Playwrights are an interesting species in the kingdom of “Artists”… Like many artists they are solitary- but they have a collaborative spirit- because their artform relies on a congenial coming together of minds, hearts and bodies to create something for an audience… they are generous. They give voice to actors, narratives to directors, they give an audiences ideas. They are artistically powerful people who inform and dictate- and yet they are generous and patient and philosophical… How many times has a playwright had their work fumbled by the mouth of a nervous actor, or misdirected by an ambitious yet green director? and yet- generally they remain focused on the art.

There is no celebrity in play writing. Heck, there is barely any money… but there is a community of them springing up…

An online touchstone for me is the 7-On Blog: http://sevenon.blogspot.com/
which is a wonderful hydra-voiced point of reference and perspective from some of Australia’s key established playwrights.

Another group- WRITE CLUB…. (which you can guess the first rule is…) meets to talk about anything BUT their own work…

Then there is the tentatively named TEWS- The Emerging Writers Studio- which meets at Belvoir.

And there is surely a lot more- people in lounge rooms, in kitchens, in rehearsal rooms talking about writing, about their work, each others work etc… just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they don’t exist… Read more

And so it continues… The Sydney Theatre Company’s crusade into International reputation with Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night.

Sitting between Blanchette’s Streetcar, and the Upcoming productions of Steppenwolf’s Production of Lett’s August: Osage County… and Thorton Wilder’s Our Town… AND Philip Seymour Hoffman’s production of Sam Shepard’s True West… we now have the great William Hurt opposite our great Robyn Nevin in Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize winning play.

It’s a very “International” season, isn’t it? Look at the new play from China! Look at the award winning theatre company from Israel… and Turkey! And see- the inclusion of the greatest Mexican playwright! International. No… it is! Don’t you get it? “International” is the new word for “American.” The cultural empire envelopes our language- we are unable to call things what they are. Our voices corrupted. Our great plays relegated to an occasional airing or the HSC compulsory reading lists- or relegated to independent theatres without money, without visibility.

It breaks my heart. Read more

It’s no surprise that there are changes afoot at Belvoir….

For sometime there has been a slow merge towards the downstairs space at Belvoir Street Theatre more and more similar to the programming of the upstairs space… for sometimes some have noticed the graduation effect ie the downstairs theatre is where directors, actors etc can be spotted by the Artistic Director and launched upstairs into the lime light.

Writers and new plays go from downstairs to upstairs … it’s been an unofficial development wing… a test for artists…

And perhaps what is happening is just a formalisation of what Belvoir has been headed towards-

Indicators of this shift from a co-op /independent venue to mainstage include:

The 2010 Season indicated a shift with one of the mainstage shows being slotted into the downstairs theatre…

The downstairs brochures of recent times are slicker- they feel like “upstairs” shows brouchures used to a few years back…

There has been some fairly significant mainstage style programming- The Lonesome West … Homebody/Kabul…. big writers in the little 70 seat space.

The shows downstairs that move upstairs: The Seed, Ruben Guthrie…

The Artistic Associates/Belvoir Staffers being given slots in 2009 eg: Sam Strong, Eamon Flack

This has been evolving for a while…

.. And it’s a little confusing. I’m not sure what it means- does it mean the appreciation of independent artists that will be able to enjoy the shelter (financial support) of a larger company?
Or does it mean that Company B’s recently blossomed artistic associates (and there’s a bunch of them) will all get a slot, fully funded and supported… is this Belvoir’s Wharf 2 Theatre?

Have independent artists lost a space? Or have they gained support? And if they have gained so much support that they are no longer independent – what does this mean? What is the value of independence? Is this a wonderful thing for playwrights and play development?

I don’t know, yet… but I’d love to hear your thoughts… Read more

A small, brittle paged copy of Under Milk Wood, sits in my book case. A faded blue/green photograph of a town by the sea on the cover- and on the back, a price tag (from a long time ago) says “$1.60.” The pages are yellow – especially around the edges, like an old man’s white moustache stained with nicotine. As a child, I remember my father, in a brown velvet chair, musing on the sound of Richard Burton’s voice on a Sunday afternoon. Later, in my first year of University, I purchased a sturdy, (second hand) hard cover copy from Gleebooks, and sent it home for fathers day… Read more

Go on… do something smart.. put your money where your mouth is- if you love it… support it.. if you believe that places like this should exist, get behind it. Be a hero. Feel good… Read more

For a nation that considers itself devoid of culture, we sure love a festival! Sydney’s social calender is so smothered in thick layers of culture, you’d be forgiven for mistaking it for an expensive cheese. In the last few months Sydney has enjoyed The Sydney Writers Festival, The Sydney Film Festival, Vivid, Creative Sydney, The Biennale, Winter Festival, and now for all you free thinking, radical emerging/experimental/underground/fringe dwelling folk will be coming together to think, show, challenge, celebrate, explore and surprise… definitely worth checking out… go on – I dare you to re-invent the cultural cliche of Australia… Read more

It’s that time of year again! While many busy themselves with tissues and woollen scarves and dream of summer… writers are at their computers pick-pecking out some beautiful bold and inspiring new plays. Snack sized vignettes, portraits of the profound and banal, confessions and revelations- sketches of the sketchy and the seedy – love letters and revolutionary declarations…. this is Australian writing at its tender, brave, saucy and exciting… Read more

This week there has been a flurry of email and text messages sent to me by artists keen to connect with and collaborate with other artists. I love connecting people up- I love seeing creative partnerships flourish- it’s an awesome feeling…

If you are keen to get your hands dirty, get back in the swing of things, strut your stuff or work on something new- here’s a few opportunities that might satisfy your creative urges/butter your muffin – Read more

The nice thing about this picture is that it is difficult to tell which is the artist and which is the critic.

In recent times there have been a few discussions on theatre criticsm rolling around in the blogosphere and beyond. Why, even yesterday in Griffin Theatre’s e-news Secret Squirrel had a little post about it:

Nutters,
What exactly constitutes a ‘good critic?’ Well, there is the critic who gives you a summary of the show, then there is the main stage sycophant, the critic who love to bash the co-op, the critic who’s own personal style guide gets in the way of objective reporting, the critic who is also a frustrated director/actor, and the critic who has their own blog and wields their power accordingly…
Someone once said to me, “if you are going to hate a work, then hate with generosity”. It’s become something of a mantra ever since. And let’s not forget to critique the critic from time to time. I say that the art of criticism should not be without its fair share…
Secret Squirrel

I’m not sure how I identify really- I suppose I must be being referred to in SS’s description as a “frustrated director/actor” – except I don’t feel frustrated. I’m too busy to be frustrated. Read more

Queen Street Studio is excited to present a new residency program for emerging artists. Blueprint is an opportunity for performance-makers to create a devised site-specific work at FraserStudios in August 2010.

Open to performers from all backgrounds and disciplines, Blueprint aims to provide emerging artists with time and space to develop their practise and artistic enquiry.

This curated program is open to groups and individual artists.

We are looking for:
* Sydney-based groups and/or individual artists
* Artists or groups who would like the opportunity to develop their performance-making practise
* Artists or groups who are keen to develop a 7-10 minute performance work
* Artists or groups who are available to commit time from the 25 July – 29 August 2010
* Artists or groups who can work within the practical parameters of the studio spaces

We will provide artists with:
* 20 hours of rehearsal space (starting 25 July – 29 August 2010)
* The opportunity to show their work on the weekend of the 28 – 29 August 2010
* Basic sound and lighting support
* Mentoring support

Expression of Interest form:
Download info PDF (1MB. Requires the free Adobe Reader app to view and send the form.)
http://www.queenstreetstudio.com/pdf/Blueprint-EOI-form_pub_0001.pdf
Please download and fill in the form and email to augusta@queenstreetstudio.com by no later than 30th June 2010.

Questions? If you would like information about this project, please contact Project Coordinator Augusta Supple augusta@queenstreetstudio.com.