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The 2010 Sydney Festival has afforded me many first experiences- and The Arrival is another- my first experience of New Zealand theatre AND the first theatre production I have seen at Carriageworks. In the past three weeks I have been experiencing a range of Children’s theatre- ranging from local Australian adaptations to large scale adaptations of foreign stories- now an adaptation of a graphic novel by Shaun Tan – “The Arrival”. more…
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Last Thursday night was my first adventure into the world of Urban Theatre Projects, a company I had long heard about but never experienced their work… why? Perhaps I was frightened off site-specific work during my performance studies degree… perhaps because I am a die-hard L-plater/public transport advocate who feared the late train ride and obscure locations in the Western suburbs of Sydney? I don’t know. more…
It has been one of the most talked about festival shows- this is very much a show for anyone who has ever wanted to run away and join the circus. If you have tickets- good on you- these and hens teeth etc etc… for those who are wondering about tix for next to nix- yep its worth it if you can have a nap in the middle of the day- coz its a late night you don’t want to be drowsy for! more…
I want to briefly mention the production of Midnite I saw on Saturday at New Theatre… adapted by Richard Tulloch from Randolf Stow’s “The Story of a Wild Colonial Boy”, directed by Jodine Muir and Jennifer Monk. more…
Photo: Garth Oriander
Sometimes, you just want a show that is tight, clever and completely entertaining- with The Pitch, Darlinghurst Theatre’s current prodcution- you are in safe hands and guaranteed a fun night at the theatre. more…
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To review or not to review- that is the question.
What to review, if you review- that IS the question.
I could review the story- the text- the production… but in this pre-review entry I am going to review audience expectation. more…
Photo: Heidrun Lohr
Sometimes when I really enjoy a piece of theatre the last thing I want to do is describe the best surprises and outline the plot in full- I think it devalues the spontaneous experience of the audience. I’m not sure who reads reviews- and I am certainly not clear on who reads my reviews. In 2007 when I first started reviewing I found it very curious that one of my fellow reviewers never reads anyone but himself. I always read reviews- especially shows I have reviewed- I like to follow the show through all terrain to get a sense of how the show travelled and which reviewers highlighted specific aspects of production. more…
My last review of the year- I may very well squeeze a review of the year in theatre- but this is the last show I was needing to write up… which I will admit was a little tricky for a couple of reasons- the opening night being on the 23rd of December… also thinking alot about Verbatim theatre as a style/genre of theatre making, what it means for The Sydney Theatre Company to be so closely linked to an international community of filmmakers and yet seemingly so far away or disconnected from Sydney’s Theatre community. more…
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Someone told me once that the reason why the name “Macbeth” is not to be uttered in the theatre is not because of its supernatural/bloody themes- but because it is the show that is produced to financially save a theatre on the verge of bankrupcy- and so “Macbeth” has become synonymous with a theatre in trouble. Also apart of this old theatre knowledge- which like all gossip doesn’t know its source nor author- is that A Midsummers Night’s Dream has the same function for a theatre in trouble- because it is a crowd pleaser. more…
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When I enter the space- not through the usual entrance there is a steady dark drone that growls its throaty hum. Performers walk in the space- three walk slowly along the tops of antique pianos- another welcomes me at the door- another has a goldfish bowl with the sacred undergarment he asks me to respect- another asks me to show her my underwear- another is dragging bodies onto the floor and undressing the ensemble down to their underwear. Light spills lazilly over the bodies slumped in the semi-dark allowing each occasional detail to be amplified- the glint of a toe ring- the curl of a tattoo on a rested foot… more…