Last Saturday night, under a clear dark blue sky, fifty people stood on the street in Chippendale, waiting for the latest showing at Queen Street Studio to start. Busy talking amongst themselves, it took a while for the audience to notice the elephant walking towards them- holding a sign which said:
“4am”
and another that said
“Follow Me”
We made our way en masse under the roller door of Studio 10- into a new world. Or a familiar world re-invented by the artists within.
more…
It’s an exciting time for Sydney’s independent artists.
An exciting time for those who are brave enough to throw themselves into the big, deep unknown.
It’s an exciting time for those teams who have been in rehearsal the last 4 weeks, refining and developing their scripts for the first taste of the Sydney Fringe… in the Off the Shelf showing this weekend… more…
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It’s been a week since week 2 of Stories from the 428 closed- and I thought it would be nice/handy or interesting to write a little reflection on Week 2- and perhaps on the whole reflection of the project. I am in the process of de-briefing with all the directors about the project (and the process) – and this is always an important part of everything I do- it helps steer my projects, my design, my plan and focuses my passion for new work. more…
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My posts have been infrequent since February began- mainly because I have been busy with all things around my current production- Stories from the 428- and barely have I had time for seeing shows- let alone reflecting on line about them. In my busy schedule, which often involves seeing up to 5 theatre productions a week- and when in production as I am right now- I spend days on end computer in lap, coffee in hand, managing spreadsheets, budgets, creative imput, publicity, dramaturgy, casting the shows I am directing, reading scripts and all things related to the creation of a brand new show (or in this case a collection of shows)… rarely do I give myself permission to stop. To rest. To be filled up and nourished. And that is why, in truth, I have a Sydney Symphony subscription. This subscription is vital in my mental, spiritual growth, my understanding of the arts, my development as an artist- but above all else permission to turn off my phone, get away from my computer and surrender to the perfection of someone else’s craft- music.Tonight’s welcome surrender came in the guise of the masculine swaggering, sutlry voiced Nigel Kennedy with his virtuousic talent as the worlds most loved and respected violinist. more…
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Emergenza is the World’s biggest live band festival, providing unsigned bands the opportunity to play infront of hundreds of punters and a panel of industry executives. It is a trial by fire competition- with heats designed to push forward the bands voted by the audience as the best of the competition. Starting off at The Lair in The Metro- each band has 20 minutes of playing time to make their mark infront of a fairly well lit audience – whatever sounded good in your bedroom or loungeroom is now amplified and in front of strangers… more…
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I am very delighted to share with you some photos taken by Leah McGirr of the get together of the OFF THE SHELF artists in residency at Queen Street Studio. Leah has documented 6 productions I have headed in the last 18 months and I love her photography- it is a rare and precious thing in the transient world of the theatre to have a record of what was- and Leah does it with such style and grace. more…
Less than three weeks remain for Queen Street Studio’s playwrights residency- OFF THE SHELF. And there are four teams working hard in every spare minute of their lives to get a script ready for the showcase.
The teams are given 15 hours of rehearsal time and a couple of months in which they are encouraged to develop a script that they have “shelved” with a director of their choice. Over 30 submissions were received and four will be shown in late November to an audience of industry who provide feedback on the scripts.
The projects for the last Off The Shelf for 2009 are:
“Of the Causes of Wonderful Things” written by Talya Rubin, directed by Nick James
“Wretched Excess” written by Stephen Graham, directed by David Adlam
“Zetland” written by Jasper Marlow, directed by Mark Pritchard
“Combat Fatigue” written by Alison Rooke, directed by Ian Zammit
For more information about the program please visit:
http://www.queenstreetstudio.com/offtheshelf.html
Returning to New Theatre for its second exciting season, Brand Spanking New celebrates Australian playwriting by showcasing the work of both emerging and established writers.
Monologues, short plays and excerpts from longer plays, Brand Spanking New is a curated season of the best of contemporary writing – poignant, tender, brave, bold and unapologetically funny.
Week 1
30th September- 3rd October
Homemade written by Vanessa Bates
Directed by Anne-Maree Magi
Performed by Jane Phegan
Queen of the Night by Tamara Asmar
Directed by Jennifer Monk
Performed by Abi Rayment and Tanya Weiler
Fit for a King by Phil Spencer
Directed by Jane Eakin
Performed by Jeremy Just, Chris Leaney, Matt Ford
The Return by Jonathan Gavin
Directed by Augusta Supple
Performed by Matthew Charleston, Natalie Saleeba and Stephen Wilkinson
Measure by Jonathan Ari Lander
Directed by Tanya Dickson
Performed by Suz Mawer and Felino Dolloso
Last Ride by Ross Mueller
Directed by Travis Green
Performed by Peter Talmacs, Dave Kirkham
Matt Lauer by Rick Viede
Directed by Louise Fischer
Performed by Julian Lovick
Week 2
7th October- 10th October
King of the Mountain by Jessica Bellamy
Directed by Scott Selkirk
Performed by Stephen Peacocke and Olivia Solomons
if I could be anything I would be something different by Kit Brookman
Directed by Mark Pritchard
Performed by Eamon Bryant and Daniel Fischer
Lone Bird by Verity Laughton
Directed by Nick Curnow
Performed by Fiona Press, Tim Allen and Bruno Xavier
White Wedding by Sonal Moore
Directed by Sarah Vickery
Performed by Suz Mawer
The Bermuda Love Triangle by Patrick Lenton
Directed by Augusta Supple
Performed by Lucy Goleby, Teik-Kim Pok and Toby Villis
Siberia by Timothy Daly
Directed by Scarlet McGlynn
Performed by Amy Kersey and Brynn Loosemore
Polly Pocket is Not a Princess by Maxine Mellor
Directed by Danielle O’Keefe
Performed by Richard Hilliar and Mairead Bearn
Self Service by Mary Rachel Brown
Directed by Ian Zammit
Performed by Christine Greenough
Thanks to the kind folk at the Marlborough Bar in Newtown, despite the heavy rains and blustery conditions- we had an awesome night chatting and getting to know each other- about 40 Brand Spanking New-ers turned up (about half of the whole festival) and here are some highlights taken by photographer Leah McGirr-
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After the success of the inaugural Off The Shelf in May, Queen Street Studio presents the second Off the Shelf residency for writers and directors. Off the Shelf is an opportunity for writers and directors to hothouse a script that is in the early stages of development. Off the Shelf is supported by the City of Sydney and aims to focus the skills of theatre practitioners on a previously unproduced script of their choice, whilst strengthening relationships between emerging writers and directors. This is a unique opportunity to explore a script which may have been “shelved”, or may be in a seed stage and needs a little bit of time, space and feedback to get to the next phase. more…