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NEWS
PLAYWRIGHTS ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND INC. (PANZ)
Auckland member John Dunmore has compiled a history of the Playwrights' Association of New Zealand, which was formed in 1957 and became an incorporated society in 1958. Bruce Mason was a founding member. Other past members include Gordon Dryland, Craig Harrison, Dame Fiona Kidman, and Joe Musaphia. Current members include Rosalie Carey, John Dunmore, Bronwyn Elsmore and Campbell Smith.
"Playwrights in New Zealand, A Short History of the Playwrights Association" is available through your local library.
A PANZ newsletter is produced, and members within New Zealand receive the newsletter emailed, or mailed. The newsletter covers information on: meetings, competitions, seminars, and new plays by members. All contributions gratefully received. If you have a newsworthy item please forward to PANZ.
The Doug Wrenn Award is named
after a former president of PANZ and energetic newsletter editor, and who was
very active in the Association. The award, instituted in 1988, is presented
annually to a member who has had significant success in playwriting during the
year.
Winner of the Doug Wrenn Award for 2010 is Angie Farrow, Palmerston
North. Congratulations, Angie.
Previous Winners of the Doug Wrenn Award:
2009: Peter Franklin
2008: Leo Cappel
2007: Thomas Sainsbury
2006: Denis Edwards
2005: Diane Francis
2004: Richard Prevett
2003: Rosalie Carey
2002: Richard Prevett
2001: Alan Williamson
2000: Campbell Smith
1999: Jean Dinnie
1998: Brian Turner
1997: Bronwyn Elsmore
1996: Daphne Calderwood, Bruce Goodman, John Dunmore
1995: NO AWARD GIVEN
1994: Andre Surridge
1993: Denise Walsh
1992: Bruce Goodman
1991: Harrison Bray
1990: Campbell Smith
1989: Suzanne Le Prou
1988: Nancy Kinkel, Leslie Pearce
PRESIDENT’S REPORT FOR YEAR ENDING
Welcome to all members and visitors attending. Thank you for being here, and showing active support for our association.
We have had a good year, but at times the resources of our very willing committee have been stretched.
We have lost the services of the Secretary/Treasurer who was voted in twelve months ago. I give heartfelt thanks to Graeme Webber who stepped up to the plate mid financial year to take over the books. Graeme has been a most conscientious treasurer.
Another newcomer to our work force has been Richard Harris, compiling and publishing the newsletter. I’m sure you will agree his new broom has put a lively fresh face on the publication. He brought it back up to the standard that you should expect. In order to send out more professionally looking copies, we lately purchased a printer for the sole use of PANZ business. Most of you receive your newsletter by email, but there are certain organizations, such as libraries, to which we supply newsletters in hard copy. There are also a few members who do not have email to whom we post the newsletter.
Our current membership of fifty-one stretches from Kerikeri in the north to Dunedin, so you will understand that it is difficult at times to get ten or so willing souls in one area to cajole to become committee members and workers. Actually the quorum for committee meeting is just five, and the constitution calls for a minimum of four meetings a year, so surely it is not too much of a chore to put your name forward.
It is my wish that the Playwrights Association should develop in a more cooperative fashion – that is, all members at some time taking responsibility for positions on the committee, or help outside of the committee as our current newsletter editor does. We all want time to write, and have responsibilities outside of Playwrights Association. Please consider taking your part – this plea is not just directed at those attending this meeting, but all members.
The President would really appreciate having a secretary. My grateful thanks are expressed to Steve Green who has taken over as minute secretary. I realize a number of folk quail at the thought of taking minutes, but Steve jumped in at the deep end, and we haven’t given him a ladder to climb out! He’s not in a position to store records though, and we need help with that. I can assure you there is very little in the way of correspondence to attend to. What we do need as well as the minute secretary is a person who will hold records, and keep us in line as far as meeting reminders, and such matters, are concerned.
Patronage. We were delighted and honoured a few years ago when Roger Hall accepted the position of Patron. As Patron, and to help boost our association, he kindly offered to lead a seminar for us in April this year, and waived any fee. I know that a considerable number of you attended, and were rewarded with a great day of information and inspiration to help with your writing. Diane Francis, and the group that worked with her, did a sterling job in ensuring the day went smoothly, and that we had a good number of registrations.
Our annual competition, usually being alternately one act plays and full length plays, attracted twenty two entries, I believe, with more than half of those electing to pay the extra fee to have a critique from our adjudicator, Kevin Murray. Once again we have been blessed with having an adjudicator who is active in community theatre, and so therefore can give you a hands-on assessment of your work. Our competition attracted three new members and another returned after several years away. Three of the aforementioned entered, and one very successfully. One other found she couldn’t as she already had a production planned of her play. In all, it seems very worthwhile to have our competitions as Members Only as we do attract some new writers into the fold.
My special thanks to our Registrar, Max Peers, who is a methodical worker and ably attended to the task which at times can be quite busy when plays start arriving in his letter box. He has to communicate with the adjudicator, get the plays to him, look after returning them all safely to you. Thank you, Max.
Alongside all these names that I have mentioned in special positions of responsibility I want to thank John Dunmore, Denis Edwards, Bronwyn Elsmore, Richard Prevett and Neil Troost for their continued support of me in all facets of the association. When numbers have been flagging, Yvonne van Dongen and Melissa Fergusson have willingly been coopted for meetings. ‘Thank you’ to both of you as well.
Several of our members have had successful productions of their plays during the year and we do our very best to ensure that you have good coverage of your event in our newsletter. The Doug Wrenn Award is historical, and recognizes the outstanding success of a member in having their work performed. We take this as being for the financial year which my report addresses; in other words the twelve month period till August. The Award will be presented later in the meeting.
Our website presentation has been a bit lacking of late, but with Melissa Fergusson’s offer of help, Graeme will be able to attend to that once his current commitment of singing and dancing in Company Theatre’s Music Hall has finished its season. It never fails to amaze me that the old adage is true … if you want something done, give it to a busy person and they will fit it into their schedule somehow. Graeme has the necessary information downloaded to continue the work that Stephen Bowkett began.
I have had four years of being President, and it’s time I stepped aside. I have enjoyed the many wonderful contacts I have been privileged to enjoy.
Thank you all.
June Allen (President – 21.11.2010)