Young Playwrights Award
Queensland Theatre’s Young Playwrights Award is one of Australia’s longest running annual playwriting competitions for young writers.

About the Young Playwrights Award
The Young Playwrights Award is a celebration of emerging playwriting talent. In 2024, it is in its 23rd year! Applicants from years 9-12 are invited to submit an original play written for the stage. The script can be of any length and genre, as long as it is complete. Applicants also provide a rationale of up to 150 words describing themselves as a writer, and the inspiration for the work. The submissions are assessed by a panel of professional theatre-makers and playwrights, with one finalist selected to receive the following:
- 3 dramaturgy sessions to further develop their play
- automatic, free entry to Queensland Theatre’s annual Theatre Residency Week
- A public presentation of a rehearsed reading of their play
2024 Winner Announced
Winner
The Interchange – Alexandro Gould-Arocha (Year 12)
Alexandro has worked with Patrick White award-winning Playwright Wendy Mocke to further develop their script and attended Theatre Residency Week.
A rehearsed reading of The Interchange, directed by Associate Artistic Director (Education & Young People) Fiona MacDonald will be held in Rehearsal Room 1, Queensland Theatre on Monday 9 December, 6.30pm. Tickets are free and you can register here.

Q&A with Alexandro Gould-Arocha
What does winning the 2024 Young Playwrights' Award mean to you?
This award is definitely one of my proudest achievements, it means the world to me. I see it as the recognition of all the effort and artistry I’ve been creating in the past two years but I never expected it to be for my writing first, something I’m incredibly stoked about. The YPA was one of the first YES I’ve received in the creative space and I’m so incredibly grateful for this. I hope that these springboards my career, just like the countless other winners as I try to forge my way into this industry.
What was the inspiration for The Interchange?
This play is based off the first time I got ghosted by someone who I could’ve seen myself in a relationship with. As a queer person, it is incredibly hard to find people like you in high school. Originally, it started as an exploration of the reasoning behind ghosting but eventually evolved into a much more complex (and fictionalised) story. As I continued writing, I added issues that were important to me and relevant to society as a whole (I’m a massive fan of political theatre). It went from one performer to three. I wanted to create a work that challenged existing queer media, one that was more realistic and examined issues through a different lens.
What are you looking forward to with the dramaturgical sessions and play reading?
I look forward to developing my work with professional theatre-makers and learning from their knowledge and guidance. I am so excited to be able to fully delve into this work and explore its possibilities. This is an incredibly new experience for me and I intend to dive right into it and soak up as much as possible. I am so excited to be able to visit Brisbane again and hear my work spoken by professional actors to an audience. I’m definitely a little nervous because this story is quite important to me but I can’t wait for it!
What did you enjoy most about Theatre Residency Week?
Theatre Residency Week was definitely one of the highlights of my schooling, it is an incredibly unique program that doesn’t exist anywhere else (or at least not to my knowledge). I loved the immersion it provided. We ate, slept, partied, watch shows, and created work all in the same space. It was such a unique experience as I turned 18 on the first day of the residency after flying up from Sydney. I am so grateful for this opportunity, and I will be using the skills I’ve developed there in my practice. I made so many great friends here and it opened my eyes to the arts and cultural scene of Queensland.
Contact us
For more information about the Young Playwrights Award, please contact our Education and Youth team via youth@queenslandtheatre.com.au
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