Canadian playwright Guy R Newsham’s been crowned the winner of a hugely-popular Queenstown competition.
After four performances of Remarkable Theatre’s Pint-Sized Plays last week, Newsham’s Ten ... Nine ... Eight, starring local actors Lindsay Muir, Nathan Lindsay and Kate Lindsay, directed by Angus Pettigrew, took the overall win.
Best Mates, written by Timaru’s Susanne Smith, starring Emily Derham and Anna Denys, directed by Marion Low, came in second place, followed by Charlotte’s Room, written by Mike Sams, of Townsville, Australia, and performed by Dean Alsop, with direction from Victoria Mills.
As per the rules of the competition, all scripts are submitted anonymously, with a team of judges whittling down entries to the top 10.
Each night of the show, the audience voted for their favourite play, based on the script, and votes were tallied to come up with the overall winner after all performances.
Only then were playwrights revealed.
Two Cromwell playwrights made the final selection — Carla Creighton for Shopping Day (Guillaume Henry and Sophie Tillerman-Delves, directed by Daniela Felipe), and 11-year-old Caleb Lindsay for Offline and Off the Rails (Bridget Taylor, Emma Bennet and Angus Pettigrew, directed by T Ryan Brennan).
All plays were filmed this year and will soon be uploaded to Remarkable Theatre’s YouTube channel.
