The Street Theatre has announced its 2010 Writing Commission Program. The Program is comprised of a new work of political theatre, The Back of Beyond by the Street’s affiliate writer Aedan Whyatt and a one-act play Underage House Party by local ACT playwright David Finnigan.

The Street Theatre's commissioning program has been developed to promote the creation of high quality original scripts that contribute towards a body of stage work which encourages debate on the social, economic, cultural and political relationships central to the reality of the lives of Canberrans.

Finnigan’s Underage House Party is described as:

“a hormone-ridden scramble through the thorny maze of teenage party politics, in a search to find the glamorous side of being young and messed up. One performer takes on the role of five teenagers and narrates their journeys through a single night”.

Finnigan has received a $2,500 commission for Underage House Party to be produced in June at the Street.

David Finnigan is a writer, theatre-maker and festival director. David was a playwright delegate in the 2009 World Interplay Festival. With science-theatre ensemble Boho, he has devised and presented new work for the Adelaide Fringe Festival, the Asia-Pacific Complex Systems Science conference and The Street Theatre's Made in Canberra season. In 2006, David was Writer-in-Residence in Manila with Tanghalang Pilipino, the national theatre company of the Philippines, where he developed two new works. David is co-director of the Crack Theatre Festival, part of This Is Not Art, Australia's largest media arts festival. Finnigan was a nominee for both the 2005 QLD Premier Literary Awards and the 2006 Max Afford National Playwrights Award.