Testimonials

So, at this point in the journey, I just wanted to let you know, how grateful I am for the work we did on the script, how much I got out of it... Apart from actual specific suggestions we worked with, I think the most valuable thing I got was an idea of the process and strategies I could take to attempt to improve and resolve a script - rather than the “Where the hell do Start? However do I do this?” type attitude I had before.
Jane Leonard

Peter gave me the courage to craft a contemporary play without being restricted to acceptable storytelling methods. His rare balance of wisdom, grace, technique and love for the craft has given me faith that it is possible in Australia to endure such a lengthy developing process. It has been rewarding to say the least. Peter has inspired me to attack the craft of storytelling with frenzy and determination…
Marty Denniss

If only we could meet for a coffee once a week and talk about it! Thank you for your time I AM SO ON TO IT NOW!!!! Well, give me a couple of weeks to grapple with it and I will let you know. What can I say it was great! It was real! It is now a whole lot of work I need to get on to. Hold your bated breath for the next instalment! Oh yeah thanks!!!
Katrina Sutton

Peter has a particular knack for identifying strengths in a writer’s voice and in a script, and drawing these out in a way that is supportive, encouraging and precise. He is both incredibly generous and sharply insightful in his analysis and feedback. He has the great skill of giving suggestions for improvement and clarification while also making sure the writer actually does some hard work to come up with the goods (and believes all the great ‘new’ ideas they have are their own!).
Emilie Collyer

Fabulous! All makes absolute sense, and raises troubled thoughts that were lurking in my own unconscious but that needed your clarity of mind to pinpoint. You have given me lots to think about but a very clear goal. And - I always think this is the gift of a great dramaturg - you have made me eager to tackle it.
Stella Kent

Dear Peter,
I cannot thank you enough - you've done the report so quickly and comprehensively - way above & beyond the call of duty!!
Many thanks indeed, I'm quite overwhelmed by the care & dedication you've shown to me - and to the profession of playwriting in general…
… since your arrival on the scene, you have turned what had been a very disappointing experience into a glowingly positive one.
Tony Page

Anyone wrestling with the writing of a play can easily fail to see the wood for the trees and the opportunity of having someone, with sympathetic insight, fly over the jungle in the dramaturgic helicopter and give hint to the overall terrain is most welcome. I do have the strength to press on to another draft. And the will! And, hopefully, the wit!
E R Thomas

Peter is attentive to the writer’s own praxis. He is the only real dramaturg I have worked with, who knows his stuff and works within the writer’s own dreaming and is happy to be a dramaturg and not a director, playwright, actor or producer.
Michael Beresford

The play I thought I was writing was not the play I was really writing. Peter has teased out this real play – fuller, richer and more human – from the skeletal first draft. I appreciated the humour and wisdom that Peter brought to my sessions. I noticed how he re-adjusted his approach as I gained or lost understanding – so our sessions felt to me like conversations. Enjoyable, fun, instructive, practical, learned.
David Lander

Peter is committed to getting inside your play to best help you, in that he does not offer general or formulaic approaches to drafting. Instead he attempts to focus his feedback, in the context of what the writer has written. He is also generous with his ideas, knowledge and experience and attempts to further a language of theatre writing, so that writers and dramaturges are always on the same page.
Victoria Carless

Peter’s feedback is always incredibly precise, he draws attention to the weak spots in the writing and helps develop the strengths, this is immensely helpful as it helps one understand the craft far more clearly and pushes you into areas that are as yet underdeveloped. Peter is brutally honest and will not accept wishy washy responses/excuses when he is asking difficult questions. He is immensely generous with his knowledge and wonderful in helping problem solve “sticky” areas in the script.
I value Peter’s opinion and also trust him, two very important details for choosing a dramaturg.
Gail Evans

On the job, Peter is clear-eyed, dry-witted and practical; there is no handholding or talk about the Muse. But underneath this he is passionate about the uniqueness of theatre and this enthusiasm is infectious…
Hugh Watson

Peter’s a challenging taskmaster, while still being encouraging of both the work and the writer. He raises the bar, while letting me know it is – actually – within my reach, if I’m prepared to put the work in. Peter has changed the way I write, and the way I think about/ approach the craft. He has offered me a national perspective on my writing journey as well as a longer-term perspective on the development of my craft. He has offered me confidence and a belief in my work [while still challenging me to not settle for `satisfying’], and empowered me as a writer.
Mary Anne Butler

Peter’s keen sense of language and his capacity to fully immerse himself with the Aboriginal vernacular and humour was exceptional. Furthermore, his original-thinking and excellent ability to communicate ideas had only been surpassed by the respect he has shown me in the process… Working with Peter Matheson has been an absolute delight. His dependability and positive attitude throughout the project has ensured that I will always want to work alongside him, on any project, anytime.
Vivienne Cleven

In the (ANPC) Residency programme eight writers met regularly with a dramaturg to work on individual scripts. The dramaturg was Peter Mathieson (sic) and he is pretty damn good. Smart, to the point and somehow – since he reads more scripts than anyone should have to – very generous. Five minutes into the first meeting on Draft 1 of my new play he suggested something which will now be the backbone of Draft 2.
Ken Duncum, Taking Coals: Does Australia have it better? Playmarket News, The Magazine of the New Zealand Play and Playwright.

As an Indigenous writer one of the greatest concerns that I have is around cultural safety in writing Indigenous stories. Peter’s support and direction in this process was and remains outstanding. His guidance with developing stories and being culturally safe was exceptional and impacted greatly upon my ability to write. Further to this Peter’s depth in being able to listen to stories that are not from his cultural construct and then develop and nurture their essence, has enabled me to develop and grow as a writer…
For me personally, Peter’s keen ear and extraordinary sense of humour was delightful to work with…His ability to push me in to new areas creatively, whilst maintaining cultural safety for me, allowed me to form a true and lasting respect for Peter’s ability as a dramaturg.
Odette Best

The reasons I would recommend Peter Matheson… are numerous and substantive. First of all, there is what I consider to be his enormous wealth of knowledge and experience in the Australian theatre scene. Unquestionably, he brought this experience and insight into our working relationship. Secondly, there was the process itself. Peter displayed great patience and respect in our collaboration. No point was ever rushed and every question or query on my part given serious thought. He constantly encouraged me to answer the tough questions about the piece without trying to enforce his own vision on the work… Each session left me confident to explore the material in different ways that I hadn’t previously considered or had managed to avoid. At the same time he was receptive to any challenge or disagreement on my part. At all times, he displayed a comprehensive understanding of the underlying themes of the play…
David Blackman


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