The inimitable journalist, playwright and painter Carol Dance has come up with a different kind of playwriting competition. The competition is for  seniors, exclusively for people who are aged 60 years or older and is  now open for entries.

To be considered, plays  submitted must be between 15 and 20 minutes long and can be on any topic. They can be about international  affairs, dating, shoehorns, bagpipes or anything! according to Carol.

“Comedy is always good, but serious or controversial plays that can also raise a laugh are better than merely hilarious skits. Good short plays – like long ones – have a beginning, a middle and an end. Plus characters we care about

“But above all, I say: have a go… even if you’ve never written anything before!”

Dance herself has written and directed more than a dozen short and full-length plays – many under the banner of her own production company Scene Theatre Sydney. Her work has been produced at various Australian theatres and in festivals such as Short+Sweet, both here and overseas. 

Assessing the entries are renowned Australian playwrights Stephen Sewell, Justin  Fleming and Catherine Zimdahl.

True to its aim of unearthing new talent of the ‘sage age’, the competition is only open to non-professional writers, actors or directors and entries close on December 15. Writers must be Australian citizens, permanent residents or Aussies living abroad. They must be 60 at the date of entry, but their plays may have been written before or after turning 60. 

A play reading of selected scripts will also be uploaded to Scene Theatre’s YouTube channel.

The details and entry forms can  found on the Scene Theatre website –http://www.scenetheatresydney.net.au