A summer night. Friends in t-shirts and hoodies roam the empty streets of Bermagui – drinking, climbing things – cars, fences, railings, garden beds. Loud music. A car with a dirty windscreen. The windows down. Hot chips. A bonfire at the beach. Rugged bushland surrounds the beach. A campsite. A girl you might kiss. A friend you might owe money to, you might fight with…

Nikola (Max Rapley) and Chris (Charles Purcell) are long time friends, who haven’t seen each other in a while. After school they head down the coast for a party on the beach – there’s beer, a bonfire and a babe called Sophia (Sheena Reyes). Nikola is Sophia’s boyfriend and he loves her – possessively so, and Chris is hoping to maybe find a girl at the party, but really might be more concerned about his car getting broken into. Nikola is full of bravado and adventure and confidence – Chris on the other hand is not so sure and Sophia is a little bit stuck on how to untangle herself from where she is, and get to where she needs to go.

This is the first play I have seen by Sime Knezevic – but not the first time i have encountered his writing. teh bonfire was developed through Knezevic’s residency at Shopfront last year – and although i was on the panel that selected him, and gave him feedback on his first presentation of the piece, I missed out on seeing his final showcase in November – something which I have always regretted. So to properly declare my hand, Sime worked on Stories from the 428 Week 1 last year, and i had read Gameboy (previously submitted for Brand Spanking New 2008 and produced as a part of The ColourBlind short Play festival 2010). So I know his writing a little. It seems to me that Knezevic’s work deals primarilly with the struggle for power and status – with characters who wrestle and flip their intentions on the spin of a dime – it’s shakey ground. No sooner does the characters feel steady, and an erratic or unfair or oblivious comment sends them reeling – they lose their footing they are rendered mute or frustrated or enraged… It’s a marvellous tension which builds. I think Knezevic is onto something.

Grimley’s production is a gritty (pardon the pun) punchy (and again) multi-media exploration of the dynamic of impulsive teenage decisions. The film work is suitably home-made, the sound track is adrenilin raising and she has clearly tapped into the youth culture aspect of the script – and it rings true. It looks great – a sand-covered floor, a scaf trolley and large projections complimenting the lighting design (Victor Areces).

However, there are some limitations to the production – the clarity of the vocal work from all actors meant that some intent was overly neutralized – the drive – the force of the language was not quite put to the fore. Dramaturgicaly there is work to do – Sophia is surprisingly underwritten then overwritten – and lacks any true depth to indicate why a longtime friendship between Chris and Nikola would be jeopardized by her, and why Chris wouldn’t just stand up and walk away when she rejects him. Similarly Nikola is largely unlikeable – realistic yes – but unlikeable – which renders his character as one dimensional. And Chris is our mumbling protagonist – who has a speech which from my perspective is really is the whole point of the play – a portrait of a young man stuck and trying to work out the power of action and inaction and in search of clarity and certainty. In the end the problem within the play is not answered by Chris – and I am not sure if he is left any different at the end of the play as he is in the beginning – nor do I think there is a transformative journey for any of the characters, and therefore we, as audience are left without a transformative experience as such the story stops a little short of it’s full potential. this is a portrait – a beautiful portrait, and I would love to see the next draft. (I think I heard that this is Draft 3 – and there is a Draft 4 floating about ). There is no doubt Knezevic can write – and has a real and authentic knack fro dialogue – and a quirky sense of humour and is very capable of asking questions – but I think he’s got more in him.

Spatially, there are some difficulties with the staging – where is Nikola when he is off stage? Where are Chris and Sophia in relation to the bonfire party? Who can see them – can they see them? Grimley is already an accomplished rising independent theatre-making star, and has an incredible work ethic, eye for visual detail and responds very viscerally and personally to story. As good directors should. It is interesting that her collaborative and warm approach to making and devising and developing work is very noble and admirable, but in some aspects a firmer hand with dramaturgy and with vocal work may have been needed. However, I remain a firm and avid supporter of her – she’s unstoppable.

We have a strong tradition of coming of age stories in Australian literature, film and in playwriting – it is the side effect of a new country feeling the pain an alienation of contributing to an artistic or cultural tradition which has been invented elsewhere and refined over hundreds of centuries. Nationally, we are the teenager feeling frustrated and confused – whoa re we, what should we do, why can’t we do what everyone else is doing? And perhaps for the writer/director/actor perhaps there is a feeling of coming of age as an artist – when will I stop emerging, when will I know I’ve made it? When will I have arrived?

For all of us though, our teenage years are remembered as the years we had the luxury of thinking about/worrying about silly stuff, the wrong stuff, the boring stuff – all that energy and potential thwarted by an intense feeling of paralysis – from peers? From parents? From society at large? And we remember the transition from school to the rest of our lives – those summer months – as a time of personal purgatory in which we treaded water until a decision put us into our future.

The Bonfire is a passionately presented piece of work which certainly reminds us how universal introspection is and just how far we’ve come.

It’s been a pretty interesting year… and playwrights and productions have certainly kept me busy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I feel really lucky. honoured to be working with and for Australia’s best emerging playwrights. I am also lucky to have a home at Queen Street Studio, where development and experimentation is valued. It’s been a back to back year, and every now and then, I stop and look around. To see what’s happening.

Sometimes, I poke my head up from my email, or I sit in my backyard, rooibos in hand, looking at the garden. In one of the beds are the tulip bulbs Vanessa Bates gave me on the opening night of Stories from the 428 back in March… with the heartfelt message: “you are growing us.” This spring (fringe time) Bates’ tulips had burst open into yellow and red striped flowers and their emergence had kept me going during some tricky times… I guess, reminding me it’s all about growing.

So knee-deep in Spankers (Brand Spanking New)… and I see on a cursory glance on Facebook some congratulations flying around – and I am baffled, and happy and excited: three of the Off The Shelfers have been nominated for Awards as a part of the Sydney Fringe… And I couldn’t be more thrilled for them…

Sexy Tales of Paleontology by Patrick Lenton, directed by Anne Maree Magi
The Hideous Demise of Detective Slate by Alli Sebastian Wolf, directed by Jane Grimley
Zetland by Jasper Marlow, directed by Andrew Johnston

… and if that wasn’t exciting enough- new Australian works by emerging writers have been acknowledged in the Sydney Airport Excellence in Theatre Award, in the programming of The Boiler Room… I am thrilled! Mainly because the message it sends is clear- Australian works are good, in fact, they are exciting!

I love a shortlist! And to see that so many new Aussie scripts have made a shortlist- is very exciting… and I can’t help but feel really proud on behalf of all the artists that took the risk and went for it. They are the ones that make the work, and I really hope they feel inspired and encouraged to keep going.

The Sydney Fringe today announced the nominees of their 2010 Fringe Awards.

Sunday was a big day. Not just any Sunday- but a pretty special Sunday- the day for industry and peers to come and offer their support, thoughts, feedback to the four new works which have been in development through Queen Street Studio’s Script development hothouse “Off the Shelf”.

After several weeks of meetings, rehearsals, text messages, emails- and several redrafts, the participants had something to show- a 10-15 minute section or sections of a show which has been programmed for the inaugural Sydney Fringe Festival. This was a great opportunity for actors to see what shows are coming up for auditioning for- an opportunity for directors and writers to start thinking about their process and project… and an opportunity to gauge audience interest/ engagement with the pieces.

I selected these scripts based on the teams, the content of the shows- a suite of four which are of differing tones, genres, styles by a range of writers and directors- a self-referencial theatrical radio play, an absurdist comedy, A dark naturalistic drama and a black comedy- a mix of light and shade- distinctly themselves- undeniably unique.

The audience for Sunday’s showing consisted of enthusiastic peers and industry- some of whom are familiar with the Off the Shelf Feedback format- and some who were new to being asked to respond to the work. An audience of 60 people keen to have a sneak peek into the Fringe, some keen to support the writers, some wanting to meet some directors. All audience were able to offer something- a testing ground before the production rolls around.

The most exciting part for me is seeing just how many people are interested in new plays- and who seek to offer feedback to encourage and inspire the artists who have been in isolation creating the work.

Sometimes, a conversation can unlock everything. Sometimes questions about what you are doing or thinking are revealed in the process of articulating the thought or process… and as my mantra continues- nothing is wasted.

Another important part of feedback is not only the encouragement- but also the challenges that can be offered to the artists- and it is up to the artists to scrutinize and then decide what is useful, interesting or irrelevent. I do believe that writers know best- they often know what is wrong with their script- and sometimes it takes someone else to articulate it for them… for the thoughts to crystalize- sometimes the thing that is in opposition to the writer’s thought will unlock the concern- sometimes it will reinforce- but it is the conversation which is the most important thing- that offer- from an outside ear that can confirm or deny the playwright’s thoughts about their play.

And it takes practice talking about plays.

It takes takes practice deciding what is useful and what is not useful for the artists. And the more practiced you are, the more open to to criticism- because they are more resilient or practiced. And I am not talking about learning how to defend what you have written. I’m talking about learning what to take on and what to let go. Not all advice is good advice- as well meaning as it is.

I am so thrilled for all the Off the Shelfers- for their passion and talent and bravery in facing conversations about their fledgling works… I am honoured to have seen work by some beautiful and generous actors and the developing instincts of four remarkable directors- Keep an eye out during the Sydney Fringe for the plays developed during Off the Shelf:

Sexy Tales of Paleontology
written by Patrick Lenton
directed by Anne-Maree Magi
with Lucy Goleby and Felix Jozeps

The Hideous Demise of Detective Slate
written by Alli Sebastian-Wolf
directed by Jane Grimley / Assistant Director: Ben Ellwood
Rowan McDonald, Natalia Ladyko, Merren Winchester, Brendon Taylor, Robert Gadsbey, Anna Guy

Late Night Infomercials
written by Brooke Robinson
directed by Lisa Eismen
with Brendan Hawke and Danielle King

Peace at Last
written by John AD Fraser
directed by Lizzie Doyle
with Phil Spencer, Scarlet McGlynn and Greg Eccleston

Photos by Leah McGirr

For those interested in the next OFF THE SHELF (In October) keep an eye on the Queen Street Studio website… and if you are interested in applying to QSS’s residency for devised work, check out Queen Street’s newest opportunity to flex those creative muscles through BLUEPRINT. More info:
http://www.queenstreetstudio.com/blueprint-residency.html

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…

The announcement of a new Sydney Fringe Festival has been a welcome catalyst for creative conversation. For many artists in Sydney, a Fringe festival so close to home is a daunting prospect- for some, there is now a home for what has previously been a journey to Adelaide or Melbourne. Queen Street Studio have been quick to support the artists of the Sydney local area create work/begin to create/ develop work for the Fringe festival through OFF THE SHELF.

Designed for emerging artists (typically that means artists in their first 5 years of practice) to explore a section of text based theatre in a safe a nurturing environment, Off the Shelf is for writer and director teams to develop their working relationship, develop a common language or approach to work, test/experiment/develop a section of a larger work- and then offer it to an invited audience of peers and industry professionals for feedback.

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of energy and ambition people have for their craft. All writers and directors who send in their work, I have found to be remarkable and driven people. I am always honoured to receive a script- it is always thrilling- as I have said before new work is like a treasure hunt!

This occasion the four writer/director teams were selected, not only on the potential of the script to tell the story- but on the strength/conviction of the directors and writers passion to have the work produced- after all this particular development has a fringe focus. This is not a development for development sake- this is about getting work out there- exposing it to the public. There is a tradjectory which aims for audience… and to writers and actors and to directors the audience is a dangerous thing.

BUT.

The audience isn’t dangerous. The audience is not some unknown, nasty, judgemental, insatiable other… the audience is a group of people who want to be entertained and transformed- they want to love your work. They want to have a good time. No one walks into a theatre, pays money so they are made to feel awkward, sad, bad or regretful- they come to the theatre to have fun (sometimes rigorous and challenging types of fun) but they want to be engaged and delighted, challenged, suprised and excited- all in differing doses- in different ways.

On Friday night will be the first time all the writers, directors and actors will come together to meet… previously the writers and directors had a meeting- now we have the actors… and I can’t wait for them to see each others work! Sunday is when they show a segment of their work to an outside audience. And it’s the first taste of the Sydney Fringe Festival which has embraced the idea of “suck it and see”- this will be a bit of a “suck it and see” for artists and the test audience- the peers!

The projects are:
Sexy Tales of Paleontology
written by Patrick Lenton
directed by Anne-Maree Magi
with Lucy Goleby and Felix Jozeps

Peace at Last
written by John AD Fraser,
directed by Lizzie Doyle
with Phil Spencer, Scarlet McGlynn and Greg Eccleston

If you are keen to check it out this Sunday- drop me an email and I’ll let you know if I have enough room.

I love new work.

I love spotting talent.

Like a botanist naming the trees he walks by. Like a child pointing at a train and saying “train”. I spot talent and point at it and say “talent.” Then by naming it… by pointing it out, I am compelled to share it. I love sharing talent. It’s thrilling.

I love finding talent. I unashamedly and publicly call it “treasure hunting”… (I have also been called the new work “truffle pig”- nosing out the good stuff from the earth… I love it.) I love when a new script lands in my inbox- with a note from a writer (usually littered with disclaimers and a few “don’t worry if you are too busy” lines…) it is a thrill- I just don’t know what I am going to find- the next Vanessa Bates? The Next Joanna Murray-Smith? The next Andrew Bovell? The next Caleb Lewis? It’s exciting and an honour to receive a script. I love being warmed by a story in play form, and the heat of my laptop and a cup of tea (I have been indulging in alot of Rooibos of late- too much some could say)… the three warm makers in which I delight.

In 2008, the scripts I got sent were wonderful and plentiful- I couldn’t sustain the level of attention needed- and so approached Queen Street Studio for a residency in which I could have some of the excerpts of plays I was sent being dramaturged and workshoppped… They refused my residency and gave me a contract- to develop and run OFF THE SHELF. I have had the great joy of reading ALOT of scripts from as far south as Tasmania, as far north as London and everywhere in between as writers local and afar have pressed “send.” And I am deeply honoured to receive their work- and then I have the near impossible task of selecting 5 for development.

On this occasion, the first Off The Shelf for 2010, I have created a partnership with inaugural Sydney Fringe- and exciting venture which has embraced the hub of the innerwest and created a home for the weird wonderful and unexpected. Headed by Kris Stewart the Fringe is going to be unlike anything we’ve seen in Sydney before- bright, bold and fuelled by passion and daring… and I am thrilled that this round of Off The Shelf has the potential to mount their work for a run in the festival.

Always excited by a diverse range of possibilities – the projects included in this round of Off the Shelf and Into the Fringe are:

Late Night Infomercials, written by Brooke Robinson, directed by Lisa Eisman
Peace at Last, written by John AD Fraser, directed by Lizzie Doyle
Sexy Tales of Paleontology written by Patrick Lenton, directed by Anne-Maree Magi
The Hideous Demise of Detective Slate written by Alli Sebastian-Wolf, Directed by Jane Grimley

With works ranging from sinister to sexy, absurd to scientific, poignant to pointed and political to romantic- there is something for everyone in this selection of works. The teams are made up of 20% of artists I have worked with before- and 80% who I am familiar with (personally or professionally)- and 100% of the works have something to offer an audience- a new perspective, a fresh idea, a sense of fun. This is the work I want to see-and I can’t wait to see how they develop… and what an audience will think of them.

I love new work. It’s thrilling. And you never know what’s around the corner.

Theatre- an artform inheritantly voyeuristic – relying on witnesses in order to exist- is a perfect place in which ideas about surveillance, presence and what it means to be watched can be pulled apart, examined and reconnstructed.

Since the rise of paranoia from governements across the world- and the heightening of security (or perhaps the need of “a sense of”) in streets, on buses, in lifts- the Orwellian Big Brother emerges. What appeared to be a futuristic fantasy is now not only present- but a vehicle for the rise of the “reality TV” celebrity. We are a generation who is constantly under watch- we encourage others to watch us through our facebook status- there is a flattery about being on screens – watching us walk through train gates… we are a curious animal- curious about ourselves in the wider context of the world and perhaps now more than ever as camera surveliance multiplies, and implies the danger which is other people.

The DeConverters lead by fearless Jane Grimley, is a group of performers including Grant Moxom, Amy Wanless, Jaya Sound, Sam Duncan and Sacha Harrison and media artists- Daniel Brown, Sacha Cohen and Ben Storey who have spent months collaborating, workshoping and devising The Witness in The Wall.
This is the first prouction by the DeConverters who have chosen to launch their tour of this piece at Newtown Theatre. For those who remember Newtown Theatre as “The Edge”- home of Kinetic Energy Theatre company for some time- this style of work is not an unusual fit for this space- but for those more familiar with Newtown Theatre as the home of Short and Sweet it may be a surprise for you to attend this style of performance in this venue.

Weaving audio visual materials, live sound (a very evocative harmonica), text (spoken and projected) , Witness in the Wall is a series of vignettes which seek to explore what it means to be watched. This is not the type of performance in which there is a linear narrative- but a collage of ideas and sentiments and moments wherein te performers move through a sequence of mundane and then extraordinary moments- performance as a living gallery of ideas and actions. Playing with the connection between audience and performer- a small segment of direct address is largely terrifying for audiences who enjoy being in the sweetness of the darkness of the audience seating.

Though I must declare that I appreciated many moments of The Witness in The Wall, especially the opening video projection which felt largely like star gazing, the major ideas that came across to me, was not necessarilly the effect of surveillance- but the disconnect people feel in a society where in we are busy watching each other. Through watching we can feel lonely, disconnected, removed from each other… through watching we are alone.

This is a really unique and interesting piece of performance- and depending on where you are in your own headspace- it will reach you in someway, somewhere about what it means to be present and particpating in a world where we are constantly looking out in order to understand what is within.

More Info:
http://www.thedeconverters.com/witness/company.html
Contact :thewitnessinthewall@gmail.com
$10-$20 Rock on up Tuesday-Saturday until September 26th
Book Here http://newtowntheatre.com.au/