I make no bones about being an avid supporter of new work- of any kind. In fact I take pleasure in the hunt to find new scripts brimming with new ideas, new approaches to theatre- I love the hunt for new work- I often refer to it as treasure hunting. I love new work because of its unknown parameters. Its dark hidden corners and its undiscovered territories- I’m not afraid to go there and encounter a play on it’s own terms- and although some writing is not to my personal taste I can always admire the playwright’s tenacity and bravery in contributing to the long winding history of theatrical story-telling. It’s not easy. It’s often painful and unrewarding. Read more

It’s an exciting time for Sydney’s independent artists.

An exciting time for those who are brave enough to throw themselves into the big, deep unknown.

It’s an exciting time for those teams who have been in rehearsal the last 4 weeks, refining and developing their scripts for the first taste of the Sydney Fringe… in the Off the Shelf showing this weekend… Read more

Photo: Leah McGirr

A huge congratulations to Sam Strong for scoring the Artistic Directorship of Griffin Theatre, at the SBW Stables!

I struggled through the door of my apartment today with a wad of window envelopes from my mail box in my mouth, brief case in one hand, my keys in the other, mobile phone wedged in the gap between my ear and my shoulder. I was on a whimsical spontaneous phone call to my parentals who are in their beach-side town 8 hours drive north from here- as my mother asks me if I knew this “fellow”who got the job at Griffith… I am puzzled. I have just come from an OFF THE SHELF rehearsal- I am hungry. Tired. Listing the things I have to do today. “Griffin” she corrects herself. “No” I said. I hadn’t heard. My throat tightens. (I thought I was so in the loop- clearly not- my mother with a newspaper in a tiny north coast NSW town proves yet again she knows more than me). “Sam Strong?” She said, as though it was the weirdest name in the world. (which is funny when you consider her daughter’s name). My throat unclenches. “Awesome” I say… and it’s a genuine relief. “He’s a great guy.” After the phonecall I open my mail- a letter inside announcing his appointment. I check my email there’s an email from James Waites with the press release attached. “Cool” I think to myself as I relax… “Griffin is is safe, strong hands.” Read more

In the black space of Carriagework’s Bay 20 is a woman. A chair. A collection of wicker baskets. An overhead projector. A Computer. A collection of props: lace, flowers, shoes. Scattered in clumps of colour. Heavy black curtains are drawn at the back of space. Lights shoot across the space. The audience scuffs in, some of them chatting, some still wrapped up in scarves- it’s a cold night, some audience members are silently staring at the woman as she fiercely gazes out into the auditorium- two assistants encircling her- positioning her. Folding and unfolding. Dressing. And undressing her. Tilting her head. Moving her hands. Forcing her to tap her foot. There is music playing- the sort that sounds like a female crooner- torch songs- epic love ballads about thwarted romances, broken hearts, longing and survival- one I don’t recognise- I don’t recognise the songs. It’s music from the Phillipines I don’t understand the lyrics. I don’t need to. I understand the feeling. Read more

A flurry of text messages had been flying around. “Did you hear some playwrights have decided to hold their own night on Monday? Are you going?” “Are you going to the playwright’s thing?” “How do I RSVP?” In the past few weeks, I had been casually thumbing through newspapers at cafes when waiting for my coffee, to see if and when and how the topic of the absence of a play shortlist for the 2010 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards had been noted. Not really… one article from Bryce Hallet:
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/playwrights-snubbed-by-award-judges-20100516-v6aa.html and this one from Marc McEvoy http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/playlist-for-judges-in-search-of-a-premier-shortlist-20100412-s413.html
No response from Kristina…
Read more

“Don’t throw the past away
You might need it some rainy day
Dreams can come true again
When everything old is new again!”

In 1981, in Australia, there was a three day conference for Women in the arts to discuss issues facing women in the creative arts. Nearly 30 years later, there was a day dedicated to the issues raised last year “Where are the Women?” for a variety of practitioners (directors primarilly) and those working in the Major Performing Arts Organisations to talk about strategies to enable a better representation of female practitioners in key creative roles in mainstage productions. Representation came from far and wide- and like that of the Philip Parson’s lecture/panel discussion last year, featured some of Australia’s most formidable female talent. Read more

Image by Tim Andrew

Ah Zombies. I must admit- have a soft spot for Zombies- In fact, I kind of admire them: They know what they want and they won’t let being dead get in their way of acheiving it. I, just like Zombies, have an insatiable appetite for brains… the difference being, I seek them out for conversational purposes- zombies are more inclined to see them as a snack. Read more

When the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards were announced last month, there was one thing that no one expected… there was no shortlist for the Play Awards category.

Was no play worth even nomination? Surely this was a clerical error- had the envelope bearer had lost the nomination envelope in a taxi on the way to the announcement? Had there been a cut and paste error on the website?

Nope. No clerical error. A major philosophical one though- a major political one.

Instead $30K has been offered up, not as an award celebrating excellence- but has been transposed into a grant “to support professional development opportunities for new playwrights in 2011.”

No clerical error. But a major political error.

Development? Development? Sorry… What? No shortlist, but a grant for Development? Read more

Big hART is a company I had heard alot about- primarilly through Mr Waites but also through the delightful Christopher Saunders (one of the Big hART producers) I had met on one of my various foyer adventures. So no surprise when I heard that their recent show Nyuntu Ngali was having a brief run in Sydney, I thought I would darken the doorway of Wharf 2 at the STC to check it out. Read more

I am fortunate to be one of the writers contributing to The Colour Blind Project which is in June. Ten pieces and a range of independent directors will be converging in June to launch the first of many projects by Josipa Draisma and Stephanie Son. For details on how to audition, please see below. Read more