7-ON PLAYWRIGHTS: Verity Laughton

The Sweetest Thing, Arts Radar, Belvoir Downstairs, 2010

Verity Laughton writes for most forms of theatre including main-stage adult drama, adaptations, a promenade community event, a musical, plays for child and family audiences, as well as for dance, for puppets, for theatre of image and a ‘neutral script’. She is currently close to completion (2019) of a Creative Arts PhD at Flinders University, researching political theatre of trauma.

Her plays include Long Tan (Brink Productions) (2017) The Red Cross Letters (STCSA) (2016), A Crate of Souls (ACArts) (2010), The Sweetest Thing (Belvoir Downstairs/Arts Radar) (2010), The Lightkeeper (Mainstreet Theatre Company and national tour), The Snow Queen (Windmill Performing Arts and Sydney Theatre Company) (2003/4), Burning (Griffin Theatre Company) (2001), Carrying Light (State Theatre of South Australia and Vitalstatistix)(1999) and The Mourning After (Playbox Theatre, 1995/6, Interplay Productions, New Zealand, 2000, and the Riverina Theatre, 2001).

In other writing, Verity’s radio play, Fox for ABC Radio National, won the 2004 AWGIE for Best Radio Play. She worked as dramaturg on a Japanese-Australian co-production, World of Paper (Hello Maru-Chan) in 2003, that was subsequently restaged in Australia, in the USA at the Kennedy Centre in Washington in 2006, and at London’s Unicorn Theatre in 2007. Gondwana, a large scale puppet piece with Erth Visual and Physical Theatre, was produced at the National Museum, Canberra, 2005, and restaged in New Zealand and Sydney and Brisbane in 2007/8. She adapted Patricia Wrightson’s The Nargun and the Stars, also with Erth, for the Sydney Festival and the Perth International Festival of Arts in 2009. The Sweetest Thing was nominated for four awards, including the NSW Premier’s Award in 2012).

A number of Verity’s plays have been published: Long Tan, The Mourning After and Short Circuits (all with Currency Press); The Nargun and the Stars and A Crate of Souls (both with Phoenix Educational); No Nudity, Weapons or Naked Flames (Federation Press); Burning, The Lightkeeper and The Sweetest Thing (all with the Australian Script Centre).

Verity has published poetry and short stories for adults and children. Her poem, Fox Man, was the runner up for the Blake Prize in 2011 and Kangarilla, summer 2016 was included in Black Ink's Best Australian Poems, 2017, edited by Sarah Holland-Batt. Verity also writes for video and television. For example, she wrote the children’s audio guide for the National Galley of Victoria’s Monet’s Garden exhibition in 2013 and has written in the past for Playhouse Disney.

AWARDS

·
2016: Short-listed for the Martin Lycistrates Award, The Zookeeper's Daughter
2015: Short-listed for Sydney Theatre Company Patrick White Award, What Has Been Taken

· 2014: Long listed for Theatre 503 Award, The Ice Season.

· 2014: Highly Commended Bruce Dawe Poetry Prize (In Which the Monster Talks to his Island)

· 2013: short-listed Rodney Seaborn Prize (The Red Cross Letters)

· 2012: short-listed NSW Premiers’ Award for Drama (The Sweetest Thing)

· 2011: runner up the Blake Poetry Prize 2011 (Fox Man)

· 2009: winner Inscription (Open Section) (The Ice Season)

· 2008: nominated AWGIE Award for Davy (Radio Drama)

· 2008: nominated AWGIE (Moon Door/Respect) (Radio Adaptation)

· 2007: short-listed for The Rodney Seaborn Prize (The Sweetest Thing)

· 2006: short-listed for Griffin Prize (The Sweetest Thing)

· 2007 long-listed for the London Warehouse Festival Prize (The Sweetest Thing)

· 2004: winner AWGIE for Community Theatre (The Lightkeeper)