Southland playwright Brian Johnston is celebrating after his one-act play won a prestigious national award - just a few months after getting a humbling critique.

Johnston, who lives in Manapouri, won the Playwrights Association of New Zealand (PANZ) One-Act Play competition for Keep it in the Family.

At the same time he submitted the play to PANZ, he'd also sent it to an agency, paying $200 for professional feedback.

"The critique came back and thought 'oh God, I should just give this up'," he says.

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"The more I looked at it, though, I realised it was really good feedback. So, rather than get the ego bruised, I started working on the play a lot more.

"But then I got a notification I had won the one-act play competiton."

The prize? The same $200 Johnston had paid for the critique.

"For me, I won with what I believe is a far inferior script to the one I've got now. So it's been a real boost for the confidence."

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Scotsman Johnston, who moved to Dunedin in 2007 and later on to Southland, had the idea for Keep it in the Family about 10 years ago.

But, he only really started writing it last year, starting as a short story.

It is based around a dinner to celebrate a 16th birthday. The guests are the Malcolm, his son Mark, his ex-wife Sarah, and Malcolm’s current partner, Thomas.

"My inspiration for the play was I wanted to consider what might happen when a divorcee of eight years, unable to let go of her attachment to her ex-husband and move on with her life, is faced with meeting her ex's new, gay partner.

"I wanted to explore what tactics she might employ when it seems she is about to lose everything, and what the consequences of her actions might result in."

Way of the World, written for young people to perform, was produced and directed by Johnston at the Events Centre, Te Anau in April 2021, with a cast of 22 young actors  

For Johnston, who has more than 30 years' experience as a performer, writer, director, community arts practitioner and teacher, the real prize of the competition will be to have the play workshopped by four actors.

"As a writer, you can think 'that doesn't sound right', or 'that's too obvious'."

His first play The Good, Auld, Bad, Auld Days was workshopped and given three professional rehearsed readings at the Playhouse Theatre, Dunedin as part of the 2008 Dunedin Fringe Festival. It was also given a professional rehearsed reading by Stage South at the Fortune Theatre in 2009.

And his play Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are, was given a professional rehearsed reading by Stage South at the Fortune Theatre in 2011.

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But Johnson hopes Keep it in the Family, which has expanded from 40 minutes in its competition form to now about 1.5 hours, will be first play that reaches production.

"It's actually extremely difficult to get a production, because anyone who's interested in it, has to look at bums on seats, investment, etc.

"So part of the critique was saying there's some interesting ideas in this but it's not ready for a production.

"There were some other ideas to weave in, making it more much more tense, more dramatic.

"My hope would be that I could get a production out of this, but I'm not too sure how I'll get there."