It’s Ralph Myers. Put up your hand if you are surprised? No? No? I think Nick Pickard dropped a big hint… Read more

This year I have tried to see a couple of shows that I woudln’t usually see- mainly because, they are at theatres which I don’t usually think to visit- why? Well I’m not sure. I can usually be found whereever the indpendent artists are launching a new show- New Australian writing is my preference- and so I see alot of fringe style shows- alot of emerging work (I have even been known to attend university shows to check out the talent) and shows that are for the hipsters who love to stand languidly in the corner of a foyer with asymmetrical haircuts lightly brushing their eyelashes whilst coyly sipping at a glass of red… and I see things I am curious about…
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Ambition (am’ bish’ un) n, a desire for power, superiority or excellence; strong desire of advantageous or creditable.

You may be aware that there is a red megaphone forging its way through the sea of Independent Theatre right now. The bright red megaphone is attached to the cherry red lips, framed by the flame red hair of Kate Revz. Kate Revz and a collective of emerging theatre makers are the powerhouse which is Cry Havoc. According to their website, programme and publicity materials: Cry Havoc is born out of a desire to share daring re-workings of the “great classic texts” with contemporary audiences. Read more

Less than three weeks remain for Queen Street Studio’s playwrights residency- OFF THE SHELF. And there are four teams working hard in every spare minute of their lives to get a script ready for the showcase.

The teams are given 15 hours of rehearsal time and a couple of months in which they are encouraged to develop a script that they have “shelved” with a director of their choice. Over 30 submissions were received and four will be shown in late November to an audience of industry who provide feedback on the scripts.

The projects for the last Off The Shelf for 2009 are:

“Of the Causes of Wonderful Things” written by Talya Rubin, directed by Nick James

“Wretched Excess” written by Stephen Graham, directed by David Adlam

“Zetland” written by Jasper Marlow, directed by Mark Pritchard

“Combat Fatigue” written by Alison Rooke, directed by Ian Zammit

For more information about the program please visit:
http://www.queenstreetstudio.com/offtheshelf.html

Over the past few months I have been working with Sydney-based band “Greenlight” as a sort of director- an outside eye/ear. I was first approached by the drummer of the band Chris Simon, who I have known for years- (we met playing in a band back in 2000 I was singing and playing tenor sax and we have remained friends, jamming occasionally etc). And I thought I would write a little note about their music.

A blend of sounds part Radiohead and Sarah Blasko- the songwriting is strong- and has something to say. And their song Fish in the vein of rock revenge. Read more

This is a hugely anticipated directorial debut by Griffin Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Nick Marchand. Since Marchand has taken up the position – in 2007- he has not directed more than a short for the company- I regard this as a very clever and generous move. It allows directors in Sydney to have more opportunities and promotes the theatre as a space of generosity. Marchand is primarilly known as a producer, writer and dramaturg and his programming strengths certianly shine because of this background, so I was very keen to see his work first hand. Read more

In the unassuming heart of Carlton is a theatre called Shopfront.

For those with momentary squinting eyes and furrowed brow who chime in with mysterious low tones “where’s Carlton?” (some think I’m talking Melbourne, some perhaps the area around the old brewery site on Broadway) – Carlton is a suburb on the South Line – a stop past Rockdale. It – like many theatres in Sydney is a converted space- a shopfront no less- which houses programs, shows and workshops for Under 25’s.

I made my way there on Friday night to see what the six month long artslab residency had yielded for the artists. Simply called “Three” the night was three works which were overseen by theatre director Michael Piggott. Read more

It’s been 9 days since I saw Streetcar Named Desire. The cast, crew, production manager et al are currently packing their bags, checking their itineraries, farewelling friends and promising postcards to those they’ll be missing as the show goes on the road. Or the sky.

The United States awaits. The script is returning home to where it came from- and who knows how this prodigal son will be received. Read more

Every now and then, there is an experience which is so masterful, so sublimely elegant and honest and authentic- that you want to hold your breath incase, in some freak moment of physics, you can stop time and live in that moment.

I had that moment on Wednesday night when Mr Waites and I went on a journey into the belly of the iconic sails of the Sydney Opera House- to see Peter Grimes. Read more

When thinking about reviewing- what I am offering- as opposed to what someone who is purely there to report- or who is paid per word to review- is something a little different. I see alot of independent shows- much more than mainstage shows as I believe independence is everything. Independence is the key to innovation and is often where the greatest and boldest risks are taken- risks that move theatre forward, as opposed to safely re-inventing the wheel (a wheel with a bigger budget- encrusted in diamonds, goldern and impressive- but still a wheel. A wheel dressed up if you will. Not necessarilly reinvented)… and that is how I feel about alot of the mainstage work. Read more