Queer Playwriting Award Showcase

This development program aims to identify, support and develop new playwriting talent and get queer issues out there for mainstream audiences to consider and enjoy. The LGBTQIA+ community is diverse, exciting and full of stories and ideas that deserve to be heard on the stages of performing arts venues throughout the country. This is the chance you have been waiting for to tell a bold, funny, new, important, or exciting story to Australian theatre audiences.

Creators of new or developing works of theatre are invited to submit their proposals for consideration by a panel of supportive industry professionals. If you have an idea for a show, a completed script, or anything in between, we want to hear from you. Up to 4 works will be selected by the industry panel, and invited to present a 15 minute staged reading at Gasworks Arts Park as part of Midsumma Festival in January 2026. One work will be selected to receive ongoing support and development with a view to becoming a full-scale work to be presented in Midsumma Festival 2027 or beyond. The ultimate aim of the Queer Playwriting Award is to tour the work nationally to expose it to a wide range of metropolitan, regional and rural audiences.

If you have any queries, contact Gasworks Arts Park on 03 8606 4200 or email lily@gasworks.org.au

For updates and more information, keep an eye on the Gasworks and Midsumma websites, and follow us on social media.

Event Details
DATE & TIMES:
• Queer Playwriting Award call-out commences: Saturday 1 June 2025
• Call out closes: Thursday 4 July 2025
• Selection Panel Meets (to select finalists): Mid-July 2025
• Applicants notified and participation/details confirmed: Late July 2025
• Queer Playwriting Award & Showcase: Monday 20 January 2026
• Selection Panel Meets (to select Award recipient): February 2026
• Award recipient announced: Late February/early March 2026

QPAS 2025 WINNER ANNOUNCED
Congratulations to all the shortlisted finalists of the 2025 Queer Playwriting Award Showcase, presented in partnership with Midsumma Festival on 20 January.

We are delighted to announce the winner: Much to do with Law, but more to do with Love by Danish Sheikh

“I wrote this show as a tribute to the ways queer Indian dissenters have shaped the law—not just by resisting it, but by remaking it through acts of defiant love. I’m deeply grateful to Midsumma and Gasworks for giving me a platform to share these stories with Australian audiences and to explore the enchantment and hope we can find in law and politics. This work would not have been possible without the brilliant guidance of my director and dramaturg, Vidya Rajan, and the generous support of La Trobe University and the City of Melbourne. I’m excited to continue developing this piece, pushing towards a theatre that doesn’t just reflect the world but invites us to imagine it otherwise.” 
– Danish Sheikh, playwright

“Danish presented a script that audiences found both deeply captivating and informative. Stories which teach as well as entertain are so valuable, and Danish’s work is a wonderful example of the way theatre can invite audiences to recontextualize existing themes in a refreshing way. Gasworks is excited to work with Danish to further develop this production.”
– Lily MacMillan, Program Administrator, Gasworks Arts Park

“In a time when queer voices are increasingly silenced and our very existence is being challenged, initiatives like the Queer Playwriting Award Showcase are more vital than ever. Midsumma is proud to champion bold, urgent storytelling that not only reflects our realities but also reshapes them, as well as the ongoing development of queer artists who will ensure our stories and voices are heard and seen. Danish Sheikh’s work stands as a testament to the power of theatre to question, to influence attitudes, and to affirm the richness of LGBTQIA+ experiences. In partnership with Gasworks Arts Park, we remain committed to amplifying creative voices that refuse to be erased.”
– Karen Bryant, Creative Director and CEO, Midsumma Festival

“QPAS is a fantastic initiative for the LGBTQIA+ community and cements Gasworks Arts Park’s commitment to support independent artists. There is a noticeable lack of new queer theatre works available in performing arts markets to be toured to venues in Victoria, and it is important that we play a part in changing that. It is no easy feat for artists to present a work in development to an audience, especially during its very early stages. It is especially gratifying to see how enthusiastic and generous the artists were in offering feedback and assistance to each other. I think that this is one of the most beneficial parts of this program – it offers the opportunity for independent artists to network with each other and potentially even find opportunities to collaborate.”
– Marisa Cesario, QPAS Industry Panel member