November was a busy month. Lots of shows on. Lots to direct. Lots to see. And amongst that was Novemberism -a brand new festival for playwrights that seemed to pop out of nowhere, containing a collection of collectives, writing opportunities and conversations. On one of the many Saturdays of Novemberism, I struggled in the swelter of a slow-to-start summer to The Old 505 Theatre. I went in search of a panel discussion on Auto/biography in theatre, hosted by John McCallum and with contributions from Kate Mulvany (The Seed), Rebecca Clarke (Unspoken), Noelle Janaczewska (Good with Maps) and Phil Spencer (Bluey). Read more

I’ve been thinking about story ownership.

Quite a bit actually. Read more

On Sunday evening at Shopfront in Cartlon, I sit in the foyer. And all I can hear is a hub-bub inside the theatre.
Among the parents and the kids checking out the artworks on display, Howard Matthew, Shopfront’s co-artistic director smiles at me.
‘Sounds fun,’ I say.
‘Fun?’ he says, ‘It’s more like Lord of the Flies!’
‘Yes, well… it sounds fun. Lord of the Flies is fun, except if you are Piggy.’ I reply. Read more

God’s Ear – A new American play by Jenny Schwarz, directed by Jonathan Wald was the final show of the inaugural Reginald Season for 2011 and it was in the last few days of it’s season that I found myself spontaneously in a seat at the Seymour. Read more

As a child, on my stomach, I would breathe-in the pages of Coles Funny Picture Book. Read more

beguiled past participle, past tense of be·guile (Verb)
Verb:
1. Charm or enchant (someone), sometimes in a deceptive way: “every prominent American artist has been beguiled by Maine”; “a beguiling smile”.
2. Trick (someone) into doing something. Read more

It’s a race to the theatre the night I attend Bondi Dreaming. It’s raining. Rain brings with it, dull skies, slippery roads and a swell of drivers.

It’s OK I arrive at the theatre with 3 minutes to spare – the box office is backed up with punters. I still feel like I’m late – 3 years at least, not just the 8 minutes on the actual performance night. Read more

A half-hour drive west from the city – Sydney’s geographical centre. The heart.

Parramatta. Read more

On my only day off in November, Bel Delia and I got together to create a trailer for the comedy series we have been developing Petty Crimes. Read more

Despite the fatigue that comes with the end of the year – there is a huge amount of energy and chatter around STC’s major show of the year. Traditionally the last show of the year is a cracker – Soderberg’s Tot Mom in 2009, Uncle Vanya in 2010 and this year Gross und Klein. Read more