Serpent's Teeth Honoured

Congratulations to Daniel Keene who scored the NSW Premier's Literary Prize for playwriting.

In a very tough field (Andrew Bovell's When The Rain Stops Falling and Damien Millar's The Modern International Dead were both in the running) it's good to seem Keene, a Melbourne playwright often ignored in Sydney, get the gong.

It must be a good sign of the rising standards of playwriting when such a strong group of writers are in the mix. I share the sentiments about the lack of female voices. However Debra Oswald won it last year.

So congratulations to Daniel.

Playwriting Workshops, Development and Funding

The always reliable Bec Clarke created a brilliant note on Facebook yesterday which I feel compelled to cut and paste for all of you who haven't quite caught up with the rest of us twitterbug facers. 

It is a comprehensive list of nearly every possible workshop program, support service and funding source for playwriting for NSW residents. It's rather quite impressive when you look at it from head to toe, but the gaps between writing and staging are pretty clear. 

So here is the list in its entirety with an addition of the Performance Space and Griffin Theatre Company residency opportunities. If you can think of anything missed, leave it in the comments.


2009 Playwriting Workshops, Programs and Funding Deadlines

- Playwriting Australia two week workshop - Feb 27
- Malthouse Theatre - March 1 and Oct 1
- Merrigong Theatre - March 6, May 8, July 10, Sept 11
- OzCo New Work - June 3 and Nov 3
- Arts NSW - July 6 - Grants not outlined until May
- Hothouse Month in the Country - Feb 15 and Aug 15
- Bell Shakespeare - Mind's Eye - 2009 dates posted soon
- B Sharp - Open policy
- Next Stage - By invitation
- Vitalstatix - Women's Theatre Adelaide

- Performance Space - Residency 

- Griffin Theatre Company - Playwrights Residency


***PLAYWRITING AUSTRALIA
National Script Workshop
an intensive residential studio for the creative development of new works

The 2-week residential Workshop programme provides writers with the resources to progress to the next stage of creative development, without the expectation of an immediate performance outcome or the need to produce a performance-ready draft.

Eight writers are invited to develop a new work in its early stages of creative development in an intensive studio environment with directors, dramaturgs and an ensemble of actors.

The Workshop takes place annually in June/July and also features:
a public programme, delivering professional development outcomes to local artists and exploring issues in local theatre-making, and

a graduate programme offering young playwrights, directors and dramaturgs the opportunity to work alongside our senior company on their own creative development.
Submissions for the Workshop are invited annually in March from any interested writer and are assessed by a panel of experienced readers. There are no application or participation fees. Theatre companies are invited to propose projects for participation.

Applications open
Until 27 February
Runs
27 June - July 10 July


***MALTHOUSE THEATRE
In sending a proposal to the company, we ask for the following: One A4 page synopsis of the work, including why you want to work with the Malthouse on this particular idea or script. We are especially interested in what you believe a collaboration with this company will bring to your work and why. We would like to hear about the form as well as the content of your work, and how this engages with the theatrical medium. A one-paragraph biographical note of yourself (150 words maximum) and individual notes of similar length for any other artist involved. If the idea is already a developed text or has been substantially written, a 10-page extract, preferably the first ten pages, of the script or the equivalent in another medium (e.g., 5-min DVD).

All of the above should be presented in a 12-font single-sided format and postmarked no later than the due date. We will not accept faxed or emailed proposals. Proposals may include more than one artist. We ask, however, that individuals or teams send no more than one proposal. This does not preclude you from being named on several proposals. We will assume that any artist named has a commitment to the project in question. Please note that due to time and resource limitations we will not accept anything that sits outside these guidelines.

SELECTION
In receiving a proposal, the company will undertake the following:
A letter acknowledging receipt will be sent to you. Each proposal will be read or viewed internally by the artistic team and may be sent out for an external peer assessment. If the company has an interest in the project, we will notify you within three months of the receipt of your proposal. If you have not heard from us within this period, you may assume that your proposal has been read or viewed but has not been shortlisted for development by the company. Timelines for project development are dependent on the nature of the work, what it requires for production and the programming schedule at any given time.

Please note that due to time and resource limitations we make no commitment to provide feedback on proposals not shortlisted for development. If you wish us to return your proposal and support materials, please provide a stamped self-addressed envelope.

DATES
Deadlines for proposals are 1 March and 1 October of each year. All proposals should be sent to the following: Artistic Department, Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt Street, Southbank. VIC, 3006. 

ENQUIRIES
Maryanne Lynch, Dramaturge in Residence, (03) 9685 5111
admin@malthousetheatre.com.au


***MERRIGONG THEATRE COMPANY
Theatre Development Program
This program aims to foster professional theatre practice in the region by providing an identifiable and achievable path for emerging and established artists. Artists can apply for support to develop an idea to its first showing (for example a play reading) or to extend an idea through a dedicated development process (such as a script development or workshop).
Application dates for the Program in 2009 are:
• 6 March
• 8 May
• 10 July
• 11 September
Projects can take place at any time of the year. For more information on how to apply, contact Anne-Louise Rentell, Producer and Theatre Development Manager on either (02) 4226 3699 ext 110 or arentell@merrigong.com.au.


***AUSTRALIA COUNCIL – NEW WORK GRANT
Closing date: 3 June 2009
Decisions advised: September 2009
Projects may start: 1 October 2009
Closing date: 3 November 2009
Decisions advised: March 2010
Projects may start: 1 April 2010

New work grants support one-off projects that result in the creation of new contemporary theatre work. This can include a new production of an existing text.

• Creative development – supports the development stages of a new work, such as research, creative development workshops or commissioning a writer
• Production – supports a public performance of a new work and any stages leading up to it, where a presenting partner has already committed to the project
Applications for production grants must have a presenting partner involved in the project. A presenting partner is defined as anyone able to provide or raise the resources needed to present the work to the public, and could include (among others) venues, festivals, other theatre companies, local governments, museums or independent producers.

Applicants are advised to speak to theatre staff.

Applications can now happen online, after receiving a user identification number. Grant rounds will open for online applications six weeks before the advertised closing date. When a grant round is open it will appear in the online system. (The first time you log into system you will be given a user identification number. This number keeps means you can revisit your application as many times as you want before you submit it.)


***ARTS NSW
The 2010 Arts Funding Program Guidelines and Application Forms will be available for download by close of business, Friday 15 May 2009.

The Closing Date for applications to the 2010 Arts Funding Program is by close of business, Monday 6 July 2009.


***HOTHOUSE THEATRE (Month in the Country)
Annual closing dates – Feb 15 and Aug 15

Funded through Albury City, Arts NSW, Arts Victoria, the Australia Council, Myer Foundation and operated by HotHouse Theatre, A Month in the Country is a national arts resource to facilitate the creation of new Australian performing arts work. The initiative involves an on-going residential program that brings creative teams of writers, actors, directors, designers and other performing artists from across the country to Albury Wodonga during the creative development stage of a myriad of different projects.

Groups of artists from around the country will be supported to live and work in a large farmhouse and adjacent studio just outside Albury for periods of one to five weeks. The use of the farmhouse and studio is free and financial support for transport and living allowances is available.

HotHouse Theatre has created A Month in the Country as part of the company's philosophy of supporting independent artists with good ideas to move those ideas closer to a public outcome. Freelance theatre artists who do not have access to a company infrastructure or support often struggle in the early stages of project development. Even funded companies often have no space resources allocated to developmental stages of projects.

HotHouse Theatre welcomes projects which will benefit from an intense period of creative development in this quintessential rural Australian setting.


***BELL SHAKESPEARE (Mind's Eye)
Shakespeare provides us with an inexhaustible repository of ideas. There is a philosophical debate in almost every speech and a new piece of theatre in every image. More than any writer, Shakespeare has inspired artists to imagine and to create other worlds.

Mind’s Eye, Bell Shakespeare’s development arm, will harness the best of these ideas and allow them to be put to the test. It will demonstrate a commitment to innovation, recognising that creative risk is at the heart of our practice. It will allow artists to push the boundaries of their form, explore their connection to the contemporary world and enrich their work with ambitious ideas.

Mind’s Eye will give artists a safe platform from which they can perform daring feats.

Works developed within the Mind’s Eye programme can be initiated by writers, designers, directors, composers, choreographers or performers. These may be cross art-form, hybrid works and not strictly text based. It is an opportunity to engage with a broader circle of artists, providing important industry access and support. It prioritises strong creative development and rigour as a means of ensuring artistic vibrancy.

Mind’s Eye calls for submissions on an annual basis.
Submissions for 2008 closed on 29 September 2008, with over 30 submissions received.
Applications, selection criteria and terms and conditions for 2009 will be posted in February 2009.


***STC NEXT STAGE
Throughout the year Next Stage will invite a group of artists to participate in our inaugural season of Rough Drafts. These week-long creative developments will give theatre makers the opportunity to experiment: to try out new ideas, new ways of working and new collaborations. There will be an opportunity for you to attend a free, one-off showing at the conclusion of each week-long development. If you wish to join us at these showings, visit this website regularly throughout 2009, sign up for our email newsletter or become our friend on Facebook.


***RIVERSIDE THEATRE COMPANY
PLAYWRITING MASTERCLASSES
Three intensive workshops with leading Australian playwrights

Each playwright will deal with different aspects of the process and disciplines employed in writing for the stage. Courses are designed for established and emerging playwrights.

Debra Oswald and Christopher Hurrell
Saturday 4th April

Katherine Thomson
Saturday 20 June

Timothy Daly
Saturday 29 August

PLAY READING OPPORTUNITY
Following attendance at the Masterclasses the writers are invited to submit a play. Two plays will be selected to be workshopped and read in Riverside's BREAKOUT development program under the guidance of a professional director and actors.

Cost
$80 per workshop including light lunch, morning and afternoon tea

Location Raffertys Studio at Riverside Theatres
Corner Church and Market Streets, Parramatta


***B SHARP
Open Door Downstairs: If you have an idea or project you would like us to consider for inclusion in the B Sharp season, or for development within the B Sharp creative development program please feel free to contact us anytime to discuss the work. We’ve moved away from the open pitch process, and programming for the B Sharp season (in the form of a new twin season model) will continue throughout the year through ongoing conversation and collaboration. The programming timeline for the July – December 2009 will be March 2009 and for the first half of 2010 will be November 2009. The B Sharp creative development program, supports the development of new Australian work, which means you can also talk to us about projects that are still in the dreaming stages We hope to see the fruits of this program fill the Downstairs stage over the coming years!

Simply drop us an email or give us a call.


***VITALSTATISTIX (Women’s Theatre Co. – Adelaide) 
- Vitalstatistix exists to curate, support and produce, new, high quality, provocative and challenging live performance by Australian women, which engages and entertains a diverse audience and contributes to Australian culture. Vitalstatistix is a catalyst and incubator for the development of important, innovative contemporary arts practice in Australia. 


***PERFORMANCE SPACE
Residency Program

As part of Performance Space's commitment to supporting dynamic collaborative processes between artists, we offer a residency program for independent artists, artistic teams and small companies collaborating across disciplines, technologies and/or artforms to create new performative work. The Residency Program uses in-house resources to support both R + D and creative development of new work. 

***GRIFFIN THEATRE COMPANY
Playwrights Residency

Griffin offers key opportunities for emerging playwrights through its ground-breaking PLAYWRIGHTS' RESIDENCY.

Over 12 months, Griffin invites four playwrights the chance to build a lasting, working relationship with Griffin Theatre Company – and provides collaborating artists to work with towards production.

Griffin's Playwrights' Residency has been responsible for introducing playwrights such as Tommy Murphy and Caleb Lewis to mainstream audiences hungry for new work and new voices. The former resident playwrights' work included the award-winning Holding the Man, Strangers in Between and Nailed.

Griffin's Playwright Residency is a valued source of play development and plays a vital part in helping a new generation of playwrights find their voice.

In addition to financial assistance, workshops and professional development, all four playwrights feature and participate directly in Griffin's annual program, with Seasons, four short ten-minute plays presented throughout 2008, and a further four full-length plays presented as public readings.

Review: Holiday

Holiday by Raimondo Cortese
Ranters Theatre and Griffin Theatre Company
SBW Stables Theatre



I've now had the fortune of seeing Holiday by Raimondo Cortese both at its Melbourne premiere last year and once again in a remount now playing at the Stables Theatre.

From a staging sense, it's always interesting to see a show in a different space and what the current production proves is how diverse and beautifully intricate this play is.

In a white space, a babies wading pool sits centre stage with two toy life rings and a beach ball. There are also two stools and a chaise lounge to the side. 

Two men enter the space - two men who are relaxing by a wading pool.

The silence of their presence is broken by the singing of a baroque song as they share the harmony and the verse. With warm eyes they look out into the audience, inviting us to listen and share in their presence on the stage. It's a beautiful opening which quietly slips into another silence.

The slightly older and greyer Arno (Patrick Moffatt) then begins his conversation with the taller and more lanky Paul (Paul Lum).

Arno: My mum sent me this parcel the other day.
Paul: What's that?
Arno: My mum sent me this parcel the other day.
Paul: In the mail?
Arno: Yeah.
Paul: She spot something... out shopping?
Arno: You know those plastic thingummies?
Paul: No.
Arno: The ones you used to find in the cereal.
Paul: The funny creatures?
Arno: She sent me a whole bag of them.
Paul: Why she send you those?
Arno: I don't know.

And so it begins.


From here a conversation takes us through ninety minutes of simple reflections, simple anecdotes all with the desire to fill a void of silence and be civil to one another. For the most part its amicable between the two men but as they start to get to know each other over the course of the play the tension slowly rises until it is broken by catholic guilt driven Arno who questions a statement made by the exaggerator Paul.

What made the evening even more interesting for me, was to see how the two shows evoked such different reactions from the Melbourne and Sydney audiences.

Spatially, the two shows are quite different. In Melbourne the play was performed under a white tarpaulin type shelter within the larger space of the North Melbourne Town Hall. The audience was seated in a proscenium formation and looked on through a fourth wall at the interaction.

In the unique and intimate space of the Stables, a fourth wall is not possible and instead, the audience is included within the space with designer painting the entire theatre white.

The change of space has had quite a profound affect on the play. The audience in Sydney found themselves more included in the action with the thrust stage and responded to the humour far more than the Melbourne audience. Add this to the fact that the black clad Melburniuns saw the play on a windy, cold and wet winter's evening and the happier Sydney audience were at the premiere on a balmy sub-tropical evening and the difference was palpable.

The loss of the fourth wall also meant directorial changes to the staging. Those long dramatic pauses between the bits of dialogue have been shortened substantially and the beach ball being hit into the audience to break the wall is also gone.

This is all replaced by a familiarity and constant interaction with the audience which didn't occur in the Melbourne version. Certainly this means the heights of tension are diminished, but what you receive instead is a closer look at the bare bones of each character as they expose themselves not only to each other but to fifty pairs of eyes looking on from two sides.

Holiday is one of those rare pieces of theatre writing rarely seen on Sydney's small stages. It is a play you just wouldn't see come out of our independent theatres for a number of financial, marketing and cultural reasons. It delicately flicks off the cloak of the overly dominant Anglo-culture and embraces the theatrically experimental writing of Eastern and Central Europe, housing it within the strong history of the universally-themed writing coming out of Melbourne's fringe sector.

In a recent interview with Currency Press, playwright Cortese explains in one sentence why he loves the theatre replying it is because "in theatre there’s nowhere to hide".

Every emerging playwright and director in Sydney should see this play if only to see how simplicity can fascinate. There's certainly nowhere to hide which means there's endless possibilities.

Griffin Award announced

In what was reportedly a fine affair, Griffin Theatre announced the recipient of the 2008 Griffin Award was Whore by young writer and performer Rick Viede (right).

It really is about time that there were plays being recognised with such short, sharp and straight up names. And who better to deliver such a play than Viede who is quickly becoming a feature of the fringe theatre, cabaret and grunge drag scenes.

A packed Stables Theatre was then treated to a reading of Whore followed by a journey across the road to the lush Victoria Room for drinking shenanigans.

According to the Griffin website, one hundred entries were received from across the country with the shortlist comprising of the following eight plays:

Alana Valentine - Redfern Heights (NSW)
Catherine Ryan - Precipice (VIC)
Christine Evans - Trojan Barbie (Overseas Resident)
Julian Hobba - Father Son Rule (VIC)
Rick Viede - Whore (NSW)
Ross Mueller - Concussion (VIC)
Simon Luckhurst - Lines in the Sand (NSW)
Sue Smith - In the Violet Time (NSW)

Here's hoping that Viede not only gets the $5,000 and a new laptop but also a production of his script at Griffin, which oddly sometimes doesn't seem to follow after the award has been handed out.

The provocative Berkoff to provoke

I have never understood why many don't like Steven Berkoff. Some people think of him as just some type of egotistical performer and director while others think of him as one of the most talented theatre creators of the late 20th Century.

My first experience of a Steven Berkoff production was in 2001 at the Belgrade International Theatre Festival where he presented Messiah - Scenes from a Crucifixion.

Berkoff wasn't in the original piece (although he later played the role of Satan when it returned for a London season) but he directed and wrote the piece which greatly humoured the Belgrade audience this particular evening.

Drenched in his typical humour and trademark physicality, it was a production that is a delight to remember. Jesus cast as some Machiavellan orchestrator, Satan taunting with a beautiful nonchalence and disciples in bowler hats beat any World Youth Day crucifixion recreation.

The 71 year old is back in Sydney to perform another one man show appropriately entitled One-Man.

But before he embarks on the tour, he is giving a talk at Sydney University tonight which will, fingers crossed, rattle a few cages;

Critically acclaimed UK actor, director, playwright and author Steven Berkoff will give his unique perspective on the art of provocation at an exclusive Sydney Ideas event to be held at the University of Sydney next Monday night.

In what promises to be a fascinating lecture, titled 'Provocation: How far can an artist go?', Berkoff will discuss how he has managed to stay on the fringe since he formed the London Theatre Group 40 years ago.

How far can an artist go...? In Sydney, a lot further.

Should be a great evening at the Seymour Centre. And there's even a great pub across the road for post-chat chats.


Event details:

What: Provocation - How far can an artist go? Steven Berkoff at Sydney Ideas, the University of Sydney's international public lecture series

Where: The Seymour Theatre Centre, Cnr of Cleveland St and City Rd, the University of Sydney. Phone: 02 9351 7940
When: 6.30pm on Monday, 25 August, 2008.

Tickets: $20/$15 concession.

Bookings: Box office 02 9351 7940 or online

Review: The Kid

The Kid By Michael Gow
SBW Stables

Unedited version of review published in The Daily Telegraph

It's regional Australia and young people are fleeing the bush and making their way to the big cities along the east coast.

Dean (Akos Armont) and his sister, Snake (Emma Palmer) are part of the exodus, as they hunt down some compensation in Sydney for their sick brother Aspro (Andrew Ryan).

The three delinquents refuel at a small dusty town where they find the young and naïve opera lover Donald (Eamon Farren) who Dean immediately takes a shining too. Unaccustomed to rejection Dean promptly captures Donald and drags him to Sydney.

The four arrive to find monolithic apartment blocks, a bureaucracy that wouldn’t be misplaced in a Franz Kafka creation and religious cult follower neighbours Desiree (Yael Stone) and father figure (Mark Pegler).

Although penned over twenty years ago this 2008 production of The Kid places it amongst the scores of plays that are currently emerging from the post- September 11 theatres of Britain and the US which contain a deep apocalyptic mood.

This makes the play lose none of its relevance but a big red pen would not have gone astray to make it more contemporary with cuts to some unnecessary and long-winded scenes.

The direction by Tom Healy is tight, utilising the small and intimate theatre space along with an economical and diverse set design by Gabrielle Logan. The ensemble is beautifully cast with some veteran and very recent acting graduates with the highlight being the deeply moving performance by Yael Stone as the affected child of a cult family.

Ironically this play was written at the end of another conservative period of governance in Australia and the question has to be asked – where are the current crop of new writers after this recent government. Are they too shy – or do they have nothing to say?


SBW Stables Theatre
10 Nimrod Street, Kings Cross
Date19 March 2008 to 26 April 2008
Tickets$36-$43
Bookings1300 306 776
www.griffintheatre.com.au

PM calls on best and brightest?

It's all over the front page of The Australian today:

"The Prime Minister announced yesterday that 1000 of the nation's 'best and brightest' would be picked to attend a two-day summit in Canberra to articulate radical solutions to the 10 most pressing problems facing the nation over the next decade."

And to my general shock and amazement The Arts gets a guernsey, coming in at number 8 (just after Indigenous Australia and just before Democracy).

It does have to share a place with film and design, but I suppose that if The Arts are considered more important than democracy we shouldn't complain too much.

To be held in April, the weekend forum will aim to propose long term options for the development of Australia towards 2020. Rudd's press release goes on to explain that "this Steering Committee will select up to 100 participants in each of the Summit areas who will attend in a voluntary capacity. The participants will be drawn from business, academia, community and industrial organisations, the media and include a number of individual eminent Australians."

This is where you, dear reader, come in. The last thing we need is for the usual suspects to be lining up and representing 'the arts'. Can you imagine anything worse than a continuation of the status quo? It's enough to make you shudder.

It's very important that a 'real' cross section of the industry needs to be represented at this event in April, not just the institutionalised individuals at the top of the pecking order. You need your James Strong representatives in their bow-ties and jaguars, but you also need your fringe theatre artists. You need your Cate Blanchetts with their business sponsorship deals but you also need your regional arts organisation and their struggling relationship with state governments.

Unfortunately state premiers will be in attendance, so you can look forward to Premier Iemma of New South Wales having a chat with you about the merits of rugby league over opera. So the two day ideas-fest will spend at least one of the days discussing terms of reference.

Unless of course you convince Premier Iemma not to come, explaining to him that there isn't a sport category up for discussion. In fact, maybe he can just stay in Sydney that weekend and check out the footy. Doesn't the rugby league kick off that weekend?

I think there are a number key areas that must be addressed by the two day forum. The first is, of course, the funding structure of the arts with a greater integration of federal, state and local funding. The situation in New South Wales where funding keeps get cut and cut and cut, will soon enough spread to other states and territories. How can greater integration stop this from happening?

A new and fresh vision for the Australia Council must be discussed. The grant application procedures are at times ridiculous and anti-creative and the whole idea around 'peer review' needs to re-evaluated.

One of the other things that could be discussed would be an equivalent of the Australian Major Performing Arts Group (AMPAG). Maybe we could call it the Australian Minor Performing Arts Group (AmPAG), representing artists outside the gates of Troy.

The third area of importance is the state of arts education. This is an area that needs critical attention not only at a school level, but more urgently at a tertiary level. Arts faculties across the country have shrunk and a stream of subjects have disappeared at every institution.

And don't even start me on the National Art School which each year struggles to stay afloat. Just fund the damn thing.

The fourth area of importance is arts reportage. Is the standard offered by our media outlets (I'm looking at you Mr Fairfax and you Ms Rural Press and also you Mr Murdoch) really that good enough and how does it need to be renewed with vigour. And how do we stop the arts section from being just a pit stop for cadet journalists to practice their prose?

The fifth area of importance is greater integration of multicultural arts and collaboration on an international scale. Why is the AsiaLink programme so under utilised for cross-cultural collaboration? What does the Federal Government plan to do about expanding the touring programme for artists and arts organisations? What will be our vision for cultural exports?

There are more and you will be able to make your submissions online, when a website is created for the summit. So don't be silent and don't rely on those that are currently in the ears of government. It does make a difference.


Story UPDATED HERE.

The Year of the Apprentice

I have a sneaking suspicion that Company B Artistic Director Neil Armfield has been watching a lot of Donald Trump's The Apprentice. If next year's season is anything to go by, Armfield has programmed not only one of the most adventurous and least commercial programmes of the last few years but has armed the programme with some of the newest theatre talent currently working in Sydney.

It truly is the year of the apprentice with the graduation of young directors and writers from Downstairs Belvoir, as well as other independent venues up the wooden hill to Company B.

As Sydney Arts Journo reported a couple of weeks ago, Kate Mulvaney's The Seed makes its way from Downstairs Belvoir with the full cast. And even though Armfield is keeping a careful eye on burgeoning director Iain Sinclair it is a key acknowledgement of the creative class emerging from the independent sector.

Chris Kohn is another apprentice with a well deserved guernsey as director who walks upstairs after a number of successful collaborations with Lally Katz in the Downstairs theatre. He's directing Antigone - but whether he got the gig due to his nagging or being approached by the company is a little less clear.

After the success of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, director Craig Ilott also secures a spot with Company B. He already made his way from the independent sector with a show at the Ensemble Theatre but this time is given the greater challenge of the Martin McDonagh play, The Pillowman.

There is quite a lot of pressure on Ilott to get this production right. This play is a huge favourite with actors for its vibrant and fleshy text, so every single actor that doesn't get cast will be looking very carefully at who he selects. As well as this, the last Company B production of a McDonagh play missed the mark by such a phenomenal distance that many fans of the Irish canon will be waiting in the wings with hurling sticks if they get it wrong again.

Much of this new transition can be attributed to the vision of Lyn Wallis, who curated the Downstairs season for the previous nine years. Just prior to her move to Casula Powerhouse, Wallis implemented the Boiler Room project which led to the development of directors and creative teams, with a view to them developing projects over the course of a number of consecutive years. This broke the trend which had plagued the independent theatre sector of lacking continuity in the development of artists.

Company B's programme is also a huge acknowledgement to the Indigenous talent that have been fostered by the company over the last few years. It also tips its hat to some of the exciting Indigenous projects that are emerging from around the country. Indeed, the pin-up girl for the Comapny B marketing and promotion is the wonderfully talented and absolutely gorgeous Ursula Yovich.

The opening production of 08, in collaboration with the Sydney Festival and Big hART, is Ngapartji Ngapartji (I give you something, you give me something). It has already toured the country and received an excellent review from Theatre Notes who describes the piece as "theatre that calls on its ritual roots. You are not buying a ticket to a show: you are being invited to participate in a ceremony." It looks and sounds fascinating.

Deborah Mailman, now ex-STC Actors Company will return to tread the Belvoir boards after giving birth to her son this year, as Antigone. Dallas Winmar, who last presented her play Aliwa! at Belvoir in 2001, has written another cracker of a tail in Yibiyung which centres around the life of her grandmother after researching 'Government file'. It will be directed by Wesley Enoch.

Armfield directs just one production this year, and it is a play discovered by a Sydney Opera House producer who believed it was better produced by Company B than the more conservative harbour-side venue. Scorched, written by Lebanese French-Canadian playwright has been compared to Jean Giraudoux and Jean Anoulih and Company B seems to have acquired a coup in presenting one of the hottest plays of the moment. It stars Paula Arundell and Arky Michael.

The year finishes up with a double-bill from Ridiculusmus duo John Haynes and David Woods who present a mad version of The Importance of Being Earnest and then dive a bit more seriously into Tough Time, Nice Time which is set in a jacuzzi in Bangkok. God only knows where it will go from there.

Armfield has curatored one hell of a programme which is exciting, diverse and adventurous. It has all the potential to push theatrical and thematic boundaries but I suppose the only thing really missing from the line-up is a female director... which is a shame.

Stephen Jeffreys: guiding Sydney's stages

As published in ArtsHub Australia

by Nicholas Pickard
Thursday, June 07, 2007

The Sydney Theatre Company headquarters is one of the most beautiful places during the day. On a long finger wharf that’s nestled in the heart of Port Jackson, the view pans out to the east, with the Harbour Bridge arching over the waters that glides from the river out to the Pacific Ocean.

At 10am, I am introduced to Stephen Jeffreys, a tall and amiable Englishman who has one of those rich home county voices that has that quiet and respectable authority to it.

The two of us are decked out in our fair skin and we cover for shade on one of the beautiful decks that takes in the harbour. In no less than one minute, a waitress swiftly announces that we are in the way of preparations for lunch and shuffles us down to the blaring sun of the morning. Welcome to Sydney.

Jeffreys is synonymous with the rise of new theatre writing that hit the British stages during the late 80’s and 90’s. As resident literary manager of the Royal Court, he implemented a revolutionary programme that put new British playwriting at the centre of the rich platter of theatrical delights that that little island has to offer.

Names such as Sarah Kane, Jez Butterworth, Mark Ravenhill, Conor McPherson and Marius von Mayenburg were tried and tested as part of one of the most aggressive playwriting programmes ever introduced in the theatrical world. And it was the rise and rise of Jeffreys programme that has made him one of the most well known writers in the United Kingdom. It was his play The Libertine that caught the attention of actor John Malkovich and was then presented at the Steppenwolf and then turned into a feature film.

It was the British summer of last year that STC Artistic Director, Robyn Nevin flew to the UK to meet with Jeffreys wife, Annabel Arden who is a director most notably known through her work at Theatre de Complicite. Approaching Arden with the idea of directing something down at the Wharf, it was suggested that the play they should produce be one written by Jeffreys.

The collaboration was agreed on by the party of three and the result is The Art of War now showing at the Sydney Theatre Company. Jeffreys explains that The Art of War “is part of a trilogy… although it didn’t start out like that.”

“I did a play in 2001 with Annabel in California called Wind Interruptions and the idea behind it was to do a political play in a post modernist way to find a new style for that kind of work. The style of was an imaginary coup with little bits of 20th century history from all over the place and it out of chronological time - and I said to her at the time that I think that there are another couple of plays that will belong to this one.

“And I described a very sketchy idea to Robyn which was called The Art of War which was about warfare and Sun Tzu’s ideas of warfare. And she thought immediately that this was the right idea to do”.

Immediately Jeffreys set about writing the third part of the trilogy, before he had even finished the second. The result, after intense collaboration with Arden and the STC’s Actors Company is what he calls “an unsual play.”

“This meat of the play,” he says, “is in the Iraq scenes which I became very interested in researching. And I discovered that when the Americans were planning to invade that there were some dissident voices in the US army who were essentially saying they can win a conventional war against the Iraqis. But what will happen when they get to Baghdad, is that instead of fighting the US directly, if they have got any sense at all, they will take the Sun Tzu theory and not oppose the initial invasion. What they will do is they will take all of the key guys out of uniform and keep them in the background for six months and fight an insurrection – which is precisely what happened.

“The Americans have got themselves in a classic situation that Sun Tzu would have avoided. To be embroiled in an endless conflict without any clear strategy, where you are just bleeding resources the whole time”.

Jeffreys has framed the present conflict onto Sun Tzu’s theories with three different strands in the story. There first is the story set in Iraq in 2003, the second a series of love affairs and the final part is a business story centring around an Australian company. All twelve actors from the company are on stage almost the entire time and the result is what Jeffreys describes as “a free flow between the chorus part of the work and the more naturalistic play which is going on around them”.

Jeffreys couldn’t be a more qualified literary influence for Sydney’s performing arts.

He spent nearly 11 years as literary associate of the Royal Court and he holds workshops in the UK and often travels to countries to work with emerging writers. While he has been here, he held workshops with a young group including Hilary Bell, Greg Woodland, Nick Simpson-Deeks, Patrick Carr, Jack Douglas, Jane Harrison & Nicki Bloom.

While researching this article and looking at his website, I noticed one of the major selling points of his workshops is – What Theatres Want. “I will tell you exactly what they want,” he says. “They want the writer to speak with their own voice. I always start from the point of view that you can’t actually teach someone to be a writer unless they have got something to say, some urge to put it out there. And they either have that or they haven’t got that.

“I am really against the word ‘develop’”, he explains. “I don’t think that plays nor films are ‘developed’ actually. When a producer tells you that they are ‘developing’ something – you think, actually you are not. The writer is sitting there writing it and every couple of weeks you meet this guy for a coffee and you think it is work. But it’s not. The work is done. It’s the person sitting alone in a room.

“What they want is your own voice. A lot of writers seem to think that you have to fulfil a lot of prescriptions of what a play is or how a play is constructed. Really, when a literary manager is reading between ten and twenty plays a week, they want to open it and think - there is something original here, they don’t want to hear imitations of people.

“Its amazing! When we did a play by Jez Butterworth called Mojo, which is about gangsters, six months later you get a whole bunch of scripts with severed heads in the fridge and stuff like that. Or The Weir, suddenly there was a bunch of plays set in an Irish pub. You think, well if we just had a big hit with a play set in an Irish pub, why would we want to do that? It’s incredible how imitative people become”.

The Art of War plays at the Sydney Theatre Company till Saturday 30 June.

For tickets and more info, visit www.sydneytheatre.com.au

Patrick White Playwrights' Award Announced

The Sydney Theatre Company's Wharf headquarters was near to overflowing this afternoon, as the Sydney Writers' Festival hit its stride during its last two days. The bustle of the crowd, hurrying between one event and queueing up to the next was excitable and earnest with a good dose of old-age grump to go with it.

In one quiet corner of the wharf and away from the hordes downstairs, fifty people had gathered to hear the winner of the 2006 Patrick White Playwrights' Award. With prize money worth $20,000, this event is the richest playwriting award in Australia and has some substantial street-cred that goes with it.

Future STC Artistic Director Andrew Upton coughed and spluttered his way through the introduction to the presentation. The winner, from a shortlist of ten finalists including Antonia Baldo, Paul Galloway, Steve Hawke, Simon Luckhurst, Katherine Thomson, Mirra Todd, Christopher Watkins, Anthony Weigh and Matthew Whittet, was Patricia Cornelius with her play Do not go gentle...

Upton explained that as one of the judges, along with Chris Drummond, Lenny Ann Low, Rachel McDonald & Chris Mead, it was a very difficult choice to select one winner from 179 applicants.

Lenny Ann Low, a journalist from the joint sponsor, the Sydney Morning Herald, also made a brief speech bringing praise to the winner, as a play that has 'theatrical foresight'.

Cornelius is a founding member of the Melbourne Workers Theatre and has written more than twenty plays, many of which have won awards across the country.

The judges believed that Do not go gentle... "is a play brilliant in conception and execution... It tells two stories at the same time: one is the expedition of Robert Falcon Scott and his team's gradual envelopment by the Antarctic; the other follows residents in an Australian nursing home on a journey towards bewilderment and death."

A rehearsed reading followed with director Julian Meyrick and performers Helen Noonan, Ralph Cotterill, Victoria Longley, Don Reid, Betty Lucas, Ian Watkin & Russell Kiefel.

It was a very interesting choice of play, and indeed beautifully poised in its dialogue and flow. I found, however, the choice of winner a little conservative and uninspired and am still unsure of the connection between Scott of the Antarctic and the effects of dementia and old-age. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see what a cast and crew do with the theatrical elements of the play, of which there are many.

One thing was left unanswered from the whole awards ceremony. What happens with those 179 other plays?


POST SCRIPT 4/6: Does anyone understand why the Sydney Morning Herald, who sponsored this event, has not run any article on the award winner from Saturday. Is that strange, or is it just me?

-------- Apologies to the SMH. They ran a small piece on page 3 today within the article "Scares & Whispers..."



Image: In Imagine

Review: Corvus

Corvus by Jasmine Chan

Directed & Designed by Kate Davis

Presented by The Rabble in association with Carriageworks

29 May 2007

Finally, finally, finally I have found a group of young Australian theatre makers who are pushing the boundaries of theatrical exploration. And I use the term 'theatre makers' quite deliberately to differentiate them from the more usual theatre collaborations.

It was through Alison Croggon's Theatre Notes that I first heard of this group, saying 'Sydneyites interested in bold new writing' should get to this production. But it is quite clear that it isn't just new bold writing that is on display.

Essentially this production is a monologue of poetic rantings from the self baptised character of Corvus - a name that originates from the Latin meaning 'crow'. It is the mythology that surrounds this symbol that provides the basis for this production and springs into a theatrical exploration of space, time, imagery and ritual. Think Greek Mythology, Apollo, Volpone, The Alphonso, Ted Hughes, John Fowles.

Entering the large and cathedral like theatre in Carriageworks, it is clear that this show is the first time that a company has created something specifically for the Carriageworks space. The balance and decoration of the stage, the lighting and the depth of movement make this a unique event that should be experienced within this theatre. From the moment you walk in, there is a manipulation of the eye and you quickly become aware of how vast the space is through the exposure of its industrial skeleton.

Like a wind-chime frame over the stage hangs a collection of gates, grills, metallic frames, window frames, prison beds. The immense size of it creates a cocoon for the audience, or more specifically, a kind of cage, from which we view the travellings and emotions of the raconteuse.

The writing is some of the most robust I have heard in a performance in this city. It is provocative and poetic and provides a stunning platform for the collaborators to create visual images that are so striking that you almost forget where you are, so dizzying is the look and feel of this piece.

At times the writing does envelop itself and loses certain ideas by being occasionally self-conscious. But as a text, it is throwing the gauntlet down. It is experimenting with the form of words through metaphor and ancient symbol and slamming them down upon a character's shoulders and allowing that character to breath a rhythm that can be at times shocking.

This theatrical rhythm is explored through one performer who makes her way from one station of the space to another. At each station, Corvus will deliver a piece of her monologue and will be accompanied by a subtle yet striking theatrical image through the use of the space, lighting and sound. She carries us on this raw emotional journey, at times talking to herself, talking to us, talking to her mother, talking to a priest and moving through the space in the most painstaking way.

I want to fly, full of lightness. To be a sparrow, a bluebird, a blackbird, a wren. Small and buoyant. Easy in the air. I want to move through stories, through the ages. I want to glide across the years. I want to peel the moments away from me like skins. To haunt the wings of the poet. I want to pepper the prayer book with whispers of love and dreams of love. I want to be a sparrow, a bluebird, a blackbird, a wren.

It is at its simplest a production that blends performance art with text. It is, at its most complex an exploration of individuality, sexuality, love, feminist identity, responsibility and expectation with the backdrop of man-made devastation and the original sin of Adam and Eve.

Dancing in the afterglow of the mushroom cloud. The crow moves with an unbearable weight—fashioned from all the world’s night—inside herself. The crow flies from nightmare to nightmare, infecting mythologies, polluting the transparent drop of rain, of flame. The crow flies sickly though black wave after black wave, the ocean floor concealed by oil.

But what stays with me the most from last night is the photographic type imagery that was created within the space. From the far reaches of the back wall and the experimentation of side and foot lighting, to the use of shadow, silhouette and the use of sound that at one moment is emotionally frightening. This production is pure theatre that has brought together the talents of some exciting individuals that are at the forefront of a theatrical exploration. It is brave, honest and passionate and a desperately needed influence in Sydney.

This production is on till Saturday. Go and see it.

Image credit: Brett Boardman

A Letter from the Past (Part 4)

Yesterday, I was reprimanded by someone for being so slow in getting the next installment of A Letter from the Past. "It's Thursday!" they said.

My apologies to everyone for promising a next installment on Monday and not delivering. It has been a frantic week of interviews, writing, Anzac Day and going to shows.

So, back to my series of extracts from Entertainment Arts in Australia - 1968. The critic.

The status and role of critics is changing and their position within our small community is altering dramatically.

This year's Sydney Writers Festival is having a forum on blogs as well as the changing face of theatre criticism. SAMAG at the Australia Council is having a forum in a week or two about critics as well (but no critics will be speaking??). It's a bit of a hot topic.

Alsion Croggon's Theatre Notes recently had a great discussion about some mainstream theatre criticism that she was brooding over. She took some of them to task for reproducing press release copy in some of their reviews.

But that is now. Let's have a gander at 1968...


The Critics
People agree that a nation gets the theatre it deserves, but there is some quarrel as to whether the theatre gets the critics it deserves, or the critics get the theatre they deserve. Here are some of their opinions, and some opinions on them.


Some people in the theatre comment on criticism:

The history of Australian theatre, unlike the history of European theatre, is simply a history of first nights. Unfortunately, critics think that once they have seen a play, they have done their bit with the play. I think often they should go back and have a second look.
John Tasker, Director

There is a core of them who manage to put things in the right box, and judge them in that box instead of in the context of one whole overall field.
Desmond Digby, Opera Company Director

I think it is pretty outrageous. I think they are far too sure of how they want a play to be done. I also think that there is a general atmosphere of knocking, or if they do praise they take it away with the other hand later on.
Alexander Archdale, Director, Community Theatre

What critics!
Robin Lovejoy, Director, Old Tote Theatre


The critics have their say about the main weaknesses in Australian theatre:

1. We still have a psychological tendency to look overseas for the theatre which is fashionable and famous there
2. There is a lack of playwrights and creative artists
3. We do not have enough actors experienced in the style needed to present the classics, or enough directors with intelligence and imagination to impose their views on the classics as they affect modern society.
Harold Kippax, Sydney Morning Herald

I don't know that we have any basic weaknesses. There is not a very large pool of qualified people to draw on like, say, the National Theatre in England - we're scratching a bit. But I think there has been a great improvement in production in Australia in the last ten or fifteen years.
Geoffrey Hutton, The Age

There are very few interpreters of plays in the country - there are a lot of people who do a workmanlike job on a production. The scripts are often held in much more awe than is necessary. There is [also] a lack of good administration, and the misuse of people.
Catherine Brisbane, The Australian

Well, I think the musicals might die away a bit, and the music perhaps be integrated more generally into productions. Nobody knows what the public wants. If they did, all theatre people would be millionaires.
Howard Palmer, The Sun

I do not see any significant changes or developments in local theatre in the past twelve months or so... Drama as drama is being left almost entirely now to the fringe theatres, the commercial theatre seems to have given drama away almost entirely for light farce.
Norman Kessell, Daily Telegraph


Tomorrow, I will give you a couple of extracts from sections of the book entitled Towards a New Theatre. It looks at the training of actors from the point of view of directors and teachers of theatre.


All extracts above are from:
Entertainment Arts in Australia
Copyright Paul Hamlyn Pty Ktd 1968

The future of Wharf 2

Last week, Simon Ferguson reported in the Daily Telegraph that Brendan Cowell will be leaving the Sydney Theatre Company and heading to the UK to be with long term partner, Rose Byrne.

This is hot on the heels of Chris Mead's departure from the Wharf2Loud season to head up PlayWriting Australia.

Earlier this year I interviewed the two of them as Mead's tenure was drawing to a close, and I recall asking them about the future of the programme. I remember feeling that there was more to it than met the eye, also suspecting that Cowell would be out of there soon as well.

This is a big blow to the Sydney Theatre Company's Wharf 2 programme. Robyn Nevin's commission of these two has boosted the profile of the company to a more varied audience in a spectacular way. Their instinct and vision contained a clarity that allowed for an efficient and experimental programme that has been beneficial to individuals and the industry as a whole.

As I wrote in my article in January;

Creatively they are challenging the independent scene to steer away the aspirational high-tech productions and to get back to the basics of story telling. But the introduction of these Pushes has really meant that more and more emerging writers, directors and actors are walking through the stage door of the STC, and a platform is being provided to harness their skills closer to the professional stage.

This is a relief to many. The infrastructure of Sydney theatre means that there are two distinct tiers in place with little cross over - the funded professional theatres and the non-funded fringe scene. Between the two of them, there is little to prepare independent artists for the responsibility and glory of a larger venue.

The loss of the playwright and the dramaturg who have been the first to engage with audiences through the Wharf2 programme is naturally a cause of concern, especially after the less than impressive programme previously implemented.

What should the Sydney Theatre Company's vision be for Wharf 2 next year? How should they advance the credible start to Mead and Cowell's programming? How else can the STC spend that $500,000 allocation?

It would be nice to see a continuation of the development of playwrights along with design and directing teams. It would be advantageous to continue seeing more and more young talent being shown the inner workings of the Sydney Theatre Company. As well as this, the concept behind giving a showcase to the more successful Push Teams to create a full production is something definitely worth continuing.

Building further bridges between independent artists and the STC is paramount. The work that Mead and Cowell have done has brought down large barriers between these two sectors and made the institution a lot more accessible.

What is missing between the two, however, is a middle ground. It's certainly one thing to produce a show at any of the smaller venues in Sydney, but quite another to produce something at the Wharf.

I suppose that this is really the realm of a third party, or an initiative that could be established between the two sectors and some funding arrangement. There would be no reason for the STC's Wharf 2 activities to be restricted to just Wharf 2.

It would be extremely interesting to see what a working group could come up with. A dialogue between the STC, independent artists and venues along with the Australia Council, Arts NSW and ABAF to see how the channels between all these stakeholders could be opened up even further.

A working group that could establish a ten year plan or a proposal for the sector in ensuring the long term viability of its artists, its playwrights, directors and future audiences. The theatre scene is very different to what it was a few years ago and the cooperation between the now, very different elements, would be creatively and financially sensible.

The departure of Mead and Cowell may be a blow, but the potential that they have created could turn their vision into something that is even more tangible, even more adventurous and make a mark for the future of Sydney's theatre industry.

Image: London Tube

Let's Bang a Few Heads Together

The Sydney Morning Herald today published the programme for this years Sydney Writers' Festival.

This is timely, considering my last couple of posts dealt with the lack of theatre industry forums.

I have had a quick look at the programme and have found a few highlights that may interest Arts Journalist readers.

The number one talk is being held on Friday June 1 at the Sydney Dance Company Studio 4 at 1.30-2.30pm - Everyone's a Critic: Has arts criticism become lost in the white noise of "arts and entertainment" journalism? Gerard Windsor, Alan Saunders, Julie Rigg, Andrew Ford and Bruce Elder - argue the importance of critical debate in forwarding cultural and intellectual life.

Other highlights I saw today, from my quick flick through the programme include:

• Jennifer Byrne is in conversation with Wah-Wah director and Withnail & I champion, Richard E Grant (Sydney Opera House)

• this city is a body - a cross disciplinary arts project that blends together the stories of migrants through theatre, dance, music & film (Hyde Park Barracks)

• The Book Thief author, Markus Zusak has a chat about novels set during the holocaust (Sydney Jewish Museum)

• UK writer Andrew O'Hagan gives an address about the power of literature through the media (Sydney Theatre)

• There's a multi-lingual performance of the work of Sufi poet Rumi (Auburn Council Gallery & Liverpool Migrant Centre)

• Internationally acclaimed Russian-French author Andrei Makine is in conversation (Sydney Theatre)

• The co-directors of the German Literature Institute give a talk about the state of German literature (Sydney Philharmonia Choir Studio)

• Blogs also get a guernsey at the festival too (hooray!) when The Monthly writer Gideon Haigh, Bille Brown and a few others talk about the contemporary memoir (The Mint)

• There's a forum on new writing from western Sydney sponsored by Powerhouse Youth Theatre (Museum of Sydney)

• Herald journo David Marr presents his Quarterly Essay on public debate in Howard's Australia (Richard Wherrett Studio) and also hosts a forum about the silencing of dissent by the Howard Government (Sydney Dance Company Studio 4)

• Eric Rasmussen talks about his new edition of the complete works of William Shakespeare (Richard Wherrett Studio)

• Currency House organises a talk about the preservation of Australian stories in the arts (Sydney Dance Company Studio 1)

• The Patrick White Playwrights' Award is announced, followed by a reading (Wharf 2 Theatre)

• The marvellous Don Watson gives a talk about his life's work (Sydney Theatre)

• There's a talk about the two newest British novels that are causing a lot of buzz (Sydney Theatre)

• Richard Flanagan, the Tasmanian author with no shortage of chutzpa has a chat with Malcolm Knox (Sydney Theatre)

• My new favourite journalist Rosemary Neill hosts a forum asking the question; are we neglecting Australian literature? (Sydney Dance Company Studio 1)

• and Chris Masters talks about the Jonestown journey (Sydney Philharmonia Choir Studio)

Sorry.

I didn't quite realise how many events I was excited about. Not surprisingly, it's only a snapshot of the whole programme which is to say the least, vast.


Image: knitsisters.com

Panel Beating

One of the blogs I pop into regularly is Histriomastix. It's an excellent way of keeping up with the news, events and gossip of the theatre industry in New York.

Hosted by David Cote, a critic and magazine editor for all the good publications in that end of town, the blog often talks of the theatre forums that he takes part in and reports on.

In fact, they have a series of them coming up which tackle a range of issues including: Next Generation Critics; Theatre, the Media and Blogs; Why Theatre Still Matters; and The subscriber and the season (How audiences are killing the theatre).

My mind boggles at the opportunity. Imagine a Woody Allen street scape, a winter wind blows, you grab your duffel coat and scarf and catch the subway to some little theatre on the edge of 42nd street. You have a good, healthy and passionate discussion, then walk to the nearest bar and de-brief.

The closest thing that we have to forums are the occasional ones put on by Currency House. Company B also hosts the Philip Parsons Memorial Lecture and the Sydney Festival has talks with international guests at the Mint in January. And each of the events is always packed out.

What is needed in Sydney is the opportunity for these discussion to happen regularly. The rarity of the events means that when they do happen, issues get washed over and the amount that needs to be said gets pushed aside. The topic area is often too broad and discussion gets lost.

Coming face-to-face with your comrades, the critics, the managers, the financiers and the columnists and having regular discussions reflecting on the industry and where the issues surrounding its existence would have a positive effect that would open up the passion and honesty of its members.

People would become more accustomed to being constructive, critical and considerate and not so precious of their opinions. It would open the industry up and make it more accessible on so many different levels.

Just for a moment imagine. The call is put out - we are going to have a chat about - let's say - The subscriber and the season. It's a Monday night. Belvoir Street is dark and agree to host the event. We put the call out and get the heads of a couple of theatre companies together. Throw in some writer from a newspaper and maybe some accountant who works behind the theatre scene. Add some visiting director or producer that has flown in from Auckland or Singapore or Berlin and set the watch.

And like a good episode of Donahue, get someone to run around with a microphone in their hand and get people to put forward their point in an atmosphere of universal goodwill.

I agree that it is better to act than talk, but in an environment where everyone is a little scared and a little intimidated, it could be inspired and open up a world of possibility and healthier industry overall.





Image (top): Nataliedee
Image (bottom): Phil Donahue, courtesy Wikipedia

Would you find this article in the SMH?

If you thought that the Sydney Theatre Company's reaction to a blog was extraordinary, hold your breath and wait for the response to this article in today's The Australian.

Rosemary Neill has asked the questions that dared not be asked and illustrated an extraordinary portrayal of the characters, the ego and the high drama within and around Australia's flagship theatre company.

It's sobering reading indeed.

I don't recall such a frank media discussion of the Sydney Theatre Company workings in quite a while... if ever. I can only imagine that they are apoplectic down at the Wharf this morning.

One of the most interesting aspects of the article is when they talk about the role that the STC plays in developing new playwrights for mainstage productions (Neill's brackets):

Robyn Nevin... adds that the STC runs the largest new writing stream of any state theatre company. (Even so, last year the STC programmed just one new Australian play in its main season).

It really is a sad state of affairs when the flagship theatre company points the finger to other smaller state theatre companies and says 'But, we're doing better than them!' and that the total better is one play a year.

Let's wait and see what happens next in Act II.


Image: 'Putting out the fire', courtesy University College Davis

The Direction of Theatre

I need to confess that my theatre beliefs come from my background as a theatre director. It influences my point of view and ignites a big struggle within as I write my entries on this blog.

I need to confess this so that my handful of readers understand where I come from... where each of my entries draws inspiration.

At the same time, I try not to write reviews from the point of view of a director. That's as boring as reading a theatre review from someone who is a writer. A review is a reflection of an experience that happens once and once only and as an audience member. And I don't need to bore you with the rantings of a director. I do that with my director friends late at night over various types of ales.

However, after The Nightwatchman experience, I have a need to vent. Vent as a director. Maybe this will create a new type of entry in my little blog. A commentary of reflection.

It's been three days since I took myself off to the Griffin presentation and it has upset me so. It upset me because here is a playwright that captures a miniature of life and hurls it into the pages of a play and breathes a life that expands through the action of a theatre production.

What makes Keene so glorious is that his work is for theatre and theatre alone. They wouldn't work on film, on television or a book. His writing is for theatre.

But what the director did to this play was a travesty. It was deadly direction. It was timid and cowardly. It was clinical.

I am unsure whether she misunderstood its potential, but one wonders what she did with the actors over the course of four weeks rehearsal. What exploration did they have? What theatricality did they explore?

Before I go on, I probably need to explain something... the plagues that are infecting this beautiful art from in Sydney. The plague of realism and the plague of gimmick.

Today, I will talk of the Plague of Realism. I often talk in my reviews about 'realism' and I probably need to clarify what I mean by it.

So often I head down to my local theatre and see a show, listen to the words and walk away so disappointed by the production. Because in my imagination I feel something so different to what is presented to me. This occurred on Wednesday evening.

Let me take a central problem with this production.

The main character is an old blind man. The audience has it clearly established from the beginning that the man is blind... leading questions and moments where he finds himself talking to no one but himself.

In Act Two he confesses to his daughter the pain of his blindness:

"I went blind very gradually, of course, so I've forgotten much of what it was like to slowly... to slowly lose the world. The details, I mean, the small details...

"At first it was as if someone had placed a fine guaze bandage over my eyes. Everything was less distinct, but I could still see. Then, gradually, the world became more and more ghostly. For a time it seemed to me as if I was seeing... only memories. Memories seem to have a different light, a softer light perhaps, as if time, like some kind of... leech.... drains them of colour, of life, of reality."

Such stunning words.

For a director this play offers so many opportunities to play with the concept of blindness and to play with it theatrically. To play with the concept of memory, of sight, of seeing. What is to see? To understand? To look? To study?

The decisions made by the director for this production was to force the actor to keep playing blindness through the entire play. Why?

We know he is blind. That is why he is leaving the house that he has lived in for most of his life.

Why not play with the theatricality of it? There are beautiful moments when he talks to his dearly departed wife. Why have him stumbling around and banging into the walls and chairs. Have him standing proud, seeing clearly in moments when he reflects and his mind flickers to other times. Or even a physicality. Play around and explore the concept of blindness. Reality doesn't have to be so clear-cut. Reality is the starting point, not the finishing point.

Sometimes I feel directors need to constantly qualify the thematics of a play. Hammer it into the audience as though they were sheep unable to fill in the gaps with their own imagination and life experience.

This was certainly apparent in this production. The man is blind. The man is blind. The man is blind!

But what if? What if there is a small moment when he looks at us. Looks at the table. Picks something up and places it perfectly down. Capture the audience with something that is not realistic. They might then be caught in the headlights. What happened then? He is looking at us..... Or maybe there might be a moment when we think he is alone, but someone is listening.... deliberately. Or maybe they can't hear him. I don't know, but I bet it would be amazing to have a crack at it in a rehearsal room with such a fine cast of actors.

This is just a couple of instances of deadly realism that destroyed this beautiful play.

Peter Brook talked of this in The Empty Space:

"Deadliness always brings us back to repetition: the deadly director uses old formulae, old methods, old jokes, old effects, stock beginnings to scenes, stock ends; and this applies equally to his partners, the designers and composers, if they do not start each time afresh from the void, the desert and the true question - why clothes at all, why music, what for? A deadly director is a director who brings no challenge to the conditioned reflexes that every department must contain."

Why? Why? Why? Indeed.

As I sat there on Wednesday eve, I had to control my exasperation at the blindness of the director. Why a set that is black? Because black is blindness? Why not white? Why not a rainbow? Why darkness during a scene where they can't find each other? Why not blaring light?

Why the sound of crickets and birds all the time? Do I need to be hammered over the head that we are in a garden? They say it in the play.... constantly. And besides there is a huge lighting fx at the beginning and the end to again tell me I am in a garden. Why not silence as we look upon William Zappa's face? What is he listening too? Maybe it's birds? Maybe he is feeling a breeze on his face? Who cares? Let the audience work to understand. Engage them.

I believe that directors in Sydney need to start giving more credit to their actors, their designers and most importantly to their audiences.

The Plague of Realism is getting deadly and the cost could be losing a whole generation of potential theatregoers. Theatre is unique and a celebration of that uniqueness in the rehearsal room and on stage could be the difference between an industry that flounders or flies.

Review: The Nightwatchman

The Nightwatchman by Daniel Keene

Griffin Theatre

29 March 2007

All day I was madly trying to finish a huge article.... a financial article. Two thousand words. Bloody long. But at the end of the day I knew I had a reward - Daniel Keene.

Daniel Keene is one of those few playwrights that are an absolute gift for a director. Shouldered on intimate stories of regret and reflection are beautiful pages of words that soar, giving untold theatrical possibilities.

The first time I read a Daniel Keene play was a few years ago - Untitled Monologue. It was from that time that I fell in love with his work.

This love peppered me throughout the day, as I battled with my article on my little laptop sitting outside as autumn leaves showered.

Bathe and out the door. A quick drink and into the foyer of the Stables Theatre.

One of the actors is unwell and an understudy will take his place. No matter.

Up the rickety stairs, to the intimate little stage that resides in an old stable in the inner city of Sydney. The space is sparse with black sand and a single chair. A lighting effect of words is reflected on the stage floor... "in our garden..." or "in a garden.." - I can't really remember.

The production starts. Sound effect. Crickets. Birds.

We must be in a garden.

We have an older man, blind, leaving his past behind, an old house in the country. His children struggling with his decision to leave the house that has been the home of their childhood memories, of family and of their dearly departed mother.

It's just so beautiful. The words allow you to conjure the world around them so vividly and so colourfully despite the fact that the man can't see.

He is filled with a sadness that each of us will feel as we get old, lose people, lose, lose, lose.

It's grim.

I know those moments in Keene's plays. The journey's of the mind when a character soliloquises to no one but his intimate surroundings. Where will the play soar? My anticipation is palpable.

But nothing.

It's there in the script, but something is wrong.

Actors are playing out realism in a play that begs for theatricality and creativity. Moments of solitude, where anything goes are buckled under this desperation to keep it real.

I look at the set again. It's all new and alternative, but plonked in the middle are chairs, a table, wine glasses. They are an island, a bubble, as the words of the play beg beg beg to be let out and fly into the hearts of the audience through the tongues of these actors.

And more bird sound effects.

And more wine glasses and clumsy entrances and exits in a world that is sometimes blind and sometimes not.

The timidity of the production in crucifying. My mind flashes and I shut my eyes. I can only imagine how the French produce Keene's work. The passionate and brave explorations of brave and passionate words.

My reward at the end of my day was frustrating... one of the most unique theatrical voices so misunderstood.

Image: Bill Zappa courtesy of Griffin Theatre

Review: Derrida in Love

Derrida in Love by Timothy Daly
Ensemble Theatre
26 March 2007


Friday night theatre is always such a rush and I was running so late.

I madly got ready, walked quickly down to Central Station and suddenly remembered that I had left my money at home.

About turn and back up the hill, panting in my opening night theatre uniform, the black shirt.

7.10pm: I rush back out with fifty bucks in my pocket, just in case my companion and I decide to sneak off for a few after the show... or before. I rush up to Oxford Street madly trying to dodge the Friday night crowd of trannies, yobs and the general fiesta.

Bus, train and in twenty minutes I am exiting a cramped train full of teenagers rushing down to cause a bit of youthful havoc at Luna Park.

My companion sneaks a stubby in my hand - 'A traveller'. Brilliant.

The Ensemble Theatre venue is a gem in the theatre landscape of Sydney. Tucked away in Kirribilli, a stones throw away from the Prime Minister's Sydney residence, it has a most beautiful view looking over a shipyard cove.

The crowd at an Ensemble show is always in the upper age bracket and suddenly I am feeling a little young. This is the heartland of North Shore Sydney.

We shuffle, shuffle, shuffle in and take our seats in what would have to be one of the very best stages in the city. An intimate thrust stage with perfect sight lines and magnificent acoustics.

Faced with an ultra realist set of a bookshelf, a couch, a coffee table and decanters, I prepare myself for a lot of talking. But this production stars two of the most formidable actresses in Sydney and the anticipation of seeing them both on stage together breathes through the audience.

I must admit to knowing absolutely nothing about Jacques Derrida, the French 'deconstructionist philosopher' that this play is based on.

I must admit, that since seeing this show, I don't really know much more.

But Derrida could be anyone really. He could be a Hollywood star, an Australian Idol, a Rugby League player. He is merely a device to show the gullibility of a man, which on this occasion happens to be an academic.

And academics are easy targets with this crowd. They play on the media hype surrounding 'useless' research and foolish intellectuals that have nothing better to do than waste tax payers money.

You also have the academics academic wife who he shares an 'open' relationship with. Meanwhile, he's sleeping with a beautiful young student of his.

The academics academic wife happens to also be sleeping with the Vice Chancellor of the university who later becomes a trannie. Goodness, I've seen a lot of trannies tonight and the novelty is wearing thin.

For an Ensemble subscriber this is ripe stuff. Fine acting combined with tight direction and a script that sits comfortably within Kirribilli sensibilities.

I am less convinced. Characters change too quickly with little reason and if I was a young female university student, I would be absolutely appalled at the one-dimensional depiction of the young female university student.

But I am not their target audience.

I wander back out with my companion and we venture to the station. At central, we take in the goths, the homeless and the drunks and watch a bit of life theatre from the balcony of the pub.

What a different world people live in and only twenty minutes apart.



Photo: Jacki Weaver, Andrew Tighe, Anna Crawford and Lynette Curran
Image credit: Steve Lunam