monologues.
Tickets are now On Sale! For full show details and to buy a ticket, click below.
Buy a Ticket
You can also purchase your ticket by clicking here.
Limited tickets will also be available at the theatre door until 6.15pm each night.
to everyone who submitted a script this year. We appreciate your creativity, time and effort.
2025 SELECTION REPORT
WINNER
Lyceum Highway by K V Adams
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Motherlode by Jeannie Haughton
COMMENDED
Connect Seven by Emily Farrell
Transfusion by Steven Najera
SELECTION REPORT
All the plays submitted showed an impressive level of craft and demonstrated that the
writers had shaped their chosen dramatic situations and invested considerable dedication
into teasing out and realising the worlds of their plays. Fast-paced dialogue revealing
character incrementally was a clear strength of many of the writers.Successful scripts stood out for their:
– especially strong sense of place connected to the purpose of the work
– original, intriguing dramatic premise, with potential to hold audience attention throughout
– strong feel for rhythms of speech with dialogue matching the world of the play.
– characters whose predicaments compelled us to care about their choices
– immediacy – plunging us into the imaginative situation without needing explanation
– contrasting unexpected perspectives that felt equally true, contingent rather than didacticWe were impressed by the momentum and pace of the winning script – Lyceum Highway –
which operates on multiple levels, familiar from one angle yet exuding uncanny energy from
others. The actual situation and the metaphysical significance of the concerns this play
expresses resonate powerfully while also capturing the accessible energy of a heist drama.
It manages to nimbly steer clear of sentimentality despite delving into unexpected
existential questions. Many questions but no one answer. Most of all, we wanted to see
this script staged.Thank you to all playwrights who submitted scripts for this year’s Award.
Cathy Hunt
2025 Assessor
The Amethyst Award is proudly offered by Melbourne Writers’ Theatre.