Travelling North

Travelling North

Noosa Arts Theatre

 4th April – 21^st April

Reviewed by Mel White

I am a big fan of David Williamson:  he is one of Australia’s most enduring playwrights and I always find the content of his plays socially relevant.  In saying this, I have always maintained that undertaking a David Williamson play is a real challenge:  he is renowned for his political undertones found within a highly verbose text that investigates the ugly side of human nature and it is this verbosity that presents the challenge for any director.  How do you make so much dialogue interesting to watch! So it was with great interest (and morbid curiosity) that I went to see one of Williamson’s self-confessed favourites, Travelling North, which ran for three sell-out weeks at Noosa Arts Theatre.  Directed by Steven Tandy, this latest re-incarnation of Williamson’s classic struggles to make the dialogue interesting to watch.

Williamson’s plays focus heavily on human interrelationships and the complexities that come with them, and Travelling North is no exception.

The play revolves around themes of aging and obligations.  Main characters Frank and Frances have a twilight love affair and travel north to find a new life together away from burdensome family obligations.  Their escape is short lived, however, when Frances’ family issues and Frank’s ill health intrude on their idyll.  Whilst the content of this play is still highly relevant in today’s society, Tandy’s presentation of it is a little stale for my liking.

The action of the play is mostly limited to three locations:  Frank and Frances’ holiday getaway positioned at stage right; Helen’s (Frances’ daughter) house situated at upstage left and Saul’s surgery, cleverly divided by the mid-curtain, at downstage left. The use of set to represent these 3 locations enhances the realistic nature of the play and is well designed by George Courtney (Set Designer).  Scenic painter, Lyn Roberts, brings the northern idyll to life at stage right, with vibrant colours and a realistic depiction of a countryside view, whilst the chilly climes of Melbourne and Helen’s troubled personal life are simultaneously symbolised through the saddening blue hue of the walls of Helen’s house (at upstage left), coupled with a sterile, lacklustre decoration.  The set certainly presents a successful interpretation of time and place, offering the actors an effective springboard to bring the themes of the play to life. However, it feels as though Tandy’s direction of his actors within this hopeful set is lacking and this leads to the play’s downfall.

Actor movement within the set is somewhat limited and this renders Williamson’s work stagnant. Whilst this limited movement works well for the elderly characters of Frank and Frances (and is essential for the scenes where Frank’s health is rapidly deteriorating), this slowed tempo is applied throughout the whole play.  Tandy fails to recognise the much-needed changes in tempo and pace and this is particularly evident in the scenes involving Helen and Sophie.  Williamson appears to include these younger characters in his text to give a lift to the pensioner pace of the driving narrative: it’s a clever insertion by Williamson upon which Tandy fails to capitalise.

I found Xanthe Coward, as Sophie, to be completely under-utilised in this production.  As the lighter character, Sophie presents as pseudo comic relief from the unbearably self-absorbed Helen: she provides a softer edge to contrast Helen’s brashness.  Additionally, Sophie’s youthfulness and calm demeanour provide further contrast against the aging and petulant Frank.  She provides themes of hope and renewal to counteract the somewhat depressing themes of aging and inevitable death but Tandy’s direction does not allow for this counteraction.  He positions Coward awkwardly within in the set in most of her scenes; no more is this evident than in the scene where Sophie, Frances and Helen are in Helen’s living room, discussing Frances’ impending journey northbound.  Sophie and Helen verbalise their concerns regarding Frances’ departure yet Coward sits almost facing full front, with her back to the discussion, giving the appearance of disinterest, when in fact the dialogue suggests otherwise.

This genre of awkward positioning again presents itself when Sophie herself travels north to introduce her mother to the new addition in Sophie’s life:  her baby.  The scene is quite short but is nonetheless rendered useless by an obvious lack of direction, as Coward stands overlooking the baby’s bassinette, with next to no movement.  This lack of movement also spills over in the direction of Andree Stark in the role of Helen.

“Travelling North” is Stark’s debut as an actor and whilst it would be easy to place blame on her lack of stage experience, I firmly believe she has not been directed properly to really tease out her potential in this role.  Similarly to Coward, for a character that demands attention, Stark’s movement around the stage space is limited.  Helen is a very assertive and self-absorbed character but she also carries the continual sub-text of a deteriorating personal life.  Tandy does not effectively highlight this bubbling sub-narrative of a Sophie’s collapsing marriage, evident within Stark’s acting.  Her movement and gesture are too infrequent to suggest an inner turmoil and she is often presented much like a “talking head” – standing still on stage whilst delivering her dialogue.  For someone with such expansive theatre experience, Tandy should know better.

It is his lack of direction with these two, fine actors that really lets Williamson’s work down in this production.

The remaining actors in this production do a fine job in portraying their characters but I do feel that some of these actors are falling into the typecast category.  Tim Murfin is his usual superb self with his portrayal of the pontificating Frank, however; I feel that I have seen this performance many times before.  Stephen Moore, in the role of Saul, provides the much-needed comic relief and he certainly utilises his facial expression to its full potential to show his exasperation with Frank.  I did find, however, that Moore’s accent wavered from time to time.

Overall, Noosa Arts’ production of Travelling North appeals to older audiences who appreciate classic Williamson and will, no doubt, identify with the content.  However, I feel that director Steven Tandy fails in effectively bringing that content to life in an interesting way.  It’s a little too stale and slow-going for a more contemporary audience.

on audiences

Source: The Guardian

Mum and Dad came to see the show last night. That’s right. On Good Friday. There was no bar due to licensing laws. So it was a very quiet audience. I told them after the show that they were a very quiet audience. I joked that they could have done with a drink before the show because, at first, we weren’t even sure they were out there.

Travelling North is not a comedy but we were beginning to get used to quite a few laughs since the preview on Monday night. David Williamson’s writing is witty and the characters are funny because we recognise them (and their flaws). Without being a comedy it can be quite a comical play.

My parents don’t usually see my shows because they typically book international flights during the week leading up to opening night. I know. I know how it looks. I’m sure it’s not a calculated gesture, it’s just a terrible error, which has, admittedly, happened several times. They once flew out of the country the day before opening night and returned to drive back to the coast from Brisbane International, only just catching the closing night of La Ronde in Mooloolaba (I miss doing a show in a shop! Nathanael Cooper missed it too so that link is his review of Erotique, which you’ll see is happening again NEXT)! This indicates that they don’t always mean to double-book. Or that they finally felt bad enough to make sure they got there.

Their feedback after the show last night? All positive. They enjoyed the lighter moments that came from the daughters’ involvement/interference (Andree, Julia and I). Remember, we didn’t have drinks so any criticism will come up at a later date, I’m sure! Mum’s comment was that the whole thing was “a little too close to the bone.” She was clearly affected. My grandparents in Toowoomba both have their problems at the moment and she and her sister have taken turns to care for them, particularly for my grandpa, for years. As is always the case in a Williamson, the reality of the situation hits home pretty hard if you’ve been there yourself. Of course, every single person in that audience will have had a different response to the story. Each audience is unique, in their reactions and in what they take away from the experience. They’ve all come from right out of their own stories and into the theatre having had a good, bad, great or indifferent day. And they must all go home to their own stories. In between, there is a little bit of magic that we can offer. I love when an audience surrenders to the magic. You can hear it, feel it; that moment when most of them have let go and melted into our world, happily (or even reluctantly) leaving theirs behind for a little while. That’s when, backstage, we look at each other and smile: “Got ‘em!” (I’ve noticed, at Noosa Arts Theatre, the FOH volunteers really do look after their audience too. It’s all part of the experience, part of the magic).

Keep an eye out here for Mel White’s review of our production of Travelling North. I haven’t spoken with her. I don’t know what she thought of the show. I guess we’ll see. However, you’re unlikely to see any more arts space in the local rag (I was bemused to see a Bundaberg story in there today, despite them knowing that our boys won third place at the Sydney Short + Sweet Finals) and now that The Weekender is gone, you’re just going to have to get online more often to find out what’s happening at your local theatres. Follow this blog, follow us on Twitter, find us on Facebook and check out livetheatre.com.au to keep up with Sunshine Coast theatre. Don’t miss any of the magic!

Due to demand, an extra performance of Travelling North has been scheduled for

Wednesday April 18th.

david hawkins brings ben vereen

OMIGOD! The most exciting news all day!

David Hawkins, of Showtune Productions, is bringing the legendary Tony Award winning song and dance man

BEN VEREEN

to Australia in June! *screams*

Now, it’s unlikely that I’ll get to travel south to see him live, due to all the Travelling North I’m doing at the moment, followed by our commitment to the Noosa Longweekend (full program released on May 1st), but in case you’re able to go, here are the delicious details.

BEN VEREEN in

STEPPIN’ OUT LIVE WITH BEN VEREEN

22 JUNE 2012
FESTIVAL THEATRE,
ADELAIDE CABARET FESTIVAL

23 JUNE 2012
ATHENAEUM THEATRE, MELBOURNE or PH 13 2849

28 JUNE 2012
PARADE THEATRE – NIDA, SYDNEY or PH 13 2849

A true legend of Broadway, Ben Vereen will be Steppin’ Out with a unique blend of artistry combining a journey of his amazing career on Broadway, and paying tribute to Frank Sinatra, and Sammy Davis Jr. Each performance is filled with song and dance, stories of his life, and a great deal of humour.

Tony Award winner for his role in Pippin, Vereen has appeared on Broadway in Wicked, Fosse, Chicago, Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair, Grind, Jelly’s Last Jam, A Christmas Carol and I’m Not Rappaport. Vereen’s film credits include Bob Fosse’s classics Sweet Charity and All That Jazz and Barbara Streisand’s Funny Lady. Vereen starred as ‘Chicken George’ in the 7 Emmy Award winning mini-series Rootsas ‘Chiken George’, other TV appearances include How I Met Your Mother, Grey’s Anatomy, Law and Order: CI, OZ, Touched By An Angel, Second Noah, New York Undercover, The Nanny, and Star Trek – The Next Generation.

Well, when I read the news on Facebook today during our tech run, I exclaimed out loud something a little more Legally Blonde than Travelling North like, “OMIGOD! YOU GUYS! BEN VEREEN!” And Julia, who plays Frank’s daughter, Joan (Andrea Moor played the role in the film), was just as excited as I was and that was so excited that we started singing PIPPIN. And by singing PIPPIN I mean dancing around the new dressing room, singing the opening number at the top of our voices. Andree, who makes her stage debut as Helen, just stared. Clearly, we should have been running lines. But look, you can never have too much PIPPIN. It stays with you. I was Fastrada when I was fifteen…

Fastrada costume (sans character shoes) by Mum. Taken on location at the Stringybark Road residence.

And our Pippin? Well, he’s also gone onto bigger and better things!

Look for him on stage at  the Olivier Awards, performing with the UK touring company of South Pacific!

Our Pippin, Lawrence Carmichael, with Director, Ian Austin in 1990

Hello, Sailor! South Pacific 2012

Meanwhile, you’ve booked your Ben Vereen tickets, haven’t you?

If you’re not booking them right away you’ll miss out!

And if you manage to get hold of a couple of extra tickets for Sydney on the 28th (we’re at the Noosa Longweekend until then) let me know! Seeing Ben Vereen as the Leading Player in PIPPIN (on VHS) changed my life a little bit . Imagine what it will be like to see this legend perform LIVE! This is what the independent producers do – well, this is what we’ve noticed David Hawkins does – he brings out the entertainers who will change your life.

 

 

travelling north in noosa

Noosa Arts Theatre’s production of David Williamson’s Travelling North, directed by Steven Tandy, opens…

TOO SOON! YIKES!

Actually, it’s looking okay (tech weekend coming up!) and, considering the Gala Opening Night, which will be attended by David and Kristen Williamson,  is completely sold out and ticket sales for the season are way ahead of where they were for Influence last year (a sell-out season), you’d better get in quickly and book or you’ll miss out on the show and seeing it in the newly renovated theatre. I’m lucky there was a seat for Sam – the last one for Opening Night – I was almost divorced. Why he can’t be responsible for booking his own ticket when I’m busy concentrating on lines and shoes and props, I don’t know.

 

 

Travelling North will be the first production in the newly refurbished Noosa Arts Theatre. It’s appropriate that this play should be chosen because it’s one of the best loved plays by the patron of Noosa Arts Theatre, David Williamson.

Many will have seen the delightful film version of this play starring Leo McKern (Rumpole of the Bailey), Julie Blake (Bed of Roses), Henri Szeps (Mother & Son) and Graham Kennedy. Andrea Moor, Sydney bred and now based in Brisbane, appears as Frank’s daughter, Joan.

One of the central themes of this play will resonate with many who have “travelled north” to seek a better live in beautiful warm surroundings but who still have family obligations, which often take us away from their cherished retirement retreat.  Also, ill health can shatter our dreams of an easy life.  How do we struggle to balance family obligations with personal desires and should we keep promises when circumstances change?

The main characters, Frank & Frances, have a twilight love affair and travel north to find a new life together, away from burdensome family obligations.  Their escape is short lived when family issues and ill health intrude on their idyll.

To summarise – this is a beautifully written play that has at its centre, two wonderfully drawn characters dealing with the complexities of their lives and their relationships. Frank and Frances demand the right to live a life not defined by their children. This is David Williamson in top form with sharp, spiky and witty dialogue in abundance and themes that are at the heart of all our lives, particularly as we get older.

This play will be directed by Steven Tandy, who is best known for playing Tom Sullivan in the hit TV series The Sullivans.  He is an experienced director, having directed many plays in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Performances:

• Gala Fund-Raising First Night – APRIL 4 – all tickets $50 (includes drink on arrival and light supper at interval with David and Kristin Williamson)
• Evenings APRIL 5, 6 (Good Friday – no bar), 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21 at 7.30pm
• Matinees APRIL 8 (Easter Sunday) and 15 at 2pm

Ticket Prices:

• Gala First Night (April 4) - all tickets $50 SOLD OUT
• Adults $26
• Concessions $22
• Members and Groups* $20
• Children (U13) $15

Bookings:

• Phone sales- 5449 9343, Monday to Saturday, 9am to noon from March 10
• Online – click here

---

*Groups are defined as 10 or more people, please phone (07) 5449 9343 to organise.

To book the wheelchair access seat, please phone (07) 5449 9343

 

 

 

 

Wish I’d Said That

I had to send Stephen Moore to see Henri Szeps in Wish I’d Said That because Szeps played the role of the doctor in the film of David Williamson’s Travelling North and Stephen’s currently playing the role of the doctor in Noosa Arts Theatre’s production of Travelling North! David and Kristen will attend the Gala Opening Night, which is already SOLD OUT! Such is the reputation of Noosa Arts Theatre and the love on the Sunshine Coast for David’s work.

Wish I’d Said That

Playwright and director:  HENRI SZEPS

Producer:  WILDIE CREATIVE ENTERPRISES

Technical Stage Manager:  RUSSELL JONES

Designer:  GRAHAM MACLEAN

Lighting Designer:  SCOTT ALLAN

Music accompaniment:  MICHAEL BARTOLOMEI

QUT Gardens Theatre on March 3 (1 hour 40 minutes, no interval).

The world according to Henri. Acting 101a by Henri.

These two worlds collided in Henri Szeps’ latest one man show (his third self-penned following I’m Not a Dentist and Why Kids?).  Best known as the dentist brother in Mother and Son, or perhaps as the doctor in Travelling North, Henri has a long career on stage and in film which has won him a Helpmann Award and a Penguin Award.  As Henri says in the program notes: “I’m a character actor.  That’s what I do best.  I wanted something to show off in, do my best party pieces in, tell my best showbiz gags in.  But I also wanted to touch on the triumps and failures we all endure, and share the perspectives we gain through simply surviving on this wonderful planet for a long time.”

The premise is that an old actor has ended up in a retirement village and, as his contribution to the cultural life of the residents, he would do a ‘show’ for them as part of the regular entertainment.  In Henri’s opinion, speaking as himself is very limiting and that he is much more honest if he is playing someone else – and so Joe Bleakley is born.  The show sees this character reheasing in his unit and we learn all about his life and almost-career.

So there are some of the great speeches and characters from life, stage and literature, the roles that the failed actor, Joe, would have loved to play, but due to a lack of tact and political savvy, was never afforded the opportunity.  There are also some wonderful stories and cracking one-liners and even a smattering of songs; but it’s not all ‘beer and skittles’ as Joe reveals some regrets about his personal life.

And that’s where we get into philosphical deliberations – the world according to Henri.

Another point made in the program notes is “write what you know”, and so we get a couple of tips on acting; which Henri also did in Why Kid’s.

For me, it became a bit aimless and rambling, or maybe that was what Henri was trying to say – as you get older your thoughts become scattered.  My problem with that is that the evening progressed with very little rising action and not much of a climax, it didn’t build to anything as it chopped and changed from scene to anecdote to confession of past sins and failings.  Certainly there were moments of wonderful theatrics or emotion, beautiful pieces beautifully presented, but they didn’t knit together into a whole.

One of the acting points he makes is that audiences want to see a fully fleshed character, not a well rehearsed actor, but I’m afraid all I saw was a well rehearsed actor plying his trade and producing all the effects he can.

His ability to hold an audience, his timing are not in question in this production – as witnessed by the rousing ovation by the large number of people at this performance.  Henri gets to show off and do his party pieces, and it is entertaining.  The material chosen was first rate and wide ranging.  The set and props, simple and effective, and particularly well complemented by the lighting design.  But, it wasn’t satisfying.

The issue of honesty in performance, or the lack thereof, was highlighted by the repeated ‘attempts’ to sing The Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha before Henri breaks down in tears, until the finale, when the it was sung through with a less than stirring voice.

All the ingredients, but not the recipe.

summer of the seventeenth doll opens thursday!

How excitement! This revival, the national touring production of Ray Lawler’s classic 1950′s play, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, directed by Neil Armfield and starring Robyn Nevin, with whom I once shared the stage in Noosa, opens at QPAC in Brisbane on Thursday.

QTC’s season opener is one of Australia’s most iconic, pivotal plays; a pillar of Australian theatre and a story which has been lauded for 50 years. “Times have changed but the characters still come through,” says 90 year old playwright, Ray Lawler.

The Doll premiered in 1955, at the Union Theatre in Melbourne (where Lawler was Manager at the time) and following a successful Sydney season, toured the West End and Broadway, where it ran for 5 weeks after Lawler refused to change any of the “Australianisms”, which would have made the play more accessible in the American market. Little wonder that Lawler has never watched the British-Australian 1959 film version, re-titled Season of Passion for its American release.

Queensland Theatre Company last staged the Doll at the SGIO Theatre in August 1974. Directed by Joe MacColum, the cast included Diane Berryman  as Bubba, Kate Wilson as Pearl, Suzanne Roylance as Olive, Hazel Howson as Emma, Douglas Hedge as Barney, Frank Gallacher as Roo and Terry Brady as Johnnie Dowd.

Set in Australia in the 1950s, the Doll tells the story of cane-cutters Barney and Roo, who return from Queensland to the Carlton house they share with Nancy and Olive every year, for their annual five-months of fun. It’s been this way for 17 years. This summer though, it’s different.  Barney’s 17-year seasonal girlfriend Nancy has gone and gotten married; so Olive ropes in the uptight Pearl as company for him; while she and Roo, who is flat broke, realise life has caught up with them, and their relationship. Is this really the end?

Starring a superb cast led by Australia’s leading lady of the stage Robyn Nevin, the Doll has been revived; its messages just as poignant as they were when the play was first performed in Melbourne in 1955, forever changing the landscape of Australian Theatre like no other play before, or since. ”It’s still about human need, human failings, human flaws, human aspirations,” says Nevin, a member of MTC’s Season 2012 Programming Team.

‘This production of the Doll fell beautifully into our laps. It was already programmed as Neil Armfield’s final production for Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney and I had been cast. But it was only when both Ray Lawler and Neil Armfield made it clear that they would love MTC to take it on that we realised it would be such a perfect fit,” said Nevin.

Summer of the Seventeenth Doll stars Steve Le Marquand (Buried Child, Underbelly Razor, Beneath Hill 60) as Roo; the enigmatic Robyn Nevin as Emma Leach; Alison Whyte (Frontline, Satisfaction, City Homicide, Logie, Helpmann and GreenRoom award winner) as Olive Leach; Eloise Winestock (As You Like It, Romeo & Juliet) as Bubba Ryan; Helen Thompson (Getting’ Square, Green Room award winner) as Pearl Cunningham; Travis McMahon (Cloudstreet, Don’s Party, Last Man Standing) as Barney Ibbot, and James Hoare (Noises Off, Twelfth Night) as Johnnie Dowd.

 ”Ray Lawler wrote a play against marriage, says Neil Armfield. “Ray held up this amazing mirror and, as great theatre does, it shows us who we are.”

Kewpie Doll from The Performing Arts Collection, Melbourne

 

        Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, by Ray Lawler

When:                     22 February to March 11

Where:                    Playhouse QPAC

Director:                 Neil Armfield

 Cast:                       Steve Le Marquand, Robyn Nevin, Alison Whyte, Helen Thomson, Travis McMahon, Eloise Winestock, and James Hoare

Set Designer:         Ralph Myers

Costumes:              Dale Ferguson

Lighting:                Damien Cooper

Composer:              Alan John

Sound:                     Paul Charlier

Asst Director:        Susanna Dowling

Under 30 $33; Previews $42-$56; Mid-Week $56-$75; Weekend $60-$79

Tel 1800 355 528 or theatre2012.com.au

About Performing Arts Collection

The Arts Centre’s Performing Arts Collection is Australia’s premier collection relating to the history of circus, dance, music, theatre and opera, and is home to over 450,000 items including costumes, archives, designs and photographs.

Olive. Design by Anne Fraser for MTC's 1977 production, on which Armfield's revival is based.

Introductory Directors’ Workshop

After a massive week hosting Todd Schroeder’s Master Classes in Brisbane (Theatre and Dance) and on the Sunshine Coast (Studio 2), on Sunday at Lind Lane Theatre, Sam ran a low-key Introductory Directors’ Workshop. The workshop was well attended and at just $10 per adult it must have been the bargain of the year! These are some notes from the day (and they are certainly not exhaustive but are clear indicators of Sam’s particular style and his approach to directing). As Director, Actor and President of the Sunshine Coast Theatre Alliance, Sam plans to offer another Introductory Directors’ Workshop and one or more advanced directing courses in 2012 so keep an eye out for details about registration.

Sam acknowledges that his approach to directing is his own.

 

A Great Director encourages

 

• open minds
• like minds
• an ensemble approach
• risk-taking
• an ability to play well with others
• fun
• respect
• an attitude of working hard without making it hard work
• working towards a “win”

 

Auditions

 

• look for the ensemble – a school of fish who can swim together
• look for people you can work with… play with
• make it fun
• open up the sandbox
• open up
• let go
• what could it be?
• trust – not only the cast who the director can trust but the cast who can trust the director
• take a simple level of direction eg “everybody up on stage, thanks” … “why?”
• get to know them
• watch and listen
• if a 70 year old doesn’t turn up who do you cast. don’t cast anybody. don’t do the play. (GREAT reaction – silence – something new?)

 

Pre-Casting

 

• there is no wrong way to get the right cast for your play
• no open pre-casting eg Mark Darin in Influence
• a director has the choice. it’s the director’s call.

 

Creative Team

 

• cast your creative team wisely eg Erotique
• confer with the writer, composer etc and make the same decision – are they people (is it a play) you want to work with?
• in a musical, of course the MD must be involved in decision-making but the director has the final say.
• Communicate clearly and early with your creative team
• respect for the people you’re working with and set the boundaries
• set clear ground rules
• get the vibe right and make a sacrifice if necessary eg La Ronde

 

Planning

 

Schedule

 

• Plan from opening night backwards (like an ECG, draw a graph of the shape of the rehearsal period)
• feel the heartbeat. know where it is and how quickly it beats.
• safer show comes from good breathing time
• break for the night before opening night
• planning will inform the energy of the piece (the highs and lows)
• schedule the conversations and the first time you deal with tricky things eg nakedness in La Ronde, Erotique…

 

it’s not the ensemble and you but rather, you are  a part of the ensemble

 

respect

 

give your cast and creative team a level of freedom with which you’re comfortable. and then make sure they’re doing everything the way you want it.

 

Vision:

• read scripts
• see theatre
• own style, own process
• start somewhere.
• visualisation (tell the story in your head) “painting an idea”
• communicate your vision

 

Re-invigorate rehearsals by doing (or asking for) the unexpected

 

Every director has a different interpretation. let the seeds sow themselves.

 

if you run out of steam don’t force it. it’s not gonna happen.

 

“I will one day direct Pinter” is different to “I will one day direct Pinter’s Betrayal”

 

Find the idea, seed the idea and find a way to make it work.

 

Don’t act and direct in the same play

 

The measure of a good play?

• is it engaging?
• are the characters believable?
• whose opinion matters?
• artistically satisfying that sells tickets

 

Simon Denver says get them laughing before the curtain goes up.

 

organic process between audience and performer

 

How do you get feedback?

 

Sometimes conflict is necessary.

 

Sometimes it’s better to let it go. stop rousing and let them go for a coffee.

 

respect.

 

find a different way of communicating

 

people respond differently to different approaches. read people and work out what works. directing is largely about reading people and managing people.

 

performers are vulnerable so set high standards at rehearsal. eg quiet in the space

 

don’t keep people at rehearsal if you’re not using them. eg call them for the hour for which they are required. respect.

 

ABOUT SAM COWARD

 

As a producer, director or performer, Sam Coward has worked for the past fifteen years in the business. On both stage and screen, Sam has experienced all facets of stage production and has worked in more than a dozen Queensland venues.

In 1999 Sam produced a modern interpretation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic, Jesus Christ Superstar, in a Warehouse in Warana, which at the time broke all records for attendance at a Sunshine Coast production.

Shout! The Legend of the Wild One in 2008, clearly marked Sam as a director with the potential to produce exciting creative works. In close collaboration with The Events Centre, Caloundra, Sam re-cast, re-structured and re-directed this successful major musical production in just 8 weeks. In 2010, Sam co-produced and directed his original take on Arthur Schnitzler’s La Ronde and re-developed it further, as Erotique, for inclusion in the Sydney Fringe Festival. Sam is about to venture into the third creative development phase for Erotique, in preparation for its 2012 season. In 2011 Sam directed David Williamson’s Influence and conceptualised an original play So? Where Is It? written by Simon Denver, which has been seen this year at the Sunshine Coast Drama Festival and at the Queensland Short + Sweet Festival, where it won the overall Short + Sweet Award for Best Play. So? Where Is It? will be seen next in Sydney in 2012.

Sam is the President of the Sunshine Coast Theatre Alliance, which is “Raising Standards” and Co-Director of XS Entertainment, which aims to establish a functional network of Sunshine Coast artists and produce original theatrical productions in unconventional spaces, utilising new media and local resources.

 

BOOK NOW for The Sunshine Coast Theatre Alliance’s 2012 SEASON LAUNCH SOIREE

 All theatre lovers are encouraged to come along and enjoy this social evening celebrating local theatre, rubbing shoulders with local thespians and the likes of our special guest, playwright and Senior Australian of the Year 2012, DAVID WILLIAMSON. Enjoy a complimentary drink on arrival, and delicious canapes throughout the evening.

Each theatre group will have approx 5 minutes to perform/present snippets of their 2012 productions to the Media and theatre lovers.

The evening will be hosted by Channel Sevens Rosanna Natoli.

Tickets: $35 EARLY BIRD TICKET PRICE:  $30 per person.

MUST BOOK BEFORE 30th DECEMBER!

When: Saturday 11th February 2012

Where:  On the deck, at the Buderim Tavern.

Dress: to Impress! (a prize for the most impressive)

Bookings (07) 5449 9343 or online 

 

 

Queensland Theatre Company 2012

 

Queensland Theatre Company launched their 2012 season yesterday. Yes, on a Sunday and on a Sunday that I had already booked…with the first of our final rehearsals for Dancing With the Local Stars. I was devastated to miss QTC’s official 2012 season launch and I even stomped my feet on the lovely new studio floor when the tweets and Facebook check-ins started taking over my Hootsuite feeds…but, boy oh boy, you should see my dancers now! What a fantastic little group of talented, dedicated and absolutely passionate people they are! They are doing it all for nothing – all proceeds raised go to our Sunshine Coast Hear & Say Centre – and they have been working really hard, not only at the fundraising but at polishing the dances so the audience is thoroughly entertained. Yesterday, of course, we had to step it up another notch! With just five more sleeps, we had to raise the stakes! Todd McKenney will be there for god’s sake! They responded well and I’m very proud of them! Also, I’m in awe of their dance partners (a number of Sunshine Coast and Brisbane dance teachers), who have choreographed the numbers, taught their celebrity dance partners the steps and put them through their paces for the last few weeks. Check out the Facebook page for pics and more details about the event. Working with such professional artists makes my job easy!

Anyway, I digress. But I don’t apologise for doing so because this is exactly what happens every single day of my life. We are so busy that there is no single focus. So much is happening here (the blog is looking a little neglected, I know; you only know about half of what we’re up to) that I’ve even had to get Sam multi-tasking. I know! On any given day, we are each working our day job as well as reading, conceptualising, negotiating, directing, casting, managing or producing something new for somebody. Not to mention keeping up with their social media because, as some smarter businesses are finally starting to realise, somebody needs to be doing it! But no wonder we never get a funding application in for ourselves! A friend, who really knows her astrology, says I will never focus on doing just one thing. I’m not supposed to…I’m a Sagittarius. Another friend, who really knows palms, says I’m here this time just for fun. On. This. Earth. For. Fun. I must have worked bloody hard in a previous life! I thank you.

Anyway, lucky for me, Artistic Director, Wesley Enoch and his team, saw the value of inviting the punters (and the actors) in for an open forum the following evening, in order to discuss the season. Not much discussion was had during the presentation itself (and although questions were asked and answered, I had to wonder at the “forum” part; a slightly more structured Q & A session would have really gotten people talking). The bulk of the conversation was in fact being had before and after the event, over drinks. Of course, across social media, the conversation never ends!

I’d already decided to live-tweet the launch. Having read Insider Marketing’s interesting piece (and the comments accompanying it on Facebook) and having been in talks recently with a lot of people about audiences (on the Sunshine Coast, in Sydney and in Brisbane), I was already very interested in how this new season of plays would be sold to subscribers and “new” audiences. Also, because I think that live-tweeting is something that’s not quite happening enough when the obvious realm in which to explore this groovy marketing tool is the theatre. I spoke briefly with Kathryn Fray (Subscriptions) about live-tweeting the shows and events and it’s a really controversial issue! Not that Kath has any concerns about it but, for example, at the launch, a friend who is a journalist was asked repeatedly to stop tweeting because the glow of the iPhone was giving some woman a migraine! WTF? MOVE! And, with Pygmalion upcoming, which is the play that inspired My Fair Lady, it might be more appropriate, though entirely, unashamedly re-contextualised, to shout at such an ignoramus, “MOVE YOUR BLOOMIN’ ARSE!” Look, it’s so gorgeous and Melanie Zanetti looks SO elegant and Audrey in the poster for Pygmalion, we are going to stop and enjoy the entire My Fair Lady race scene again, right here, right now. Go on. You’ll love it and then you’ll want to book your tix for Pygmalion online immediately after!

 

 

I’m also excited about David Williamson’s Managing Carmen, Dario Fo’s Elizabeth, Matt Ryan’s Kelly and a brand new take on Romeo and Juliet. I’m keen to see what comes of Wesley’s positive, affirmative, action-packed leadership and I’m intrigued with the shape the Greenhouse might take (it’s replacing the Studio season and making the Bille Brown Studio the place where the “artists can get their hands dirty”. It will offer workshops, master classes and creative development for new works, not to mention a youth theatre, eventually, in some shape or form, focusing on training and mentorships, in the tradition of the Associate Artists program). 2012 at QTC seems to be all about the relationships and – not to throw all my uni words on you at once but – all about welcoming, enticing, seducing audiences, engaging them and making connections with them so they feel not only a part of that theatre community in the stalls (or the gallery or the cheap seats or wherever) for the duration of the piece but also, as they leave, they feel a part of something that is the wider community and that community is one that has theatre – art (living, breathing, able to move us and revive us art) – at its heart.

 

 

Isn’t she stunning?!

As far as selling the season goes (and I asked specifically about the Greenhouse season, made up of largely unknown works presented within a largely unidentifiable structure), Wesley implored us to engage our networks, to get the word of mouth happening and unashamedly use our own circles and contacts to promote the good work that’s being done. I think Brisbane creatives are more supportive of each other than they care to admit. But I don’t want to give up my sources either so we’ll hope that the mutual admiration society (and communication rather than that uneasy sense of competition we were beginning to feel there for a while) continues to foster relationships amongst the artists.

The other thing I’m interested in watching is how QTC get on with utilising their social media for optimum results. The trick will be, now that the company has established a strong presence online, to connect with people in a way that elicits heartfelt responses.

How have  you responded to the season? What do you think? What are you talking about? What will you be seeing? Is there anything there that doesn’t interest you? Why is that?

To view the entire season and to book tix go to the website. Actually, this links to Wesley’s blog on the website and I thought you should read it. Not every AD is able to connect with his audiences so genuinely and I think that will be a big part of QTC’s resurgence/revival/rebirth in 2012.

 

To read the tweets from Sunday’s launch and from Monday’s forum search #qtc2012 

 

To read my feed from the forum follow me on Twitter

 

To see the comments that peeps don’t put up on this blog (or on briztix.com … anymore!) connect with XS Entertainment on Facebook

 

At some stage, I’ll have to fill you in on the rest of Dancing With the Local Stars, our show at the Sydney Children’s Festival, The Book of Everything, 10 000 Beers, The Book Into The Fire, Dance Edge Studios and the rest of it, including long overdue #ATF links and the Sunshine Coast Theatre Festival forum topics and reviews!

Did you know that my Skype student, Elisabeth, is one of our new Jane Banks in Mary Poppins?

Did you know that our work experience student, Libby, was the last Queenslander in the final Sydney auditions for the new Young Talent Time?

Did you know my sister has really gone and run away with the circus this time? She and the husband and the three children are currently in Russia with Saltimbanco!

Did you know that Wolfe Bowart will be at The Events Centre in the morning, with his show, The Man the Sea Saw? I missed it in Sydney and I haven’t been asked to review it up here so Poppy and I are going just for FUN! WHEEEEEEEEEE!

 

 

The National One-Act Play Festival: final results

I saw the one-act plays again, the three best of the 87 plays entered into the National One-Act Playwriting Competition, and I enjoyed them so much more this time! Well, I wouldn’t say that Bruce Olive’s The Knock on the Door can really be “enjoyed” but I certainly appreciated it more the second time, as opposed to being quite unaffected by it on only the second night of the season.

The atmosphere at Noosa Arts Theatre was celebratory from the outset. And why wouldn’t it be? As Paul Ritchie, the current president of Noosa Arts said in his speech to launch the official proceedings, the general standard of plays has, again this year, improved. Two of the three playwrights were present (Mark Langham was on stage somewhere, being “an actor more than a writer.” His wife was there in his absence) and the founding members’ daughters and sisters, sponsors and audience members were all in fine form.

Brisbane based actor and director, Karen Crone, was present in the Adjudicator’s seat. She was able to provide some valuable feedback to the artists involved. I hope to see next year, a little more time during proceedings, afforded to the adjudicator. The majority of audience members are interested to hear the comments that come from an experienced professional theatre practitioner and any positive feedback is invaluable for the playwrights, performers and directors involved. There are artists who absorb positive and constructive criticism like sponges. Some of those artists will even consider the advice and apply it to their upcoming work, continuing to raise standards.

While we’re on the subject of comments and positive feedback, I attended at the theatre on Sunday, Michael Futcher’s Playwriting Master Class. Three of the fifteen playwrights present had entered scripts into the competition this year and didn’t appear to understand exactly what it was that was missing, or unsuitable or unappealing or whatever about their script. I know some feedback from the Reading Panel is provided and I would like to see an extension of this, perhaps in the form of several readings and rehearsed readings with actors, directors and other playwrights, establishing more of a workshop approach to the process. Perhaps, if this sort of creative collaborative process is not allowed in the lead up, this could take place in the weeks following the competition’s conclusion. I firmly believe that one cannot get better at the things one does without observing what else is out there and paying some attention to the response from audiences, adjudicators and critics. You may not agree with one person’s perspective, however; if the general feedback is starting to sound the same, you should know that you might have something to work on.

Seeing the plays again on Saturday, I felt that either some major work had been done or that the actors had simply committed and settled into their roles. I was more convinced by the relationship in the first play, Jenny Bullimore’s Star Crossed and I enjoyed Mark Langham’s Nothing again but without the number of beers being consumed being an issue (they’d halved the consumption. It made much more sense) and I actually felt – strongly – for the mothers in The Knock on the Door. It’s a shame we are sometimes only ready for the season towards the end of the season, isn’t it?

FINAL RESULTS

Best Play: NOTHING By Mark Langham

NOTHING By Mark Langham

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Runner Up: THE KNOCK ON THE DOOR By Bruce Olive

THE KNOCK ON THE DOOR By Bruce Olive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Director: LIZA PARK

Karen Crone & Liza Park

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Actor: FRANK WILKIE

Karen Crone & Frank Wilkie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Actress: JENNI MCCAUL

Karen Crone & Jenni McCaul

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adjudicator’s (Commendation) Awards: REBECCA PLINT  & MICHAEL PARLATO

Congratulations to all playwrights, directors, actors and the team at Noosa Arts Theatre for a fantastic One-Act Play Festival in 2011. Meanwhile, the Noosa Longweekend continues. This week, I’ll be enjoying Caroline Nin’s Hymne A Piaf, the premiere of David Williamson & Mohamed Khadra’s At Any Cost?, Supper Club with Mrs Bang! (aka Sheridan Harbridge), Oscar Theatre Company’s [title of show] and Sandra Bates’ Directing Master Class. Bring it on!

The Noosa Longweekend Launch

The Noosa Longweekend 2011

Program Launch

The J Theatre, Noosa

Tuesday 3^rd May

I am so often in Noosa, I think I might as well move there. If not permanently, then I should definitely move into Outrigger or Netanya, or one of the other amazing accommodation options on offer over the 10 fabulous days of The Noosa Longweekend from June 17^th until June 26^th.

The Noosa Longweekend this year celebrates its tenth anniversary and 40 years of David Williamson’s pre-eminence as a playwright in this country. He is our most successful playwright and a National Treasure. What’s more, he is a Noosa Treasure.  As such, in true celebratory style,  Richard Fidler will host a tribute dinner, which will take the form of a satirical Celebrity Roast, with special guests, including director, Bruce Beresford and Williamson’s sons, Rory and Felix, who are invited to “tell all” about their association with Williamson (Saturday June 25^th). I’ve always been a Williamson fan and having recently finished up an inspired production of his highest grossing play, Influence, as well as having worked with some of Australia’s best loved actors in a special charity performance of Emerald City for The Corrilee Foundation and The Noosa Longweekend earlier this year, I was excited to see what David would bring next, to Noosa’s table.

At Any Cost? penned by Williamson and Mohamed Khadra is a stark look at quality of life versus medically assisted prolonged life. This play has it all – family conflict, dark humour and devastating family secrets – and will preview, prior to its World Premiere, on Tuesday June 21^st & Wednesday June 22^nd. At Any Cost? comes to us from Sydney’s Ensemble Theatre, directed by Sandra Bates and starring Martin Vaughan, Tyler Coppin, Tracy Mann, Danny Mitchell and Kate Raison.

The other major theatrical piece coming to the coast for the Longweekend is Oscar Theatre Company’s [title of show], a fantastic production, directed by Emily Gilhome, which I saw at The Powerhouse last year. A return Brisbane season and inclusion in the Noosa Longweekend program this year means this hot little company is beginning to be noticed!

The stalwart theatrical event of the Longweekend is the One Act Play Festival. For 30 years, Noosa Arts Theatre has proudly fostered playwriting and each year, we see the finalists from the National One-Act Playwriting Competition. This year, the finalists are Star Crossed, a drama by Jenny Bullimore from Victoria, Nothing, a comedy by Mark Langham from NSW and The Knock on the Door, a drama by Bruce Olive, from Queensland (Friday June 17^th & Saturday June 18^th).

Direct from the UK, in 2 exclusive Queensland performances (including the opening night VIP Soiree) The Magnets will wow Noosa Longweekend audiences with a new show, Gobsmacked! This sexy group of gorgeous guys is touted as the best a capella group on the planet and having seen their showreel, I don’t doubt it. The VIP tickets to this show include the entry to the post show Soiree.

Cabaret weighs heavily in this year’s program and I’m not complaining. Parisian cabaret star, Caroline Nin, back by popular demand after sell-out shows in 2010, presents for just one sensational performance, her homage to Piaf (Monday June 20^th). Toby Francis, winner of the 8^th Annual Cabaret Showcase, presents his new one-man show, Blokelahoma! (Wednesday June 22^nd). Another one-night-only cabaret event, Mitchell Butel and Marika Aubrey will each bring to the same stage, their original shows, Killing Time (Butel) and Redheads (Aubrey). Butel gave us a hint of things to come, performing for the media and invited guests at the launch, the classic Johnny O’Keefe number, Save the Last Dance For Me. Butel’s second show, a Supper Club cabaret show titled Excellent Adventures, promises “the cabaret ride of your life.”

The Supper Club concept has become, not surprisingly, a bit of an institution and if you manage to secure tickets to any of these exclusive events, you are in for a very special evening. As well as Butel’s show (Friday June 24^th) there are those by Avigail Herman (Tuesday June 21^st), Sheridan Harbridge (Wednesday June 22^nd) and Steve Ross (Thursday June 23^rd). Thanks to some bold, young producers and the foresight of the Noosa Longweekend committee, we are once again, able to enjoy the crème de la crème of national and international cabaret acts in the intimate setting of berado’s restaurant and bar.

A Festival highlight will be the 4 hours of non-stop music, food and fun on Sunday June 26^th at the Outrigger Resort. Sunshine Coast band, The Things That Swing lead a fabulous line up of special guests, including Butel, Harbridge, Aubrey and Stephanie Brownlee, Katie Noonan & Karin Schaup, as well as local vocal talents, Andrew Lawson and Kelsey Rimmer. Stephanie Brownlee will also appear with Melburnian five-piece party band, Skipping Girl Vinegar, on Saturday June 25^th.

Classical enthusiasts will not be disappointed, with the return of Yayoi Negishi, together with Yasuhiro Saruta performing L’ail Kreis, a “duo of two pianos” with works by Johann Strauss II, Tchaikovsky and Rossini (Friday June 24^th) and an appearance by the incomparable Katie Noonan with internationally renowned guitarist, Karin Schaupp on Saturday June 25^th. Noosa Chorale and The Noosa Sinfonia are joined on Sunday June 26^th by soloists, Gaynor Morgan and Patrick Donnelly for their presentation of Brahms German Requiem and Brahms Double Concerto, featuring Rachel Smith (Principal First Violin) and Louise King (Cellist). Queensland National Dance Company re-tells the greatest love tragedy ever told, Romeo and Juliet for one performance only on Sunday June 19^th.

The film and literary components of the program are superb and include the likes of Brendan Cowell (interviewed by Hugh McKay on Friday June 24^th) and William McInnes (interviewed by Richard Fidler on Saturday June 25^th). Other authors, moderators and interviewers making an appearance include Ita Buttrose, Kristin Williamson, Barrie Cassidy, Heather Ewart, Alexandria Bernard, Peter Thompson and Graeme Dobell.

An array of workshops and master-classes are also on offer, including Avigail Herman’s Voice and Song Master-Class (Sunday June 19^th), Sandra Bates Director’s Master-Class (Saturday June 25^th) and Michael Futcher’s Playwriting Master-Class (Sunday June 19^th).

Book early to avoid disappointment. The Noosa Longweekend is a sell-out event and if you don’t want to miss out, get in early to secure your event tickets and accommodation.

Booking Information:

TICKETS WENT ON SALE YESTERDAY. EVENTS ARE SELLING OUT FAST!

www.noosalongweekend.com or www.thej.com.au

Accommodation Information:

visitnoosa.com.au or noosalongweekend.com