Amy Louise Wilson is the winner of the 2020 Distell National Playwright Competition for her script Another Kind of Dying. The news was announced at an event in Stellenbosch on Friday, 31 January, attended by this year’s finalists Tseko Thukani, Happy Gladness Simelane, Tamarisk-Ray Glogauer, Philisiwe Twijnstra and Amy Louise. The 2019 winner, Koleka Putuma, performed at the ceremony.
Amy Louise’s script marks a new direction for the Johannesburg-based performer. Since graduating from Rhodes University and the University of Cape Town with a BA Honours in Drama, she has appeared in numerous local and international film, television and theatre productions. Notable credits include Fox’s The Book of Negroes and the Netflix series Troy: The Fall of a City. Her acting credits include a role in the Fugard Theatre’s The Father and The Mother. She has been experimenting with creating solo performance, beginning with her living-room performance-lecture Other People’s Homes which she created in New York. In 2019, together with Francois Knoetze, she co-founded the Lo-Def Film Factory, a pop-up experimental community cinema initiative.
Speaking after the announcement, Amy Louise said, “I’m amazed! This achievement is really meaningful for me as a first-time playwright. I’ve been writing for many years, but have always been too shy to put my written work out into the world as I primarily identify as an actor. My script was written with performer Aphiwe Livi, one of the most incredible actors I’ve ever worked with, in mind. The story is inspired by a recurring dream I kept having, featuring Aphiwe, although the story is not about him or his life.
“The story is about a young man from a small town in the Eastern Cape who moves to Johannesburg to try to come to terms with his father’s death and is confronted with a new world in an urban setting, having never lived in a big city before. This is a common theme that has come up again and again over the years in South African literature: what does it mean for someone to move from a rural to an urban setting? This is what I am trying to explore with this play. It’s a play about identity, about what patriarchy dictates, about how masculinity is constructed in South Africa. It’s a play about a man who is able to find himself and find joy because he is in a new environment.
“I would like to thank Distell and the National Arts Festival for creating this opportunity for playwrights who might not otherwise have an opportunity to produce their work.”
Amy Louise received R20 000 in prize money, while all the finalists received R5 000 for their placement in the final round.
Her winning script will now be developed for staging at the National Arts Festival in June and July. She will receive the full support of the Festival team in creating and marketing the finished piece.
Competition facilitator and Executive Producer of the National Arts Festival, Nobesuthu Rayi, said that the standard of entry was particularly high this year and that it was tough to pick just one winner. “I would like to really encourage the other contestants to go ahead and take their scripts to the next level. Some of the finalists from last year did that to much critical acclaim. In particular, Morapeleng Molekoa’s play Scott was performed at Theatre Arts Admin Collective in Cape Town and will now head to National Arts Festival’s 2020 Fringe. Another 2019 finalist, Erica Harris, is bringing her play Medium Rare to Woordfees in March. This is what the competition intends to do; get these new scriptwriters writing! It’s exciting to see it all unfold.”
Bridgitte Backman, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Director at Distell said, “At Distell, we place a high value on supporting arts initiatives that showcase our country’s rich heritage and diversity thereby, we believe, building a more inspired and creative society. This is central to our business journey and societal commitment. We are so excited for Amy Louise, but also for the other playwrights whose works were all very impressive. This talented young bunch of writers deserves recognition and a suitable platform for expression and further creative, strategic and functional growth and development. They’ve proven themselves, and we’ll do our utmost to support them in their respective journeys.”
The Distell National Playwright Competition underwent a rigorous judging process. There were 22 judges over two rounds. The first round was divided into four language groupings with each language group having a chairperson and two supporting judges. All the judges were given the works to review without the writer’s names attached. On motivating for Amy’s script to take first place, poet and judge Malika Ndlovu said that, “Issues of substantial gravity and complexity are not all crammed into the first few pages or erratically touched on. The script manages to capture the essence of the matters within short, effective scenes and dialogue maintaining a pace and tension that would keep an audience engaged throughout – especially with a great cast bringing it to life.”
Theatre producer and fellow judge Yvette Hardie commented that, “The structure is fast-moving and intriguing, without being confusing. And the ending has the power to be transcendent and hopeful.”
Another last round adjudicator Ameera Patel said, “It is rare to find a young writer who is able to write natural easy dialogue that feels conversational and real and then move into poetry and metaphor with as much skill. The characters feel believable and well-rounded.”
A first round of adjudication was undertaken by Mike Van Graan, Tara Notcutt, Khutjo Green, Sonwabile Mfecane, Clavin Ratladi, Nondumiso Msimaga, Warona Seane, Robert Lourens, Sello Maseko, Alby Michaels and Penny Youngleson.
A further 10 judges read scripts for the last round. They were:
- Ameera Patel
- Prof Anton Kruger
- Chuma Sopotela
- Jade Bowers
- Malika Ndlovu
- Nompumezo Buzani
- Thami Mbongo
- Xabiso Zweni
- Xolisa Ngubelanga
- Yvette Hardie
Amy worked with collaborator Aphiwe Livi on the script and was mentored through her script-writing process by Mike van Graan.
ABOUT THE DISTELL NATIONAL PLAYWRIGHT COMPETITION
The competition is a partnership between Distell and the National Arts Festival that aims to discover and foster new South African scriptwriting voices while also promoting diversity and social cohesion. It was founded in honour of Adam and Rosalie Small, whose work in literature and education formed a rich contribution to South African culture.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL
The National Arts Festival is an important event on the South African cultural calendar, and the biggest annual celebration of the arts on the African continent. Starting at the end of June/beginning of July, it runs for 11 days and is held in the small university city of Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown), which is situated in the Eastern Cape, 130km from Port Elizabeth. For more information, visit www.nationalartsfestival.co.za.
The 2020 National Arts Festival takes place from 25 June to 5 July.
ABOUT DISTELL
Distell is Africa’s leading producer and marketer of a selection of top-quality spirits, wines, ciders and other ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, sold across the world.
Go to www.distell.co.za for more information about its arts and culture projects.
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