Emma Gibson

Philanthropy, Pirates And Passion

About four years ago Nick Delatovic saw a television interview with Bono and was struck with an idea for a play.

“I wanted to look at philanthropists and how they’re perceived, as well as their capabilities and limitations,” Delatovic explains. “The idea just spiralled from there, and then I began conceiving characters.”

The result is RIG, which is being produced by the National University Theatre Society. Set mostly on an oil rig in the middle of the Indian Ocean, the play centres on Francis, who is ensnared by a secret cabal of rich kids who are hell bent on saving the world from their parents. All Francis wanted was a quiet place to die, but these young billionaires have other plans for him, and those plans are world changing. It beats suicide, but there’s more in store for Francis, and his role in the story is not what he thinks it is.

Director Cameron Thomas (better known as Cammy T) pithily describes the play as a revenge science fiction social satire – and happily, his interpretation isn’t too different from the way Delatovic describes it:

“It’s a story about extremely privileged people doing dangerous things for very good reasons… with pirates.”

Yes, pirates. But you’ll have to come to see the play to find out more. Instead of spoilers, the guys and I spoke about the play’s origins. Whether Bono or Brangelina, there are high profile, powerful philanthropists everywhere you look.

“None of the characters are an analogy for one person, but in some parts of the play the audience can draw a clear line with notable public figures. It’s a great place for a writer to start, as long as they can the peel the layers back, because it gives the audience an instant idea of how they feel about a character. And hopefully I can then confound those expectations!” Delatovic says.

“There is a lot of suspension of disbelief required, but it’s still anchored in believable character motivations. For me, the story isn’t about underdogs. It’s about powerful people dealing with the burdens of their power. I think that’s going to be an ongoing preoccupation for me as a writer.”

Delatovic isn’t new to writing, but this is his first full-length play. After studying scriptwriting at the University of Canberra, Delatovic was attracted by the immediacy of theatre. He also draws on a background as a songwriter.

Rig explores complex ideas, so it’s not surprising that it was a challenging script to write.   

 “I knew who the characters were – the problem was that wasn’t shown in the play, so I had to shape it again. Some aspects of the plot and story that are fundamental now weren’t in the first few drafts at all, and some characters only share a name with their original version.”

Delatovic says it’s been a great learning experience. The script was accepted into The Street Theatre’s Hive development program, which gave him the opportunity to work the play with a leading dramaturg. This was also a rare opportunity for Thomas who, already on board as director, was involved in those discussions.

“Very few directors who aren’t also writers have that chance to be involved in the early stages of a play’s development. Usually you pick up something like Shakespeare or even a modern Australian classic, and you’ll never even meet the writer,” Thomas says. 

He’s championed the script since the first time he read it.

“I read an early draft and I couldn’t put it down. I called Nick and said ‘Dude, we’ve got to have a reading’. So we called actors and got about six or eight of them to come and read the script in Nick’s lounge room. Even though it was a really early draft, we all enjoyed the experience.”

The cast comprises Leon Twardy, Alison McGregor, Simon Thomson, Erana Loftus, Andrew Johnston, Scott Cummings, Jeremy Broom, Luke Ashe – some of whom have been involved since that early reading.

There’s always the temptation to keep revising, refining – and re-defining – work, but Delatovic reached the point where he was satisfied with the script.

“I’d learnt the full range of lessons in redrafting, so the only thing left to learn from the script was to see it performed. I’m pretty good at drawing the line at the end of one project, particularly when it comes to songwriting, and then moving onto the next,” Delatovic says.

“It’s really exciting and I’m very nervous. I know I’m extremely fortunate to have such a high level of talent in the cast and crew on board for my first play. I really appreciate Cammy’s grounding influence. If I were to direct it, I’d get too caught up in the semiotics and the big ideas.”

Thomas, a graduate of Charles Sturt University’s acting program, is a stalwart of Canberra’s theatre scene, and has previously directed children’s theatre. This is his directorial debut for an adult audience – and he’s looking forward to it. 

“Nick’s writing is very in tune with people’s ideals and what they strive for, whether we’re talking about the environment, world affairs or personal ideas of utopia. I like to take those ideas, turn them upside down, shake, and see how it settles. So it’s about questioning those ideas,” Thomas says.

And there are pirates.

Rig is showing at the 12th OCT 7:30pm
13th OCT 7:30pm
14th OCT 7:30pm
15th OCT 12:30pm matinee
15th OCT 7:30pm
16th OCT 5:00pm twilight

19th OCT 7:30pm
20th OCT 7:30pm
21st OCT 7:30pm
22nd OCT 12:30pm matinee
22nd OCT 7:30pm

ANU ARTS CENTRE DRAMA LABANU Arts Centre Drama Lab from Wednesday October 12 to Saturday October 22. Tickets information and booking are through nutsbookings@gmail.com .

Last Man To Die

Monday August 22 and Tuesday August 23

This non-linear installation performance piece incorporates music, visual arts, acting, mask work and some damn impressive technology in an exploration of human longevity (and potential immortality) and the possibilities and consequences for the future.

To begin with, the audience was uncertain, as we were herded onto The Street Theatre’s main stage and corralled there, behind the curtains, in a space demarcated by hanging transparent sheets. The mood was eerie and evocative, thanks to the music of Charles Martin and digital artworks of Benjamin Forster (and writer Peter Butz) and it felt like we’d been plunged into a game without knowing the rules. In fact, the performance was controlled by the audience – we each had a coded ticket, which we could scan to trigger a new performance scenario. Hard-working actor Hanna Cormick appeared from a nook in the corner of the stage for some sequences, while others used projections of video and graphics.

In one particularly effective scenario, audience members had our faces ‘scanned’ to see if we were candidates for longevity (I, sadly, was not). Our own ghostly faces were later projected onto one of the four transparent walls. This scenario was repeated several times, but always different and Cormick’s customer service hostess character grew more and more belligerent.

I’m not sure how clearly the setting – a derelict museum exhibit of the future – came across to other audience members who didn’t have the benefit of back story that I did. But in the end, I don’t think it mattered. It provided a framework, a fiction, for the performers. And for those looking hard enough, the imagery was there.

Martin’s mesmerising music and percussion underscored most of the performance. One composition in particular stood out for me, evoking Vangelis’ iconic score from Blade Runner. It was a reference other film theory nerds would have appreciated; an echo of the film’s own exploration of concepts of longevity and the ethics around humanity’s use of technology.

By far the most technologically impressive feat was a scene about jellyfish – in fact, a type of jellyfish that is essentially immortal. Images of these jellyfish were projected onto the walls and Cormick, fitted with something presumably like a Wii remote, entered the performance space and danced with them. Her movements controlled the movements of the projected jellyfish, flinging them from side to side, guiding them to glide from one place to another. The message – that by controlling the jellyfish, we have the potential to control our own lifespans.

This was just one subtextual message of many, but you didn’t need to be able to excavate the deeper meaning of the performance to enjoy it. It’s not a show for everyone, but despite the philosophical subject matter, the audience interaction made it accessible and engaging.

BMA Presents Women of Notes

Transit Bar
Thursday August 11

A few years ago I used to host Frock Off, a 2XX radio show described as “a riot of grrrrls music”. When I started, I remember thinking ‘Simple. I’ll just go through my CD collection’. And then I discovered that far from a riot, I had a dearth of chick music in my collection.

The Australian Independent Record Labels Association looked at the 2,000 most-played songs on Australian radio and over the month of June found that only 18.3% were sung by a frontwoman. This is about on par with APRA membership, which is about 20% female. Overall though, if you look at last year’s ARIA Award winners, women are well represented, even if you discount Angus and Julia Stone (let’s not even get into the low proportion of female CEOs, sporting elites or members of Parliament).

Does this reflect low participation, or low exposure? Either way, BMA has decided to help tip the balance and has teamed up with Transit Bar to present Women of Notes, a series of female singer-songwriter nights. Its purpose is simple: to celebrate the diverse talent of our local ladies of music. WOMEN OF NOTES is a series of female singer-songwriter nights launching at Transit on Thursday August 11. The first all local line-up features JULIA JOHNSON performing with her ethereal (female) Deep Sea Sirens, the always dazzling BEC TAYLOR of Fun Machine in rare solo mode, the rich song tapestries of SIMONE PENKETHMAN and the warm folk country campfire music of HANNAH GILLESPIEWOMEN OF NOTES is a series of female singer-songwriter nights launching at Transit on Thursday August 11. The first all local line-up features JULIA JOHNSON performing with her ethereal (female) Deep Sea Sirens, the always dazzling BEC TAYLOR of Fun Machine in rare solo mode, the rich song tapestries of SIMONE PENKETHMAN and the warm folk country campfire music of HANNAH GILLESPIE Performing Rights Association stated that their songwriter membership is approximately 80% male and 20% female. Why are there not more female participants in the music industry?

Hannah Gillespie gave us a sweet, mellow start to the evening. Her music is a bit folky, a bit country and a bit like a warm summer breeze. It was a great way to ease into the night. By this stage, the crowd was already strong, and there seemed to be more gals than guys. I’m sure there’s something statistically important in that, but much more important was the genuinely supportive atmosphere.

Up next was Fun Machine’s Bec Taylor with special friend Chris. Taylor’s sound is slightly jazzier without Fun Machine, full of fun, a sense of delight, and great dynamics. As a boy, Chris knew his place and was often relegated (he says promoted) to the corner of the stage where he pretended to be awkward. He wasn’t the only boy on stage that evening – Gillespie had male support too – but as he spent most of his time singing harmonic ‘ooohs’ and ‘aaahs’ and very rarely full words, he showed he was an excellent supporter of the purpose of the night – to give women singers more of a voice.

Julia Johnson, lead chanteuse of The Deep Sea Sirens was joined by two of her sirens Emma Kelly and Eloise Menzies in a set that ranged from haunting and ethereal to delectable and highly danceable. Julia’s own experience as a female performer has been positive, and clearly the Canberra scene supports her.

“I’ve never had trouble getting gigs, but sometimes when I got venues outside Canberra the organisers would only interact with men and overlook me, so I’d have to tell my drummer what I wanted in terms of tech. But it’s got to the point where I don’t put up with that.”

Later, Simone Penkethman was joined on stage by her daughter Sophie Penkethman-Young (AKA Eddie Shaggz) showcasing two generations of talent. It’s often said that a mark of a good performer can be seen in how they interpret a cover, and Penkethman’s triumphant and epic cover of David Bowie’s Heroes remains one of my favourites.

“These kinds of shows are important because when they’re done well, like tonight, it reminds us of how much we really like the music of these women and how often their voices are drowned out. It also challenges the stereotype of what women’s music is and tonight we see an accomplished array of artists who are all active in their own right,” Penkethman says.

And what an array. From folk to jazz to classic glam rock, it was a musical journey that made me feel both grateful and proud of the Canberra music scene and our local music goddesses.

Women of Notes isWOMEN OF NOTES is a series of female singer-songwriter nights launching at Transit on Thursday August 11. The first all local line-up features JULIA JOHNSON performing with her ethereal (female) Deep Sea Sirens, the always dazzling BEC TAYLOR of Fun Machine in rare solo mode, the rich song tapestries of SIMONE PENKETHMAN and the warm folk country campfire music of HANNAH GILLESPIE.WOMEN OF NOTES is a series of female singer-songwriter nights launching at Transit on Thursday August 11. The first all local line-up features JULIA JOHNSON performing with her ethereal (female) Deep Sea Sirens, the always dazzling BEC TAYLOR of Fun Machine in rare solo mode, the rich song tapestries of SIMONE PENKETHMAN and the warm folk country campfire music of HANNAH GILLESPIE.WOmen not about ‘us and them’. It’s not saying that male performers or lead singers don’t deserve their success. But it’s certainly an opportunity to celebrate what women do. And so, I’d like to end with a challenge. I dare you to check your own music collection. If female artists make up less than 20% then you should make amends by hitting the next show on Thursday September 8. WOMEN OF NOTES is a series of female singer-songwriter nights launching at Transit on Thursday August 11. The first all local line-up features JULIA JOHNSON performing with her ethereal (female) Deep Sea Sirens, the always dazzling BEC TAYLOR of Fun Machine in rare solo mode, the rich song tapestries of SIMONE PENKETHMAN and the warm folk country campfire music of HANNAH GILLESPIE.

LAST MAN TO DIE: INSTALLED

Imagine yourself in the future, entering a long abandoned museum exhibition about humanity’s past (and our near future). It’s an interactive exhibit, allowing you to explore parallel, potential realities.
That’s the premise of the new work by Last Man to Die, best described as a hybrid arts collective, made up of actress Hanna Cormick, visual artist Benjamin Forster and musician/percussionist Charles Martin. Together with writer Peter Butz, they’ve created LAST MAN TO DIE: INSTALLED a non-linear installation performance.

If it all sounds a bit confusing, that’s okay. Last Man to Die sets out to ask the big questions in life and you’ll be thinking about it long afterwards. If it helps, think of it as a ‘Choose your own adventure’ book, where you as an audience member play an interactive role. “It’s genuinely audience controlled – there is no behind the scenes magic. When an audience member scans a ticket, the coding is read, and based on what has played before, a new sequence begins,” Hanna Cormick explains.

It’s an exploration, and in some cases, speculation, but it’s not about science education. Despite a shared interest, none of the performers are scientists. And unlike other tech-based hybrid performances, it’s not about technology itself. The group uses technology as a way to explore concepts, and build a lot of their own equipment to do so.

“Technology isn’t inherently good or bad – it’s what we do with it. And that’s what we see in the scenes as they play out,” Cormick says. The name comes from the idea that, in the scarily not-too-distant future, humans will have harnessed technology to slow down the ageing process and unlock the potential for human immortality. What then are the implications for society? Think about the last person to die a natural death – when those around them have benefited from technology. What would it be like to die, knowing that after you, death is... well, dead?

This performance may be the last opportunity for the team to perform together in the same city. Forster has been studying in Perth, Martin in Sweden and Cormick will soon be moving to Paris, but thanks to technology, the project is at no risk of dying anytime soon.

“It’s good that the work is so technologically based because the distance doesn’t become an issue; we can still communicate and perform together,” Cormick says.

Later this year the show will tour to This Is Not Art in Newcastle without her, instead, using recordings of her performance to simulate what would happen if she was there.

“So I’ll still have a direct imprint on the work even though I won’t be physically there.”

Last Man to Die will be showing on Monday August 22 and Tuesday August 23 at the Street Theatre, as part of National Science Week. Tickets are free, but bookings are encouraged, and can be made through thestreet.org.au .

In Review Other Peoples Problems

Other People’s Problems
Written by Sarah Quinn, DeAnne Smith and Samuel Booth

The Street Theatre

Friday February 18

Well, I never need to see a motivational speaker. Other People’s Problems blows a loud raspberry at the whole profession, though watch it too closely and you’ll leave with affirmations to become a better person.

A one woman show made up of three short plays, Other People’s Problems showcases actor Sarah Quinn’s range. Transforming voice, physicality, costume and even her hair, she presents three very distinct main characters, plus a supporting cast.

It’s a well structured show, throwing the audience right into things at the beginning with a high energy American self-help guru, armed with jargon, Powerpoint and call and response mantras that had all audience members participating. It was side-splittingly hilarious and of course, the energetic, clichéd façade was soon stripped away, revealing an angry, increasingly desperate woman who needs all the help she can get.

In a change of pace, we meet teen video blogger, Casey. This piece, written by Quinn, explores the concept of YouTube sponsored fame. When Casey is approached by advertisers wanting in on her popular advice videos, she thinks she’s made the big time. But where does her responsibility to her viewers end? How much influence does she really have? Despite providing us with laughs, this play also asks the serious questions, anchoring the show, and was in fact the idea it was built on.

My favourite piece was the last. Authentic and moving (and awkward and funny), it told the tale of a lonely woman communing with a lost love via a self-help tape. Writer Samuel Booth gave us an ending that was unpredictable and highly satisfying and Quinn’s performance had me crying at the end.

A great concept, turned into a clever, well put together and thoroughly enjoyable show.

EMMA GIBSON

What’s Your Problem?

When writer/actor Sarah Quinn reads self-help tomes (for research only of course) she often finds amusement in them. Let’s face it, when you don’t need the help contained within, the self-help genre can be pretty funny. In fact, it’s become something of a new religion—one turned on its head by the production Other People’s Problems

Quinn performs the self-help themed show solo, and also penned one of the three short plays which it is comprised of.

“I had the sketches of a script based around this teenage V-logger who had started a sort of informal advice line for teens. Kids write in and ask her advice, and she—in her infinitely well-meaning, 15-year-old wisdom—tells them what she thinks. Soon enough, she finds internet ‘fame’ and, well, it ends up spelling disaster. It's a comedy, by the way. But that doesn't mean bad things don't happen!” Quinn explains.

“I knew [award winning comic] DeAnne Smith had an idea for a motivational speaker character, and we had been throwing ideas around for a while. So I asked her and Samuel Booth, my best friend and a writer, if they would each write a 15–20 minute character to form a thematic trilogy. They are all different styles, and unrelated stories, but the theme brings them together. It helps that we all share a similar sense of humour, so it is all quite dark, in a way. I hope it makes some kind of comment or warning about the nature of buying advice, and the vulnerabilities inherent in us all.”

The play premiered at Adelaide Fringe in 2009, then went on to a sell-out season in Montreal. After Canberra, Quinn—and her alter egos of bubbly teen video blogger, unhinged life coach and a plain Jane who takes matters into her own hands with a self-help sex tape—are touring to Melbourne, Sydney and New York.

And has Quinn ever turned to self-help books herself?

“I am by nature quite cautious of giving anyone or anything too much influence over my faculties. So, I am not personally suckered in by the phenomenon (probably why this show is so sceptical, overall), but I have dabbled. I thought ‘The Secret’ was hilarious. ‘Imagine yourself behind the wheel of your new convertible...’ I'm a big fan of positive thinking and creative visualisation, but a lot of the self-empowerment movement is very materialistic. It's like pyramid selling,” Quinn says.

“The actual act of telling stories, exploring someone else's mindset, making people laugh, communing in that way, that often feels like the healthiest thing in the world. That's my therapy.”

Catch Other People’s Problems at the Street Theatre on February 18 and 19.

For tickets contact 6247 1223 or visit www.thestreet.org.au

Exhibitionist In Review: Retrieval Canberra Youth Theatre, National Library of Australia

Canberra Youth Theatre
National Library of Australia
Friday November 19 – Sunday December 5

Our adventure began in the main foyer of the National Library of Australia. Sheets of white blocked out the familiar sights of the cafe and bookstore while a sign informed us that the library was closed for renovations. On the mezzanine above us a giant moth appeared, and we were herded, like rather stupid cattle, into groups led by the Three Unities—a trio of steampunk inspired performer/guides.

My group’s guide (Lee Constable) was ever so proper and apologetic, taking us on a journey across five floors of the Library, visiting different performance sites. We never retraced our steps, which, coupled with the fact that it was mostly dim and we were visiting places usually off-limits to the public, made the experience both disorienting and disconcerting.

It was a journey through histories and fictions, where we were audience to a multitude of stories, including those about to be forgotten. We were in there to bring back knowledge—whether a story we remembered in our minds or a slip of paper from a fortune cookie—saving fragments as tenuously as that. Our guide, for her part, clung to a dictionary. She hoped to give this dictionary to the character of Pandora (Farnoush Parsiavashi), the library’s digital archivist and preserver. But Pandora couldn’t help us and it seemed there was no way to save knowledge—except in the minds of each of us intrepid “theatre” goers.

Rather than passive entertainment, entering the world of Retrieval felt very much like I’d started playing a game where I didn’t entirely understand the rules. I’m fairly sure the three different groups of audience members had vastly different experiences with their different guides in their journeys around the same spaces.

Afterwards, I tried to unravel it all, or even figure out the order in which we had traipsed through the maze of corridors and book stacks. I couldn’t orient myself, as much as I wanted to, and was stuck on the ideas presented in Retrieval for days—the sublime, profound, terrifying and tragic. And because there was no curtain call, I now madly applaud all involved.

Retrieval

Canberra Youth Theatre’s new production is a site-specific performance installation in the National Library of Australia. In Retrieval there’ll be no sitting still in theatres; instead, you’ll travel deep into the library, encountering dark nooks in a heroic quest.

“The story is that the audience is called to go into the building and retrieve as much knowledge as possible before the building is completely destroyed by moths. It becomes almost an individual spiritual journey for the audience as they enter eight spaces across five floors—some of them publically inaccessible spaces that no one has been in before,” explains CYT’s Artistic Director Karla Conway.

The performance has been fully devised by CYT actors and was an 18-month process in total. It’s interactive and features hybrid performance elements, including original music composed by Cathy Petocz.

“It’s been a 360-degree turnaround from what we thought we were going to create through to what we are going to present. We created a new narrative for today, exploring our inability to sift through the clutter of life to find what’s important and preserve it—be it knowledge, family, global events or climate change” Conway says.

“Something you can really read into this are issues around social injustice and what results from a lack of justice, over-consumption and waste. All those things have fed really beautifully into the narrative of a quest for knowledge before it is all gone.”

It seems like dystopian stuff, with the style of thought provoking sci-fi you might associate with Doctor Who. Conway says that in the development of Retrieval they did draw on many cultural references, and although the Doctor was one of them it certainly wasn’t central.

The partnership with the National Library has been a dream come true for CYT.

“At the library they have been absolutely fantastic—I can’t even begin to describe how open they’ve been to letting us take over their building. Every time we throw around some wacky idea they just jump on it and say yes. We’ve been able to really dream creatively and bring that to fruition, not be hampered by realities or restrictions. They’ve been with us every step of the way, they understand what we’re trying to achieve and we’re all really excited about it.”

Conway reminds us all that it’s not just for young people.

“For me it’s the spectacle event of the Canberra theatre calendar this year, so I think everyone should come. A broad audience from eight to 80 will enjoy the story we have to tell, and it’s an important message. Learn how to stop living in a bubble, stop over consuming, realise we’re a global community and come together to make a difference locally, nationally and globally.”

Retrieval runs from Friday November 19 to Sunday December 5 at the National Library of Australia, Parkes Place.

Still Standing

How does one keep going? That’s the central question in the new work by tableau artist Min Mae.

In Still Standing, performers Jordan Best, Alison McGregor and Michael Ellis are stripped of clothing, ego and language as they undergo what Mae calls “trials of influence” - moments or events that push each human forward towards its future.

They are supported by clothed performers, original music from Geordie Malone (guitar) and Natalya Bing (violin) and lighting design from Gillian Schwab.

“Initially Still Standing was an attempt to understand how we get by, how we go on. In the void left behind by the loss of the ability to believe in a greater purpose for us all, I asked these performers to answer this in a language I can understand. If there is nothing up there, out there, down there, then perhaps there are answers in here, in our bodies,” Mae explains.

“I see now, through painstaking investigation into the lives of these three people, that one must have passion to withstand the blows and abrasion of days among the living. And passion at its source is both primal and physical. If passion is our shield then curiosity is our sword. An interest in other human beings can bring us out of the mire of minutes and hours. I hope this curiosity will bring people to the theatre.”

And why is nudity important for the work? “Today I read a news report from Shanghai. A young man had cut his wrists, climbed to the third floor of his building and there he took off all his clothes before alighting from the window. An image showed his unconscious body hanging over a telegraph wire. Why did he choose to be naked? Why is it that so many of us have had nightmares about arriving at school and realising we’ve forgotten to get dressed?” Mae asks.

To explain further, she borrows a quote from American theatre director Anne Bogart, sent to her by performer Alison: “ ‘The artist's responsibility is to bring the potential, the mystery and terror, the trembling, back ... I believe that theatre's function is to remind us of the big human issues, to remind us of our terror and humanity ... In the face of terror, beauty is created and hence, grace’.” It seems fitting, as Mae describes this performance as the primal excavation of the human heart, that will reveal something deeper by far than mere flesh.

As for putting on the show at the Street Theatre? “More than ever, I’m terrified,” Mae says.

Still Standing is part of the Street Theatre’s “Made in Canberra” season and is showing for three performances only: Thursday 28 to Saturday 30 October at 8pm.

For bookings, contact The Street Theatre on 6247 1223 or visit www.thestreet.org.au.

Femme Fatale

On now at the National Archives, Femme Fatale provides a gritty look at our women criminals in the early 20^th century—women who were arrested for poisoning their husbands, prostitution, assault and dealing cocaine.

It’s not a big exhibition, but it’s packed with intriguing artefacts, including confiscated weapons, original criminal records and a Darlinghurst Gaol jacket sewn by female inmates around 1845. You can see original photographs; pulp magazines that were banned in Australia because of their lurid illustrations and racy descriptions; and a show reel of film noir classics.

The surprising thing about the exhibition is that not all these women were the black widow types portrayed by screen sirens like Bette Davis in film noir flicks, or the scantily clad seductresses who pouted from the cover of the cheap pulp magazines of the 20s and 30s. 

The fiction of femme fatales is full of glitz and glam, but the reality is nowhere near as glossy.

“The best part of the exhibit is the contrast between what we see in popular culture—the Jessica Rabbit type—compared to what the reality is,” explains National Archives Education Officer Rhonda King.

“The reality is grim and gritty. Sometimes it was glamorous but there was a lot of emotional, and even physical abuse in the lives of these women. We can see that in the real life images of Matilda ‘Tilly’ Devine and Kate Leigh.”

Looking at their mugshots at the exhibition, the women seem worn, dreary, devoid of stilettos and red lipstick. The infamous Tilly Devine, who was a beauty with a peaches and cream complexion at 16, looks middle aged at 25.

“These reals queens of the underworld were both always vying to be the queen. They went to great extremes to make that happen, even through razor gangs, where they would slash their enemies’ faces. Darlinghurst got the nickname of Razorhurst because this was so prolific. You see, they could get put into jail if they were found with a concealed firearm, but not with a cutthroat razor.”

With 70 convictions to her name by her 25^th birthday, Devine served time in prison for a razor attack. After her release, Devine went on to run 18 bordellos, through a legal loophole that didn’t preclude a woman profiting through such endeavours.

Her obituary read: “a vicious, grasping, high-priestess of savagery, obscenity and whoredom... one of the most frightening creatures spewed up by the razor gangs, a wretched woman.”

Just one of the fascinating stories of the exhibition.

Femme Fatal is at the National Archives until September 12. To hear the scandalous stories you won’t see in the exhibition, guided tours run from 2-2.30 pm every Thursday until the exhibition closes. Entry is free.

The Girls

An intimate cabaret performance, The Girls promises an unadulterated exposé of self, as performers Hannah Ley, Leah Baulch, Hanna Cormick and performer-director Dianna Nixon bare (almost) all through music from Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Edith Piaf and Carole King, among others.

It’s likely you’ve seen some of the talented girls on stage before—but never like this.

Part of the Street Theatre’s Made in Canberra season of independent local work, The Girls was conceived by Dianna Nixon. A vocal and drama coach, she’s been providing voice lessons for the other three girls for a year or more, and this seemed a natural progression for the performers and an opportunity for them to put their new skills into practice.

“Dianna set a framework, and with the addition of the ridiculously talented Sarah Kaur [set design], invited us to add flesh to the bones. It has very much been a collaborative process,” explains Hannah Ley.

While the performance is musically driven, each of the girls brings a different background with her—from Nixon’s experience as a musical director, Baulch’s background as a director and teacher and Cormick’s mask work and cross-art practice.

“I have a dance background first and foremost, so my natural contribution has been through choreography and movement, both for myself and other members of the cast,” Ley says.

“I think it can be a challenge when you’re not only from different backgrounds, training and preferred mediums of theatre, but in this instance we’ve been given a fair amount of freedom to contribute without fear of prejudice or a ‘we don’t do it that way’ response! Initially I felt a little out of practice in regards to devising and extending an idea into a whole show—this was certainly a departure from the comfort zone and an exercise in trusting my own ideas and responses.”

Extending it even further out of the comfort zone are the personal elements the performers bring with them. While they sit at dressing tables in a room styled by Kaur, each girl weaves her stories into the narrative thread, revealing themselves through song. 

“I toyed for a long time with what I wanted to say—how much, would anyone care, will it entertain or come across as schmaltz?” Ley says.

“There are definite elements of ‘me’ in there, some of them are obvious, some only those close to me will recognise. I didn’t feel a burning need to expose my heart and soul; for me there are some things that are only for the ears and eyes of my husband!”

 The Girls is a celebration of frivolity and solemnity; secrets and half truths, the frank and the feminine—and plenty more. And for just one night, the girls are your closest friends.

The Girls opens at the Street Theatre Thursday 29 July, playing 7pm and 9pm nightly til Saturday 31 July.

Exhibitionist In Review The Laramie Project

Everyman Theatre
Courtyard Studio
20-29 May
Directed by Jarrad West

The Laramie Project tells the true story of Laramie, Wyoming, a town rocked by the violent murder of gay university student, Matthew Shepard—aemm hate crime that captured the world’s attention.

In 1998, writer Moises Kaufman and The Tectonic Theatre Project visited Laramie to interview its residents and investigate how they, and the wider community, had been affected.

The play was groundbreaking, and 10 years after its premiere remains confronting and moving. Everyman Theatre’s production is brought to life by eight of Canberra’s finest actors (Fiona Atkin, Micki Beckett, Jessica Brent, Duncan Driver, Dave Evans, Duncan Ley, Steph Roberts, and Tony Turner).

The Laramie Project belongs to the genre of ‘Verbatim’ theatre – a type of theatre that transcribes interviews word for word. Not only did the actors have to contend with playing some 60 characters between them, all with different regional American accents, but they also had a challenging script, complete with the hesitations, restarted sentences and ums and ahs of speech. Making this sound natural, of course is a whole other challenge and one they tackled well. Some might think verbatim theatre is restrictive as the dialogue precludes choice actors might otherwise make, but I’d argue it’s incredible difficult to pull it off and sound natural and perform truthfully. Dave Evans and Duncan Driver particularly excelled at this, but it’s hard to pick a standout performer from the talented ensemble.

With intelligent, respectful direction from Jarrad West, and a simple set and performance style, the performance was unpretentious and genuinely moving. It was an ambitious production but ultimately, a success.

Honour and Winter’s Discontent

Canberra is set for a double dose of William Zappa, a familiar face to Australian theatre, as he takes to the stage in Honour and Winter’s Discontent.

“Having enjoyed performing in Canberra on three different shows previously, I’m really looking forward to doing two more back to back and enjoying the warmth of Canberra audiences. Especially in the middle of winter!” 

It’s second time round for Zappa in the role of George in Joanna Murray-Smith’s play Honour, on at the Canberra Theatre Centre from 9–12 June. Often considered a modern Australian classic, the play centres on Honor and George, a couple happily married for three decades. But when things change, both must relearn their identities beyond “husband” or “wife.”

“One doesn’t often get to play a role on more than one production of a play, so when this came up I was very excited to take up the challenge once again. Older and wiser and more experienced as an actor,” Zappa says. “I have fond memories of the previous production, for the Melbourne Theatre Company, but very few specific moments are etched on my mind, and I was glad of that in rehearsals because I didn’t want anything to get in the way of rediscovering the role.” 

And a new imagining of the set has also contributed to Zappa’s fresh approach, with a minimalist set requiring the actors to approach the performance in a different way to hold audience attention.

“The design for the production was very challenging at the start. There are hardly any props, and no furniture, this means it’s all down to the actors and the text (ably supported by lighting and sound!). For a play that has such a ‘domestic’ feel about it, being stripped back like this seems to have lifted it into the realm of classical Greek drama, and yet there is something ‘familiar’ in the design, which has taken its inspiration from 1950s Australian architecture/design.”

There’s also a sense of familiarity in the characters. A husband, a wife, a daughter, and aspiring journalist, they all hold something in them that is readily identifiable. George is the type of man we all like to hate. He’s a successful academic, bordering on famous, and has been happily married for 32 years, until he is enchanted by a young journalist (around the same age as his daughter) and leaves his wife. It’s a story we’ve all heard before, and it’s difficult see this archetype in a new way. But that’s what makes it interesting—especially for Zappa.

“George is very challenging because he is a cliché—at least his behaviour is—and it is important that he does what he does out of a true belief that what he’s doing is right. And this is what it’s like for men and women who genuinely fall in love with someone while married to another, which quite different to having a ‘fling’. The danger comes when the heart is involved,” Zappa says.

“I think what Joanna has managed to write here is such an incredibly well-observed analysis of love and infidelity and loyalty and motivation, and she has done so with the most fantastic wit and humour. It is hard to perform because of the emotional turmoil but very satisfying for an audience.”

The play’s season in Sydney has been so successful that it was extended. Canberra is the only other city to be seeing the production.

As soon as Zappa finishes up in Honour, he’ll be jaunting across town to the Street Theatre for a short season of his own play Winter’s Discontent. Not only is Zappa performing in the show, he also wrote it.

“Winter’s Discontent is about an actor, Robert Winter, alone in his dressing room, getting ready to perform a play that he hates while at the same time dealing with a personal tragedy. It’s not autobiographical, although there are anecdotes that are based on my own personal experiences, but it reflects the lives of actors in general and explores/exposes the kinds of ups and downs that we go through,” Zappa says. “But it is also a kind of homage to theatre and acting. It celebrates the skills required to be an actor and presents the audience with, if I say so myself, some great theatricality. The kind of thing that makes theatre unique.”

Zappa says performing in two shows back to back was a happy coincidence.

“It was fortunate that the Street Theatre, who will presenting Winter’s Discontent, had a slot available that coincided with my being in Canberra. It means that I will be able to use a Canberra-based actress for the other (hardly seen) role of the stage manager. I’m very happy to say that Leith Arundel will be playing ‘Mo’ the stage manager and the voices of some other people from Robert’s life.”

Winter’s Discontent shows from June 18 until July 3. And does Zappa hope to see the same audiences turning up to each show? Or will they attract different crowds?

“Honour and Winter’s Discontent are very different plays, but I’m hoping that people who see Honour will say, ‘Wow! What an actor, we must go and see him again, and Look!!! He’s doing his own show!! Fantastic!!’”

Honour plays at the Canberra Theatre Centre from 9–12 June. Bookings 6275 2700.

Winter’s Discontent plays at the Street Theatre from 18 June until 3 July. Bookings 6247 1223.

A Show To Make You Smile

Chances are you’ve already seen Rafe Morris performing, whether solo, or back in the day as the vocalist for ska-rock band Dahahoo. Now he’s bringing a new musical experience to Canberra, as Rafe and the Well-Dressed prepare to perform at Tuggeranong Arts Centre.

“It all came about when Dominic Mico [from Tuggeranong Arts Centre] approached me earlier this year about doing a show. He’d discovered me at the Fringe festival and heard I was back,” Morris says.

“He and Tuggeranong Arts Centre really understand the importance of supporting local emerging artists.”

The show is perhaps best described as cabaret, although Morris reckons it’s hard to define in a single genre. The first step was to find a band, and he approached local musicians he admired, but hadn’t worked with before.

The Well-Dressed are Bec Taylor on piano, Zach Raffan on trumpet, Nicola Menser Hearn on bass clarinet, Catherine Keely on double bass and Nick Peddle on drums.

Working with a new band has also shaped the music and Morris says he’s constantly blown away by what comes out of rehearsals.

“It’s called A Show To Make You Smile, so there will be laughs, but there’s also a more serious side to my music that people haven’t heard before. There are some Dixieland songs, some straight pop, ballads and rock… it’s diverse,” he says.

“If I’ve got a strong idea of how I want something to sound, I communicate with the musicians, and if I don’t know what I want I leave it with them and they come up with gold. They are gold—and way better musicians than I am!”

The six musicians will be joined by actors, dancers and other performance artists, under the direction of Canberra’s grand master of absurdity, Hadley, who recently triumphed at the National Folk Festival with his Majestic Fringe big top.

“Silliness is Hadley’s domain, and no doubt he’ll deliver,” Morris promises.

Most, if not all, songs are originals, mostly written overseas in the last two years. Morris says the songs aren’t about his travels, but about his experience away from Canberra.

“The songs are more about me and how I was feeling about where I was, although the Czech Republic trams feature, and car rides in England. So a lot of it’s about journeys and moving from one place to another.”

Catch A Show To Make You Smile at the Tuggeranong Arts Centre from 8 pm on 27–29 May. 

Exhibitionist In Review King Lear

Bell Shakespeare, directed by Marion Potts
The Playhouse, CTC, April 16 – May 1

Bell Shakespeare’s King Lear opens with the sound of a music box on a stage set with a revolving dais and opaque plastic curtains. It recalls a snow globe, and within that innocent, protected world, King Lear (John Bell) gathers with his daughters and his court to divide his kingdom.

The set is understated and functional. Lear asks his three daughters to declare their love for him as he allocates his fortune. Cordelia (Susan Prior), his youngest, refuses and he exiles her from his circle, quite literally, casting her off the platform onto the stage below.

The revolve is well used later as Lear, mistreated and defeated by his other daughters, finds himself and his Fool (Peter Caroll) whirling around in the storm that echoes Lear’s own turmoil and descent into madness. Percussionist Bree van Reyk is in her element here, performing the sounds of chaos live on stage. Outside the storm scene, van Reyk’s music is compelling but distracting. What she does is beautiful, and she’s hypnotic to watch – but I’d prefer her off stage, to keep focus on the actors.

Bell owns the stage as Lear, and has great energy with fellow stage veteran Caroll. Tim Walter’s emo villain bastard Edmund was fun and accessible, and I loved Peter Kowitz as the loyal Earl of Kent, who is exiled and rejoins Lear in disguise. George Banders was good as the nasty servant Oswald. He did glance at notes a few times, as he had stepped into the role at the last minute due to injury, but I thoroughly enjoyed his performance. Ditto for Yalin Ozucelik, who moved into the demanding role of Edgar, Edmund’s legitimately born but easily duped brother.

Bell Shakespeare commands high expectations. Though this performance fell short in places, it’s well worth a look and will only get better. Marion Potts’s direction is nuanced and the show is evocative. And of course, Bell alone is worth the price of the ticket. Rumour is he’s retiring from the stage after this role, so see him while you still can!

The Seed Staged Reading Program

Canberra Youth Theatre’s latest venture, The Seed Staged Reading Program sprouted on Tuesday 6 April, with David Finnigan’s Autopsy Play Backwards, and other plays brought to life by CYT’s senior actors ensemble.

The idea is simple: once a month, CYT stages a rehearsed reading of work by young and emerging playwrights. CYT’s artistic director Karla Conway says it benefits writers and performers alike.

“Our senior actors have a fantastic show planned for the end of the year, which will be a site-specific devised hybrid work. In contrast, I wanted to give them experienced in text-based work,” Conway says. “At the same time, CYT is committed to providing pathways for emerging artists and one area I could see that we weren’t servicing was writing.”

David Finnigan will be well known to most Canberran theatre-goers. His post-apocalyptic coming-of-age road trip play Oceans All Boiled Into Sky was nominated for the 2006 Max Afford National Playwrights Award and was performed as a live radio play at the Street Theatre in 2008.

At the first staged reading of the Seed program, CYT’s senior actors ably performed six of Finnigan’s short absurdist pieces. Autopsy Play Backwards, which had never been staged before, presented a particular problem for the performers.

“I understand that stage directions such as: ‘ZOFIA puts MR G’s heart back into his chest. The blood is sucked back into MR G’s body,’ may be challenging to carry out, but man, 90% of the fun of theatre is in finding ingenious solutions to such challenges,” Finnigan said on his blog (blind-dragonfly.com).

CYT’s ensemble tacked that problem by reading some stage directions aloud, and moving symbolically to others. The minimal style worked, though Conway says they’d love to stage the piece properly one day.

For me, though, the real highlight was Coat Made of Eyes, performed by Tse-Yee Teh. Finnigan describes the piece as: “a smashed broken rhythmic rave-up based on an acid vision of Portland collaborator Jay Christian. It's not poetry…but it's not a traditional drawing room theatre piece.”

But Teh evoked the image of an old woman, desperately trying to recapture lost memories, and finally, letting those memories eat away. At the Q&A session afterwards, she explained how she came to that reading of the piece, and Finnigan was pleasantly surprised to discover a new layer of meaning.

Conway is justifiably excited about the program.  “It literally is a seed and we’re hoping with time it will spout into something amazing,” she says.

The series of staged readings take place on the first Tuesday of each month, at C Block Theatre, Gorman House Arts Centre. The next reading is at 7.30 pm, Tuesday May 4, and the playwright will be announced soon. Writers can submit scripts at us@cytc.net.  

King Lear - Bell Shakespeare 20th Anniversary

This year Bell Shakespeare celebrates its 20th anniversary. In that time it has staged some 30 plays and performed to more than two million Australians. From a glam-rock inspired Antony and Cleopatra, to the classic Romeo and Juliet, and the 1998 Barrie Kosky extravaganza of King Lear, Bell Shakespeare has established itself as a theatrical icon. In a relatively short period of time, the company has changed Australia’s perceptions of Shakespeare, and converted schoolkids to Shakespeare fans across the country (I should know. I was one of them).

Actress Leah Purcell’s appreciation for Shakespeare came a little later in life. She couldn’t stand Shakespeare when she was at school.

“I fell asleep up the back!” Purcell laughs. “It was not that I didn’t like Shakespeare, I just never understood it. I thought it was a waste of time anyway – I’d never have to learn to talk upside down and back to front. I was convinced it wasn’t my cup of tea. But after working with John Bell, who is just a legend, I love Shakespeare now.”

In King Lear, opening soon at the Canberra Theatre Centre, Purcell plays daughter Regan to John Bell’s Lear. Bell Shakespeare cheekily describes it as a play filled with tips for coping with old age, retirement and ungrateful children, though it’s an understatement to say things don’t turn out well.

The ageing Lear prepares to retire from his position and in dividing his kingdom, asks his three daughters how much they each love him. The two older sisters, Goneril and Regan, sing his praises to get what they want, but his youngest daughter Cordelia refuses to be obsequious and Lear disinherits her. From there, insanity, greed and betrayal set in, complete with eye-gouging and bodies littering the stage.

It’s a complex text and a challenge for any actor, but Purcell has embraced the challenges of her role. She says on the first day of rehearsals, she was apologetic because she was so intimidated to read opposite John Bell.

“On the first day we were all petrified. John opened his mouth and read the first two lines of the play and we were in awe because the man really knows Shakespeare. I’ve never worked with John before and didn’t know what he was like but he’s a really lovely man.”  Purcell says he has amazing energy on stage, which lifts her own performance. “In Act II, scene 4 he comes and wants to stay with me and I tell him no, go back to my sister. We really give it to him so that’s a real highlight. Then of course, I’m in the eye gouging scene. That’s pretty awesome. I get to throw guys around.

“I learnt so much with John. I was very open and said I don’t know much about Shakespeare. John just took me aside one day said, ‘I’m not going to bore you with theory. I’ll just teach you the tricks and have you talking like me in a week.’”

Purcell said she also had help wrapping her head around the language of Shakespeare in the website No Fear Shakespeare, which offers plain English versions of the plays. She recommends any first timers read it before seeing the play.

Purcell is down to earth and enthusiastic. She’s so enthusiastic about the show that she spends all our time talking about that and not her own personal achievements, which are impressive. Purcell is an award winning writer, director and actor, best known for her semi-autobiographical play Box the Pony, set in an Aboriginal community in Queensland. She worked previously with King Lear director Marion Potts in 2008 in The Story of the Miracles at Cookie's Table for which she won a Helpmann Award. But she’s always eager to learn more, and is enjoying seeing King Lear evolve on stage.

“It’s always changing. We find things in the script that we didn’t see before or someone reacts to something in a different way. It’s great. It means the play’s alive. It’s about us mortals finding all the tricks Shakespeare placed in there. It keeps it interesting for us,” she says. She also enjoys the simplicity of the staging.

“As an actor I prefer the open space and people interacting as opposed to lots of props and so forth. So there’s no hiding in Shakespeare. It’s about trusting yourself and the other actors. That’s why I’m so glad I did this role at 39, because I appreciated the lesson and got a lot more out of it.”

Also hitting the stage this year as part of the twentieth birthday celebrations is Twelfth Night, described by Bell Shakespeare as “the sort of thing that can happen when a man looks too much like his sister”, and Just Macbeth, by Andy Griffiths—he of My bum went psycho fame—which will no doubt appeal to its young target audience. Bell’s policy of tackling Shakespeare in different ways – such as in 2008’s stunning ‘remix’, Anatomy Titus, is one way the company has achieved such success in the last two decades.

“John had a vision and brought it to fruition and without the quality of work it couldn’t have lasted so long,” Purcell says. “There are people who appreciate the literature and Shakespeare’s form of writing. But Bell Shakespeare makes it accessible to everyone—they take it out to Aboriginal communities and young people all over Australia, making Shakespeare easy to grasp. They’re a great company to work for and they all work hard and they all believe in what they’re doing.”

Bell Shakespeare’s King Lear opens at the Playhouse, CTC, on April 15. Tickets through Canberra Ticketing on 6275 2700.

The Snow Queen

You might remember The Snow Queen from your childhood. If you do, then prepare to be delighted by theater simple’s enchanting performance of the Hans Christian Andersen classic. If you don’t know the story, this is the perfect way to discover it.

Hailing from Seattle, theater simple is an award-winning company founded in 1990 by actors Llysa Holland and Andrew Litzky.

Holland says theater simple is about stripping the performance back, and placing an emphasis on the imagination of the actor and audience.

"Simple doesn't mean easy—it can actually be incredibly difficult and complicated. It's about removing the 'wiz bang' which sometimes brings more difficult things to life and there's a lot more different layers to it,” Holland says. “The type of stuff we do is imagination based. Your imagination is always going to be more elastic and generous than anything we could do on stage so we suggest one part of the costume and let you imagine the rest.”

And it seems like this is the perfect approach to tell this fairy tale. After rave reviews in Seattle, across Canada and the US and the Adelaide Fringe, The Snow Queen visits the Street Theatre for two nights only. The story of Gerda and her journey to find her missing friend Kai is told by five actors who play 55 characters, from flowers to birds, to robbers and princesses. Holland says the use of costume is minimal and that most of the character changes are shown through the physicality of the actors.

“We all know how to play when we're kids. There's something about getting older that makes us shut out our physicality. But in our performance we try to model this physicality,” she says.

“We're all pretty flexible—literally as well as in terms of our acting. We have a lot of fun. I think that's the biggest thing. We want to do theatre that engages you and makes you want to play with us. It's been interesting to watch kids watch the show—especially if they're never seen theatre before and only know TV and video. You can see them watching, trying to figure out what’s going on and what’s going to happen next,” Holland says.

The theater simple production of The Snow Queen will sweep parents and children alike away in a magical world. Holland says that children take one play away from it, and adults another. So it really is a show for everybody, whether a child, or a child at heart.

“People always think fairytales are for the girls, but we did a show on Friday and the people laughing the hardest were the dads!”

The Snow Queen shows for three performances only at the Street Theatre on Wednesday 31 March and Thursday 1 April. For tickets and info call 6247 1223.

ANU Drama Dramas

Australia’s (Youth) Got Talent

On January 15, twenty talented youngsters from across the country converged in the capital to take part in the Australian Talented Youth project - a mentoring program for young artists in a range of areas, including music, dance, visual art, creative writing, film production and drama. ANU’s Dr Jolanta Gallagher developed the project in 2007 after she noticed that many emerging artists were geographically, socially and artistically isolated.

“I’d noticed it on various visits to more remote Australia. Young artists didn’t have access to high quality mentorship and resources and felt isolated in communities,” she says.

This year’s students, aged between 15 and 19, come from far-flung regions like Kalgoorlie and Karratha in WA, to the tiny Cabbage Tree Creek in Victoria. Through partnerships with local organisations, including the ANU and The Street Theatre, students pair up with well-known artists including pianist Dr Geoffrey Lancaster, singer Louise Page, theatre practitioner Fiona Atkin, jazz musician John Mackey and filmmaker Che Baker.

“The uniqueness of this program lies in, first of all, the number of creative arts involved, and in the fact that students need to collaborate across disciplines. It’s not just a pocket of dance, music or visual arts - it’s a full production,” Dr Gallagher says.

Speaking of production, as the culmination of the project, participants worked together over ten days to present a multi-arts performance at The Street Theatre on January 25, which highlighted their talents in writing, music, drama, visual art, dance and film. And through the process, they learn valuable skills and gain greater confidence as they pursue their artistic career.

Students have already been putting their new experience to use, with two dance students staging integrated or multi-arts performances in their communities to support bushfire victims in Victoria and Western Australia in 2009. An estimated 300–500 people attended the shows and made donations.

“We’re very proud of our alumni. Following this project, two students were accepted into the renowned Cirque Du Soleil - one recently performed in New York. We’ve got an Indigenous student who was accepted into the dance program at WAAPA and has collaborated with Bangarra Dance Theatre,” Dr Gallagher says.

Previous students from the Australian Talented Youth project have continued studies in their various disciplines, and many have returned to Canberra to enrol at ANU and the University of Canberra. Five visual artists who participated in the project were accepted to the ANU School of Arts—three of them on scholarships, and six entered the ANU School of Music.

“We expect a similar thing will happen with this intake, and we always get positive feedback,” Dr Gallagher says.

“It’s a hugely encouraging event. Young people get the skills, expertise and confidence to excel in their field. The Australian Talented Youth project propels young people to the heights of artistic achievement.”

Exhibitionist In Review Artists Unite and Not Axel Harrison

Canberra Theatre Centre 2010 Subscription Season

Exhibitionist In Review Porcelain

Exhibitionist In Review - Vital LMTD by Last Man to Die Street Theatre, 24 - 30 Oct

Vital LMTD, part of the Street Theatre's Made in Canberra season, is a challenging piece - not the least because cross-arts can't be viewed in the same way as a piece of theatre. Or a piece of art. Or a music performance.   Vital LMTD was made up of all these things and more, and although Last Man To Die's intention was clearly expressed ("This is not a play") the audience still tried to understand it as a piece of theatre. Perhaps this is simply due to a lack of awareness about the cross-arts form. Or because it was performed in a theatre.   Vital LMTD explored ideas of life, death, science and creation using percussion, looped music, projected images, and of course, performers/ creators Hanna Cormick, Benjamin Forster and Charles Martin. Cormick leads the show as actor/science experiment, and while the men seem slightly less confident as 'actors' they revel in their disciplines of visual art and music.   Without narrative in a traditional sense, Vital LMTD surges toward climaxes and slows to lulls, but it's a challenging form. There is at times a gap between what the audience takes away and what the artists intended. That said, the technology is astounding, the show leaves you with plenty to think about, and the hybrid form is exciting, if not completely accessible.   I'm looking forward to what Last Man to Die will come up with next.

Made In Canberra

The Street Theatre's Made in Canberra season is all about creating fresh new theatrical experiences and supporting local artists. But it's not just 'theatre' in that traditional sense. A cross-art collaboration exploring the science of life, an aural gallery of sound art, and a prohibition-style speakeasy, are just a taste of what's being made in Canberra.

Speakeasy Fringe Club

Rebuffing prohibition and inhibitions from 14-17 October, The Speakeasy Fringe Club promises a cavalcade of local original music in a way that has never been seen before-except in illegal gin joints during the prohibitionist 1920s. Gin in a teapot, anyone?

The Canberra Musicians Club, Cardboard Charlie and Matty Ellis (of The Ellis Collective) have teamed up to create a series of performances. There's something different to see every night.

'It's like a fringe club or a Spiegel tent where there's lots of interesting stuff going on, and you can sit and enjoy a drink,' explains Cardboard Charlie's Ben Drysdale.

He says the idea of setting the theatre space up as a speakeasy came from Nigel McRae of the Canberra Musicians Club.

'We liked the idea of having a musical event in a theatre space and making the shows as interesting as we could.'

Over the four nights, there'll be something in the realm of forty shows, with up to 25 performers hitting the stage each night. It's a mix of the tried and tested, and new twists. Kicking it all off is Los Duos Deranged, which sees artists from two different acts paired up on stage. The alliteratively titled Canberra Cannibalism Cabaret (local covers) and Allstar Acoustic nights follow, before the extraordinary Finale Night. Each night begins with The Band Broke Up, which features Matty Ellis hosting a chat and a jam with two or three musicians from different bands.

Drysdale is hard-pressed to find a single highlight.

'The whole thing is one of the most fun and exciting ways to see your local musicians doing something a little bit different from usual. A lot of people have put in work to make it happen, so it's a great chance to come and support them.'

He also reckons you'll want to go every night-and you're encouraged to dress in your best sassy twenties fashion.

Vital LMTD

From the wayward past to the questionable future, Vital LMTD hits the stage on October 24. The cross-art performance looks at life and scientific advances, and was created by The Last Man To Die-actor Hanna Cormick, visual artist Benjamin Forster and percussionist Charles Martin.

'Cross-art collaboration, also known as hybrid art or interdisciplinary art, is a form that melds different art forms together-in our case theatre, visual art and percussion,' Cormick explains.

'We try to move toward art that is not simply theatre with some music and pictures, but a melding of the three where it is difficult to distinguish where one ends and another begins. It's like going to a gallery, concert and play all at once.'

The three performers formed a strong partnership while working on cross-art performance for the Hunting Season in 2008 and decided to continue working together.

'We each bring something very different to the creative table,' Cormick says.

'We are all practising solo artists and have Masters or equivalent degrees in our respective fields, but we also work in fairly specialist fields within those forms.'

Martin plays the Malletkat, Forster works in digital and projection art, and Cormick specialises in trance mask technique. With such diverse backgrounds, it's probably no surprise that the process of building a performance can be eclectic.

'Our current show involves an intellectual debate in costume with tea and scones. But our rules are fairly clear in that whoever's art form any dispute falls most into, that person has veto. We have also had some wonderful support from the Street Theatre, particularly through a dramaturgical process with Peter Matheson, and also a condensed showing at the Crack Theatre Festival at This Is Not Art in Newcastle.'

Abstraktions 10

For one night only on the 21 October, Abstraktions 10 is a one-night festival of contemporary sound arts, curated by hellosQuare recordings.

'One of the aims of hellosQuare as a record label is to present sound art with a strong melodic base,' says organiser and hellosQuare founder, Shoeb Ahmad.

'There's not enough improvised music, electronica, and experimental music coming through Canberra. We want to show the wider audience that it's not just something for academics or people into high art. It's something that sounds nice, and is quite enjoyable,' Ahmad says.

That's why Ahmad began running Abstraktions, held once a month at the Front Gallery and Café in Lyneham.

'The aim of Abstraktions is to bring in interstate/national artists and showcase them in Canberra,' he says. 'We don't just want to make a three-act bill of sound artists with laptops and processing devices. We want that, plus a three-piece band on the same night!'

The Street Theatre will play host to the end of year celebration, and promises some truly high caliber artists-Lawrence English, Candlesnuffer, M Rösner, The Ghost Of 29 Megacycles, Scott Morrison and Ahmad's own duo, Spartak.

You can expect plenty of unique listening experiences, from improvised instrumental performance to digital technology and recorded work, as well as new sound for screen work, self-made sound making devices and audio/visual installations.

'I try to keep a high quality to everything I do. I'd love all of these artists to perform live for me, if for no one else-so we've been given a great opportunity to bring good artists to Canberra.'

Made In Canberra is a season of locally-produced works performed at the Street Theatre in October and November. Get all the details on the Made In Canberra season at www.thestreet.org.au.

Exhibitionist In Review Amadeus at The Playhouse, CTC 8 & 9 September

In 18th Century Vienna, one composer stands above the rest: court composer for the Emperor of Austria, Antonio Salieri. Heard of him? No? What about the puerile, sniggering young upstart who crawls into his life-bloke named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?

Amadeus is dramatic, heightened, almost operatic in its grandeur and the two lead characters stretch towards exaggeration. Salieri is virtuous but mediocre; Mozart is lecherous, feckless, and a musical genius. Director Tama Matheson has done a great job bringing this grandiose story to the stage. While at times the script is a little over the top, the story is fascinating, the cast did a fantastic job and it's a well-realised production.

Salieri is a man all too aware of his own limitations. While technically proficient, he lacks the natural skill of Mozart, and his compositions are histrionic, without passion.

Andrew McFarlane plays his character with precision, at times an object of our pity, despised, or all too understandable. Mozart (Dash Kruck, having a lot of fun), with apparently little effort, hears music in his head and simply transcribes it. He is a genius, sure, but he's also a little off-putting.

The set, what little there is, is striking. The stage is more or less empty, save a raised platform at times used for a throne and a few other set pieces moved on and off the stage. Each piece-elaborate curved chairs, graceful tables, a mini grand piano-is detailed and adds to the mood and the time period.

Sure, this is a play about music, but also much more. It's about envy. It's about jealousy. It's about what it drives us, and how even the most virtuous man may be corrupted.

Canberra Short Film Festival

'I'm watching 140-odd short films at the moment,' says Kris Kerehona. 'It's like a degustation-tiny, delicious bite sized morsels that you don't get sick of.'

The ex-chef, who swapped his apron and chopping block for a camera, is talking about the Canberra Short Film Festival. He's currently reviewing the entries, and while this might seem like a great job, he reckons it has its challenges. 'It was easy last year to separate the good entries from the average. But this year, there are so many really good quality films that we might have trouble deciding,' Kerehona says.

This year, the Canberra Short Film Festival promises something for every one. Now in its fourteenth year, the festival is a national competition and Canberra's biggest short film festival. The festival's beginnings were humble-a screening of Australian-made shorts as part of the Canberra International Film Festival in 1996. It was so popular that it branched out into a solo festival in 1999.

Since then it's changed hands several times, with Marisa Martin from EOR media handing over the reigns to Silversun Pictures two years ago. The Canberra Short Film Festival has four categories. The National Competition carries a prize of $2000 and is usually the most heavily contested category.

For local filmmakers, the Parlour Wine Room's Canberra & Region Competition offers $1000 in prize money, as does the National Youth Competition, which supports filmmakers aged under 25. The University of Canberra's National Schools Competition offers $500 cash and $500 worth of Madman DVDs for the winner. While there's no final tally just yet, last year's festival received more than 300 entries, so the festival team and judges will have their work cut out for them.

Kris already has his favourites. 'If there was ever a perfect short film, I've found it,' he says with a smile. 'The story centres around a girl who discovers an uncle she never knew she had, and his relationship with the rest of the family.' Another of his favourites is an entry in the schools category. Four boys living in a remote community show us their favourite places, like the fishing hole.

'It's like an invitation into an enclosed world,' Kerehona says. He says there's also an outstanding film is about a father and daughter who live out in the bush, where the daughter is locked in a box every night. 'It's a period piece with the most amazing art direction. I can't tell you the ending, but it's not what you'll expect and I can't believe how good it is.'

So how are the finalists chosen? 'When we judge, we look at the story-that's probably most important. Then cinematography, acting, editing, and sound. For example, if a film has inferior sound, it probably won't make the final program. But if it tells an amazing story there's a level of forgiveness in our judging.' This year's judges include Monica Penders from ScreenACT, Paul Kirwan, a visual effects expert who has worked on the likes of Transformers and Lord of the Rings, and last year's winner, Simon Weaving.

Kris says this year also marks a change in the way the judging process works. 'In the past, we invited interstate judges,' he explains. 'But I thought, it's our festival-can't we judge our own competition locally? So we decided of course we can-look at the talent we've got here. Canberra is a very strong documentary-making city, and some great short films are being made.

'Canberra's time has come. It's no longer a hobbyist film making city. Of all the filmmakers I know here, there's still a couple hundred more I'm yet to meet. And these filmmakers manage without the level of investments and grants that other states have.' He says the festival is a great opportunity for aspiring filmmakers and audiences alike.

'Day-to-day life can be mundane, but at the Canberra Short Film Festival you get a really different experience of life, with a cross section of genres,' Kerehona says. 'I think short films change you as a person. For filmmakers, they make you realise, "Hey, I can do that!" Or you can at least aim for it.'

Many of the films screened at the Canberra Short Film Festival have gone on to bigger and better things. Last year, Simon Weaving's film Ascension made the top five at Tropfest. Other films have gone on to Flickerfest, Sydney Film Festival and St Kilda Film Festival.

What can audiences expect? 'This year is our best year for films so far. And that's not me trying to sell the festival. I'm 100% per cent promising.' You can direct you complaints to Kris if you disagree, but he's confident you won't. 'There really is something for every one. It's a good mix of comedy, drama, horror and animation. The competition is fierce.'

Ticket holders for the final night get entry into a VIP pre-screening party at Dendy, with free cocktails. That's right. A $15 ticket gets you free cocktails thanks to Jamison, and you get to be part of the glam and glitzy film premiere styled party. One final tip-make sure you get your tickets early. Last year's final screening sold out and all the other category screening were near full capacity. Tickets go on sale at Dendy the week before the festival.

The Canberra Short Film Festival is runs 15-17 October at Dendy Cinema, Canberra Centre. More info at: www.silversunpictures.com.au/csff.

Wacky Traces

Les 7 Doigts de la Main - or The Seven Fingers of the Hand if you ne parlez pas de French - is a contemporary circus troupe from Montreal. One of the shows currently touring around the globe is Traces, billed as a high energy, dynamic display of acrobatics, theatre and circus tricks.

“The easiest way to explain it would be five people spending what might be their last moments together inside of a bunker,” explains performer Philip Rosenberg. “Through acrobatics, music, dance, art and speech we attempt to leave our mark (or traces) on the world before we leave it.”

Philip, along with Antoine Auger, Antoine Carabinier-Lépine, Geneviève Morin and Naël Jammal, marks the second generation of Traces, directed by Shana Carroll and Gypsy Snider. 

The new cast are all graduates of Montreal's National Circus School and come from a wide range of performance backgrounds.
So what is it like bringing those skills to the stage as part of Traces?  “So far the experience has really been amazing. It’s only the beginning for us, but we have seen already so much,” Philip says. “The show definitely feels like ours now, and I believe it is ours. Every time we go on stage I feel we find ways to bring our personality out in the show and find ways to make it our own.”

Each artist brings something different to the performance, Philip explains. “I specialize in handbalancing, Antoine C specializes in Roue Cyr (a metal hoop the performer stands inside and spins, rolls and rocks) and Teeterboard (like a small seesaw, perched on a rolling base), Gen and Antoine who specialise in Hand to Hand (balancing and acrobatics with two people) and Rafael is our acrobat and somewhat of a clown. Then we all of us together do hoopdiving and pole. In general it comes down to having a very strong acrobatic base. Many of us had never tried hoop diving or pole before the show began, but because we have been flipping for years it was only a small adjustment to bring those skills into the specific discipline.”

The show has been described by many as ‘circus-theatre’ - quite an evolution from the traveling big tops. Instead of watching big cats and elephants, we instead marvel at the abilities of the human body. And while it’s called ‘contemporary’, many of the tricks have been around for centuries. “Contemporary circus has been influenced by almost every existing art form. For example in our show you see acrobatics, dance, theatre, visual arts and music,” Philip says. “Circus has always tried to captivate and I believe for contemporary circus we try to bring our public into the show... into our world instead of merely showing off what kind of tricks we could do.”

Traces plays at Canberra Theatre Centre from Wednesday 12 to Saturday 15 August. Tix $60/$55/u27 $35. Phone 6275 2700 for info and bookings.

The Seed

In THE SEED, the critically acclaimed and much awarded play by Kate Mulvany, three generations of a family reunite in an exploration of family, loyalty and betrayal. Examining war, an immigrant’s story and family idiosyncrasies, the drama hinges on a prodigal’s return. In the director, Iain Sinclair, Canberra sees its own prodigal son return. Iain’s had an impressive journey since leaving his post as Artistic Director of Elbow Theatre in Canberra in 2003; he directed Killer Joe and My Arm for B Sharp at Belvoir Street Theatre while his other directing credits include Beyond the Neck, Lord of the Flies and Hurly Burly.

“It’s been a good run. I’ve worked with interesting actors,” Iain reckons. He’s also worked with Sydney Theatre Company where he’s been assistant director to Max Stafford Clark, Jean Pierre Mignon and Gale Edwards, which Iain says was “pretty cool”. He’s benefited from the experience, and the influence. “Every time you work with an artist of that caliber, there’s always something to steal from them. There’s nothing like watching a master at work.” So then, how was the seed planted for, y’know, The Seed? “Most of my success has been with new writers and Kate is one of them,” Iain explains. “I’ve known Kate for a while — met her at a National Playwrights conference in Canberra and made a good artistic friendship. We first started working together, developing a musical about an embalmer!”

It was only logical that Kate later approached Iain with her idea for The Seed and Iain enthusiastically got behind the project. “We got started on the play two years ago as an independent production downstairs at Company B Belvoir. They liked it and transferred it upstairs (to the main stage), which was a big deal because we managed to break the glass ceiling for the first time in years!”

Not only did Kate write The Seed, she also appears in it as an actor, putting Iain in an unusual position as a director. “It’s traditional for a director to not have playwright even in the room when you’re getting the show together! Normally having the writer as an actor might cause problems but because Kate’s such an expert at changing hats, she knows when to take a note as writer and actor. That’s all part of the rare, special artist that Kate Mulvany is.” So what can the audience expect to see on stage? “It’s a profoundly moving story. Kate tells strong and important stories with an eye to entertainment. The Seed presents a strong subject with many layers. It’s also an immigrant’s story, and it taps into the million weird idiosyncrasies family life has,” Iain says. “It’s a great opportunity to see one of our young writers right on the crest of the wave. Kate will be a writer that you read about in history books. I’m really excited to have a show from outside come back to my home town.”

The play is touring across Australia, and will finish in Kate Mulvany’s home town of Geraldton in Western Australia, marking a prodigal return for the playwright and actor, as well as for a play rooted in the ideas of home and family, peace and war, and leaving and coming back.

The Seed sprouts at the Street Theatre from May 12 to 16 at 8pm. Tix $19-$39. For info and bookings call the Street B.O. on 6247 1223.

Heath Franklin’s Chopper in Make Deadsh*ts History @ The Playhouse Sunday April 20

According to Franklin’s Chopper comedy persona, in his irreverent send-up of Bob Geldof’s Make Poverty History movement, every three seconds, somewhere in the world someone is being a deadsh*t. Uncle Chop-Chop set out to prove just that in his live show, via some strong reasoning (well, actually, it was mostly observations, peppered with f-words and other strong language), audiovisual presentations (including a sequence on animals that are deadsh*ts, like cows, which Chopper describes as being made from milk, steak and leather) and some audience participation.

As you would expect, it’s not a show for the easily offended, with Chopper attacking charity, celebrity, emo culture, and even the 2020 Summit. That said, it’s still hilarious. Heath Franklin delivers a cleverly-constructed parody; from the texta tattoos to the vocal mannerisms and the precisely timed f-bombs.

I wondered if he’d be able to sustain it for the whole show, and indeed he did, though the laughs weren’t as concentrated as they are in the Ronny Johns TV sketches. However, many of the best moments in the show were ad libs – from threatening an audience member with his empty stubby and a violent mime, to cajoling another unwilling participant who was once paid for eating a rock.

Using three audience members, Chopper set out to prove that two out of every three people are deadsh*ts. And apparently, in Canberra, about the same amount are public servants.

Chopper managed to elicit some hilarious responses from his three victims, and for a psychotic, he seemed to have a knack for making them feel comfortable on stage. His three subjects took to the stage and helped him perform the pilot for a biographical television show that centres on Chopper’s awesomeness, sex appeal, and ability to pop a sandwich shop owner with name changes for legal reasons.

Franklin is more Chopper than Chopper, and arguably more so than Eric Bana’s depiction, which is both disturbing and a little post-modern. And, of course, absolutely bloody hilarious.

Some times there is high brow humour to be found in the crudest low-brow entertainment… but not in this show. Oh, but don’t say that to his face, or Chopper will f***ing break your f***ing head off.