Surreal opportunity for Toowoomba playwright

A Toowoomba playwright will have the opportunity to have one of his plays performed on an international stage.

Toowoomba playwright, David Searston will have his play, Bananas performed in New York. Picture: Bev Lacey

TOOWOOMBA playwright David Searston will have one of his plays performed in New York after winning a competition that attracted hundreds of entries.

Mr Searston’s play, Bananas, was selected alongside three others and is being produced by Roger Gonzalez, from Queens.

“It was surreal,” Mr Searston said.

“A Toowoomba boy who’s going to have a play in New York City.

“It doesn’t happen all the time. I was like ‘wow’.”

Ideas started forming for Bananas, Mr Searston’s 12th play, in 2018 when he started jotting down notes.

He finished the play in 2019 and it was published in September.

“Bananas is about a playwright who was very successful, but something happened, and he becomes the bottom of the barrel,” Mr Searston said.

“He has a play that he thinks is his ticket back to stardom.

“It’s a comedy about a play that goes wrong, and it has a bit of romance as well.”