June 4, 2015

YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS SHARE TOP HONOURS 

Auckland playwright Nathan Joe and Wellington playwright Cassandra Tse shared top honours in the Playwrights b4 25 competition, announced at a function at the Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre on Thursday 4 June 2015. The competition, run by Playmarket, recognises the best new writing for the stage by writers under the age of 25. 

Long Ago, Long Ago by Cassandra Tse is a poetic meditation on grief and siblinghood. Three siblings – a postgraduate student obsessed with fairy tales, a spurious phone psychic, and a teenage boy who loves flying machines – find themselves faced with the past they’ve long tried to outrun. The judges described the play as sophisticated, beautiful and fascinating.

Cassandra has an Honours degree in theatre from Victoria University of Wellington, where she also minored in Creative Writing from the International Institute of Modern Letters. She is a co-founder of Red Scare Collective in 2013 which has produced three of her works for the stage. She received a Highly Commended in Playwrights b4 25 2013 for her first play, political satire Right Dishonourable. Long Ago, Long Ago will receive its world premiere at BATS on June 23 2015.

Nathan Joe’s play Hippolytus Veiled or: Eros, Beware! is based on the fragments of the lost play by the Greek writer Euripides. In this stark retelling of the ancient myth Phaedra, queen of Athens, falls in love with her stepson Hippolytus setting in motion a tragic series of events. The judges described the play as ambitious, dynamic, hilarious and frightening all at once. 

Nathan’s previous play Who is Sada Abe? Part One: Bullfight of Love was shortlisted for the 2015 Adam NZ Play Award and his 2013 play Flesh off the Boat was selected for development as part of Playmarket’s Asian Ink programme. Two of his short plays have been staged as part of The Legacy Project.

Abby Howells was awarded Highly Commended for her hilarious comedy Benedict Cumberbatch Must Die. Nora Maarleveld received a special mention for a play by a writer under the age of 18 for her play Cover. 

The other finalists in the competition were: 
Sam Brooks – Stutterpop, Wine Lips and The Girl and the Gay
Rose Cann – The Wellington Hill Drinking Society
Jess Sayer – SHAM
Finnius Teppett – The Non-Surgeon’s Guide to the Appendectomy (and other games) 
Ben Wilson – I’ll Be Fine 

Playmarket is very grateful for the partnership with Auckland Live which made the event possible. 

Playmarket’s major funders are Creative New Zealand and Foundation North.