When Grace Malouf began writing, she wasn’t looking for accolades; she was looking for her voice. Today, the NIDA MFA graduate is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter whose work has been recognised by festivals, theatre companies and the screen industry.
She credits the Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Performance (now the MFA in Dramatic Writing) with giving her the skills and mindset she needed to become the writer she wanted to be.
Every playwright or screenwriter has a story they want to tell but turning that creative impulse into a sustainable career takes more than inspiration. It takes craft, discipline, collaboration, and the confidence to trust your own voice.
For Malouf, the Master’s Degree at NIDA was where those elements all came together.
‘NIDA gave me the legitimacy and training I needed,’ she says. ‘It was incredible to have the time, attention, and rigour to really start to figure out who I am as a writer and what I wanted to say.’
Since graduating from NIDA, Malouf’s career has really gathered momentum. Her Oscar-accredited short film Writers in Love, directed by Sarah Giles (Directing, 2008), is about the ethics of writing; it won Best Short Film at the St Kilda Film Festival last month and received an AACTA nomination.
Across stage and screen, her work has also been recognised by the Griffin Award, the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award, ATYP’s Blake Beckett Commission and the Katie Lees Fellowship for Playwriting.
This year, her play First Do No Harm premiered at Sydney’s KXT on Broadway as part of NIDA’s New Writers, New Works season proving that the NIDA connection continues to play a role in her career.
‘Being a NIDA alumnus is like being part of an exclusive club alongside many of Australia’s greatest talents,’ she says. ‘NIDA is a powerful brand. It can open a lot of doors.’
NIDA’s practice-led MFA
The 18-month, practice-led MFA immerses students in writing for theatre, film, television and interactive media. Alongside developing their own creative practice, students gain experience in the collaborative realities of professional writing, workshopping scripts with actors and directors while building an individual portfolio that includes two full-length works, industry pitches, and project outlines.
The course is led by NIDA’s Head of Writing Joe Hepworth, whose emphasis on balancing creative ambitions with professional realities left a lasting impression on Malouf.
‘Joe Hepworth is a realist and I’m a bit of a dreamer, so he was an excellent teacher for me,’ she says. ‘He has a real focus on the reality of being a writer and the importance of being ready once the window opens or the opportunity presents itself.’
Students are encouraged to experiment with form, challenge themselves creatively, and develop an individual voice within a culturally safe, supportive and collaborative environment.
The MFA welcomes applicants whose first degree is in any discipline, not only the arts. Grace Malouf’s background was in law and economics, not the arts.
Writers from First Nations and underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply, reflecting the course’s commitment to fostering diverse voices and thoughtful, ethical approaches to storytelling. As NIDA recognises, some of our most important stories may be those that are least told.
For Malouf, there has never been a more important time to be a writer.
‘We need now, more than ever, to hold a mirror up to our society and ask “Are we okay with this? How can we do better?” I want to write plays that challenge our understanding of who we are.’
She is also realistic about the profession she has chosen. ‘You have to wholeheartedly believe that what you have to say is worth listening to, because you will hear “no” all the time.’
There are no shortcuts to becoming a writer, only the willingness to keep writing, learning, networking, and refining your craft. ‘For me, being a writer is hard, but not being one would be even harder.’
Interested applicants can register for an online postgraduate information session on Tuesday 25 August at 6:00pm to meet NIDA’s course leaders. The session will share first-hand insights into how the course can accelerate your career in the arts and cultural sector; provide helpful tips for your application; and answer your questions. Find out more.
