2012 Griffin Award finalists announced

Last week, the Griffin Theatre Company announced six finalists for the 2012 Griffin Award, which recognises an outstanding play (or performance text) that displays an inventive and contemporary Australian voice.

125 entries were received for the 2012 Award, and the six finalists are eagerly awaiting the announcement of the winner (who will receive $10,000 from PKF Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers) on Tuesday 12 June during the 2012 Griffin Festival of New Writing.

The 2012 Griffin Award finalists are:

• Eight Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography by Declan Greene
• All Over by Kit Brookman
• Savages by Patricia Cornelius
• This is Where We Live by Vivienne Walshe
• Scowl by Angus Cerini
• Lavender Bay by Alana Valentine

Griffin Theatre Company Associate Director Lee Lewis, is thrilled with the standard of entries this year.

“I don’t know if there are more people writing good plays or more good writers sending their plays in to the Griffin Award but it has been an extraordinary reading year. Thank you to all the writers of Australia for your brave, curious, inventive, political, funny and perceptive stories. It has been a massive wrestle to get the shortlist down to six from 125.”

Past winners include Lachlan Philpott for Silent Disco (2009), Debra Oswald for Mr Bailey’s Minder (2004), Brendan Cowell for Rabbit (2003) and Rick Viede for Whore (2008) and A Hoax (2011), which opens at the SBW Stables Theatre on 25 July.
“The Griffin Award is etched in Australian Theatre history for recognising great new work and talent”, said Griffin Theatre Company Artistic Director Sam Strong.

“With the recent examples of Silent Disco and A Hoax, the Award has also created a pathway to the Griffin stage and beyond. Congratulations to this year’s shortlist – we look forward to hearing sections of all the plays, and of course celebrating with the winner, on 12 June.”Selections from each shortlisted play will be shared at the winner’s announcement at the SBW Stables Theatre on Tuesday 12 June.

Purchase tickets to the Griffin Award Ceremony here.

GRIFFIN AWARD HONOUR BOARD

2011 Rick Viede A Hoax 

2010 Aidan Fennessy Brutopia

2009 Lachlan Philpott Silent Disco

2008 Rick Viede Whore

2007 Damien Millar Emergency Sex and Other Desperate Measures

2006 Mary Rachel Brown Australian Gothic

2005 Ian Wilding The Carnivores

2004 Debra Oswald Mr Bailey’s Minder

2003 Brendan Cowell Rabbit

2002 Noëlle Janaczewska Songket and Patrick Van der Werf Presence

2001 Verity Laughton Burning

2000 Ian Wilding Below

1999 Neil Cole Alive at Williamstown Pier

1998 Catherine Zimdahl Clark in