Billy Roche International Short Play Award

Billy Roche International Short Play

PlaceGetters

Placegetters for Billy Roche International Short Play Award 2022
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1st

Megan O'Malley

Unforgettable
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2nd

Alice Lynch

The Girls
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3rd

Eamonn Dolan

Aunty Maggies Remedy

Artist Bios

2022 SHORTLIST

Artist/Author
Joe Bergin

Joe has been involved in amateur theatre for over forty years as both actor and director and has appeared in many full length and one act drama festivals over that time mainly as a member of Bradan Players, Leixlip. He is currently a member of Insight Theatre, Celbridge. In recent years he has started writing and many of his short plays have been performed at numerous Short+Sweet festivals around the world; Dubai, Canberra, Manilla, Hollywood and Sydney. His play “Merry-go-round” came second at the Claremorris Fringe festival in 2017 which he went on to win outright in 2018 with his play “Interplay”. He is one of four Kildare based writers who created a drama series called “Fractured” based in North Kildare during the Irish war of independence. The series was recorded by Down at Heel Productions using over 50 local actors. “Fractured” has been released as a podcast drama, totalling 12 hours of recording spanning 43 episodes and is available on all podcast platforms.
Eamann Breen

Eamann Breen (he/him) is a Dundalk born London based playwright and storyteller. His play Shin-AID was a 2019 Druid Theatre Debut at the Galway International Arts Festival. Goodwill recently had a staged reading at Player Playwrights in North London. His monologue The Lucky Escape was part of the Equity Library New York Winter Festival and is available on the Player Playwrights Showcase YouTube channel - https://youtu.be/3tNutxGZQy8
Eamonn Dolan

I am a playwright. I came to writing, later than most. Initially, I dabbled in writing for TV and radio. I had some minor success but didn’t feel at home there. In recent years, I immersed myself in writing for the stage. I’ve had considerable success with my short and one act plays being stages across Ireland and the UK. Literary Festivals, such as The Wexford Literary Arts Festival, are my life blood. I applaud them for offering this opportunity to writers of all genres.
Derek Flynn

Derek Flynn is an Irish author, playwright, and musician with a Masters in Creative Writing from Trinity College, Dublin. He is the author of seven novels, including the Detective John Ryan series, featuring the eponymous ex-cop turned private detective. His award-nominated plays have been performed in various venues throughout Ireland, including the prestigious “Scene + Heard” Festival in Smock Alley, Dublin. He is also the co-founder and co-editor of the literary magazine The Waxed Lemon. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend on the night as I am starring in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in Waterford that night.
Alice Lynch

Alice has been writing for theatre for twelve years and had her first play, ‘Katie’s Wake’ shortlisted for the Cork Arts Theatre New Writing award in 2010. She has since gone on to win the Best New Playwright Award with ‘Shooting Stars’ in The All Ireland One Act Finals in 2018, and the Dolmen Theatre New Writing Award in 2020 with ‘Windows’ which was produced in Wales earlier this year. Alice runs a theatre group in Cavan for children aged 4-23 and is a founder member of The Moogles Theatre Company with the aim of producing and promoting new writing by women.
Jack Matthews

Jack is a Wexford playwright, poet and actor who trained in Theatre Studies in Inchicore College. His play ‘Revenge’ was performed in Wexford Arts Centre as part of the inaugural One Voice Festival and went on to be performed in the Wexford Spiegeltent Festival and a recording of the production featured in the Origin 1st Irish Theatre Festival 2022 New York. He was engaged in a playwright mentoring scheme in an Arts Council funded programme at Wexford Arts Centre. His first one-act play ‘Cans’ was shortlisted for the Billy Roche International Short Play Award in the Wexford Literary Festival 2020. He scripted the Heritage Park Digital series for the Irish National Heritage Park which was used on RTE.ie as well as the ‘Viqueen Saga’ for Crinniu na nÓg. His poem ‘Bloody Sunday 1920’ in association with Crannog Media has been archived in the Croke Park Museum and was read out on Mid-West Radio before the start of the Nicky Rackard Cup Final to commemorate the centenary of Bloody Sunday. ‘The Battle of Corish Park’ was recorded and aired by South-East Radio and ‘You Nurses’ also went viral and was published by the Irish Mirror Online. ‘The Unkillable Irishman’, his first full-length play, will be staged in September 2022 supported by Arts Links.
Jack McCleland

Jack McCleland is an award winning playwright whose plays have been performed around the US. His play THE GOOD LIFE was produced by both the Quaigh Theater and The Image Theater (NYC). It was also the recipient of the Summer Solstice Theatre Conference Award. His one-act HARDBALL was a 2016 Heideman Award finalist at the Actors Theatre of Louisville. He has also written radio plays produced by The Radio Theatre Project (St. Petersburg, FL), The Olde Tyme Radio Hour (New Orleans, LA) and others. His one-act play DARK was shortlisted for the 2021 Wexford Literary Festival. His short story “Wish You Were Here" was published in the Palm Circle Short Story Anthology 2021. He lives in New York City with his wife Elizabeth Campbell and their two interesting cats.
Megan O’Malley

Megan O’Malley is an actor and writer from Co. Wexford. She is currently studying for her MFA in playwriting in The Lir Academy, Trinity College Dublin. Megan also studied as an actor in the Gaiety School of Acting before going on to UCD to gain her Master’s Degree in Theatre Practice. Megan has been involved in the creation of several new productions, her first play HOME ran in The New Theatre in 2018 with great success and in 2020, Megan was one of eight playwrights selected as part of the Wexford Playwright studio.
William Patterson

William is from Belfast and lives in London. He has had fringe productions of his work in Cambridge, Brighton, London and Belfast.
Richard Woulfe

A radio script of Richard’s, His Most-Obedient Servant, was produced in 2011 by The Wireless Theatre Company. In June 2012 A muse is it I am? a play based on the relationship between James Joyce and his partner/wife was broadcast by RTE Radio. Richard also had a stage play performed at The White Bear, Kennington, London. He is from Limerick.
Name of Book Author
Wasted Years
Bergin, Joe
Terry’s Wedding
Breen, Eamann
Sausages
Matthews, Jack
Aunty Maggies Remedy
Dolan, Eamonn
Death Row Pardon
Flynn, Derek
The Girls
Lynch, Alice
Connections
McCleland, Jack
Unforgettable
O’Malley, Megan
Room Service
Patterson, William 
Equivateor
Woulfe, Richard
All shortlisted writers will be invited to our Awards Ceremony via Zoom the first weekend in July.
Wexford Literary Festival welcomes entries to its annual international Colm Tóibín International Short Story Award. Writers are asked to consider the guidelines below before submitting their entries.

Billy Roche Longlist 2022

  • Auntie Maggies Remedy
  • Broadway Pick-up
  • Cake
  • Connections
  • Death Row Pardon
  • Epitaph
  • Equivocator
  • Francoise
  • It’s Time to come Out Now
  • Mother
  • Permacrisis
  • Rats With Bushy Tales
  • Room Service
  • Same Difference
  • Sausage Rolls
  • Terry’s Wedding
  • The Cheek of Her
  • The Girls
  • Two Lives
  • Unforgettable
  • Wasted Years
Thank you to all playwrights who entered the competition. We encourage you to keep writing and submitting so that one day your dream/s will be fulfilled.

The competition is still in “blind”, non-bias, mode, so at this stage playwright’s names are not published.

The twenty-one plays selected to proceed to the shortlist of ten are in alphabetical order, as follows:

First place prize: €300
Second place prize:€200
Third place prize:€100
Certificates for shortlisted attendees

Entry requirements

Playwrights are asked to read the guidelines below before submitting their play for consideration.

Running time

Each play should have a running time of up to and including 15 minutes. As a guide, using the format: 1 page equals 1 minute of performance time.

Script

Scripts should be clearly formatted: 12pt, space and a half, Times New Roman.

Numbered

Each script should be numbered, with the title of the play at the top of each page.

Name

The playwright’s name should not appear on the script.

Orginial

The script should not have been printed, performed, or a recording of a reading published previously, or be scheduled for performance or publication. The play should not be an excerpt from a longer work.

Actors

The play should require no more than four actors.

Format

Plays should be sent as doc (Word) or PDF, via email only. We do not accept hard copy.

Requirments

The play should have minimal sound, tech, set requirements.

Copyright

We do not accept adaptations.

Closing date

Closing date for entries is midnight 1 MAY.

Fee

Each submission must be accompanied by a 10 euro entry fee paid via our online booking system.

Ceremony

Shortlisted playwrights will be invited to the Award Ceremony the first weekend in July.

Copyright

While copyright of the play will remain with the author, Wexford Literary Festival reserves the right to arrange the first publication and performance of the selected works. The right to use Award receiving plays to further publicise this Award is also retained by Wexford Literary Festival. Shortlisted authors will agree to have their photograph taken and used for publicity purposes by Wexford Literary Festival.

Submission