Michelle Drinnan with the prize I won but couldn’t accept.
My short play TROUBLESHOOTING was named “best original script” in the annual Foster One Act Play Festival in Foster, Australia — but I couldn’t accept the prize because it’s reserved for an Australian writer. Still, the honor! As Gemco posted on their Facebook page: “We are so proud that Dwayne Yancey was awarded best original script for troubleshooting! We have chosen not to accept as this award is for an Australian writer, however we are chuffed nonetheless!”
“Chuffed,” by the way, is Australian slang for “pleased.” I’m chuffed, too!
Gemco Community Players Theatre performed TROUBLESHOOTING and several other scripts (that weren’t mine) at the festival Aug. 24 in Foster in the State of Victoria. Michelle Drinnan was nominated for Best Female Actor for her work in TROUBLESHOOTING. She also won Best Supporting Female Actor for her work on another show. Meanwhile the judges gave special prizes to Michael Young, who appeared in two of the other shows. That’s relevant because he appeared last year in my play THIS ROSE HAS THORNS, produced by the student theatre company at Deakin University in Melbourne.
Michael Young, John Smith and Michelle Drinnan with their various prizes.
The whole Gemco troupe.
Close-up of the prize envelope.
dwayneyancey 