The Lysicrates Prize 2020 award was given to Brooke Robinson’s play, Deoxyribo-Whatever Acid, through an audience vote in Sydney on January 31.
Brooke Robinson’s play, who has entered the prize previously, was voted the best of three short plays through an audience vote, winning $15,000.
Speaking with The Australian, Robinson said writing a comedy was an extra challenge because the play had to be satisfying drama while also being funny.
“The prize has a track record of getting plays produced and that is what everyone is looking for,” Robinson said.
“And testing the play in front of an audience is a real confidence boost.”
The comedic play tells a tale about a group of scientists who journey on a task to discover an uncomfortable truth about human intelligence.
The other finalists included Matthew Whittet and Katy Warner, who were both still excited to be finalists despite winning.
The Lysicrates Prize is established under the Lysicrates Foundation, founded by Sydney couple John and Patricia Azarias. The foundation started through their desire to preserve the Lysicrates Monument in the Sydney Botanical gardens, and has now grown into a Foundation dedicated to upholding the dramatic arts in Sydney.
The Lysicrates Prize is named after the rich Athenian Lysicrates, who was a patron of the musical performances in the Theater of Dionysos. Founder of the foundation, John Azarias, says the Sydney Lysicrates Prize aims to replicate the Athens Great Dionysia Prize through modern technology.
“There were 17,000 Greeks attending the Theatre of Dionysus every year. No modern theatre can hold 17,000 people, but, with online voting, we can exceed these numbers,” said Azarias.
