Playmarket is a not-for-profit organisation providing script advisory services, representation for

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

s in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and access to New Zealand plays. Playmarket was founded in 1973 to encourage the professional production of New Zealand plays. The organisation represents many of New Zealand's theatrical writers. Playmarket is also a script development service and a publisher of plays.

History

Playmarket was founded by Robert Lord, Nonnita Rees, Judy Russell and Ian Fraser, initially as a script reading service. During the first eighteen months of the organisation, Playmarket licensed a total of 15 productions. They were founded in 1973 and registered as a non-profit making incorporated society in 1975. Past directors include Mark Amery. Murray Lynch was appointed in 2010 and is the current director. Lynch was made an

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...

for services to theatre in the New Zealand

2021 New Year Honours The 2021 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebration ...

. In 2013 Playmarket issued over 400 performance licences annually both in New Zealand and around the world.

Activities and structure

Membership Playmarket meet annually to review activities, receive the annual reports and elect a board. During the year the board meets to determine policy, establish budgets and monitor the activities of the organisation. Playmarket receives core funding from

Creative New Zealand The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government, investing in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes and developing markets ...

. Playmarket receives scripts, promotes plays and playwrights and runs clinics and masterclasses for new and emerging playwrights. Services for their playwright clients include circulation of scripts to potential directors and producers (in New Zealand and overseas), distributes royalties and negotiates contracts. Plyamarket run playwriting awards each year with announcements made at a ceremony. One of the awards is the

Adam NZ Play Award The Adam NZ Play Award is an annual award in New Zealand given to new plays. There are a range of categories and submitted plays are read blind by a panel of industry professionals. History The award started in 2008 and was initially called ...

for a previously unproduced new play and has a number of categories. There is also the

Bruce Mason Playwriting Award The Bruce Mason Playwriting Award is an annual award that recognises the work of an outstanding emerging New Zealand playwright. The winner is decided by the votes of a panel of leading New Zealand artistic directors and script advisors. The ...

, which in 2021 was won by Nathan Joe. Two other competitions are run: ''Playwrights b4 25'' in partnership with Auckland Live and ''Plays for the Young'' in three categories of plays written for 3-8 years, 8-12 years and teenagers. Both these awards are judged by a panel. Playmarket publishes a magazine called ''Playmarket Annual'' that formally was ''Playmarket NEWS'' and prior to that they took over the

Downstage Theatre Downstage Theatre was a professional theatre company in Wellington, New Zealand, that ran from 1964 to 2013. For many years it occupied the purpose-built Hannah Playhouse building. Former directors include Sunny Amey, Mervyn Thompson, and Coli ...

magazine ''Act'' with Playmarket publishing ''Act: Theatre in New Zealand'' from 1976 to 1986. The magazine includes a review of the previous year of theatrical activity in New Zealand. Playmarket sells published New Zealand plays. The bookshop is available online at their website which also provides profiles of New Zealand playwrights and titles, the bookshop also has a database of unpublished scripts. For an annual fee people can become members of Playmarket.

Published playwrights

Client writers and published playwrights include Roger Hall,

Hone Kouka Hone Vivian Kouka is a New Zealand playwright. He has written 13 plays, which have been staged in New Zealand and worldwide including Canada, South Africa, New Caledonia and Britain. Kouka's plays have won multiple awards at the Chapman Tripp T ...

, Renee,

Dave Armstrong (playwright) Dave Armstrong (born 1961) is a New Zealand playwright, screenwriter, trumpet player and columnist for '' The Dominion Post''. His work has featured on stage, radio and television. His television writer credits include ''Spin Doctors'', ''Seven ...

Gary Henderson (playwright) Gary Henderson (born 1955) is a New Zealand playwright, director and teacher. Henderson's work has been produced both nationally and internationally with his play ''Skin Tight'' having travelled to Edinburgh, New York City and Canada. Whilst at th ...

Jean Betts Jean Betts is a New Zealand playwright, actor and director. Background Jean Betts emigrated with her parents (both founders of Unity Theatre, London), to Christchurch, New Zealand. She obtained a degree at University of Canterbury in English Li ...

Michelanne Forster Michelanne Forster (born 26 April 1953) is a New Zealand playwright and scriptwriter who was born in California, USA. Her writing career began in the 1980s at Television New Zealand where she worked on the popular pre-school program '' Play Scho ...

Robert Lord (playwright) Robert Lord (18 July 1945 – 7 January 1992) was the first New Zealand professional playwright, and one of the first New Zealand playwrights to have plays produced abroad since Merton Hodge in the 1930s (following Bruce Mason and James K. Baxt ...

Bruce Mason Bruce Edward George Mason (28 September 1921 – 31 December 1982) was a significant playwright in New Zealand who wrote 34 plays and influenced the cultural landscape of the country through his contribution to theatre. In 1980, he was appo ...

Ken Duncum Ken Duncum is a New Zealand playwright and screenwriter. His plays ''Cherish'' and ''Trick of the Light'' won best new New Zealand play at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards in 2003 and 2004. His script for television drama series ''Cover Story'' ...

David Geary David Geary (born 1963) is a Māori writer from New Zealand who is known for his plays ''The Learners Stand, Lovelocks Dream Run'' and ''Pack of Girls.'' For television he has written for New Zealand series Shortland Street and Jackson's Wharf. ...

Alison Quigan Alison Marie Quigan (born 1952) is a New Zealand actress, director and playwright. Biography In 1978, Quigan trained at the Theatre Corporate Actors School in Auckland. She has worked as an actor in Auckland, Palmerston North and Christchurch, a ...

References

Further reference

Playmarket website
* ''1992 Playmarket Directory of New Zealand Plays and Playwrights'' {{Authority control Cultural organisations based in New Zealand Theatre in New Zealand New Zealand literature 1973 establishments in New Zealand Arts organizations established in 1973

History

Activities and structure

Published playwrights

See also

References

Further reference