MEDIA RELEASE COURTESY OF: PLAYWRITING AUSTRALIA

(QLD) PlayWriting Australia announces the full list of participants in this year’s National Play Festival, which is taking place at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts Brisbane from February 15—20.

Eight new works from some of Australia’s best-loved writers and most exciting new emerging artists make up the Festival’s Showcase season.

These artists include: Brisbane born playwright Angela Betzien (Hoods, Children of the Black Skirt) a challenging new young voice; Melbourne actor and writer Angus Cerini; novelist playwright and director Catherine McKinnon; award-winning playwright Ross Mueller (Concussion, Construction of the Human Heart); one of Australia’s favourite playwright’s Debra Oswald (Dags, Mr Bailey’s Minder, The Peach Season; previous affiliate writer at MTC and Associate artist at The Storeroom writer and Artistic Director Robert Reid, with his first play in over 15 years; Mark Swivel and acclaimed playwright Alana Valentine whose’ Parramatta Girls and Run Rabbit Run are currently on the HSC Syllabus for Drama in NSW.

Directors and dramaturgs working on the Showcase plays in the festival will be Leticia Cáceres (directed for Barking Gecko; Queensland Theatre Company; Sydney Opera House and La Boite), Susie Dee (previous Artistic Director of Melbourne Workers Theatre, ICE (Institute Of Complex Entertainment) and Union House Theatre at Melbourne University Theatre), Peter Evans (Associate Director of Melbourne Theatre Company), Julian Meyrick (recently Associate Director and Literary Advisor of Melbourne Theatre Company) and performer playwright and director Daniel Schlusser.

They will join a cast of some Australia’s greatest acting talents to present the festival’s Showcase season. Including Jada Alberts, Chris Betts, Kate Box, Peta Brady, Bille Brown, Nicholas Brown, Georgina Capper, Kaeng Chan, Sandro Colarelli, Catherine Davies, Michelle Fornasier, Ron Haddrick, Kevin Hides, Aimee Horne, Jodie Le Vesconte, Bryan Probets and Steven Rooke.

Leading and emerging playwrights, directors, dramaturgs and actors from across the country will converge in Brisbane for the National Play Festival, a major two-week celebration of new Australian performance writing. Fortitude Valley’s Judith Wright Centre is the home of the Festival and will be buzzing with the performances of more than 17 new Australian and international plays.

In addition to the Showcase there is also the Play For Breakfast season, performances of The Bestest Play In Australia and industry sessions.

National Play Festival 2010: Ignite your Imagination
Dates: February 15-20