Black Swan State Theatre Company of Western Australia acknowledges the Whadjuk people of the Nyoongar Nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live.

First Nations People have been telling stories on this country for many thousands of years, and we acknowledge their incredible contribution to the cultural and environmental landscape we reside in.

PIGGY-BACK-DRAFT Commission

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PIGGYBACK: Lift up on one’s shoulders

BACKDRAFT: A phenomenon where fire suddenly explodes when more fuel is made available

Background

Black Swan State Theatre Company of WA has been supporting emerging writers for over a decade with various learning, mentoring, and award opportunities. Through different iterations of the Emerging Writers Program we have seen a wonderful increase in well-constructed plays across the Perth theatre landscape.

The PIGGY-BACK-DRAFT Commission is designed to provide an opportunity for a WA writer to take the next step in their writing career.

This full commission with the company will see Black Swan support a writer of promise who has had their work produced independently to write a full length play which Black Swan can consider for programming. The PIGGY-BACK-DRAFT Commission program will help promote the professional development of playwrights across the state.

Gita Bezard

2024 Commission Recipient

Gita is a playwright, theatre maker, mum and Core Artist of The Last Great Hunt. In 2016, she had her playwriting debut at Black Swan with Girl Shut Your Mouth, which was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award. Recent shows include The Paper Escaper for Terrapin Puppet Theatre and Telephone for The Last Great Hunt.

For the PIGGY-BACK-DRAFT commission, Gita is writing Bloody Paris, a rom-com about grief, expectations, and the performance of happiness. Following two travellers whose fates collide, this play promises to be a hilarious romp about getting your sh*t together in the City of Love.

Laura Liu

2023 Commission Recipient

Laura is a Christian Chinese-Australian emerging performance maker, playwright, and director. An Honours graduate from WAAPA’s Bachelor Of Performing Arts (Performance Making) course, Laura is a member of Black Swan’s Emerging Writers Program FORGE. Her short play CHIKO ROLL, written for ATYP’s National Studio, has been published by Currency Press (2023).

Laura’s proposed pitch for the PIGGY-BACK-DRAFT Commission is a new bi-lingual new work which intends to explore the multi-faceted aspects, effects, and repercussions of population restrictions.

With Thanks To

The PIGGY-BACK-DRAFT Commission is made possible by the generous support from the Malcolm Robertson Foundation.