Junior Playwrights Program

 We’re currently upgrading our ticketing system, so some events may be unavailable from Mon 26 – Thu 29 April. We promise it will be worth the wait.

If you’re a fledgling playwright with a story you are burning to tell, this is your opportunity.

Award-winning playwright Matthew Ryan is coming home to the Gold Coast to share his secrets and skill with a select group of young people with a story to tell.

On completion of the program a selected number or participants will present their short play in a rehearsed reading, at HOTA.

Places are limited – only those that can commit to all masterclasses and are prepared to meet draft deadlines should apply.

Interested? Submit an original one-paragraph story to [email protected]. Successful applicants will be invited to register for the program.

About Matthew Ryan

Matthew Ryan is a multi-award-winning playwright and screenwriter. His plays have been performed at Queensland Theatre, Melbourne Theatre Company, La Boite Theatre Company, Hothouse Theatre, Critical Stages, Adelaide Fringe Festival and the Australian Theatre for Young People. These works include Brisbane, Kelly, Boy Girl Wall, The Harbinger, Packed, Summer Wonderland and Chasing The Whale.

Awards include two Matilda Awards for Best New Australian Work, the George Landen Dann Award and a Helpmann Award nomination for Best Touring Production. Matthew also won the 2017 Screencraft Action and Thriller Screenplay Contest in Los Angeles. In the same year, he was also a semi-finalist in the Drama category.