It’s summer. Oh. But you hate the outdoors. With it’s stinging sun and it’s short shorts and it’s heatstroke. Prefer to stay indoors? Looking around for something to do? Restless? Feeling like you have missed the boat on everything programmed 12 months in advance? Want to do nothing but eat biscuits until that feeling goes away?
Why not just check out these opportunities that have flown into my inbox? I can’t use ’em, I’m too old. But you might want to check it out… Read more

2010 been a huge year for Australian playwrights.

Has it only been a year since Caleb Lewis’ well publicized side-step of the 2009 Philip Parson’s Award? Was it only 6 months ago that playwrights were protesting the decision of the NSW Premier not to award a literary prize? 2010 was a great year to see the Australian playwriting community band together. Collectives that have popped up all over Australia have been very vocal, very active and extremely productive in 2010… 7-On Playwrights, The emerging Writers Studio, Write Club, pockets of playwrights who dine and drink together, those who keep in touch via facebook quips and cross promotion – It’s been a great year! It is no surprise that the 2010 Philip Parson’s Lecture should be given by the sage of Australian playwriting – John McCallum. Read more

At the opening of Brand Spanking New (Week 2), Ned Manning (one of the writers for Week 1 of Spankers and 7 On-er) mentioned a group in Melbourne he thought I should check out once Spankers was put to rest…and that group is MKA Richmond. www.wix.com/mkamkamka/mkarichmond

A week earlier Ari Lander had told me that he couldn’t come to week 2 of Spankers as he was heading to Melbourne for MKA Richmond and he quizzed me on what I knew about it – and did I know Tobias Manderson-Galvin. “Sort of, i replied – “We are facebook friends… I’ve read his work and have chatted over email – but not really, not in the “invite him-over-for-dinner” kind of know”).

And then a couple of hours ago I received an email from Van Badham (as per below) alerting me to what was happening in Melbourne. Read more

I’ve been very occasional with my posts haven’t I? Tardy to say the least… you see I have wrapped up in Brand Spanking New – my major project which is at the end of every year and now we are two performances away from finishing Brand Spanking New 2010. Week 2 of the 2 week season is in full swing and has been enjoying healthy houses at the new theatre – full of punters and writers curious to see what’s on, who’s in, what’s hot!

It’s always interesting for me to hear the response from plays I programme – last week a rather rambuncious satire by Phil Spencer conjured audible gasps from audience members who found it offensive (indeed that is the point of that play – to expose our sensitivity to language and our desire for self-sensorship). This week we have another opportunity for people to be outraged by ideas with a bit of social commentary by the one and only Alana Valentine starting the show. Read more

Spruiking a bright and sassy brand of re-invented classics- Cry Havoc returns to Wharf 1 for the second time in the last 12 months. Anton Chekov’s Three Sisters, the third installment of Cry Havoc’s developing body of work. You’ll know Cry Havoc by their flag, by their exquisite website, their tendency to have actors drenched, bruised or covered in dairy products on their marketing materials… You’ll know Cry Havoc by their brutal, unrelenting enthusiasm – and a slogan that declares revolution is afoot. So it is hardly surprising that Artistic Director Kate Revz has taken her team to the home of revolution and the home of Chekov- Russia. Read more

Don’t get me wrong- I’m not just about short plays. I believe in (as Timothy Daly once said to me) in being “a miniaturist”- but I also believ in the juicyness of a full length play. I love watching the intertwined stories within a full length play… and Australia does fabulous stories, for example… Bang, When the Rain Stops Falling, Cloudstreet, Blackrock, The Man From Mukinupin, Bran Nue Dae etc, etc.

In Australia, and in particular in Sydney, the opportunities to have a full length play developed or workshopped can be relegated to the lucky, the few at larger high profile conferences – or on the other end of the spectrum – people’s lounge rooms. Rarely do emerging writers have the benefit of focussing in on their play, with a director of their choice. And THAT’s what Off the Shelf is about. Read more

You’ve been wondering where I have been? Not in the usual foyers about town… not reviewing my usual quantity of plays… I’ve been in rehearsal, production meetings, I’ve been head down/eyes on scripts for Brand Spanking New 2010.

The Blurb:
Returning for its third exciting season, New Theatre’s Brand Spanking New aims to encourage Australian writing for theatre by providing a collaborative environment to showcase the work of both emerging and established writers. Over two weeks, this curated season explores monologues, short plays, sketches and excerpts from longer pieces, penned by some of the country’s most innovative and imaginative writers and interpreted by a dedicated team of directors, designers and actors. Brand Spanking New is a not-to-be missed celebration of the best of contemporary Australian playwriting. It’s bold, it’s fearless and it’s fun!
Opening this wed 27th October- Saturday 30th October 2010
New Theatre
All tickets $22

Ascend by Rebecca Clarke
Directed by James Winter | Performed by Sonny Glover and Jim Gosden

Band Practice by Fleur Beaupert
Directed by Caroline Craig | Performed by Kailah Cabanas and Thomas Mittelhauser

Black and White by Ned Manning
Directed by Augusta Supple | Performed by Michael Howlett and Jennifer White

Chicom by Kate Mulvany
Directed by Augusta Supple | Performed by Alex Bryant-Smith, Luke Carson, Matthew Charleston and Amy Mathews

Ham And Eg by Joanna Erskine
Directed by Beverley Callow | Performed by Felix Jozeps and Anya Poukchanski

One Percent by Katie Pollock
Directed by Lisa Eisman | Performed by Adam Roberts and Bruno Xavier

Yolk by Phil Spencer
Directed by Ngaire O’Leary | Performed by Andrew Johnston

The Pash Off by Anna Lise Phillips
Directed by Shannon Murphy | Performed by Georgina Symes and Tim Walter

Creative Team

Season Artistic Director Augusta Supple
Designer Paul Matthews
Lighting Designer Miles Thomas
Choreographer Sam Chester
Composer/Sound Design Rosie Chase
Stage Manager Alexander Hayden
Assistant Stage Manager Alison Murphy-Oates
Production Coordinator Julia Lenton
Partnerships Coordinator Leigh Russell
Assistant Designer Bri Small

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! Read more

Here’s an awesome opportunity to kick your play or play idea into high-gear with this very special play writing workshop series over October and November. Facilitated by Award-winning Australian playwrights this play writing workshop series will give you insight into the process of play writing. This 3-week workshop series will provide you with a new-found discipline to dive into your play with vigour and imagination and kicks off with Kate Mulvany.

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, Caleb Lewis…

There are many reasons why I like short courses-

1. I have come to the understanding that no two playwrights are the same, nor do they enter a room the same way.

2.For me playwrighting courses are the easiest way to meet playwrights. Writers are (like many artists) reclusive by nature- their craft takes time and solitary-ness… silence and focus. This doesn’t mean they are anti social- just they spend alot of time with words and computers. Short courses let me get to know writers- let me find out who they are, how they think, what they want, what they are passionate about…

3. Courses force me to stop and focus. To get away from my email and all the demands of my laundry and everyday life and focus on story- focus on what I love. It encourages me to priviledge my time and my thoughts. It forces me to have discipline about my own writing, allowing me to see and use techniques for when inspiration is thin on the ground… ‘Coz inspiration is for amateurs as someone once said… and a job is a job. Storytelling is a job and it’’s important to keep going at work- even when you don’t “feel” like it.

ABOUT THE COURSE
TOOLKIT is Queen Street Studio’s professional development program for Sydney’s independent performing arts community and is perfect for anyone interested in adding skills and inspiration to their creative ‘tool kit’. Lead by Australia’s most inspired and experienced artists; TOOLKIT is designed to provide a great environment for trying out new ideas and developing new approaches alongside a diverse cross-section of our artistic community. TOOLKIT is supported by the City of Sydney.The program is specifically for emerging or mid-career performance practitioners and is open to members and non-members of Queen Street Studio.

Wednesday 20th October, 6pm- 9pm
Fraser Studios
14- 16 Kensington Street, Chippendale
$50

http://www.queenstreetstudio.com/toolkit.html

David De Silva, or “Father Fame” as he is named in the director’s notes of this recent Australian production, writes a short blurb for the inside programme:

“To know oneself is a life ling process. It helps us along the way if we recognise that Life is Theatre. There are many sides to the “character” we play in it. We are always making our entrances and exits. Through the study and the appreciation of the Arts, we become better able to project our true selves, discover our uniqueness, design our space and channel our spirit. Thus, giving more meaning to our lives.” Read more