Award a 'life changer' for playwright

Whangarei playwright Jess Sayer receives the Bruce Mason Award from Salesi Le'ota at the Playmarket Accolades. Photo / Philip Merry

For Whangarei-raised playwright Jess Sayer winning the prestigious Bruce Mason Playwriting Award is a "life changer" with an initial hope of becoming a journalist replaced by a desire to write for theatre that has now seen her recognised as among the best in her field.

Sayer, 25, a playwright and actor who now lives and works in Auckland and Rotorua, was awarded the honour at the Playmarket Accolades held at the Hannah Playhouse in Wellington on Sunday.

She told the Northern Advocate it was amazing and humbling to receive the award and a huge honour to win an accolade that has previously gone to some of the country's best-known playwrights, including Hone Kouka, Briar Grace-Smith, Jo Randerson and Arthur Meek.

"It's still pretty surreal," she said yesterday. "It hasn't quite sunk in yet, but I feel very humbled and it's amazing to be mentioned in the same breath as some of the previous winners."

After doing a three-year Bachelor in Communications degree at AUT, Sayer went to drama school after realising her first love was creative writing.

The former Kamo Intermediate and Kamo High School student was in her final year at AUT University when she met actors Jennifer Ward-Lealand and Cameron Rhodes, who sparked her interest in the acting/playwriting world.

She credits her family as her biggest supporters and inspiration, but also mentions former teachers Anita Magee, Debbie Jelich and Jesse Bell as major influences.

Sayer said winning the award was a "life-changer", giving her a real head start in the industry, with the award for her body of works so far, and intends to use some of her winnings to pay off her student debt and to set up workshops on playwriting.

She has won the Playmarket b4 25 competition three times, and been shortlisted for the Adam NZ Play Award twice.

In 2015 she won the 3-8 year category in the Plays for the Young competition for Dexter's Deep Sea Discovery, co-written with Darlene Mohekey. She co-founded Junket Theatre Company in 2012 and staged four of her works: Elevator, Wings, Crunchy Silk and Fix at The Basement Theatre in Auckland.

Elevator has also run in the United States, while Wings has had seasons in Wellington, Dunedin and Palmerston North.