THE NEVERENDING STORY

The Neverending Story

Harvest Rain Theatre Company

QPAC Cremorne Theatre

29^th April – 12^th May

Nobody alert Tim Burton to this great movie.. he WILL remake it and he WILL cast Johnny Depp in EVERY damn role.

Leew2oo6′s on YouTube

I’ve never read Michael Ende’s book but I grew up watching The Neverending Story. I wanted Fantasia to exist outside of my head and dreaded its demise, if ever my imagination failed me. Now I watch the movie with my five-year old, who feels the same emotions I do, which is perfect because I know when to hold her close. The Neverending Story (1984) is up there with Labyrinth (1986) and The Goonies (1985). They are the classic, cult eighties’ films of my childhood (and I don’t mind betting that O’Connor is at work on the stage adaptions of these two too!). I’m an eighties’ child and proud of it! Now, for a whole new generation of children (and their parents), this wonderful story has been brought to life on the Brisbane stage.

In just 3 weeks, Harvest Rain Theatre Company, known for its family friendly entertainment, has done an incredible job in preparing this show for the stage. From the outset, this production – the first known stage adaptation, thanks to Tim O’Connor’s arrangement with Verlag Fur Kindertheater, of Ende’s book – is magical. With original music from the film by Klaus Doldinger (by arrangement with Constantin Music) and additional original music incorporated seamlessly by the super-talented Maitlohn Drew, I found myself joining the characters on their epic journey, when usually, if I’m reviewing, it’s possible to stay somewhat removed from the production!

Before the show begins, there are hidden elements in the Proscenium for the audience to spot (or not). This is genius, delighting kids and adults alike. We are instantly engrossed and expecting more magic. I was pleased to see that the final moments of the show accounted for those who, like me, appreciate a bit of symmetry and full circle work to their magic. Props to those ensemble performers – second year interns in Harvest Rain’s Full Time training program – who play the supporting roles and become together, a declamatory Greek Chorus, their Greek Guard Steampunk garb befitting of the gates and Sphinxes, whose forms they assume. They are: Casey McCollow (who will play Tracy Turnblad in HR’s upcoming production of Hairspray), Cameron Whitten, Dana Musil, Cassie Dormer, Lauren Heidecker, Morgan Kempster, Danny Lazar, Ebony McGeady and Cameron Rollo. They serve as the narrators throughout the play (somebody sounds surprisingly similar to Melanie Zanetti! Look out!), allowing the action to skip along nicely without the use of a projector and a big screen (how old school! Community theatre groups take note!), as well as all manner of inanimate objects: after the Sphinxes, the remaining two gates through which Atreyu must pass, receive similarly clever treatment. This is not just the stuff of Year 9 high school tableaus and drama games; this is the step beyond, interwoven within the context of the drama, which we’ve been waiting to see for a long time from HR.

Oh. Right. Let’s do a quick check of the story for the newbies, shall we? For those of you who, like me, expect to the letter, the narrative structure of the film, you won’t be disappointed. Everything is there. We don’t see Bastian’s bullies but we know they’re there and rather than reap revenge on them, as he does in the film, Bastian simply walks away, off into the real world, more like his alter-ego, Atreyu, than the Bastian we knew, ready to take on his aggressors, no matter what shape or form; a conclusion I like very much. Is that decision book inspired or O’Connor inspired? It’s a nice touch.

For those who are unfamiliar with Michael Ende’s original, fantastical tale, it’s all made very clear in just 70 minutes. Bastian (David Lawrence) hides out in a big, old bookstore, from a gang of school bullies. The owner of the bookstore is Mr Coreander. In this role, Ron Kelly softens nicely after a deliberately awkward start, eventually connecting with Bastian and allowing us to finally connect with him. He “can’t abide children”, however; he sees something in Bastian that makes him leave a mysterious book within the troubled boy’s reach and Bastian decides to “borrow” it. The only place Bastian can read it undisturbed is in the school attic. What unfolds is the story within the pages of the book, an adventure; a warrior on a mission to save Fantasia.

Economical use of the space allows Bastian to stay in the attic for much of the play. This sounds limiting but it’s not. The action plays out below him, on stage, as he reads aloud from the book. He leaps up often enough and when he opens the heavy cover and turns the pages of the book, we see his lips moving and enjoy watching his beautifully expressive face as he reads, thanks to a perfectly positioned light, placed somewhere, seemingly, within the pages of the book. Incredibly, David Lawrence LOOKS enough like Bastian (Barret Oliver) in the movie to please even the most stoic fans. He’s just a little older, which means his appeal is broader. He’s not just “a little boy”; he’s every boy (and girl) looking for an adventure and avoiding growing up for just a little bit longer. (Did you know you can get your very own Auryn here?).

The Luck Dragon, Falkor, played by Anthony Standish, is tough and gruff and lovable (and apparently loves his blue slurpees) and The Childlike Empress, played by Erika Naddei is regal, graceful and wise beyond her years, just as she should be. Audiences will adore seeing the Rockchewer (an enormous puppet of Woodfordian inspiration and controlled in the same cooperative manner as Dead Puppet Society’s The Harbinger’s Old Man), Morla The Ancient One (another enormous puppet, although she is serpent not tortoise) and the odd travelling companions, Nighthob and Gluckuk. Thenadier-like comic relief comes as we get nearer the southern Oracle, in the hilarious antics of Engywook (Dan Crestani) and Urgl (Cameron Whitten), the quarrelling gnomes. These two are outstanding in these quirky roles and I’m sure there will be parents or grandparents who relate to their bickering… I mean that in the most loving, caring way.

Dan Venz is the boy warrior, Atreyu (we last saw him as the Tinman in The Wizard of Oz and we’ll see him next as Link Larkin in Hairspray) and while Venz looks quite perfect (as a Plains Person rather than the book’s Greenskin, just as the impassioned Noah Hathaway portrayed him in the film), his vocals are unconvincing. I strained at times to hear Venz and I felt the voice should more honestly reflect Atreyu’s feelings throughout his difficult journey. Particularly towards the end of the show, I felt that there was a great deal left undone…or not quite offered. Acting is giving. With only three weeks to rehearse, perhaps a little more vocal authenticity and a greater investment in the role will show itself during the run, as Venz realises the impact that this show is having (I’m predicting) on its audiences.

When the vocal work can extend to the delivery of the narrative (let’s not forget that we are, after all, communicating a story and if it must be told it must be told clearly), this show will want for nothing (CUE Vocal Coach. Nothing wrong with a mid-season rehearsal!). What already works wonderfully, is the ensemble’s vocal underscoring, Ron Kelly as the terrifying (and wonderfully dread-locked!) werewolf, Gmork, and Crestani as Artax, reminding us that the human voice is, indeed, capable of making, literally, thousands of sounds.

The difficult trek made by Atreyu and Artax through the Swamps of Sadness is impressive in its theatricality, using eerie vocal work and lighting, minimal cloth, space and perspective and, as you would expect, is devastating in its theatrical context. There were, understandably, whimpers and tears from the children (including my own) in the opening night audience. Crestani brilliantly uses the simplest movements and a free, confident voice to bring us “horse”. It’s an impressive performance and a devastating moment.

The fear factor too, is impressive, largely due to Kelly’s uninhibited portrayal of Gmork and less to do with the incoming The Nothing (my imagination needed a little more help with the latter. Was there no smoke machine?!). After the show, people wanted to know if my daughter had been scared. Yes, she had been. And what an achievement it is to create a terror on stage so vivid and real that genuine fear is generated amongst audience members!

If you are taking younger children to the show, do expect to hold them close to you throughout this scene (and throughout the fight scene, choreographed by Niki J-Price, between Atreyu and Gmork, one which I hope will pick up, pace-wise, as the season continues) and be prepared to talk about Ende’s many challenging themes of life and death and love and apathy on whatever level your child proposes. The beauty (and the bonus) of theatre designed to entertain all the family is that it has an entirely different impact on each individual and inspires intriguing discussions and wonderful memories for a long time after the show is over.

Of course, it’s the combined elements that make this story come alive. In addition to the evocative music (Amanda Tio on double bass, Sunkyoung Kim  and Naomi Otto on violin), Glenwright’s lighting is a work of art in itself, offering light and shadow to support the changing moods of the hero and his challenges. Josh McIntosh has created a set that is filled with wonder and yet never actually needs us to leave the confines of the old bookstore. This is a lovely piece of design work, with a curving staircase and shelves upon shelves of books. Design like this, which takes into account everything we see the director trying to achieve, must come from the implicit understanding of a shared vision amongst great friends and colleagues.

The end of this show is like enough The Lorax to mention it here (I bet The Lorax is on O’Connor’s To Do List too!).

I was dreading an ending that failed to make me feel like it was my responsibility to keep Fantasia and its inhabitants alive and I wasn’t disappointed. With Bastian, we make a promise to keep our feet off the ground more often. We saved Fantasia and we can do it again! Yeah! You just can’t beat a triumphant happy ending. Happy tears are the best.

Harvest Rain is getting better and better at staging family shows. By this I mean, they’ve always done them; now they’re doing them for the whole family. Tim O’Connor, a Brisbane Person of the Year Nominee, is making bolder choices and they’re paying off. I think it’s safe to say that Harvest Rain is the premiere provider of family friendly theatre in Brisbane.

Regardless of your age or your affiliation with b-grade adventure films or the eighties, you will enjoy The Neverending Story. And your kids will enjoy it even more. In fact, I’m prepared to bet that they talk about it for the rest of the year, after they tell their friends, “Yeah, I saw ANNIE…but did you see The Neverending Story?!” Don’t let any of the kids – big or little – miss this bit of magic.

While you’re booking your tickets online, enjoy this bit of magic, from LIMAHL. Ha! Laugh it up, fuzzballs!

Production Images by Josh Woning

too many, too soon

 

Tahlia was nineteen when she committed suicide. David Field and Mic Gruchy decided to turn her tragedy into a beautiful message of hope and inspiration. With the support of The CorriLee Foundation, Miranda Kerr and many others, the tv commercial was made and first aired on Sunday August 28th. Please share it.

 

 

“We hope a little good can come from a terrible thing.” Mic Gruchy.

 

Cybersin & suicide prevention

Cybersin, a Sunshine Coast produced anti-bullying film, supported by The CorriLee Foundation, was released on Monday September 5th and yesterday, it aired on the popular morning show, Sunrise. With John Jarrett playing the father of a girl who commits suicide after she is cyber-bullied, Evette Henderson’s film was always going to get some attention. In fact, Jarret’s scene, in which he breaks down in front of the mirror in the bathroom before – we assume – going downstairs to greet the guests at his daughter’s wake, is probably the best, in terms of suddenly raising the stakes and asking us to consider the long-term and broader effects of bullying somebody online. That got me. What doesn’t wash so well with me is the inference that the girl’s suicide has occurred after one incidence of cyber-bullying. Now, wait a second. I’m not saying it’s okay to bully (or to be bullied) just the once and I’m not questioning anybody’s decision to choose death over life…well, actually, I am but we’ll get to that in a later post. My problem is this. What exactly are we teaching about bullying and more specifically, in this case, cyber-bullying? What skills and attitudes and approaches are we handing on to our kids so that they may have the courage, strength and support networks to CHOOSE LIFE! If you’re an 80′s child, like I am, you’ll know that the slogan wasn’t just a WHAM! thing.

Launched in 1983 CHOOSE LIFE was part of a range of protest T-shirts by designer Katherine Hamnett.

Perhaps this is the reason behind some school administrations’ claims that the film is “too controversial” to be shown to their students. They think one incident will prompt the most drastic action from copycats. Is that it? It must be because otherwise, I can’t see which aspect of the 8 minutes is too controversial – personally, I feel the message could have been stronger – but such is the bureaucracy in schools these days and good luck getting anything slightly controversial through (though Summer Bay continues to crop up in genre studies, doesn’t it?) Talk to the teachers and parents on the weekends and you’ll hear what actually needs to be discussed (and probably that there is little time to discuss anything “additional”). So what is being discussed? What needs to be discussed further? How do young adults feel when they see Cybersin? Or when they see the many YouTube clips pertaining to suicide stories or (horror) footage from live television shows or cyber-bullying in general or the following TED talk, which you should just stop and take in now…

For me, suicide is no taboo. I’m not 100% comfortable talking about it and I don’t understand some of the things I hear from those who have contemplated suicide or have been affected by suicide. I am unable to understand, for instance, what it is that pushes a person over the edge – what it is that makes you take that step off solid ground, from which you can’t come back, even if you change your mind at the last moment – but I’m not unable to talk about it. We need to talk about it. And, more importantly, we need to listen to those who want to talk about it. Some of the kids are already talking about it. Some of them don’t know how to start. But if we don’t tune in we’ll miss it. The entire conversation. This short film will, at the very least, get the conversations started and that is to be commended. Congrats and thanks to Evette and to all involved in the production and promotion of the film on the Sunshine Coast, using local talent, contributing to the growth of our Screen Industry as well as simply and boldly telling this story and sharing it with those who are ready to listen. Is it you?

Watch Cybersin for yourself and let us know what sort of conversations you are having.

September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day. If you’re on the Sunshine Coast, meet at 5:35am at The Esplanade, Cotton Tree and walk out of the shadows and into the light to raise awareness and raise funds for suicide prevention.

Date: 10 September 2011
Time: 5.35am
Meeting place: The Esplanade, Cotton Tree between First and Second Avenues
Contact:Lee-Anne Borham
lee-anne.borham@lccq.org.au

Check the website to find a walk near you or register your own walk.

Click Atttending on the Facebook event page

And if you know somebody who needs to talk and wants to do so anonymously, give them one of these numbers

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800

Lifeline  13 11 14

or

Download Lifeline Service Finder iPhone App

MENTAL: casting update

Well, to address a number of enquiries in one post, the online casting process for P.J. Hogan’s new comedy, Mental, closed on May 31st. The roles were cast yesterday. If you missed out and you’ve asked us how you (or your daughter) can still get a look in, here’s our response.

Firstly, next time, meet the deadline! The casting directors are busy, busy people and they have deadlines too. If you were too busy or forgot or got distracted or didn’t hear about the opportunity in time to submit then maybe this job (and this industry) isn’t for you (or your daughter). Seriously. I’m talking about treating the opportunities seriously.

Secondly, were you what they had in mind? Sometimes you won’t be and there’s actually very little you can do about that. But there are ways to increase your chances of competing for a role. Do you have a resume, headshot and showreel prepared? If not and you want to be applying in the future for jobs like these, maybe now is the time to get organised. Talk to people, get online, do the research and find out who does the best work. Personally, I like to find out who is being used by who is getting the jobs. It can take a long time to earn respect in the industry. Clearly, the professionals whose names appear on everybody’s material have established themselves, for good reason, as the best in the biz.

There is some debate over whether or not an online casting system is worthwhile. These sites often charge a monthly or an annual fee for hosting your profile. Apparently, casting agents everywhere will see your profile and you get to see casting notices that would otherwise remain hidden from view. I’m skeptical of the promises made by some of these sites. Having said that, I’m a little inconsistent in my own approach and haven’t yet trialled properly one or the other (or the other, or the other)… If you are using something other than the original (AT2 Casting or eCaster) and it’s working for you, let us know.

Back to our example, Mental; the details were posted in many places and this is just the very succinct information posted by Ruby Lennon on if.com.au 

The casting is being conducted by local company Christine King Casting, which has negotiated free temporary ActorCast memberships for Australian girls to upload their video auditions. The Sydney-based casting house has previously used ActorCast (which is attached to US casting portal Cast It) on major productions such as The Pacific and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

The production is searching for five young actresses (aged between 12 and 17) to play the roles of Coral, Michelle, Leanne, Kayleen and Jane, who get “a spoonful of sugar” from their new nanny, Toni Collette, in Mental. Universal Pictures has the UK, Australian and New Zealand rights to the film – a comedy loosely based on Hogan’s own life.

So if I saw this, as a parent or as an ambitious young thing and I’d missed the deadline for online submissions, I would have picked up on the fact that Christine King Casting is local (ie Australian). And probably accessible. Perhaps even really friendly and approachable (who am I to assume otherwise?) When I go to their website, I find this message:

Actors can submit a photo and resume or a link to an online showreel by sending them to:    admin@christinekingcasting.com

So, if I were wanting to submit anyway, because I believe I might be perfect for an upcoming role in something, somewhere, with somebody else (you never know), my 2 minutes of online research will have probably paid off (truly, you never know when somebody will find your file and call you for something. Georgia Stitt, Broadway composer, lyricist and audition accompanist is famous for borrowing the resumes of performers who might have been overlooked by the casting directors she’s playing for and offering them work with her or one of her contacts instead). If I were feeling really determined and confident, I might even call the casting director.

This is exactly what one dad did.

He spoke to Christine King – who was lovely – about what steps to take next. Unfortunately, this time, his daughter missed out on the chance to compete for one of the roles, however; by taking action and calling, he received accurate information from the casting director herself and could probably send his daughter’s headshot and a link to her showreel now, for future consideration.

When one goes about such things in a polite, respectful manner, one is almost always going to get a positive response. We’ve all heard that the industry is about who you know. And that’s true…to a certain extent. Additionally, if you believe in yourself and you want badly enough, a career in the performing arts, keep attending your classes, get your repertoire, headshots and showreel together, get a great agent, have them help you establish an online presence, go to the castings, work hard and follow up with the people you meet along the way.

Most people will be helpful. Most people will want you to succeed (casting directors especially, after all; their work is almost done once they have found someone who is suitable for each role). Learn who to trust and trust yourself. You can get the roles you want, provided you are not only suitable for the role but well prepared and willing to go the distance.

Image by Kurt Sneddon Blueprint Studios

MENTAL: Now Casting Online

CASTING ONLINE NOW: a new Australian feature film, MENTAL, directed by PJ Hogan (Muriel’s Wedding, My Best Friends Wedding, Peter Pan and Confessions of a Shopaholic) and starring Toni Collette.

Toni Collette

Mental is a new Aussie comedy about a dysfunctional family. When Mum suffers a nervous break down, Dad hires a nanny (Toni Collette) to look after his 5 ‘off beat’ daughters, whose ages range from 12-17yrs.

The casting directors are looking for 5 girls aged between 12-17 to form a very special and unique family.

Film shoots in Australia. You MUST be an Australian resident to submit an audition.

Casting:

CORAL:

16 years old. As the oldest sister and about to become a woman she is trying to find her place in the world. She is constantly googling on the internet looking for symptoms and self diagnosing her mental condition

MICHELLE:

15 years old. MICHELLE is frightened of the world and spends a lot of time in her room with sad eyes staring into middle distance. Unlike her sisters who are very outgoing and confident and proud of being ‘mental’

LEANNE:

14 years old. Finds most days to be repulsive and has diagnosed herself as autistic by looking it up on google. She has a downbeat personal – wears black – could be going through a goth phase

KAYLEEN:

13 years old. Is cocky and confident but has diagnosed herself (with the help of google) as a sociopath – which is really a convenient cover for her rudeness

JANE:

12 years old. Jane is rather vain. Blessed with luxuriant long flaming red hair in which she takes great pride and care. The youngest and also the prettiest in the family. She is secretly popular but doesn’t want the others to know.

ACTORS WILL NEED AN ACTORCAST MEMBERSHIP TO SUBMIT — IT’S FREE.

DEADLINE FOR ACTORS SUBMITTING DIRECTLY: May 31, 2011

 

For more information, or to submit an AUDITION visit: 

http://www.mentalmoviecasting.com

and follow the prompts, which look like this:

To submit your audition, follow these steps:

1. Select your role   Select  Coral  Michelle  Leanne  Kayleen  Jane

2. Download and read the audition taping instructions and scene / sides provided

3. Read and follow the video uploading ( Mac and Windows instructions )

4. Tape your video

5. To submit:

- If you are an actor and you are new to ActorCast, click here to submit.

- If you are an actor and already are a member of ActorCast, log in.

- If you are a talent rep, click here to sign in or sign up for free.

GOOD LUCK!

The Sydney Fringe – Suck it and See

Here are the recent shows, which I would normally, however I will not this time, write about:

• The Nambour Show, now known as The Sunshine Coast Show but really known for never being anything BUT The Nambour Show
• The Noosa Longweekend
• Kidz on Broadway
• Anything Goes
• Tender

Here’s why…

You may have heard. We are off to Sydney! We have accepted The Sydney Fringe Festival‘s invitation to share with their festival audience in September, a more intimate version of our sell-out show, La Ronde. Re-named and re-configured to better suit the requirements of the festival and its more liberal audience, Erotique will see six dedicated actors and their fearless leader/director fly in and out of the big smoke for just four performances. Of course, it would be nice to duck over to Montreal first but August is flat out here. Maybe next year! As you can see, my head has been full of festivals (how ABOUT that Montreal one)?!

Also, real life has gotten in the way of writing regularly. Sad but true. It seems Ms Virginia Woolf was right (in fact, I have never doubted her); one does indeed require a room of one’s own in order to write. Let’s see how far we get tonight then, shall we?

Husband and Director, Sam Coward, updated his Facebook status today to reflect his currently conflicted state of mind.

Directing is creating…..Producing is destroying!!!!

I’m sure the producers of the world will have their differing views on that. I disagree purely from a financial point of view. If I had the money, I would be able to produce whatever I wanted, using whomever I preferred, wherever I desired. Sam says I could also achieve this by being Queen of my own country. Whatever.

As a director without the capital to make bigger dreams come true, producing is, in a sense, destructive. Changes and compromises can’t be avoided. A smaller, less costly variation of the show must now travel, bump in to a new space, bump out and have pleased (or not) audiences outside of the local area, where we enjoy the support of friends, fans and family. The prospect of taking our baby outside of our warm, sunny, coastal comfort zone is frightening! Overwhelming! But it must be done to serve our souls!

So. Just so you know. We have re-cast the role of The Poet and re-named him The Boy. Unfortunately, we lost Nathan to PAID ACTING WORK. Yes, it’s true. It exists in this state (and just across the border, apparently) and he nailed it! As you might imagine (or not) there was quite a lot of interest in the role. The successful candidate was, serendipitously, available to take on this new challenge now, when he had previously been unable to consider even auditioning for the show. This time, the time was right for Ben Johnson.

We met the other night. Production meeting/dinner party, of course; similar to the last one. N.B. No cameras. Oh, and no voice. That’s right. The universe is obviously trying to tell me something. More on that later. All new key people were present at this event, except for Ms Mary Eggleston, who is currently rehearsing with the re-formed Fractal Theatre, The Secret Love Life of Ophelia. DON’T MISS IT.

There are some major changes. We have cut Scenes 1 and 2 and scenes 9 and 10. We are yet to write the new final scene, Scene 6, which involves The Boy and The Friend (previously known as The Maid). They will cross a boundary in their relationship that has already sparked raucous debate amongst the cast.  Clearly, we all feel very strongly about the place of sex in a relationship between a man and a woman.

N.B. While my husband may agree with Harry’s sentiment, for the record, I’m not agreeing entirely since I happen to have always had Sally-type-just-friends-men. My husband says I’m naive and in a permanent state of denial. He has had quite a lot to say tonight!

Anyway, I hear you ask; why did we not write the final scene already? Well, in continuation of a truly collaborative process, we didn’t try to write anything new without the new cast member’s contributions. You might remember that this is how the entire script was re-interpreted, by the actors and director, as we rehearsed. Currently, that cast member, Ben, is in Melbourne. He doesn’t get back to the Coast for 10 days. We will be in Sydney in about 60 days. Sam, Ben and I will write our scene as we rehearse when he returns. Intense, I know. Exciting, isn’t it?

Then there is the re-write, which also involves Ben-who-is-currently-away and the lovely Kay, whom you will fondly recall, was The Girl. She will remain known as The Girl but she is now The (expectant) Girl. I’m sure she won’t mind me mentioning this because the joyful news helped us to decide to keep her on board and re-write her scenes, rather than write her out of them. The first of her scenes will be beautiful, the second horrific.

We always thought La Ronde would have a long life. We were determined to give it life somehow, somewhere, in some manifestation. Of course we cannot forget that we also have over 100 hours of footage, including the HD footage of the entire show, shot from 3 different angles with which to to play, thereby legitimising the work and giving it some permanency in the market place…er, once we can view it, edit it, produce it and distribute it (and assuming we have determined our market)! Perhaps it is fair to give Newcastle’s Crack Theatre Festival a shout out at this point! They have invited Sam and I to discuss, as part of a panel of artists, the pros and cons of theatre-making on the Sunshine Coast. It is part of the TINA Festival and we are very much looking forward to mixing and sharing perspectives and strategies with other struggling artists!

So. It seems that people outside of our little local region, at least in Sydney, are interested in what we’re doing and how we’re doing it.

It’s so sad that we are not taking with us, the entire original cast and the show in its original form (and by ‘original form’ I mean our original form, not Schnitzler’s). I’m so grateful to have had such a bold, brave, creative cast and crew to start with. The success of a project is its people, is it not? How lucky we are to have had friends – old and new – drawn to us just like that, at Sam’s invitation to “come play” and, trusting him, join us at work on this little project that does indeed have a life beyond two Sunshine Coast seasons and a hard drive full of footage!

Erotique will be seen at The Sydney Fringe Festival for 4 performances only.

Creativity…

…is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.

Scott Adams

So. We have all been in recovery mode.

Post-Show Syndrome affects us all in different ways. For example, I don’t write. I should write, I have lots to write about but I don’t actually feel like sitting down and writing. It’s a bummer for the blog readers.

Other sufferers have more obvious signs of disenchantment and depression. Like, the friend who continues to wear her costume, in its entirety, in the house, on any given day or night of the week. I haven’t seen her wear it out yet but I feel sure that day is coming. And the friend who texts or messages us on Facebook or calls to ask, “What’s next? What can I do next?” and I can hear her inhale desperately, on the sixth cigarette of the day. That is my non-smoking friend. And then there’s the friend who is all nonchalant and calls to ask how are we doin’? Like, he’s okay but how are we doin’? Like him, we must be suffering, missing it, dying for the next thing to happen…and it’s true. so it’s happening already.

We are re-writing La Ronde. Amongst other things, that is.

First, there is The Cindy McKenzie Breast Cancer Foundation Gala Ball (A Night in Monte Carlo) on Saturday night. In co-operation with White House Celebrations, we are providing a little bit of additional entertainment and a whole lot of ass sass!!! I have to admit, I’m looking forward to being handed a little Lycra Miss Monte Carlo suit and not having to stress, like everybody else on the Sunshine Coast this week, about what to wear to the biggest ticket event in town!

An entirely different audience on Sunday will see me bare a little more for my art. Well, it’s not my art at all but the incredible artwork of Kat Farrar, who is going to transform me for the Fantasy section of the Australian Bodyart Carnivale in Eumundi. Kat is a previous winner of the competition and the current favourite contender. I can’t wait to see what she does with me! My body is a canvas!

From the Carnivale, I will high tail it straight to Birch, Carroll and Coyle Cinemas at Maroochydore, where Tracy Darin’s inagural Young Filmmakers Showcase, a collection of short films from the Young Filmmakers of the Sunshine Coast, will be well underway. Our performing artists will provide pre and post show entertainment for this fantastic free community event. That’s right. FREE. RSVP via the website. This event is destined to become one of the main events for Queensland filmmakers, already inspiring generous support from the screen industry and from local business.

We are also looking at a space. And that’s all I can say about that at the moment.

We are also in post for the doco, Inside La Ronde. That is, next week, we are viewing the masses of footage and narrowing down the six vastly different outlines and approaches. Originally, it was to be a “Sam’s Story” approach. And now we’re not so sure. La Ronde stopped being just one man’s vision as soon as he started talking about it! So pizza, cab sav and a late night it is!

What else? We are seeing Mr Percival on Friday night, Stockholm on Saturday night and our daughter, Poppy, on Sunday, when we will enjoy high tea for Mother’s Day and finish planning her fairy birthday party (poppy’s, not her mama’s), which we are hosting in a couple of weeks, in The Enchanted Woods. Really. Such is the natural beauty and enchantment of our local area. I think I am more excited about it than she is! Quite calmly and pragmatically, Poppy has said, “Mama, we’ll just put on a show for my birthday, ok? It will just be a fairy show for all my friends. And cake. A Barbie Fairy Cake.” (We made a practice cake today, which was delicious and I made Tom and Sam have some with their cups of girly-man tea after their tough-guy poker game tonight. I am pleased to report that the lavender hue and the high butter content was met with approval). So, yes. Poppy gets it. At nearly four, she knows how it works. We plan the event. We promote it. We rehearse aspects of it. We serve food and beverages, we put on a bit of a show and

that’s entertainment!

Seeing Judy suddenly snap into it and perform the guts out of this makes me so sad. And makes me think of all the mundane things that we try to not let get in the way of what it is we love doing (whether or not we’re paid each time to do it).

Of course there are also the day jobs that do pay and the groceries (that cost more and more) and the family and the friends-who-are-not-in-the-theatre and the housework to fit in as well. N.B. Not all of those are mundane! Oh no! There are times when I actually enjoy cleaning!

So while nothing has been going up here, a whole lot –  of real life – continues to go on HERE!

The Mechanics of Undressing – Part 2

By Sharon Grimley

So, to date I have undressed publicly at least 12 times (excluding rehearsals, over the past 2 months).  I still have at least another 2 performances to go before our first season is complete – I say this in hope of a second season materialising – and I, and the Socialite, am surprisingly comfortable disrobing for an audience.  Sure, there is still the frisson of excitement when I remember that my audience don’t expect this, as I remove my peignoir and camisole, but any reservations about appearances have melted away.  I am just doing my job.

However, it struck me over the last few weeks that other people’s reactions to my doing-what-I-am-doing, in the name of theatre, are widely varied.  And this puts me in mind of a memorable question from an authority from my past, Professor Julius Sumner Miller:

“Why is it so?”

What is it about a body?

We all have one.

Most people are equipped with one of two variations on the bits attached to them.

So what makes people fearful of it?  OR more particularly, fearful of seeing someone else’s?

Nipples?

REALLY?

The reactions I have encountered are as follows:

Ignore – “If I don’t mention it, it isn’t happening.” – a response common to conservative friends and parents-in-law

Awe – Being a “woman of a certain age”  …I rather like this one!

Curiosity – “What does she look like?” “Does she look like me?”  “Does she look like I imagined?”  “ Is she going to take it…..oo, yes, I think she’s… oh my god, she’s really going to take it off!”

Fascination – “I expected to be confronted, but found myself mesmerised instead.”

Disgust – OK, I made this one up.  Not to date anyway (or to my knowledge, anyway).

Seeing another person’s body is not something we are culturally equipped for.

At the beach or in television shows or in magazines or in billboard ads (OK, everywhere), we seem to deal with various degrees of undress, but seeing another REAL human naked RIGHT UP CLOSE is something often associated with private and intimate relationships.

Isn’t it right then that, in a play dealing with sexual relationships, some degree of nudity would be appropriate and genuine and integral?

Oohhhh…. it’s the SEXUAL relationships they don’t want put under scrutiny, yes?  And the icky, uncomfortable, basic, not-for-public-consumption feelings they get when they see someone else undress…

Or worse still, that they might never be able to look me in the eye again.

The Maid and The Socialite

After a sell-out season in Noosa, the Mooloolaba season of La Ronde is SOLD OUT

The Director’s Wife

Contrary to popular belief, being The Director’s Wife is not an advantage during the production process, in fact; it’s quite the opposite. I have found, several times now, that it is in fact, a distinct disadvantage to be married to the director. It doesn’t make the casting process any easier and if cast, it means a roller-coaster of a ride ensues! Nancy Allen recognised it long before I did! She and Brian de Palma divorced in 1984.

As well as trying to manage – wait, let’s just say find a reasonable balance between – the home, the theatre, the husband, the daughter, the work, the errands, the sanity (the list goes on)…one must also take on the following roles:

Directorial Consultant

(Sounding Board)

Sam: Hey honey, what if everybody is made up like in Rocky Horror?

X: Um. No. It should be beautiful, not grotesque.

Sam: Right. Okay. So everybody will be made up like in Rocky Horror…

Dramaturg

(Late night Google Girl)

Sam: HONEY! Can you get off Facebook and find all the adaptations of La Ronde and who did them and when they were done?

X: *opens new tab*

Personal Assistant

(The Maid)**

Sam: Baby, do you want coffee?

X: *saves draft and gets up to make coffee*

Personal Secretary

(Human Answering Machine)

Everybody, every time they call: ”Hiiiiii! How are yooou? Goood!  Goood! So…is Sam there?”

X: *has already walked to where ever Sam is and handed him the iPhone*

Sure, I know, the director’s focus should be on the show. He has every right to live and breathe it, think and talk about only it, relate everything to it and take notice of how everybody else feels during the process, not to mention plan way ahead in case it takes off and tours the world…but only if he is unmarried. If you are the wife of a director it will drive you MAD.

Or it will drive you to come up with an Oscar winner. Just sayin’.

N.B. I have to include this because it was inspirational in the development of Scene 2. And because sometimes I feel like I’m being flung about, physically and emotionally, just like Ms O’Connor, both on stage and off (though she is much more elegant and beguiling and beautifully, delicately damaged than I and also, I tend to exaggerate for the sake of the story).

I love my husband.

Sometimes he remembers to tell me later, long after the rehearsal or the performance, that he loves what I’m doing. Other times…he is busy reminding somebody else to resist changing anything after Opening Night, or helping to strike the mirrors or, a week ago, twice (this is true), on the iPhone doing a radio interview instead of the usual morning coffee. He didn’t even have a coffee in hand! Now, I know there’s a multi-tasking issue there too…but there’s something a little amiss about this picture from the outset. You should know that Sam doesn’t skip that first coffee of the day for anybody. Suddenly, during this rehearsal period, he’s omitting it from the routine in order to gesticulate and concentrate on what he’s saying live to air before 9:00am! Unbelievable! I feel duped! I have been led to believe, for all these years, that my husband simply cannot function in the morning without coffee. Or sex. Or, preferably, both.

Don’t try to tell me that we are not, each and every one of us, completely and inexplicably, obsessed with our art.

We have at home, a little pre-cursor to every conversation. It’s quite simple and I think you’ll find, if you employ a similar measure in your own happy/unhappy home, it’s a strategy that aims to clarify and appease at the base level of every marriage and/or working relationship. I think, like most obvious solutions, we stumbled across it right before a shouting match conversation over coffee. I simply enquire as to whether I am being consulted as The Wife, The Cast Member, The Mother or The Social Media Marketing and Publicity Officer. I cannot help but think of Ko-Ko advising The Mikado.

Disclaimer: It was completely unnecessary to post all of these clips. Part 3 is the relevant, albeit slightly obscure reference, pertaining to an advisory role. But are they not delightful? Was this production not pure delight? Have you not enjoyed the little break from living and breathing and reading La Ronde?! Ladies and gentleman that was interval. And now it’s over.

Aside: My music theatre and operetta loving siblings and I watched this production over and over for years! It must have been shown on the ABC and my music theatre and operetta loving father must have recorded it on a video tape. That’s right. It was the eighties. It was VHS.

Right. What was I saying? Oh yes. I don’t always feel that I am in the best position to advise the director. I feel conflicted. No, not afflicted, conflicted; there are conflicts. Sometimes I try to be the objective Wife With Nothing to do With the Show. And then as The Director’s Wife who was Cast in the Show and Accepted the Role Against Her Better Judgement, I argue the point that will invariably make or break a scene.

Sometimes we actually agree.

After a questionable start to our scene work (he wanted me to be pathetic. I wanted to win a little bit), Sam has trusted me implicitly in the development of my character and he has, as part of the process, allowed me opportunities to explore possibilities and approaches to my scenes that were not obvious to him at the outset. Of course I share his vision; we all do, after just 8 weeks, rehearsing only in our pairs and fitting rehearsals in around our work, friends, family and other “real life” commitments, as we do when we are not making an income from this theatre thing. We are a close-knit little company now, having collaboratively re-written and re-shaped a good 60% of the original text. And having pulled an all-nighter to film the production for the documentary.

My interpretation has always been swayed by the desire for beauty to have an emotive effect on the audience (I’m a bit old-fashioned and feminine that way), as well as the need to portray my character as someone with stronger and more intriguing qualities than just those of a long-suffering victim (I’m a bit contemporary and feminist that way). Sam has wanted the physical,emotional and intellectual power play within each vignette to achieve the same results, challenging viewers to really feel something, even if they are unsure about what it is they are feeling. Originally, Sam wanted my character to come across as genuinely pathetic and without any power at all, just by the end of the scene with Shane. He wanted to save my “win” for the following scene. I argued the point with the same stubborn resolve I was looking to find for the character…and I hope I’m now getting across a win – of sorts – because my objective throughout has been to get him to love me. And I have to believe that he does.

I think that, almost by accident, we found that in my scene with Sharon, our different approaches amounted to the same thing. My objective would be the same: to get her to love me. But Scene 3 was always intended to be The Beautiful Scene. We were told when cast that having a relationship outside of the theatre was going to prove to be either a complete disaster or the best thing for us. For some reason, this comment infuriated me and I thought at the time, “What a ridiculous thing to say! What does he mean? This is Freudian! This is code! This is excessive use of the exclamation mark! He knows Sharon and I will be fine. He’s actually referring to our marriage and this show will be the end of it after all” (I’m a bit melodramatic that way).

The truth is that my husband, The Director, realised at some point (I don’t remember when, I blocked it out; there were tears) that he had been directing me very differently, communicating with me differently to the way he communicated with the other actors…because I am his wife. He was over-compensating and speaking to me more harshly because, for some reason, I should know better. Or he should set an example. Or something. Of course, being his wife, I should be able to read Sam’s mind. I should have somehow absorbed, perhaps through osmosis, his preferred creative vision and direction for me. Oops. My bad.

Another thing. Very interesting. Because I am The Director’s Wife, Shane was hesitant at first about really working our scene. From his perspective, having never worked with Sam before, he had a really scary scene to do! He was pretty reluctant to viciously and violently overpower me, throw me to the floor and carry out a simulated rape…in front of my husband. Once we had convinced Shane that I was fine with the evil intent and the physical nature of the scene (and that Sam and I had experienced this very issue before, when I was Fantine on a stage in Mt Isa) we came up with a terrifying encounter, which makes it relatively easy for Shane to fearlessly assault me and for me to show real fear, leaving the audience cringing and me shaking. I will save the breakdown of my substitution, inner objects and the moment before for another time, like, for the launch of my posthumously-published memoirs…

So anyway, before we had Leah Barclay‘s stunning original score, this was the inspiration for Scene 3. Simple. Whimsical. Beautiful. I insisted on using it to underscore the scene during rehearsals, until we had the actual piece, written by Ms Barclay in India and sent to us via email, after just one meeting with The Director, during which he described the mood and movement of the scene.

It seems Sam and I approach the work, like marriage and like raising a child, very differently sometimes. Sometimes the fact that we disagree is what works, forcing us to reconsider our perspective and our respective priorities. And sometimes it’s a matter of just knowing when to choose our battles. It’s just marriage, after all.

There are also times when, despite my best intentions, passion and dedication; I’m just an ordinary housewife and mother and The Director’s Wife is just another multi-layered part to play. And there is really very little acting involved.

** I play The Maid both on stage and off.

The Extra Rehearsal

It seems this rehearsal period is almost at an end and you still don’t know very much about how it’s been going, do you? Well, it’s been going great, thanks! Oh. Well, what I mean is, that I sort of expected, as you did too no doubt, that there would be a bit of drama off stage as well as on. There almost always is. What’s live theatre without a bit of drama, after all? But in actual fact, we have had comparatively very little drama. I know! How refreshing! Indeed, the focus has been, at each and every rehearsal, on the scene work itself and how to get a better result from just those involved in the short time allowed.

It may seem to some of you, especially if the theatre is not something you are involved in beyond being an audience member, that this is a very strange thing to be making a point about. I think it has been a major point of difference to the success of this production. We have not had company members sitting idle at rehearsals and thus, we have avoided all sorts of petty conversations and criticisms that one has, sadly, and come to expect in community/amateur theatre. Of course it takes all sorts. We are lucky that the sort of people drawn to this show are those who are able to listen to each other and respond accordingly, generously and supportively; feeling the shifts in energy and compensating for somebody being a bit down on themselves or somebody else having had a hard day at work or a horrid day at home. These are the sort of people with whom I would like to keep producing great theatre. These are also the people I’m proud to count amongst my friends.

After a tough tech week, during which we allowed the crew to come in and take over the theatre, previously having claimed it as our own, we can see now that we do, indeed, have a great show. Last night’s rehearsal tied some loose ends together (quite literally- wait to see the ribbon put to good use) and we had our film makers, Simon and Evita, backstage with us, capturing those candid conversations, preparations and the interesting/scary/revelatory moments just before and after the usual (or unusual) entrances and exits. Fascinating stuff. Only I hope I didn’t say anything really stupid in the dressing room. Other than encountering, for the first time ever, difficulties with my make up – the pancake took a dislike to me and refused to adhere – oh and being thrown to the floor rather more viciously than usual and sustaining injuries to a foot and an elbow during the scene with Shane (what WERE you on, Shane?!), I think I did okay. I think we can achieve some clever edits there. As we say, we’ll fix it in post.

So anyway, tonight was never going to be a night off, as some had hoped. We scheduled an extra rehearsal some time ago, in order to get what we needed on film. Here’s the drill, just so you know what we are up to as you make your Milo and head off to bed with a good book:

• 6:30pm call for 7:30pm curtain
• wide shot of the entire show. This means we run the show as per usual. The shot will be from the bio box.
• medium shot of the entire show. This means we run the show a second time. The shot will be from the stalls.

Hahahahaha! I will just say, there are just the stalls at Noosa Arts Theatre. It’s a teeny, tiny, lovely little theatre of around 100 seats…

hope you’ve booked!

• Close Ups and reversals. This means that, sometime close to midnight no doubt, after extra tea, coffee, chocolate, miso and a few more cigarettes than are really needed (Sam…) we will be running each scene several times to capture various aspects of character, relationship and story. And some really good out-takes I’m guessing, for the special features!

This is the real film part, friends. The part where we do take after take after take, to make sure we have everything we need for the doco. I don’t mind it. Actually, I hate the camera but I don’t mind being filmed by it, you know? This is the part that we can still control a little. After tonight we have an audience. La Ronde previews tomorrow night and opens on Thursday night. Tonight we can still manipulate the telling of the story to a greater degree than once we have that live (and mostly unforgiving) audience in front of us. We can’t go back and do something again if we are not happy with it. Oh, the thrill of live theatre!

I guess I will sleep at the end of April. Whatever.

It was always our intention to film the show in HD (that’s High Def, High Definition, folks. Don’t worry, I will learn the lingo with you) and capture the creative process on the little hand held camcorder. I love this whole rough-as-guts thing while we work and then we reveal the all-shiny-and-new look for the performance. It’s a message about the façade of the theatre. The façade of life! No, no, not really, we’ve not talked about that at all; I just threw that in…

It’s true though: most audiences don’t really care what came before. They are interested in the product. Of course, social media and access to all manner of blogs and reviews online as well as programs like Inside the Actors Studio and the special features on every DVD have, perhaps a little insidiously, been educating our audiences to expect more. I do believe this to be a good thing. THIS IS A GOOD THING, PEOPLE! It is part of what we aim to do with La Ronde.

Sam (the director, if you’ve only just joined us…Hi!) has said all along that he wanted to offer a number of challenges to actors AND audiences. And part of the point of filming what comes before, is to pull back the curtain (yes, sorry, look, I can’t believe I said that either) on how the product is created, helping to foster the audiences’ interest in the performing arts and thereby, garnering their SUPPORT FOR THE ARTS. I know. Sigh. It’s been done before. But never like this! Oh. Yes, it has and I think I have already referred to the brilliant insight that is In the Company of Actors and (yes, this old chestnut) The Making of Miss Saigon. I’m sure there are others out there but these two documentaries in particular, have inspired us and influenced our approach to this show, as serious work – to be continued – in community theatre.

Once we’ve shared this little show with the Sunshine Coast we intend to take it to…well, who knows where? I hope you will find us…there…and I hope some of you will come along for the ride.