2025 and on

The bear is apropos pf nothing – it’s just there to get your attention but also for me to say, yes, this WAS an early morning visitor a few months ago and she (I think it’s a she – the ears are a giveaway) was very welcome.

I hope this is not the first post for 2025 on this site, but it’s possible it may be. Life has been a little fast. If it is (the first post – and it is – who am I kidding?) a belated Happy New Year.

I should have followed up my previous post re the Ruby Awards (administered by the SA Dept for the Arts). The Dictionary of Lost Words DID win The Most Outstanding Work Outside a Festival. All concerned were thrilled, and that includes me! And on to 2025.

The script for Dictionary has been nominated in the Stage Adaptation section of the national Australian Writers’ Guild Awards, the AWGIEs. These will be announced on the 13th February. I’m going along for the dinner and party so whatever the result, an excellent night is guaranteed. The script was also Highly Commended in the Victorian Premiers’ Awards in 2023. And is now published with Affirm Press, the same publisher who published Pip Williams’ beautiful original novel.

We start rehearsals tomorrow for the 2025 iteration of The Dictionary of Lost Words. This has a couple of the original actors from last year and the year before, namely the fabulous Ksenja Logos and Rachel Burke. The other roles have been re-cast, given actorly availabilities, so I’m looking for to meeting Shannen Alyce Quan (Esme); Johnny Nasser (Harry) ; Brian Meegan (Dr Murray); Arkia Ashraf (Gareth); Angela Nica Sullen (Tilda); and I already know the exceptional Adelaide actor Jim Smith (Bill), who will all be on board for the six-city tour that lasts until late May. I’m particularly excited that it is finally getting to Queensland (at QPAC) but all venues look great (return seasons in Adelaide and Sydney, then Geelong, Canberra, Wollongong and Brisbane – not in that order) and I hope the show delivers for those various production houses. It appears to be selling well.

I’m working on three other pieces at the moment, one film (Flatlands, with Matthew Thorne) and two stage shows. As is the way of these things I must keep mum about the two stage shows for a bit longer. And in the meantime, in a year of fear and accumulating anxiety and the spectre of a litany of cruel dispossessions, let us give thanks for the occasional visitations of unfussed and healthy koala bears.