Wonderland, Gremlins & It Plays to Move

Anywhere Theatre Festival 2012

Saturday 12th May

Experienced by Kathryn Rose

Ever heard of a plane being piloted by a loaf of bread – with Gremlins as cabin crew?  Or a play being directed by someone who has never laid eyes on the script?  These are just a few of the bizarre circumstances you could find yourself in during the Anywhere Theatre Festival.

I first heard about this concept when my gorgeous boy, Matt, attended the TEDxBrisbane event in October last year.  He forwarded a recording of a presentation by Paul Osuch talking about the Anywhere Theatre Festival and its aims.

The main objective is to encourage, and provide opportunities for, more people to experience live performances in places other than the traditional theatre complex.  Artists pay to register their act and have it promoted on the Anywhere Theatre website, then get to pocket all the proceeds, thereby cutting out the middleman and hopefully channelling more remuneration to the actual performers.

Matt and I started our Anywhere Theatre experience on Saturday in Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall with Wonderland, a cirque-type act with a group of very talented young people. This free performance was very much appreciated by the large group of shoppers who stopped to have a look.

From there it was off to a very different venue in Auchenflower – the lounge room of Mark Theodossiou, an actor, producer and director from Australian Actors Network.  Due to circumstances beyond their control, Matt and I were the only audience members for that session.  But the show must go on (and we’d paid our $22!), so Mark and Michelle explained the concept of their performance.  We were offered the choice of four two-hander scripts and asked to choose the style and direction of delivery we wanted from our actors.  We had to nominate which actor would play each role and the emotion or motivational features we wanted from the characters.  We had a lot of fun watching Mark’s character, Linus, being besotted with the recorded voice on Linus’ mobile phone in Ma Belle. For the second selection I asked them to perform the play, Jammed, conventionally first then we mixed it up with some challenges for our capable actors. At the end, both actors said they really enjoyed my direction (I bet they say that to ALL the girls!).

After a leisurely dinner at Southbank, we continued our adventure and headed to a rather seedy part of Woolloongabba, where The Gremlins were performing.  The ‘venue’ was an enclosed area at the front of the Reverse Garbage warehouse, with a motley assortment of chairs arranged in rows.  We handed over our $12 each and collected our ‘boarding passes’ for the inaugural flight of the Gromlot family’s new budget airline. At 7pm we were all ushered into our barely-half-completed plane where our hosts proceeded to entertain us with pure escapist, joyful nonsense that had us rolling around laughing.  Because Matt had previously seen The Gremlins perform at Woodford, he had high expectations – and they definitely didn’t disappoint.

The Anywhere Theatre Festival is a wonderful mixture of random, artistic and highly-creative acts that is sure to catch on further around the world.  Let’s hope the Sunny Coast embraces this concept as well; the possibilities are endless!

Ed’s note: See the final performance of EPIPHANY by 2Muse Productions on Saturday 19th at 5pm at the Sunshine Coast School of Photography, Yandina.

Featuring Korean performance artists, well-known to Brisbane indie audiences, Younghee Park and Pak Hoyoung, with Mary Eggleston and seven young Sunshine Coast actors, this is a re-imagining of the production we saw last year. With funding to support the community development goals and the time to explore a few brand new plot points, it’s a very different show and well worth a (second) look. Incorporating effective AV elements (Sue Davis, Judy Barrass, Julia Dawson & James Muller), an evocative soundscape (Eggleston & Bruce Hamilton) and live musical accompaniment by popular Sunshine Coast entertainer, Simon Russell-Baker, EPIPHANY is a fine example of what an independent company can do with limited resources and limitless imagination, blurring the lines between training and entertaining and providing opportunities for young artists to develop their craft alongside professional performers without having to leave the beautiful Sunshine Coast!

EPIPHANY is a whimsical, magical, fantastical tale, which you’ll relate to if you’ve ever wished you could escape your current reality. Escape once more on Saturday 19th May. 

EPIPHANY

EPIPHANY

 

THE ONLY SUNSHINE COAST CONTINGENT IN THE ANYWHERE THEATRE FESTIVAL

Sunshine Coast creatives Mary Eggleston and Sue Davis are breaking new ground on several fronts with their latest production to be staged as part of the Anywhere Theatre Festival this weekend.  This is the first Sunshine Coast production to be included in the Anywhere festival with the show being staged in a rather interesting ‘red shed’ in Yandina, currently housing the Sunshine Coast School of Photography.  2Muse Productions has also re-energised the traditional fairytale format with this show drawing on new media and various theatrical forms to tell a spellbinding story called Epiphany. Another feature of the process and performance is that young people are working alongside local and international professional artists, with the professional artists performing alongside the young artists on stage. (This makes it a community development project – Ed).

Younghee Park and Pak Hoyoung are performance artists from Korea who have extensive experience in physical theatre and performing for young people, but this is the first production they have worked on where they are both performing themselves while also mentoring young performers. They are working with the project organisers, Sunshine Coast’s own youth theatre directors, Mary Eggleston and Sue Davis to devise and shape this original performance piece.  The production crosses over artforms as well with input from video artist James Muller (of Earth Base Productions) and local musician and performer, Simon Russell-Baker.

Young performers hail from Caloundra to Cooroy and they have been working for months to create characters drawn from circus, vaudeville and freak shows.  The show was originally staged in a début performance in November 2011 at the SCAIP Black Box Theatre in Nambour but with the support of RADF funding has been totally reworked to showcase the talents of the young people and the Korean guest artists.

The show centres on the tale of young Queenie D, an Alice in Wonderland type character who is drawn into a fantastical new world that exists beyond the mirror.  The cast have been developing a unique physical language for the production and have been exploring new media and old with the performance featuring digital imagery using iPad Apps.

The show is the first Sunshine Coast production to be staged as part of the south-east Queensland based Anywhere Theatre Festival.  A unique festival, its parameters are that shows can be performed anywhere but in a theatre.

Writer and theatre reviewer, Simon Denver, counted Epiphany amongst the best of Sunshine Coast theatrical productions in 2011. Don’t miss it this time ’round!

oscar theatre co last minute audition spots

A quick note from Oscar Theatre Co

Yeah. You know them. They brought us [title of show]. They brought us Spring Awakening.

How could you NOT want to secure one of the last audition spots that have suddenly become available and be a part of whatever they do next?!

Due to some last minute changes, there are some spots still left at the Oscar Auditions this Sunday

(April 15th)

Check out details at www.oscartheatre.com and share this with anyone you think may be interested!

Can’t wait – if you’ve submitted you should all have heard times and details by now. If yours has gone missing in cyberspace, email admin@oscartheatre.com

Peace out bitches. Bring it.

Oscar.

backbone youth arts ensemble

Backbone Youth Arts have extended the closing date for applications for their annual performance Ensemble! The Ensemble is a great opportunity for any performing artists seeking to expand their ideas of performance and train with industry professionals. Last year’s Backbone Ensemble group performed their Ensemble show at the 2012 World Theatre Festival-Scratch Series at Brisbane Powerhouse! So the Ensemble can take you places…

The Backbone Ensemble is an audition entry initiative to provide training and performance opportunities to young performance makers who wish to create work at the cutting edge of contemporary performance.  The Ensemble is placed to explore these exciting new developments in performance:

• outside the silos of classical actor/director/writer paradigms
• by exploring and defining new performance spaces and audience engagement
• by interfacing with contemporary and emerging technological platforms
• by utilising hybrid art modalities and site specific work

Apply for this three-month training course led by contemporary performance director, Emma Che Martin, new media director, Daniel Flood and guest industry practitioners. You will work towards a devised performance, learn core producing skills to develop your career as a performance maker and meet like-minded artists.

 

The Ensemble 2012

 

WHEN: Mondays 9.30am – 4.30 pm and Thursdays 9.30am – 12.30pm, 13 April – 14 July 2012 (week intensive 16 – 20 April)

WHERE: The Edge, State Library of Queensland, South Brisbane.

APPLICATIONS CLOSE: Friday 13th April 5.00pm.

INTERVIEWS: To be confirmed with successful applicants.

COST: $250.00 payable upfront or in five $50.00 installments.

CONTACT: Please email andrew@backbone.org.au or call 07 3210 2666

 

Backbone also have a new Performance Ensemble for people with disabilities. Working with Director and dramatherapist, Kimberley Twiner and arts worker, Anna Molnar, this group of 12 performers started training at The Edge, State Library Queensland at the end of Feburary. More news soon!

 

Sons of Sin by The Danger Ensemble. Photo by Eli Walton.

 

The Pact – World Theatre Festival from Backbone Youth Arts on Vimeo.

the last days of judas iscariot

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

Company 08 & QUT Precincts

QUT Gardens theatre

27th – 31st March

Reviewed by Meredith McLean

 

I’m no architect but despite this fault in my knowledge I’ve always loved the Gardens Theatre at Gardens Point. It reminds me of Mary Poppins’ handbag.

 

 

It looks so small on the outside but when you step inside it gets bigger and bigger. There’s a neat front desk, a quaint modern bar around the corner and the stage will pleasure any theatre technician with a soft spot for lighting. However, I am not reviewing the building, which is a shame because I would’ve taken my hat off to it without a second thought. No, I’m reviewing The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, the play I saw in this wonderful theatre the other night.

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot can be summed up to many things. Black comedy. Religious parody. Phrases such as these come to mind. Hit show would not be in that mix for me. Looking into the history of this play this was not a clean-cut success. Its original production came with mixed reviews. Some giving appraisal and others asking if it was “too much New York.” It is true that it did begin at off-Broadway and George Street in Brisbane isn’t exactly New York but something in that review did sit with me. It niggled at me during the first act. It hung around the bar with me during intermission and sat next to me a little too close for comfort throughout the rest of the show. Finally, while trying to mind my own business on the train ride home, I couldn’t take it anymore.

 

“What?”

I had to scream to this irritating comment, amongst others from previous reviews.

“Did you enjoy

the show?”

the relentless thought asked me.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t say for the entire duration I did.

The premise is promising enough. In fact I was excited for this production because of the concept it was presenting. The idea that Judas waits in purgatory for a Judge Judy-like woman to decide the verdict; Heaven or Hell seemed hilarious. Having eyewitnesses like friends, family, Freud and even Satan seemed like the perfect spark for a good comedy. In the case of this production there were moments where echoes of laughter bounced off the walls of the theatre. But like I said, they were only moments. There was no consistency. It was a lucky draw waiting to see if this next scene would make me laugh or make me wait.

Although I do have to contend with the thought that it is simply the fault of the script. Regardless of these university students’ talent perhaps it was the original script by playwright, Stephen Adly Guirgis, which has let us down. There were recurring moments where I would sit quietly thinking to myself “This skit should’ve ended five lines ago.” There was so much unnecessary banter between characters, jokes repeated for the sake of an extra laugh and persisting moments of characters shouting nothing of use to the audience.

I question Guirgis’ writing because there was one young man who stood out for me in this production. There was constancy in his character that made me laugh every time he spoke. Even his movements relayed those of his role, El Fayoumy: A pseudo-lawyer acting against the defendant, Judas. Thomas Albert played the imposturous disaster of an attorney. The dedication to absurdity in Thomas was impressive. It was his ridiculousness in every wave of an arm or unnecessary shout of “Objection!” that kept me laughing.

Likewise, Leonard Meenach’s direction, despite the content, was a solid result. The use of space on the stage was for lack of a better description how I would’ve done it. This is one of those strange occurrences in life where everything was done well, each line and movement delivered suitably but the results do not match up. A mystery of error that despite a great set-up just didn’t pay off. The concept was there. The arrangement was there but the laugh out loud experience I was building myself up for just didn’t reach the audience.

 

 

Naturally I still have faith in these students. It was clear they had worked hard. As I said there wasn’t consistency but there was, for the most part, humour. The Last Days of Judas Iscariot was not a show that blew me away but there was satisfaction in seeing it. As I expected, it was fascinating to follow the narrative of the piece. And besides, we all want to know what happens. Does Judas go to Heaven or Hell? I had to find out, and I did laugh at times while waiting. If you want to be tearing up in your seat from laughing too much, this production is not the show you are looking for. However, if you’re looking for a tongue in cheek observation on the theories that circulate Judas Iscariot’s life then The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is a play you should see.

 

 

 

of little matter

Of Little Matter

Vena Cava

The Studio Kelvin Grove

26^th – 31^st March 2012

Reviewed by Meredith McLean

Sometimes you step into a world not knowing what to expect. Those terrifying, exhilarating moments before you stumble into Narnia or visit your boyfriend or girlfriend’s parents for the first time. Maybe not that terrifying but still an event that exudes a shaky force. That’s how I felt stepping into The Studio at QUT’s Kelvin Grove campus anticipating Vena Cava’s newest production, Of Little Matter. I’d read the blurbs, I’d glimpsed the program but I still wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Then we were plunged into darkness while a solemn tune seethed about my ears. I braced myself for some agonizingly abstract arty fluff but was pleasantly proven wrong by David Morton and his ensemble’s creation.

Despite the name, the play had a lot to say. There was just so much emotion packed into one hour. Puppetry is an understatement. Transformation is getting a little warmer. Incredible insight in the smallest of things is closer but still not quite on the mark. There just isn’t one solution in my abundance of words to describe Of Little Matter.

The idea was something that started small, and though remaining small in size the concept grew into a monument. I was lulled into the adorable childlike sensibilities of this entirely different puppet. A creature made of hands is the only way to describe it. But as it matures the audience too stops giggling at the simplicities of the senses and wanders into darker themes.

There is a reason this play is not advised for children. On one axis, the comedy is distinctly adult. At times even a little crude but the absurdity forbids you to not laugh.  But then there is the other axis of a more serious demeanor. The timing is perfect. It wrenched me from an irremovable smile to open mouthed shock and empathy for these fictional creatures.

The innovations of this group can’t go unappreciated. This production uses many skills to deliver but it all hangs on the balance of two key factors. Of Little Matter at its core is an intense collaboration between space and light. The lighting is everything in this show. Not only in symbolic terms of life and love but the scenery, the characters and the mood that progresses. The idea of making an ocean floor with torches and bottled water sounds so simplistic but looks amazing. The darkness of a cave, the stars in space and even the fish tank in an Asian restaurant depend on a playful manipulation of light and shadow. Christine Hartley was the Lighting Designer for this production and that’s what it was, an excellent design.

The lighting gave way for the use of space to be seen and enjoyed by all. The rigid movement of set change and even changing of angles to which we saw our loveable creature struggle was inhumanly efficient. The timing of their hands was unnoticeable. The creature looked like a living, breathing being. I had to keep reminding myself each foot or hand did not belong to the same pair of arms. Each face hidden in the shadows is in some way connected to the central focus but you wouldn’t know it. As much as I would love to give credit to the entire ensemble I’d have no way to go about it. A hand, a voice, a light being held, none of it could be recognized in this playful concoction of light and sound.

Just like the creatures in Of Little Matter the head interacted with the body. The ensemble helped bring the puppet to life extending from the director, David Morton. The founding member of the Dead Puppet Society has made his contribution starting out at QUT and making his way to Woodford Folk Festival as well as many others in Brisbane. He and assistant director, David Stuart, remind us Of Little Matter was not a sudden birth. It was an idea that grew; matured and morphed itself over time into what it is now. They both claim it is a play of nothing in particular but I disagree. Of Little Matter matters a lot. It matters relentlessly. It matters over many things like love, fear and kung fu battles. It is a matter that needs to be seen.

Clearly this is a play not backed by tradition. Vena Cava is a theatre company at QUT with a “by students for students” mentality. Their focus is bringing creations to the stage so students can learn to grow as they create. Of Little Matter rose out of Vena Cava’s yearly Atrium project specifically designed for a leading industry professional to nurture the students.

It is evident just as the students are nurtured to grow so are the creatures in Of Little Matter. It is a very bizarre journey absolutely worth embarking on.

TICKETS

$10 Vena Cava Members

$12 Students

$15 Adults

Tickets can be purchased online, or at the box office 1 hr prior to the show.

*A 30c booking fee applies to each ticket when booked online.

ENSEMBLE

Anna Clarkson

Ben Newth

Daria Smith

Emma Churchland

Kaitlyn Rogers

Laura Hague

Liam Howarth

Nicole Smith-Stanley

Patrick Hayes

Ruby Donohoe

Stephanie Allsopp

Sampson Smith

Sarah Stafford

Sam Whatley

Zoe Cobon

CREATIVES

Director
: David Morton

Assistant Director: 
David Stewart

Production Manager: 
David Vespertine

Stage Manager: 
Nicole Neil

Lighting Designer
: Christine Hartley

Composer: 
Samuel Boyd

Assistant Production Manager: 
Laura Duncan

Vena Cava Productions produce theatre performances and theatre education opportunities to benefit QUT students. Each year we produce two main house shows (based on existing scripts, with industry directors), a devised peace (facilititated by industry professionals), a double-bill of two students’ scripts, a festival for student written/directed/devised short theatre pirces, and a number of workshops with industry professionals spanning different areas of the theatre industry. We pride ourselves on giving students the opportunity to build their confidence, experience and professionalism by facilitating a supportive, yet industry-standard learning environment.

 

David Morton

David Morton is a Brisbane based theatre maker and puppet designer. He is currently a PhD candidate at Queensland University of Technology and holds a Bachelor of Creative Industries (Drama) with First Class Honours. David has created works, as well as designing and constructing puppets, for The Woodford Folk Festival (Cellar Door 2008), Backbone Youth Arts 2High Festival (to depart… 2008), The Queensland University of Technology (The Timely Death of Victor Blott 2009), Brisbane Festival’s Under the Radar (Little Grey Wolf 2009; The Long And The Short Of It 2009), The Garden of Unearthly Delights at the Adelaide Fringe (Little Grey Wolf 2010), Metro Arts (The Timely Death of Victor Blott 2010; Little V’s Terrible Tea Party 2010), Brisbane City Council (Via Psyche 2010, 2011) and La Boite Theatre Company (The Harbinger 2011). He was a founding member of the Dead Puppet Society and is currently preparing for the company’s mainstage debut with La Boite Theatre Company in the second half of 2012.

believe

You know there are some things you keep meaning to do and life gets in the way of you doing them? I’m not talking about putting on a show or applying for funding or writing a play or changing your career. I’m talking about the little things. Baking cupcakes and decorating them, reading a book (that’s not a text book), walking on the beach (barefoot), getting to that yoga class or meditation session…the things the Choccy Chicks tell us are not the luxuries but the self-nurturing necessities of life. Appropriately, they grace the cover of Holistic Bliss this month. Well, tonight I did the meditation session. Raelene Byrne, of medicineforyourspirit.com is leading her groovy, guided meditation each week in the middle of nowhere bushland in Diddilibah. As the weather cools down, she is promising hot chai, so I’ll definitely be going back!

Tonight though, let me tell you, I didn’t want to go. I was so tired, I’d left some things unfinished, the house was a mess, I wanted to sleep, I was hating on Diddilibah for being so far away from me and I thought perhaps I should stay home instead, especially since Poppy wasn’t happy to see me go out again and Sam is off to Sydney tomorrow for Short + Sweet (sorry, Augusta Supple, the boys won’t boycott; they want to win it, regardless). Also, I got lost. I know where the place is – I have a friend who lives near there – and I once handed out to the punters there, How to Vote cards, so I KNOW where it is. Just not how to get there. And Diddilibah Road is long. And dark. I drove for fifteen minutes (just along Diddilibah Road!) and turned right instead of left and, you know, knew that was wrong because I was headed up Kiels Mountain, turned around and found the place but not before I’d gotten lost. I hate that I had to get lost to find the place I was supposed to be in. You know? Yeah, you know. How profound.

So when I got there I was half relieved (Candles! Light! Incense!) and half sick of being out without a glass of bubbly in hand. Oh well. Lemon and ginger tea would have to suffice. Looking forward to that chai, let me tell you. I love finding new little pockets of Woodfordia right throughout the year. The first was David Berthold’s production for La Boite of As You Like It. The second, Raelene’s meditation tonight.

Fairy cards were offered at the door and the card that was peeking out at me was:

RISE ABOVE PROBLEMS

Perfect. Yes. Got it in one. Lots of problems this week. Lots. On several different levels. Clearly, I shall rise above them.

I meditated on being a writer (BE THE WRITER) and afterwards, introduced myself to Cheryl, with whom I’d connected, as an acting and vocal coach. Shit! Well, of course I am, sure, but you see, one of the problems this week has been a minor identity crisis. And by minor, of course I mean major.

Another problem has been that my five year old has started behaving like a teenager. She doesn’t take “no” for an answer and she’s staying up late. She goes through phases that are akin to my own guilt trips, apologises for failing to live up to my expectations, “feels bad” (she wails, “Mama, I feel BAAAD!”) and throws herself across the lounge, her bed, my bed (whatever is nearest), like a Hollywood starlet with her own reality TV show. One can only hope that all this rehearsal will lead to a lucrative contract.

“This meditation is very guided…” Okay, although I was interested to notice that Cheryl commented to Raelene later, “I didn’t hear a lot of your stuff. I just didn’t hear it.” I guess you take in whatever you take in at the time. Like an audition, or a show, you’ve got whatever you bring to it and that’s it. Get what you can. Give everything you have in that moment. And that’s your audition. Or performance. Or meditation.

I liked “very guided” because, as I said, I was so tired and I’m crap at meditation on my own. I don’t have the self-discipline to stop life for long enough to enjoy that quiet part of my life. That seems ridiculous, doesn’t it? On the other hand, I’m willing to go and be guided. And it was a pretty confronting little trip tonight (and by trip I don’t mean the getting lost to get there part or that there were drugs involved, though perhaps, for some, that would certainly help conjure those chakra colours. Just saying)…

I BELIEVE

I BELIEVE IN ME

How many artists (how many people) can honestly say, “I believe in me”?

I’m coaching a girl at the moment, who told me today that what we’re doing for her as an actor is changing her as a person. In a good way! The relaxed, easy approach to the story behind the text, as if its her own story, and the strong choices we’re making with regard to character and objectives, are helping her to relax in real life and become a more confident person, in her relationships with others and in the way she goes about her day. Fantastic! That’s what I like to hear! Well, what if we all started to approach the real life part in the same relaxed, easy manner as rehearsal (LIFE IS NOT A REHEARSAL) and made strong, clear choices about what our next word or action will be? We’d all be much better at selling ourselves on opening nights and Industry nights, wouldn’t we?!

Anyway, apparently there was awesome energy in the room – auras, blue orbs and…all that stuff, lots of healing emerald green; an Aurora Borealis installation art piece. Whatever. I don’t see it but the vibrations from the crystal bowls certainly make me tingly all over and feel kinda floaty, like when I used to practice astral projection so I could travel the world at night when my parents thought I was fast asleep. True. I visited all the continents when I was twelve.

So after we had focused on BELIEVE and I BELIEVE IN ME, I came away with a monstrous headache. Core message being that if we would only believe in ourselves as much as those around us do, we could accomplish anything.

Significance of headache? Hmmm…

Might need to mediate on that.

zen zen zo actor training: week 2 (STOMPING)

Uh-oh. Cathy is hurting.

But she’s sticking with it. This week it’s Suzuki. Yikes!

(There’s plenty about Suzuki method online and clips from Zen Zen Zo’s shows – complete shows are available to purchase – but I like the way Martinez explains the basic stuff in this clip – and this one – in case you’re still wondering what Cathy’s talking about. Below is Zen Zen Zo’s Training Room Doco to give you the company’s POV).

 

 

Now. Got your Bingo card out?

 

Got any questions?

 

 

 

the method gun

Guest blogger, Mary Eggleston, saw The Method Gun and, after an intensive series of workshops, performed in Time, Space and the Body.  

The Method Gun

Created by Rude Mechs | written by Kirk Lynn | directed by Shawn Sides

Brisbane Powerhouse

Reviewed by Mary Eggleston

The Method Gun was a relentlessly inventive exploration of the creative process and the ecstasy & excesses of performing. At times hilarious and at times painfully intimate, this story is about an ensemble of actors, abandoned by their sage, Stella Burden.

It begins with Ms Burden, training guru of the 60s and 70s and at first I was unsure if this Stella was a real actual person. I had never heard of her but was it just another hole in my theatrical education? To my relief, this “other Stella” was indeed a creation of Rude Mechs. She was a shameless lie, invented to tell the truth.

Attracted by the idea of risky training methods for actors and the cult like power of theatrical companies over their members, The Rudes wanted to know if it were possible to act oneself to death!

After Stella’s mysterious disappearance into the South American jungle, her devoted disciples decide to continue their 9-year process for a high-concept production of “A Streetcar Named Desire,” to be performed without the main characters (Stanley, Blanche, Stella or Mitch).

Rude Mechs company members re-enact the final months in this grueling 9-year-in-the-making production of “Street Car”, by using text from the journals and performance reports of Stella Burden’s company. This dramaturgical layering was superbly orchestrated, as was their awe-inspiring final scene. My heart was racing as the cast pulled off an amazing “ah-ha” moment, choreographed to perfection among swinging pendulum lights.

The fact that much of its content was (as an artistic co-director of my own company and physical theatre performer) a little “close to the bone”, only heightened The Rudes’ intention to demonstrate a “…sense of desperation, inadequacy, and frustration inherent to the process of creating meaningful work for the stage… and a longing for the return of inspiration and a more believable presentation of self in everyday life…”

The World Theatre Festival finished at the Brisbane Powerhouse on Sunday (26^th Feb. 2012), so if you didn’t see The Method Gun, sorry but you missed it. Yes, it’s a bit sad but I’m still buzzing! Not only ‘cause I got to see the fabulous Rude Mechs theatre company from Austin, Texas but this year I was lucky enough to be part of the fun. I was able to learn from and create with an amazing collective of local artists under the expert guidance of Barney O’Hanlon (USA) and Laura Sheedy (AUS).

These two acclaimed artists graced the Brisbane Powerhouse over a four-week period to instruct Time, Space and the Body, an extended exploration of The Viewpoints and Composition.

Long time SITI Company (NY) member, Barney O’Hanlon and ex-pat, Laura Sheedy (The PIT – NY), lead 22 wonderful local actors, performance artists and directors to a final showing of our work on Sat 25^th Feb in the Turbine Studio.

The studio become our home for the time and proved itself as a very adaptable and workable space. Time & Space collides with the human body in every moment of our lives and The Viewpoints method is able to change the way you see the world – forever.

It is not surprising that Barney O’Hanlon is an old friend of the Rude Mechs company members and it was Barney who lead a Q&A after The Method Gun on Friday night. All in all – I had such an amazing WTF with y’all!

Special thanks to the Brisbane Powerhouse.

 

Featuring: Thomas Graves, Hannah Kenah, Lana Lesley, Ernesto Jason Liebrecht, Shawn Sides, Heather Hanna

Design: Katey Gilligan (costume), Graham Reynolds (sound/composition), Brian Scott (lighting), Leilah Stewart (scenic)

The Method Gun Q&A: Ernesto Jason Liebrecht, Thomas Graves, Shawn Sides, Barney O’Hanlon, Hannah Kenah, Lana Lesley

zen zen zo actor training: the real week one. it begins.

Cathy Sheargold is vlogging about beginning Zen Zen Zo’s Actor Training. I know I said you would see her updates here on Tuesdays but this has been a crazy week for almost everybody I know. And now it’s Friday?! WTF? (Yes, that continues too, at the Brisbane Powerhouse. Get along and let us know what you see).

Technical probs have prevented me embedding Cathy’s latest vlog here but we’ll remedy that as soon as possible. Having had barely five hours sleep after seeing Summer of the Seventeenth Doll last night, I’m off to morning tea with the QTC peeps, then to the Matisse exhibition (artist’s date), then back to the coast to pick up Poppy from school and leave her with my sister-in-law (thanks, Kellie!), then to La Boite this evening for opening night of As You Like It and THEN to rehearsal in Noosa for Travelling North all weekend. So…yes, as soon as possible. In the meantime, log into your Facebook account and watch it here.

 

UPDATE -

 

 

 

Here’s Cathy’s Ouch That Really Hurts Bingo card. MYO and join the FUN!