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

I always think that attending the opening night of a new production company is like attending a wedding- there is so much to celebrate- and usually alot of food- and it is an honour to be included on the guest list as those who were there to witness the start of something grand. The commitment these artists have to enquiry and into their practice- and to each other- and to making work- and to providing the audience with a catalyst for thought and reaction is, of course something I am a huge believer in. On this occasion the new company is “A Bit On the Side Productions”- the brainchild of two emerging artists- Felicity Nicol and Carolyn Eccles. Read more

It was opening night of Stories from the 428 when James Waites pressed a signed copy of his hot-off-the-press platform paper into my hand. I had seen chapters develop over the previous 5 months- heard of the interviews as they were taking place- and watching/listening as the story was unfolding. He pressed it into my hand, like a nervous teenage boy gives a love letter to the one he loves- nonchalantly, yet with the type of urgent tenderness that says “I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams…” and he said, don’t read it in bits. Sit down over easter with some chocolate and read it in one go…
Read more

A post-event note on Stockholm- which I did manage to see- I scraped-in and sat in some dodgy seats in the last week of the production- I was largely curious to see what the fuss was about- why it had disappointed so many- why some complained of it being over-produced… why some complained of a glib script… why some complained that the actors were satisfactory as actors but not as dancers- and if any of this matters in the larger scheme of the story.

This is not a review- if you want a review- check out the SMH- or the STC website… this is my response, a personal response to Stockholm, not a review. Read more

I love new work.

I love spotting talent.

Like a botanist naming the trees he walks by. Like a child pointing at a train and saying “train”. I spot talent and point at it and say “talent.” Then by naming it… by pointing it out, I am compelled to share it. I love sharing talent. It’s thrilling.

I love finding talent. I unashamedly and publicly call it “treasure hunting”… (I have also been called the new work “truffle pig”- nosing out the good stuff from the earth… I love it.) I love when a new script lands in my inbox- with a note from a writer (usually littered with disclaimers and a few “don’t worry if you are too busy” lines…) it is a thrill- I just don’t know what I am going to find- the next Vanessa Bates? The Next Joanna Murray-Smith? The next Andrew Bovell? The next Caleb Lewis? It’s exciting and an honour to receive a script. I love being warmed by a story in play form, and the heat of my laptop and a cup of tea (I have been indulging in alot of Rooibos of late- too much some could say)… the three warm makers in which I delight. Read more

First Published on www.australianstage.com

Dave Bloustien is an award-winning comedy writer, “grand-champion improvisor, lover, fighter, candlestick-maker, amateur sleuth, and professional derring-doer” according to his website- it also turns out he studied Philosophy- and it’s a good thing too- his show for the Sydney Comedy Festival “A Complete History of Western Philosophy” is based on it. Read more

Every now and then I like to mix up the type of shows I attend.

Sometimes I surprise myself with my choices of what to see, what to review… one occasion was seeing The Shaolin Monks perform a martial arts show at Luna Park- another was seeing The Waifs at the Metro- another was Tripod’s Christmas Special in the Speigletent. Every now and then I like to break out of traditional theatre, new writing and Australian writing and peek into another world. Read more

I know nearly nothing about Bob Dylan… nothing special anyway.. nothing that doesn’t float around in the universal collective consciousness… I’m no scholar and I’m no enthusiast. But that’s a-ok because “The Chronic Ills of Robert Zimmerman AKA Bob Dylan (A Lie)- a theatrical talking blues and glissendorf” is according to the programme, no tribute show. Read more

It’s no secret. I love playwrights. Completely. Utterly. Obsessively.

And occasionally (probably twice or three times a year) I have the great fortune of spending some time with playwrights in the form of short courses at various places and I have been honoured to have the time and company of some of Australia’s most respected, award wining, creative, prolific writers: Hilary Bell, Timothy Daly, Noelle Janaczewska. There are many reasons why I like short courses- Read more

Week 1 Cast

Week 1 of Stories from the 428 was a really amazing experience… and I was amazed primarilly at the dedication and ability of so many people to step up and make things happen- to push through all the incidental disappointments, and momentary lapses of memory and awkwardness and to keep going- after all… the show must go on.

For anyone who understands an opening night deadline- this was a doozy! Read more