MTC will commission a minimum of 35 new works and provide up to 15 writer-in-residence opportunities over five years.

Seven of Australia’s finest writers have been commissioned to develop new plays through Melbourne Theatre Company’s newly launched $4.6 million programme Next Stage. Angus Cerini, Patricia Cornelius, Michael Gow, Benjamin Law, Joanna Murray-Smith, Leah Purcell and Ellen van Neerven will be the first to produce new work intended to enter the canon of great Australian plays.

“Our intention for Next Stage is quite simple – to better support Australian writers. However, the programme is remarkable not simply for the significant increase in the annual number of commissions we will undertake, but for the meaningful length of engagement between writers and MTC. Next Stage allows us to provide more opportunities for more writers, with better funding and deeper relationships with the Company”, said MTC Artistic Director Brett Sheehy.

The five-year programme will provide a total of 50 opportunities for Australian writers, providing the resources needed to workshop and develop plays from drafts through to production. Next Stage will ensure a minimum of 35 new play commissions, with flexibility in commissioning fees to afford writers additional time and resources to produce new work,...