133 scripts were submitted anonymously for the 2019 Patrick White Playwrights Award, a prize of $7500 for an original, unproduced play, with Keziah Warner’s play ‘LuNa’ most impressing the judges.
‘LuNa’ follows twins, Cali and Nira, as they attempt to understand and come to terms with their unique origin story. The play visits the sisters at different moments in their lives and contemplates the issues associated with the genetic modification of humans. This restrained two-hander uses a simple structure and detailed character study to pose complex ethical questions about the psychological impact of tampering with biological destiny. It’s thrilling to watch the twins’ lives condensed into a one act play; to watch their perspectives and voices mature over the sweep of time.
Keziah Warner is a playwright and dramaturg. She is an alumna of Melbourne Theatre Company’s Women in Theatre Program, Malthouse Theatre’s Besen Family Artist’s Program, Red Stitch’s INK Program, Playwriting Australia’s Post-Production Program and Soho Theatre’s Writer’s Lab, UK. She has been long-listed for Soho Theatre’s Young Writer’s Award and previously short-listed for the Patrick White Playwrights Award. Recent credits include: Control (Red Stitch, 2019), Help Yourself (MTC’s Cybec Electric, 2019) and Her Father’s Daughter (Hotel Now, 2018).
