Finegan KruckemeyerFinegan (28) has had 43 of his commissioned plays performed around Australia, North America, Europe and Asia. He has 11 new works premiering this year, with seasons in Ireland, England, China, USA, New Zealand, the Sydney Opera House, the Adelaide Festival of Arts, the Perth International Arts Festival, Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland. In 2009, Finegan received the Australian Writers’ Guild Award (AWGIE) for Best Children’s Play in Australia for The Tragical Life of Cheeseboy (Slingsby), which has toured to festivals in USA, Singapore, Spain, Scotland, England, and the Sydney Opera House. He was named 2009′s Young Tasmanian Artist, 2008′s Best Children’s Theatre Playwright and 2007′s Best Playwright in the SA Oscarts, and received the 2006 Jill Blewett Playwright’s Award, and 2002 Colin Thiele Scholarship. Finegan was one of 25 artists selected worldwide for the ASSITEJ Next Generation. He was an invited speaker at the 2008 Take Off Childrens’ Theatre Festival (England), 2009 Schäxpir Festival (Austria) and Imaginate Festival (Scotland), and 2010 ITYARN Children’s Theatre Conference (Argentina). After four years of dancing with Restless, Finegan moved to Tasmania, and was so inspired by his time with the group that he formed the Second Echo Ensemble, an integrated dance theatre group, in partnership with Cosmos Recreational Services and Tas Theatre Company. The ensemble has now created four works, toured statewide and performed in Victorian and Tasmanian festivals. Finegan is represented by the Cameron Creswell Agency www.cameronsmanagement.com.au. Examples of his work can be seen at: |