The cast from Richard Harris' award winning one act play Premeditated Misadventure
The cast from Richard Harris' award winning one act play Premeditated Misadventure
A play about a woman's search for justice for her slain mother has seen Whangārei man Richard Harris win on of the world's most prestigious playwriting competitions.
Harris has taken out the Noosa Arts Theatre One Act Playwriting Competition in Australia - winning the Eleanor Nimmo Prize for Best Play and the A$5000 first prize. But, more importantly, earning international recognition for his work Premeditated Misadventure, a light-hearted whodunit.
The competition attracts entries from playwrights across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, USA, and other countries.
The competition offers a unique opportunity for the three finalists playwrights to see their new work performed on stage at the Noosa Arts Theatre for the first time.
Scripts are judged anonymously by a local panel to prepare a shortlist, which are then judged by a professional panel of three industry experts. They decide on the three finalists.
Harris said he went over as one of the top three and when the second place-getter was read our last Saturday night, knew he had then won.
''It felt pretty good (to win) and I was absolutely over the moon. It's probably the most prestigious playwriting competition in the Southern Hemisphere, and it has a pretty good prize too.''
Premeditated Misadventure looks at Freya's search for justice. Freya, adopted, discovers that her biological mother may have been murdered by her step-father, who then abandoned her.
He is now living locally — with his sixth wife. He profited from the demise of all his previous wives who each dies by misadventure.
Suspicious, Freya decides to investigate.
Harris got to see the play performed for the first time at Noosa and was delighted with how it was produced.
Award-winning Whangārei playwright Richard Harris
''A producer can make or break a play, and while after watching I thought some things could have been done differently, it was really good.''
So what makes a good playwright?
''Hmm, that's a good question. I think it's being able to start with a good plot then develop the characters to that people can relate to them, give them their individuality and to have that character come out in the play,'' Harris said.
''With a one act play you haven't got the time to develop the character in great details, whereas in a longer play you can spend the first act developing them, so you've got to get people to trust the character and invest in them so that the play gives them some satisfaction. And you need the ability to bring in some sort of tension and that comes from finding out what people want.''
Harris had previously won the 2016 Eleanor Nimmo prize and said he already had interest from a publisher wanting to publish Premeditated Misadventure and it would be performed at the Gold Coast Festival in August.
Harris was due to return to Whangārei last night.
The other finalists in the competition, which is in its 41st year, were Cerise de Gelder, from, Victoria, Australia, and Ruth Tuxworth from Queensland.
