We are nearing a quarter of the way through the 21st century, but perennial questioning of the great Australian play remains. Inspired by The New York Times‘ 100 Best Books of the 21st Century and follow-ups about Australian novels from academics and retail outlets, ArtsHub asked a broad swathe of theatre professionals for their votes on the best Australian plays of the 21st century.
ArtsHub collected 115 votes, with a surprising consensus on the top five plays. Voters could elect for any Australian play written after 1 January 2000. The final collection is diverse in cultural representation, source of production and genre.
There are some other noticeable similarities between the plays in the top five. The year 2019 is overrepresented in original productions. All but one of the plays feature relatively large casts and are noted for their artistic ambition and risk. All plays received intensive development and support from producing companies, sometimes across multiple years and stakeholders.
A few plays missed out by a tiny margin. Honourable mentions go to 37 by Nathan Maynard, Do Not Go Gentle by Patricia Cornelius, Holding the Man by Tommy Murphy and Triple X by Glace Chase.
Australia’s favourite playwright is Patricia Cornelius
While Cornelius narrowly missed a spot in the top five, she has achieved a more startling accomplishment. When the votes for her prolific body of work are taken together, Cornelius easily makes it into the top Australian playwrights of the 21st century.
Patricia Cornelius is a playwright, screenwriter and novelist. Her most celebrated works include Do Not Go Gentle, Savages, Big Heart, Love and Slut.
The top five in reverse order are:
5. Prima Facie by Suzie Miller
Premiering in 2019 at the Stables Theatre in Sydney, Prima Facie is a one-woman play about barrister Tessa. Tessa specialises in defending men accused of sexual assault, but her view of the system changes when she is sexually assaulted herself. The play proved monumentally successful, touring Australia and eventually travelling to the West End, London, for a blockbuster production starring Jodie Comer, which was also filmed for the National Theatre Live series. Miller has adapted the work into a novel and a feature film adaptation starring Cynthia Erivo is currently in pre-production.
As one of our voters said:
“Deserves its place in a top five by its societal impact and the conversations it provoked, rather than its multiple national and international lives. An example of a writer finding her ideal content at the ideal moment.”
4. Fangirls by Yve Blake
Premiering in 2019 at Queensland Theatre and Belvoir St Theatre, Fangirls is the only stage musical to be included in the results. It follows the journey through adolescence of 14-year-old Edna, a diehard fan of the biggest boy band in the world. Blake began writing the piece in 2016 while in residence with the Australian Theatre For Young People. The original production won multiple awards, and a London production opened in 2024.
As our voters said:
“This redefined Australian musical theatre” and “there’s something to be celebrated about Australian young people being the core of a musical that has toured the world”.
3. Black is the New White by Nakkiah Lui
Originally premiering in 2017, Black is the New White was commissioned by Sydney Theatre Company. In a riotous domestic comedy, First Nations lawyer Charlotte Gibson is a successful lawyer set to marry an unemployed white composer. When the two families collide for a Christmas meal, hilarity ensues. Black is the New White was highly acclaimed and had multiple seasons around the country.
As our voters said:
“This work ushered in a new wave of First Nations storytelling” and “an astutely structured romantic comedy that cleverly subverted forms familiar to its audience”.
2. When The Rain Stops Falling by Andrew Bovell
A generation-spanning epic, When the Rain Stops Falling was produced in Adelaide in 2008. Following several generations of two families across time and space, the play is notable for its complex structure, described by The Globe as a “poetic pretzel of a play”, while ArtsHub’s review of the 2012 Jute Theatre production said, “You want to see it again – and again. That’s how good it is”. The play tackles climate change, immigration and trauma. It toured internationally and received many awards.
As our voters said:
“This makes a very difficult structure look easy, and it’s one of the few successful theatrical dinner scenes” and “always epic and personal at the same time, [Bovell] grapples with history and our fleeting, meaningful moment”.
1. Counting and Cracking by S. Shakthidaran
The best Australian play of the 21st century as decided by a large swathe of Australian theatre professionals, Counting and Cracking spans four generations of one Tamil family across Sri Lanka and South Australia. Inspired by Shakthidaran’s own story and premiering in 2019, the play has gone on to pick up multiple awards for playwriting. Epic in ambition, it involves a cast of 19 and runs for over three hours. Original director Eamon Flack is credited as associate writer.
As our voters said:
“Huge, sprawling – EPIC! – storytelling that is genuinely deeply moving” and “a modern classic”.
