TSF_PG_BOILERROOM_HALFPAGE-11-1024x742-1

It’s been a pretty interesting year… and playwrights and productions have certainly kept me busy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I feel really lucky. honoured to be working with and for Australia’s best emerging playwrights. I am also lucky to have a home at Queen Street Studio, where development and experimentation is valued. It’s been a back to back year, and every now and then, I stop and look around. To see what’s happening.

Sometimes, I poke my head up from my email, or I sit in my backyard, rooibos in hand, looking at the garden. In one of the beds are the tulip bulbs Vanessa Bates gave me on the opening night of Stories from the 428 back in March… with the heartfelt message: “you are growing us.” This spring (fringe time) Bates’ tulips had burst open into yellow and red striped flowers and their emergence had kept me going during some tricky times… I guess, reminding me it’s all about growing.

So knee-deep in Spankers (Brand Spanking New)… and I see on a cursory glance on Facebook some congratulations flying around – and I am baffled, and happy and excited: three of the Off The Shelfers have been nominated for Awards as a part of the Sydney Fringe… And I couldn’t be more thrilled for them…

Sexy Tales of Paleontology by Patrick Lenton, directed by Anne Maree Magi
The Hideous Demise of Detective Slate by Alli Sebastian Wolf, directed by Jane Grimley
Zetland by Jasper Marlow, directed by Andrew Johnston

… and if that wasn’t exciting enough- new Australian works by emerging writers have been acknowledged in the Sydney Airport Excellence in Theatre Award, in the programming of The Boiler Room… I am thrilled! Mainly because the message it sends is clear- Australian works are good, in fact, they are exciting!

I love a shortlist! And to see that so many new Aussie scripts have made a shortlist- is very exciting… and I can’t help but feel really proud on behalf of all the artists that took the risk and went for it. They are the ones that make the work, and I really hope they feel inspired and encouraged to keep going.


The Sydney Fringe today announced the nominees of their 2010 Fringe Awards.

A jury selected from industry professionals joined 100,000 other attendees in
seeing the 260+ events that made up the Sydney Fringe, and the nominees have
been selected from the finest works they saw at this year’s event. The
winners of these awards, as well as the Sydney Festival Award for Outstanding
Independent Artist, will be announced October 27. Congratulations to all
nominees!

The nominees are:

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD MOST THRILLING THEATRICAL EVENT AWARD:
Burlesque Assassin
The Hideous Demise of Detective Slate
Lunamorph
Retinal Damage
SandS through the hourglass: Trapture

SYDNEY AIRPORT EXCELLENCE IN NEW THEATRE
Erth’s puppetry piece, based on Nick Cave’s Murder Ballads
Fat Boy Dancing
The Hideous Demise of Detective Slate
Off The Shelf Boiler Room series (programmed by Augusta Supple)
Zetland

DRUM MEDIA SHOW-STOPPING INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE AWARD
The Alchemical Cabaret – Jason Hodgman
Bitter/Sweet – Lena Cruz
Candy Royalle: Love Spectacular – Candy Royalle
Pearls before Swine – Blake Erikson
Retinal Damage – Skye Gellmann

SYDNEY BARTENDERS ON-THE-HOUSE AWARD FOR BEST FREE EVENT
The Awkwardness of Belonging
Black Friday
Fighting Fire
Pop up Festival Tour of the City
Projector Bike

TIME OUT SYDNEY BEST MUSICAL MOMENT AWARD
Changing Lanes
Lane Hinchcliff
Pugsley Buzzard
Sonic Canvas
Tubular Bells for Two

CANADIAN CLUB ROFL COMEDY AWARD:
The Hideous Demise of Detective Slate
Rip Whitening’s Synchro Destiny Experience
Sam Simmons Failed
Sexy Tales of Paleontology
Zoe & Penny’s Very Short Attention Span

PURPLE GOAT DESIGN VISUAL & DIGITAL ARTS VISIONARY AWARD:
The Awkwardness of Belonging
Lunamorph Magic
Wallpaper Project: Hideous Beauties Collection
Newtown in the 30’s
Scars, Tattoos and Skateboards: The Rise of the Phoenix

PETER LEHMANN WINES FEAT OF PHYSICAL ASTONISHMENT (CIRCUS/BURLESQUE/PHYSICAL
THEATRE) AWARD
The Famous Maurice Flea Circus
Clammy Glamour from the Curio Cabinet
Retinal Damage

AVANT CARD BODIES IN SPACE DANCE AWARD
Collapse
Intertwine
Three Steps Towards

SYDNEY BUSES GREEN PERFORMANCE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN SUSTAINABILITY
Landing
Magic Mic
The Red Rattler

BYTECRAFT EXCEPTIONAL ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION AND DESIGN AWARD
Clammy Glamour from the Curio Cabinet
SandS through the hourglass: Trapture
Three Steps Towards

GROLSCH BEST OF FEST PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
Bitter/Sweet
Bygone Error
Freddy and Eden present Beautiful Things
Rip Whitening’s Synchro Destiny Experience
Walk Me!