'A Girl's Guide to War' wins major award

Local News Big awards for local theatre makers

Katy Forde, Aleathea Monsour and Susie French

Three Maleny theatre makers received accolades for 'A Girl’s Guide to World War' at the Matilda Awards ceremony at the Brisbane Powerhouse on Monday, February 17.

The writers of the show, Katy Forde and Aleathea Monsour, won the big award of the night - the Lord Mayor’s Award for Best New Australian Work.

Actor Susie French took out Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role for her compelling and unforgettableperformance as Dr Lilian Cooper in the show.

Winning the Lord Mayor’s Award came as a huge shock to both Katy and Aleathea.

Katy said they did not expect to win as the other nominees in the category had done wonderful work, all of which told important Australian stories.

“For us, simply being nominated was a huge honour,” she said.

The major award was the last one of the evening and was announced by Brisbane Deputy Mayor Krista Adams.

Aleathea said they were so surprised when their names were called out that they didn’t respond straight away. "A friend sitting next to me had to push me out of my seat before I could start moving," she said.

‘A Girl’s Guide to World War’ played in various Sunshine Coast venues in 2018 and 2019, including performances in Maleny in November presented by the Maleny Arts Council.

With the award, Katy and Aleathea are now committed to bringing the show to Brisbane.

The Matilda Awards described ‘A Girl’s Guide to World War’ as "incorporating live music and a narrative that traverses the gamut of the human condition. This is a finely nuanced work that follows a year that changes their lives forever".

The Matilda committee described Susie French’s performance as a down-to-earth, unpretentious characterisation executed effortlessly that captured the passion, dedication and sheer determination of a woman well ahead of her time.

Maleny Arts Council president Peter Lavery warmly congratulated Katy and Aleathea on the award "for their outstanding musical theatre piece".

“We are also delighted that Susie French’s fine work in the show was recognised," Peter said.

“These awards demonstrate the value of Maleny Arts Council’s commitment to working with and supporting local artists as well bringing high quality performers to town.”