short + sweet sunshine coast

SHORT+SWEET BRISBANE+GOLD COAST+SUNSHINE COAST

10 DAYS UNTIL DEADLINE!

 

Submissions for Actors, Directors and Independent Theatre Groups close on May 31st 2012

 

Got a 10 minute play? Sure you do!

 

Simon Denver adapted So, Where Is It? from the original one-act play, which he wrote for a festival in a matter of days after Sam Coward said one day over a few beers, “WHY NOT? WE’RE GOOD AT VIOLENCE.”

The 10 minute version only came about when I received a phone call during rehearsals for our gig at The Sydney Children’s Festival inviting us to submit something to Short + Sweet and Sam said, in the dressing room of the Seymour Centre, “WHY NOT? WE’RE GOOD AT VIOLENCE AND IT’S JUST 10 MINUTES.”

So, Where Is it? won Brett Klease Best Actor at last year’s Sunshine Coast Theatre Festival and the 10 minute version took out 1st place in the Gold Coast & Brisbane Short+Sweet competitions. It then went to Sydney (thanks to some of YOU! THANK YOU!), where it won third place.

With so many one-act play festivals happening across the Sunshine Coast, why not do the same? Or register your 10 minute play from the recent season in Buderim. IT’S JUST 10 MINUTES! YOU CAN DO IT!

You CAN do it. But do you need some help taking the red pen to your script? Register first! Just do it and then let us know! We can help edit and workshop your one-act play down to just 10 minutes or help you find a new script to work on.

Check out the vast collection that the 10 Minute Play Master, Alex Broun, has made available online for FREE.

The Short+Sweet QLD 2012 Brisbane+Gold Coast+Sunshine Coast theatre season runs from 1st August to the 19th August at

The Loft (QUT Creative Industries)

The Arts Centre Gold Coast

Lind Lane Theatre, Nambour

 SAVE THESE DATES

June 16th Director briefing and welcome drinks

 

June 23rd Sunshine Coast auditions

 

June 30th Rehearsals commence

ACTORS, DIRECTORS AND INDEPENDENT COMPANIES REGISTER NOW!

Remember, it all starts with an idea….. 

This one was just so crazy…it worked!

 

A Message from Queenie van de Zandt

If you’re in Sydney for Mother’s Day you may like to get to THIS!

Be quick, it’s almost SOLD OUT!

And a message for Brissie friends before next Friday’s show at the Judith Wright Centre.

Are you on Queenie’s cyber mailing list? You’d better be!

 

Hi Brissie Gang…

Ok – below is the poster with all the low-down on the go-down on Friday. A guy called “Prince” is doing his show on the same night…but he’s only a prince – and I’m a fucking Queen…

On that – because you are on my ‘cyber-mailing list’ you get cheepo tix to my gig…(bet Prince whatever his name is doesn’t do that…). 

So if you mention the word “Prince” when booking your tix – you can get tix at the concession rate instead of paying full price.

I hope to see lots and lots of you there!

Q: What do a woman masturbating in the audience while you’re singing on stage AND getting verbal diarrhoea when meeting Olivia Newton John have in common?

A: THEY BOTH HAPPENED TO QUEENIE VAN DE ZANDT.

Ever since she pulled on her ABBA socks at age eight, Queenie van de Zandt knew she was destined to become a performer (or hairdresser). Her mind, and face, made up, she plunged into the shady world of eisteddfods, speech and drama exams and school musicals. At 18, Queenie finally got her “big break” at a cabaret venue in the theatrical epicentre of… Queanbeyan.

Thus began 21 years of bizarre theatrical experiences ranging from performing on the stages of Asia with some of the great actors of our time, to accidentally pooping herself in a performance of HAIR. Yes ladies and gentlemen, this right regal star of the stage has seen and done it all.

Don’t miss a night of hilarious anecdotes, insightful observations and beautiful songs from one of Australia’s best-loved cabaret and musical theatre stars!

 

 

Short + Sweet comes to the Sunshine Coast

Short + Sweet 2011 Winner Gabe McCarthy

Gold Coast and Brisbane Short + Sweet Winners Brett Klease & Sam Coward

Remember our SRT boys won the Gold Coast and Brisbane competitions?

Remember they came away from the national comp in Sydney in third place?

Should they accept an invite to perform in this year’s Melbourne comp?

This year is your chance to get involved too!

SHORT+SWEET QLD 2012

BRISBANE+GOLD COAST+SUNSHINE COAST

1 AUG – 19 AUG 2012

The Loft (QUT Creative Industries)

Arts Centre Gold Coast

Lind Lane Theatre (Nambour)

Registrations close MAY 30th

Image by Jom Photography

Who can enter Short + Sweet?

INDEPENDENT THEATRE COMPANIES (you can be an established group or just people with a ten minute play idea)

DIRECTORS (established or emerging, choose a script from all over the world, cast it and direct it)

ACTORS (be part of this worldwide festival, auditions announced on June 1)

Short + Sweet believes in the validity of the ten minute theatre form and that ten minute theatre works can stimulate, move and entertain audiences as effectively as longer theatre forms. Through an open call for scripts, general auditions and interviews with directors and Independent Theatre Companies Short + Sweet uses a vigorous merit based process to assemble a season of high quality ten minute theatre which incorporates a broad range of theatrical styles. Through the presentation of these works Short + Sweet aims not only to develop audiences for the ten minute form but to develop audiences for all theatrical forms.

An End To Dreaming

An End To Dreaming

Emma Dean & Jake Diefenbach

Judith Wright Centre

Friday 27th April

Reviewed by Andy Clark

My Favourite Sin(ger)s

Some singers are made to sing together - Emma Dean and Jake Diefenbach are definitely one of these perfect pairings.

I first saw Emma and Jake perform the lead song of their An End to Dreaming show before The Dresden Dolls played The Arena on Valley Fiesta Friday in 2006. That performance was emphasised by the specifically placed members of Zen Zen Zo in the audience, who performed above us, after we were all asked to sit on the floor. The song was a like a multicoloured chrysalis that was beautiful in it’s own way, but is primed for greater things in the future. It was showcased again as their Grand Finale number in 2009 when Emma and Jake did their Downside Up show at The Judith Wright Centre.

Friday night’s performance started with two very young and talented Brisbane singers who may one day be as accomplished as E&J. Pixie and the Halloran intersperse their beautiful songs with simultaneous talking that has been rehearsed to a tee. Dressed like they have just pranced in from the bottom of the garden, these Fairy-like singers bounce off each other’s voices with a lovely balance and only occasionally does the blend of their voices not create a dreamy sense of magic in the heads of the audience. James Halloran’s booming mellow voice dominated their show for me, which is hardly surprising as Indigo (Pixie) is unbelievably, only 16 years old; she is totally enchanting and will be a star before she’s 20.

However, they are but an appetiser for THE Show that is about to be unleashed on the lucky throng. Emma and Jake appear in the middle of The Judy between the tiered seats and the circular tables as if by magic. Cloaked in what look like black capes, they weave their way toward the stage, where their cloaks are seen to be blood red. Their show goes through stages of development from The Darkness with Emma’s song Black to The Light, via The Awakening, The Reckoning and The Healing, with a special moment when they perform the superb Stuck in the Mud.

Jake’s keyboard acrobatics are a sight to behold and he compliments Emma’s piano, violin & melodium. Their voices are very similar and merge and mix with each other so perfectly I hope they perform together forever.

The show climaxes with the 2012 version of An End to Dreaming, which meanders it’s way from deep and dark to spectacular and dramatic and it is a delight to see how this song has evolved into a multilayered, multicoloured butterfly.

Then just when you think it’s all over, they return for an awesome rendition of My Favourite Sins, to cap off an exceptional evening. Next stop for this spectacular show is the New York International Fringe Festival. Maybe the next stop after that should be not Briz Vegas, but Las Vegas?

On Being Mr and Mrs Banks

If you’ve seen Disney & Cam Mack’s Australian production of Mary Poppins, you’ll know there is as much in the show for grown ups as there is for children. It’s an impressive production and if you’re a parent, you’ll get so much from it on so many different levels. We asked Simon Burke and Pippa Grandison about being Mr and Mrs Banks.

Being Mrs Banks

Pippa Grandison

This is the second time you’ve stepped in to take over a role on an Australian stage. In comparison to going green for 6 months of Wicked, what has it been like to become Mrs Banks?

Well, it’s certainly been easier than being painted green! They really are such different roles, so comparison is trcky. I will say that being Mrs Banks has been a very enjoyable journey. Now being a mother on stage as well as in real life has made the transition a natural one.

What is it about being Mrs Banks that you relate to or try to connect with?

Winifred is really the heart of the piece and has so much love for her family. Particularly her husband, throughout his struggle to connect and I love the challenge of maintaining that unconditional caring nature she possesses.

Do you think you will bring a percentage of the Underbelly crowd to the theatre? There’s a demographic who know you now as a nightclub singer! How much of Mary Poppins – a children’s classic – is for the grown ups? 

Well I’m not sure about that! They’ll get a very contrasting lady in Mrs Banks…There is, however, a great deal of pleasure and enjoyment for all ages in Mary Poppins. Most people can relate to a dysfunctional family in need of help.

You have a new Mr Banks in Simon Burke. How has it been to work with Simon after becoming accustomed to Philip Quast’s take on the role?

There is always an adjustment period, particularly when the relationship is such an important one, but it’s been great to find new things together.

How do you connect with the children in the show?

It’s wonderful working with them. All so talented and lovely people. I really feel that being a mum has helped me with that connection too.

How has the experience of having your own child and becoming a mother to Charlie impacted on your approach to your work? As a performer, what is easier, more challenging and more important to you now than it was before? Is there anything that has paled into insignificance?

I’m more confident now for some reason. I still get nervous but my approach no longer has that judgment factor (of myself I mean) so I go to places I may not have before. Life experience is a wonderful thing. Nothing is more important to me than my family and this takes the pressure off.

Ironically, in order to be involved in this production, you required a nanny for Charlie. Did you have any special requirements, as Jane and Michael do?

Indeed. practically perfect is a must. At the moment, her dad is working in Melbourne and her aunty is nannying for us. Janet was there when Charlie was born, so obviously I trust her completely.

What does opening night in a new city mean for you?

It’s very exciting. Brisbane has been particularly enjoyable as it’s really my first opening ad Mrs Banks.

What’s coming up next for you?

I can’t say as yet but I’ll stay with Mary Poppins for a little while yet.

What do you want to see happen in theatre and musical theatre in this country over the next twelve months?

That’s a very specific time frame! Continued support for our local talent, in all departments, and more people interested in coming to the theatre as well as watching the tele!

 

 

Being Mr Banks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simon Burke

Mary Poppins is the first Disney production to come to Brisbane. Is it your first Disney gig? And is this a significant leg of the tour, to return to the city so near the author’s birthplace in Maryborough? 



It’s great to be back in Brisbane after such a long time (my last big show here was CHICAGO first time around back in 2000!) and especially to be part of this wonderful Cameron Mackintosh/Disney hybrid production. I’m sure the spirit of PJ Travers is blowing its way to QPAC when the wind is right…

You’re playing Mr Banks, an arrogant British banker who is a little out of touch with his wife and children until Mary Poppins comes to stay. What was it about this character that appealed to you? What does his journey look like?



George has a fantastically interesting journey and it’s that journey that most appeals to me in the role. From a man who begins the show describing his childhood as “there was no time for hugs and kisses and all that soppy nonsense”, a man who has no time for his wife or kids, a man for whom position and advancement is all that matters, to a man who embraces family life and realises that the precious years he has with his kids before they grow up are the most important thing in his life.

Did you see Philip Quast in the role before you stepped into it? How did you work on developing a character that is your own? 



I worked very closely with the British creatives on my interpretation of George – a very enjoyable and rewarding experience

How has it been to work with Pippa Grandison as Mrs Banks? What have you brought to the show and to each other, in terms of playing the married couple in what must still be perceived as a rather traditional nuclear family?




Pippa and I have a mutual best friend so we’ve known each other for a long time but never worked this closely together before. She brings a real warmth to Winifred and you can certainly believe that she used to be an actress!

What can we learn from this family and their collective journey?



Love is all.

Where does your own journey take you next, with such an expansive career and now a debut solo album and a solo show of the same name (Something About Always), under your belt?



Well – immediately it takes me to Perth with MARY POPPINS after Brisbane – and after that possibly back to London for a while. Having been there for the past 4 years and had such a great time it really seems that living and working in both cities (Sydney and London) would be the ideal.

What would you like to see happen in Australian musical theatre this year?



Musical Theatre seems to be having a boom in Australia at the moment so of course I’d love to see that continue – we have so many fantastically talented performers in this country and I’d love to see them all in work!

 

Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness

An Interview with actor, Lindsay Farris

Lindsay Farris. Photo by Al Caeiro

Can you tell us a bit about this amazing show and your role in it?

Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness is an ‘amazing’ work in the very sense of the word. It is a play that really opens up the imagination through theatrically immersive storytelling in both naturalistic and surrealistic territories. To delve into those places of heightened narrative headfirst, as audiences and artistic collaborators, I think is something really spectacular, frequently hilarious and intensely thought provoking. I play Nicholas Ludd, the revolutionary new wave theatrical realist who acts as a counterpoint for much of the main narrative, whilst also acting as an enabler for scenes that depart into heightened theatricality.

Brisbane audiences are very excited about the Romance Was Born designed costumes, which are crucial to the show. Has the design of the costumes had an impact on the way you’ve approached character development or the telling of the tale? Did characters inform any of the costume designs? 

We were very fortunate that, pretty much since day one of rehearsals, we were given the opportunity to work with our costumes. Costuming is something that is usually left until well into the rehearsal process, or even a few days before opening, so it was a real gift to have their ideas since day dot. We had opportunities early on to engage with the design process as part of a workshop where we essentially let our imaginations run wild with the text and the worlds we might explore, and Romance Was Born and Renée Mulder have been incredible vessels for getting the play off the page and into the world. In such an imaginative piece of writing, any physical actualisation of those ideas as part of wardrobe, props or set design makes the process really exciting in seeing those ideas realised by another collaborator’s vision. I think the artists and designers inform each other, but the base work always comes from the script.

Lindsay Farris, Sarah Goodes. Photo by Al Caeiro

You’ve done so much now on screen, what is it about the theatre that keeps bringing you back to the stage?

I don’t ever really feel like I left! I’ve been working professionally on stage for about eleven years now, starting with a tour of the UK with the NSW State Drama Company. My creative engine room came from the theatre. The experiment that is a rehearsal process allows the discovery and exploration of a world of ideas that are then refined and transformed into a communion with an audience. It’s a real gift to be part of a storytelling process on screen, but even more so when you’re there in person to do it on stage.

Has the rehearsal process been particularly different or difficult in any way? Can you tell us about working with this cast and with Director, Sarah Goodes?

As I mentioned, it’s been really great to have a lot of the design with us since the first day of rehearsals, which has been a nice change from the usual. I think our real challenge in the rehearsal period has just been to set free the myriad ideas that are explored in the amazing feats. I think that’s all a rehearsal process ever is: to release and refine story in ways that are accessible, challenging, thought-provoking and invigorating. Sarah and the cast are incredible, and every day I really look forward to being part of such an awesome group of collaborators. I think one of the most challenging components for me so far has been to try and learn the accordion for the show. I hadn’t picked one up before rehearsals started, and we had a moment that went something like: “I reckon this bit would sound great on the accordion,” so we got one!

Artistic Director of La Boite, David Berthold, has said he finds this production “fantastically invigorating”. How do you think Brisbane audiences will respond?

 I think that this play asks that an audience open their hearts and minds to a world of imagination. It’s the sort of play that you experience and have an immediate relationship to. All of the people I know that have read it have felt invigorated in some way, and to see it in action with two exceptional theatre companies uniting is an opportunity to be in the theatre when it is at its least boring and most thought-provoking.

Emily Tomlins and Lindsay Farris. Photo by Al Caeiro

You created the National Youth Theatre Company (NYTC) to nurture young performing arts talent and give them a head start in the industry. Can you tell us how the company is going and what immediate and long-term plans you have for it?

NYTC is currently completing a documentary on young actors, as part of its most recent production season. It’s a pretty incredible project being filmed by Sunny Abberton (Bra Boys) that involves about 70 actors, over 150 staff and a team of incredible creatives that brought our most recent production to life. NYTC regularly offer development opportunities for regional and metropolitan people under the age of 25, most of which are designed to develop skills set for acting, creating and producing their own works. We have spent a lot of time this year developing relationships with a number of companies in Los Angeles and India for co-productions and representation and development for our artists.

We have been really fortunate in that NYTC has been incredibly well received by the theatrical, youth and education communities in seeking to develop emerging Australian artists. The next evolution of NYTC will see further expansion into QLD and the NT, as well as the development of some really exciting projects for cultural development in regional communities.

What advice do you have for Brisbane actors wanting to make it in our theatre and film industries?

I think that the sheer drive to tell accessible stories, and to tell them well, intrinsically sums up making work happen in theatre and film. The drive to tell stories means that limitations in work opportunities are always secondary to the ability to create work and learn new ways to create stories. Sustenance in this industry comes from the journey as much as the arriving.

What’s next for you?

I have a book that is finally on the verge of completion called A young actor’s guide to becoming a Wanker. My editor called me the other week and asked for the next draft, so getting that submitted is my next project. Following that I have a production and development season with the National Youth Theatre Company, with a few other projects penciled in for the end of the year, so once they’ve wrapped maybe a little bit of a rest somewhere sunny?

Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness La Boite season 14 May – 12 June Bookings laboite.com.au

Woodford and The Big Wet

Wow. Woodford Folk Festival happened so long ago! And we thought it was SO wet! Well, SO much has happened since then and I’ve not told you anything here! I have honestly  felt too exhausted to write anything outside of the social networks. That’s right. It seems I have managed quite a number of 140 character updates and not much more. Oh, sure; there were the first couple of reviews for Briztix but that’s all.

Exhausted is not the best way to begin a new year…

But it was a great way to finish today.

Today, we did our daily pick-up from The Chopping Block in Buderim, of all the things that had been donated since yesterday, by the beautiful people of The Sunshine Coast. Our immediate region has suffered very little in the recent floods and the peeps here have had a lot to give to those less fortunate. In fact, Queenslanders generally, have been so generous that the evac centres and many of the charities have had to ask that people offer no more donations of clothes! I can only assume that this is because they have made space for people and not for their Carrie-esque closets of clothes, which is entirely possible to imagine, given the masses of clothes going begging all over this water-logged state. We all understand how vital it is to donate dollars so we’ve all done that: online, at our preferred grocery store and everywhere else as well but so many peeps feel the need to do more. Maybe they feel the need to make it a more personal effort. Or maybe they missed their Spring Clean and figure they should seize the opportunity to cull their wardrobes and linen cupboards!

We seized the opportunity here, to put together a heap of care packs, which local dance teacher, Lea-anne Grevatt, named Happy Packs. It’s not a new idea (we did a similar thing for the Victorian Bushfire relief effort) but it’s a great one and I loved the new name and the whole idea; to send some flood affected families a few “treats” as well as essentials, that would make their life a little easier and a little brighter. We even covered the first 20 packs in shiny giftwrap!

Still, it has baffled me that people have had to ask, “What do they need?” My reply has been the same to everybody. If YOU lost everything, what would YOU need? That’s right. EVERYTHING! Well, eventually; everything you had before (although it’s always amazing to realise just how little it’s possible for us to live with, isn’t it)? I wonder if people who have lost their homes and all their belongings turn very zen or if they become hoarders…I guess everybody responds completely differently.

Friends, family members and complete strangers have given lots of essential items and “extras” over the last few days so we have been able to pack and send off more than 100 Happy Packs to places like the Bremer River, Murphy’s Creek, Theodore, Ipswich and the Lockyer Valley. If you know somebody in an area that is now accessible, who could do with a few packs, let Lea-anne or myself know. We’ll be happy to find a way to get them there. It’s really great to start hearing now that they are being received by those who most need a bit of a lift…

Just heard from my friend who delivered the Happy Packs to families in need in Ipswich. Thank you so much to Lea-anne Grevett and all the wonderful people on the Sunshine Coast who have donated to these packs. The Red Cross have said this morning that donations of toiletries and food are really needed in the Ipswich area. Families have lost everything and have no income for these necessities. The families who received the packs were over whelmed that people from so far away cared enough to help.

Whatever it is that inspires us and motivates us to give, it means that there are all sorts of goods just waiting to be given! People everywhere are collecting stuff and delivering it to those in need. Jane, in Chancellor Park, is sending a truck to do round trips, with the masses of stuff that has been delivered to her collection centre. Some have set up their own forums or databases online, in order to match up items with people. This requires enormous commitment and organisation! Tracie is doing an amazing job just via Facebook, with her own little charity for Brisbane (Brisvegas – Brisvenice – Brislantis), the Stuff You Then – Suburban Friends Helping Flood Affected Families Facebook page! She set it up in direct response to the NO MORE CLOTHES plea from local charity groups. They simply need more time and space to sort and send off donations. She (and her “Stuff You Then Angels”) have both to offer.

So we’ll get back to Woodford another time. The same Woodfordian qualities have been exhibited by Queenslanders everywhere, in the aftermath of the flood disaster. The same enthusiasm, energy, spirit and simple joy in offering whatever they have to give and, since yesterday, the quiet pride working alongside one another to get a tough job done.

Today XS Entertainment moved mud and sludge out of Drift, a river restaurant and cabaret venue that I have mentioned in previous posts, and we also pulled up floors that cannot be salvaged. In fact, barely anything can be salvaged, as the river rose almost to obscure it and has left only destruction in its wake. And tins of coconut milk. And most of the grog intact! And the crockery that was once pristine white. Today, it was difficult at first, to tell what a lot of the stuff was, so covered in mud was most of it! But many (I’m guessing about 200) friends and fans of the venue turned up in their wellies, with brooms and mops and buckets and shovels at the ready, to help begin the big clean up.

Being a part of that selfless group of vollies today has restored my faith in humanity. It’s heartbreaking to see the damage that has occurred but so heartening to see how many people care enough to get out of their own home to help others re-build their businesses and their lives. We saw it everywhere, including right through Auchenflower and Toowong because traffic was gridlocked due to so many road closures and we were forced to take the scenic route in order to get to the restaurant!

Volunteers will be back there (and at other venues and at other businesses and at other homes) tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day. And for many days, weeks and months to come. It’s been noted several times now, in the media and across the social networks, that the volunteering cannot stop. Those affected by the floods will need our help for months and month…so find a way to help – any way to help – and keep helping.

We will be re-building fences in Dayboro tomorrow and we will be back at Drift on Monday. We will keep packing and delivering Happy Packs just as long as people keep donating goods…in fact, our headquarters are about to move to a larger, air-conditioned space with new, energetic helpers!

How lucky are we?!

Dayboro floods

Dayboro after floods

The New Dead: Medea Material

I saw 3 shows on the weekend so I’ll tell you a bit about each one, over two posts. If I tell you a lot about any one of them, I will come across as being completely impossible to please. Wait. Too late?!

The truth is I am more easily pleased than you would think.

If a production delivers all it has promised to deliver, I’m a happy camper (and by “promised” I mean promised by the media too, inclusive of press releases and the early/out-of-town reviews. And by “camper” I mean theatre-goer, except when, once annually, I actually mean “camper”; the Woodford Folk Festival variety). If not, that is if it doesn’t deliver, I have to wonder why not.

For example, the show I saw on Friday night at La Boite – the last show of their Indie season this year – failed to deliver, despite being touted as one of the must see shows of 2010. In Brisbane, at least. And it should be noted that The New Dead: Medea Material came to Brisbane after seasons at NIDA (2009) and the Adelaide Fringe Festival (2010).

Kat Henry, Director and Artistic Director of Stella Electrika, has an impressive body of work behind her and a whole host of exciting projects ahead of her. I had (very) high expectations of her show.

Heiner Muller‘s text is extraordinary. I wanted to hear it more clearly and react to it more extremely. I wanted to be shocked and horrified and, well…SHOCKED. But there was all this stuff that got in the way of me feeling anything much besides a kind of fascination in the result of the creative process.

We know the story. The story is shocking. It was entirely appropriate to tell the story through a combination of electro-rock-pop-or-something, theatre and dance. It felt like there were many tricks tried and many attempts made to shock –  in fact, just about every device known to theatrical mankind was used, though rarely to great effect. The anime porn, for example, flickering across the screen, was a distraction and what’s more, it was completely superfluous. Guy Webster and Kimie Tsukakoshi had already demonstrated their ability to morph into dancers and I was baffled as to why, as opposed to sitting still and posing, locking eyes only, while the anime figures onscreen made a mockery of their passionate gaze, they did not use their bodies in some Matrix-cum-Karma Sutra inspired porn piece! Was that just me?

For Lucinda Shaw, despite her apparent energy, the show seemed to start half way through it, with the commencement of her stand-up routine. Even then, she took a moment to settle into the accent and never seemed to quite settle into the routine. It was a clever device that didn’t quite work because she appeared to be uncomfortable in it. In fact, she appeared to me, to be uncomfortable from the beginning of the show, with her anxious, frustrated scratching and scoffing of corn chips. In class, I refer to this style as “anxious, frustrated acting” (Julia Roberts’ name often comes up at this point) and I challenge actors to find a more organic, interesting state of being. Interestingly, this role was played originally by Emma Dean.

I loved that Kimmie’s role required her to skate (though, for what purpose, across the space to start? To show us that she could skate?) and dance around a pole a bit BUT – and it’s the same point – why include it if it can’t be convincingly used? USE the pole! The routine was lackluster, underestimating (I’m betting) Kimmie’s ability. Regardless, if Jason were the man I thought him to be (no, not Bernie from Powderfinger, though you would be forgiven for thinking so), he would have left the drum kit for dust and fucked her right then and there on the floor. I’m sorry but there it is. Or was…not. SHOCK VALUE.

The device that really worked for me was the video footage (captured by Alex Duffy) during the final moments of the show, it’s an oldie but a goodie; it made the final horror all the more horrifying. Truly chilling, as it ought to be. Now, THAT is the kind of challenging theatre I had been expecting to see – and feel – all night.  That reminds me…watching Guy watching the screen at this point and earlier, watching him watching Kimmie across the space, we saw his best work; he was focused, connected and he was real and vulnerable.

In short, I didn’t feel that the characters were completely developed, nor that they had any real or lasting connection with each other. Having said that, all three actors are clearly multi-talented and did well to wade through all of the excess, all of the tricks…I’ve even thought of Barnum since.

The clever ideas in this production were like red weed, growing and spreading uncontrollably over everything that was good underneath. I wanted to see more of the good, organic stuff. I wanted to see a selection of the devices used to enhance the text, rather than distract from it.

Get Threaded

You may not be familiar with this term. I would like to say I coined it but I know, even before conferring with my good friend, Google, that that would be an outrageous lie. And, anyway, just look at what my good friend Google did find:

Indeed! A local business called…Get Threaded! You can take a look for yourself. N.B. This is NOT where I first experienced the ancient art of threading however, this IS where I’ll be going to from now on because Chermside’s Wink Bar is too pink for me and too far to visit every 4-6 weeks. I will say that it was pretty-pink-convenient to walk by, realise what was going on, walk on into without having made an appointment, and be treated with threading and a tint in just under 12 minutes, between the purchases of Wittner shoes and a Veronika Maine LBD. Look, a girl needs to put her feet up during such a spree and every seat was taken at Shingle Inn…

Also because my extensive research showed 6 mutual friends on Facebook – that’s 6 degrees of separation, kids – between me and Get Threaded,  I thought, “It’s a siiiiiiiiiiiign…

In case you didn’t click on that link right there, here is the NBC story that helped spread the craze in the states. Incidentally, because I know there is NO craze without Oprah’s say-so, I looked for a clip from her show…and it seems there is an opportunity for somebody there…

 

 

Now when I look for my nearest practitioner, I find that these guys are suddenly EVERYWHERE

 

 

This is really important. It’s something your mother probably told you. If not your mother, your best friend or agent or photographer. I should mention that Kurt Sneddon has never offered any tips about brows to me personally but he is acknowledged, when it comes to headshots, as the best in the business and so it goes without saying that if you’re an actor requiring new headshots, which I am, you will do the courtesy of prepping your brows, which I am doing. Only then, will you be truly ready for your close-up, which I will have to be (because it’s booked now) for the 8th of December!

The eyes may be the windows to the soul but the brows frame them. Put simply, if you are in the public eye then you had better have great shaped brows.

Not to mention, it’s not really ever acceptable to sit down to Christmas dinner sporting the unkempt kind. Not even in Australia. Just saying. I mean, you have probably done enough this year already to offend the family.

Below are some examples of undesirable eyebrow shapes. Tragically, there are many more. In fact, there are LISTS of Best and Worst Celebrity Brows. Well, of course there are! In order that we mortals might know better. Try to avoid the following styles or any variations thereof.

 

UNDESIRABLE NO 1

UNDESIRABLE NO 2

 

UNDESIRABLE NO 3

Also, try to avoid pretty much everything you see next. It just won’t work…for you. Miranda Sings has a unique style and though many have tried, there is no one else in the world who can pull it off. Haters, back off. I happen to be a big fan.

 

 

As you can see, eyebrows are difficult to tame. And even more difficult to maintain. In fact, if you’ve ever seen me, or a picture of me, you would know that to be true. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten it quite right. But I’ll tell you one thing…actually, I’ll tell you two things:

1. Apparently, threading was conceived by some ingenious Indian women who did not want to use wax on their sensitive skin. It’s a valid point. After centuries, it’s becoming a growing global trend. It’s efficient, its painless, it’s novel and neat. You should try it.
2. If you do not heed this advice and instead, insist on plucking and ruining your brows (or worse, entrusting them to one who has not yet achieved – and, I dare say, never will – the illustrious title of Eyebrow Designer or Eyebrow Architect), you’d better have a bloody good hairdresser. The fringe will always be in for those with undesirable brows.

To read more about threading, keep an eye (brow) on Nikki Parkinson’s blog Styling You. She tells me she is getting threaded on Friday…

The Second Coming

That’s right. Jesus Christ Superstar is returning. To QPAC. In February. The extended promo (below) is super cool and certainly has the desired effect – it makes even me want to see it again – it is just so super COOL, you know? Who wouldn’t want to see it (whether for the first or second time and indulge – again – in the discussions about it afterwards)?!

If I can be sure that Harvest Rain will rock it up another notch or two, rough up (do I mean rough up? Not really, I mean…complicate) a few of the relationships, sort out Judas’s death and smooth over the story-within-a-story glitch, I might just do that. I love seeing STUFF at all stages of the creative process and this stuff is no different. While there is a place for (and a huge responsibility in) honouring original productions and giving the people more of what they love (hmmm…I’m lookin’  at YOU West Side Story), Harvest Rain are well aware that there is a large percentage of the population who want to see them continue to raise the bar as a leader in Brisbane’s musical theatre scene and I feel sure, with their triple-threat training and bringing-in-the-big-guns roll call (no pun intended so close your mouths, fans of Mr Strike’s big guns) they are up to the challenge!

You’d better book early, folks, for this season (3rd-13th February 2011); the groupies and skeptics alike will be back to see this one!