Parnassus?Den supports Australian writers by giving them the opportunity to have their scripts read to the public by professional actors on Monday nights at the Old Fitzroy Theatre. Since its inception, many of the scripts read at PD have been produced locally, nationally and internationally.

PD has been based at the Old Fitzroy Theatre in Woolloomooloo since February 2004.

Writers submit their scripts to PD. If a script is selected for a reading, actors are cast from PD’s ensemble of approximately 80 professional actors and a director appointed for the reading. Each selected script is given one four hour rehearsal/ read through on the Sunday prior to the public reading on the Monday night. The writer attends the reading and the four hour rehearsal and is an active part of the creative process of lifting the text off the page and getting it into the mouths and imaginations of actors.

At the conclusion of the reading the audience, in a moderated discussion, is invited to offer their opinion to the writer on the script. The benefits that writers receive from PD’s readings are not only limited to hearing the script off the page (usually for the first time). The audience feedback writers receive from the post reading discussions is a valuable opportunity for writers to hear first hand what an audience thinks of their work giving them a valuable resource to help them re-draft their scripts.

Each year, the play (theatre) script judged to be the best script read at PD during the year is awarded THE MITCH MATHEWS AWARD. This play -The winner of THE MITCH - is produced as a full production by Parnassus?Den.

Come on down and see what is happening at the cutting edge of Australian writing for performance!

Submit scripts ($40 submission fee) along with your completed membership form - available here on site - and SSAE to Literary Manager, Drayton Morley, at PO Box 655, Maroubra 2035 to be considered for a reading.