The 2021 Platform Presents Playwright’s Prize:
Please submit your script of up to 10,000 words to info@platformpresents.com
The competition closes at 12pm on April 2nd 2021.
The prize includes ongoing mentoring and producing the winning script, as well as the £5,000 cash prize.
Judges for the 2021 Prize include: Amy Gardner (Producer), Aki Omoshaybi (Actor, Writer & Director), Ella Road (Writer), Emma Forrest (Writer), Helena Lee (Writer), Jenna Coleman (Actor), Jessica Ronane (Casting Director), Kristín Ólafsdóttir (Producer & Director), Madani Younis (Chief Executive Producer, The Shed), Pearl Mackie (Actor), Pippa Bennett-Warner (Actor) and Victor Jenkins (Casting Director).
Platform Presents Playwright’s Prize Format:
Production company Platform Presents was founded in 2017 by actress Gala Gordon and producer Isabella Macpherson to give a platform to rising star talent, with a particular interest in female voices. In order to raise the £5,000 prize money for their annual Playwright’s Prize, Platform Presents founded an annual Poetry Gala, to celebrate and highlight great writing, through the inspiring medium of poetry, brought to life by stars of the stage and screen. In light of Covid 19, the event held in 2021 to raise awareness will be online.
For the 2020 Prize, over 200 plays were submitted from writers based from London to New York, LA to Melbourne. These were shortlisted to 10 by the Platform Presents co-founders and script editors.
The judges for the 2020 Prize were: Amy Gardner (Producer), Charlie Wood (Producer, Underbelly), Dianna Agron (Actor & Producer), Francesca Gardiner (Producer & Screenwriter), Gala Gordon (Co-Founder, Platform Presents), Isabella Macpherson (Co-Founder, Platform Presents), Iwan Rheon (Actor), Ness Evans (Agent), Nicholas Pinnock (Actor & Poet), Rachel De-Lahay (Playwright & Screenwriter), Sam Yates (Director) and Tuppence Middleton (Actor & Writer).
Success Stories:
The winner of the 2019 Playwright’s Prize was first time playwright Leah Gasson. Platform Presents produced a play reading of her play, ‘That Awful Sound,’ funded by the Ambassador Theatre Group and performed by Jessie Buckley, Aimee Lou Wood, Erin Doherty, Luke Treadaway, Haydn Gwynne, Karl Queensborough and Pearce Quigley. Platform Presents helped break her into the industry and supported her with regards to representation. Leah signed with Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s agent, Alec Drysdale at Independent Talent. The script is now in development both for stage and separately for screen as a feature film with Brad Falchuk’s production company, Teleyvsion.
Leah said: “Winning the prize was a life changing moment. It wasn’t just a title – it was an absolute sisterhood. Gala and Bella have been full of knowledge and encouragement, sharing their ideas and experiences and working tirelessly to push me into the light. I now have an amazing agent, a great pool of wise and wonderful fellow writers to learn from and have had meetings with production companies beyond my wildest dream.”
Winner of the 2020 Playwright’s Prize was Anoushka Warden with her play ‘My Dad’s a C***’. Platform Presents are now in discussion with Anoushka with regards to developing her script for stage and television.
Deadline: 2 April 2021
Source: direct contact