In the last three days- two independent seasons have be launched… BSHARP and GRIFFIN INDEPENDENT unveiled their curatorial picks of the “independent scene” for 2010. Read more

For scholars of Opera/Stravinsky/theatre/Ancient history- there is alot to unpack in this production of Oedipus Rex & Symphony of Psalms… alot about subversion of the text- the placement in time and place- about authorship of performance- about innovation as opposed to honouring the origins of a story. Peter Sellars- known for his radical retellings of some of the great/ancient/ epic stories of the theatre /Opera (and for his very shortlived position as the head of the Adelaide Festival of Arts which ran for a year)- is a superstar in the world of theatre direction. For those who follow director’s works and their career- this is a big deal. For those who love Stravinsky- this production is a big deal. For those who love Opera- this production is a big deal. Read more

FOR ARTISTS 25 and under…..

Beginning Tuesday February 2
Theatre & Invention – Training & Devising with Michael Pigott

Theatre & Invention is a training module that looks at how everyone has the capacity to generate theatrical texts. The workshop is based on a devising process created by Michael Pigott where you will explore skills that link the mind, body and the imagination – skills that enable you to become a performer who is present and invested in a moment of performance. Meeting weekly on a tuesday night from 6-9pm from Feb 2 – March 24 at Shopfront – Contemporary Arts & Performance. For more information visit www.shopfront.org.au

Normally $160 *Special offer $120

To take advantage of this offer simply call Shopfront on 9588 3948 and mention “SPARK”

Sustainability is something I have been thinking about alot lately: in relation to the environment, to culture, to practitioner development, to the philosophies behind the explosion of festival culture, my own practice in the theatre. Triggered by a conversation I had with Ash Dyer- a performance maker who I have known for years who has been developing and producing performance works for sometime, he mentioned that he sometimes wonders how much longer he can sustain creating work in Australia. I think about that for myself too- and I think about that question for all the practitioners out there who are squeezing projects in around their day (or night) jobs- who forego the luxuries of a bourgeois life that are so readilly advertised- who are delaying marriage or having babies or having a holiday until they are more financially stable- artists who are all deserving chasing the same limited available residencies or grants… Read more

After a full year of heats and audience voting, Saturday night at The Metro was the culimation of hundreds of rehearsals, a huge amount of money- and musicians asking of their friends to pre-buy tickets to see them play (and to vote for their band). Harnessed by the impressive calm and cool talents of Bo Philips- the Australian Area Manager for Emergenza- bands from across Australia (and New Zealand) lined up for over 6 hours of battle. Read more

I think it’s safe to say that my relationship to fashion is like that between a brooding teenage boy and an over-eager teenage girl… me being the brooding teenage boy with my sleepy eyelids and “fashion” being the ever present teenage girl throwing herself at me despite my disengagement. I don’t think about clothes- I don’t and haven’t ever bought magazines… I am often found wearing black- because colour demands a high level of maintenance… Read more

It may be a little bit of a misnomer to label the upcoming Sydney Fringe the “inaugural” Sydney Fringe Festival. Some may remember a fringe festival based at the Bondi Pavillion which closed in 2001. Read more

Parnassus Den is a script development forum which has been developing new Australian scripts and their writers since 1995. In that time they have invested time and resources in over 600 plays which have received feedback from an audience of industry and punters- with the aim of new works being made ready for production. Read more

Samuel Beckett’s plays aren’t easy. They aren’t meant to be.

They confront the sensibilities of the audience of what theatre is- what they are doing there- and in the half moments between being pleasantly immersed in the characters on stage- and the awareness that one is watching- there is a luminescence- “sitting here is how I am spending my life- this is my life- my life as a seated person in a black seat- watching a bright-voiced woman brush her teeth.” Read more

I’ve always felt that being a theatre director is one of the loneliest jobs you could ever have…. that and a lighthouse keeper… there is a perceived social-ness about directing- you talk to people all the time- to crew, producers, actors, writers… and if you are smart you listen in equal measure (if not more) than you speak. Read more