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

Someone told me once that the reason why the name “Macbeth” is not to be uttered in the theatre is not because of its supernatural/bloody themes- but because it is the show that is produced to financially save a theatre on the verge of bankrupcy- and so “Macbeth” has become synonymous with a theatre in trouble. Also apart of this old theatre knowledge- which like all gossip doesn’t know its source nor author- is that A Midsummers Night’s Dream has the same function for a theatre in trouble- because it is a crowd pleaser. 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

Emergenza is the World’s biggest live band festival, providing unsigned bands the opportunity to play infront of hundreds of punters and a panel of industry executives. It is a trial by fire competition- with heats designed to push forward the bands voted by the audience as the best of the competition. Starting off at The Lair in The Metro- each band has 20 minutes of playing time to make their mark infront of a fairly well lit audience – whatever sounded good in your bedroom or loungeroom is now amplified and in front of strangers… Read more

With the wind up of the calendar year comes a few things- a time for reflection, Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is you” blaring forth from tinsel festooned supermarkets, the inevitable staff Christmas parties, obligatory consumerism… and for theatre folk- a sense of what their coming year of work looks like… or for some where their year of study will be. Read more

When I enter the space- not through the usual entrance there is a steady dark drone that growls its throaty hum. Performers walk in the space- three walk slowly along the tops of antique pianos- another welcomes me at the door- another has a goldfish bowl with the sacred undergarment he asks me to respect- another asks me to show her my underwear- another is dragging bodies onto the floor and undressing the ensemble down to their underwear. Light spills lazilly over the bodies slumped in the semi-dark allowing each occasional detail to be amplified- the glint of a toe ring- the curl of a tattoo on a rested foot… Read more

And for those who weren’t there today at Belvoir Street to see the announcement of the Philip Parsons Young Playwright’s Award for 2009- you missed an interesting day…and an interesting announcement. Read more

Sydney Ghost Stories is a collection of plays from creative producer Katy Alexander written by six of Australia’s most celebrated and up and coming playwrights: Rebecca Clarke, Verity Laughton, Tobsha Learner, Lachlan Philpott, Toby Schmitz, Stephen Sewell. This collection according to the program notes, started off as a “bare bones” production harking back to the “round the campfire” setting. And from this beginning point it has blossomed into the production that is now playing. 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