My friend and colleague Patrick Lenton and the Sexy Tales Comedy Collective is looking for a delightfully talented actor to adventure to Adelaide with them. I wouldn’t recommend it, unless I thought you might have a very fun and rewarding experience.

So… if you want an excuse to say you’ve performed (perhaps as a lizard) at The Adelaide Fringe – this one’s for you…

AUDITION NOTICE – 100 Years of Lizards
A new play written and produced by Patrick Lenton
Directed by Ngaire O’Leary
An official selection of the 2012 Adelaide Fringe Festival

The Sexy Tales Comedy Collective are looking for a female actor aged 20-30 to play a variety of roles in the new play 100 Years of Lizards.

Developed as part of Underbelly Arts Festival and performed at Crack Theatre Festival, 100 Years of Lizards is touring to the Adelaide Fringe Festival. The Sexy Tales Collective are a group of artists dedicated to bringing the weird, absurd and most of all, riotously funny to the stage.

Performance Dates:
1st – 17th March 2012 at The Maid, Adelaide.

Rehearsal Dates:
November 2011- February 2012 Schedule TBA.
Also, further hours for promo work are required.

Audition Times:
Saturday 19th November 3-6pm

For an Audition slot please contact Patrick Lenton: patricklenton@gmail.com

PLAY SYNOPSIS
Millions of years ago, a race of lizards warred against the dinosaurs and won. Now the guilty and chameleonic remnants of that race live on a small island off the coast of Australia, where an obsessed scientist and a lonely ranger are dedicated to studying them. After their funding is threatened, they open the island up to the exuberant and also flagrantly evil host of a travel television show, who likes to ritualistically eat rare animals to remain young forever.
Add a maverick lizard King rebellion and a creepy cold blooded love triangle, and you’ve got a classic tale of good versus evil and more importantly lizard versus lizard. A theatrical mishmash told through sketch and song, 100 Years of Lizards used to be big in the Triassic but was wiped out by a comet of talent.

Character Breakdown:
Janet the Scientist Lady:An obsessive lizard scientist with a dark past.
The Lizard Queen: Ancient matriarch Queen of the lizard people who is an avowed pacifist.
Helmsly: A downtrodden man servant.
Lord Frankleston:A pompous man of science from the past.

Terms:
The play is being produced on a Co-op basis. Actors will receive a share of any profits that are made. This is a great opportunity to be a part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival, and to work with the fun-loving, behemoths of eccentricity that is the Sexy Tales Comedy Collective.

Underbelly Arts has nothing to do with the TV show. It won’t confront you with guns or nudity – frankly, it’s too cold. It’s an arts festival. An arts festival which dares to ask two key questions:

“What would happen if you brought up to 150 artists together under the one roof for ten days to develop new work?

What would happen if you then opened this process to the public, allowing them behind the scenes of art in the making?”

Saturday. A blue-sky winter’s day, it’s cold and I’m grateful for my coat and sunglasses in equal measure. I have reserved the day to be a cultural tourist, adventuring to an island in the middle of Sydney. Accompanying me is a retired magician, who happens to be a fascinating conversationalist and an irrepressible artist in his own right. Though I am not overly familiar with this style of performance (hybrid/dance/devised/visual/installation/alternative etc…) I have been put in charge of our adventure to Cockatoo Island. It’s a caffeinated whirlwind. I’m not certain of all the details – but I figure that with all the buzz around the festival, if I get lost/stuck/confused someone will help me.

I am completely uncertain of what I’m doing. Firstly of the ferries – I had a schedule – it flew out the window as soon as I was swayed into a veggie burger lunch with James Waites post Tim Andrew’s Art talk in The Rocks…

And like all good adventures, uncertainty is part of the fun. It’s the extra zesty something that keeps us living, I believe, It keeps us gripped to the seats of our own lives as we wonder “how on earth did I get here, and how is this going to pan out?” I live so much of my week strictly scheduled and tightly wound – sometimes uncertainty creeps in… but mainly it is scheduled. So today – an alternative art consumption philosophy – “Be aware, be prepared and surrender your plan.”

This blog post will be full of names… I’m warning you… this is not because I am deliberately trying to be annoying (that’s a surreptitious motivation) … you’ll see my point at the end…

The aim was to head to the island, but before long I certainly found myself running and frolicking about to catch the 3.10pm ferry from circular quay with Clare Grant… on the ferry there was Pip Smith, TK Pok, Talya Rubin, Larry Heath, Rosie Fisher, Brad Syke… to name a few- media, artists, producers, punters, academics all squashed together on a boat as we dipped into the crannies of the harbour. Balmain. Woolwich. Cockatoo Island.

We escape into a sprawling fan onto the island in direct hunt of our tickets.

Bumping into Nerida Woods.. I even spy Alice Osborne – I don’t say hello – It’s just nice to see her there…

When we arrive the security and festival volunteers including Rowan McDonald are yelling that the island is at capacity and we have to wait. I can’t wait. I’m on a mission to see 100 years of Lizards! We are let in, we head to registration, Julia Lenton publicist extraordinaire has wrist bands at the ready – we are banded like artistic doves and race off to witness art.

100 YEARS OF LIZARDS
Patrick Lenton has a bizarre brain and I love it. Prolific and passionate and wildly imaginative, Lenton’s gift is for winding stories up into a tight ball of yarn and threading through it bizarre and brilliant unexpected figurines and puns that curl up into tendrils of circumlocution. “Scientists, a ranger and an ancient race of Lizards live and love on an island”… if you think of Jurassic Park. Then you stop thinking about Jurassic Park and you start thinking about Margaret Thatcher and what she would look like dancing to the Bee Gees… and then you force some mildly cheesy flashbacks – you get close to what this piece is like. Still in it’s infant stages, but with inventive costumes hand mastered ( or collected, and curated) by Bridget Lutherborrow, 100 YEARS OF LIZARDS was perhaps the most traditional of the performances, drawing on a rich tradition of vaudeville and revue comedy.

then.. bumping into the director of 100 YEARS OF LIZARDS, Scott Selkirk… we were off to have a look at an installation -

XUAN (Spring)
A vietnamese soup kitchen hemmed by a moat of yellow cherry blossom trees and purple decorative cabbage..as people made soup and handed it out to the patient or the stubborn.. a Vietnamese spring flower festival, on an Australian Island in winter… wha? “Wha” indeed. That’s the whole point… the unexpected displacement…

Then racing to -

INFLATE MY HEART WITH 1000 GUSHES OF WIND
OK. I was uncertain with this one. which I think we missed or perhaps I lead us to the wrong place… a large white inflatable art work twisted in the space – video art projected on the wall – I felt small and wanted to touch it.

walking past

SPATIO-TEMPORAL ANORMALIES, SPATIAL DISTORTION & THE PERSISTENCE OF VISION.
Domestic objects frozen on pedestals, re-contextualised with sound and video smashing around them.

A quick hello to Chris Ryan and Clare Britton…

Then in the street I bumped into Jess Bellamy and Chris Summers (playwrights) we babbled and bantered – they recommended a show by Jimmy Dalton. I scheduled it in… but not before a refreshment stop in 124… Little Creature Pale Ale.. more chatting in line (the horrendous queues are wonderful for chatting)…

DATA_SHADOW
In a long room had a large and brightly coloured video art installation. A coloured flickering quad sectioned display of colour – an installation as an ode to digital photography – claiming to be about memory – I think it’s also about mind-clutter. It seemed fun – and too much.

INFLECTION THE BROKEN RECORD
In the opposite room – something was happening. Bits of story pinned to the wall. Written in texta. There’s a narrative i don’t have time to read. Clearly I should have spent more time preparing for this. There are people standing around a mannequin, there’s gaffa tape, black plastic bags, junk. Men in hoods and dark masks – interchangeable. There’s photography happening but I’m uncertain if it is a part of the piece or greedy voyeurism. It’s dark and intense. there is throbbing sounds – electro-static hum. I’m not sure where I’m supposed to stand – or what to do. So I lean up against a wall and watch. It feels as claustrophobic as fight club. A blonde woman half screaming, half singing forces sound out of pain clenched mouth. It’s intense. there are dolphin torches. And then there is an explosive moment in a vase with red liquid. I walk out wishing I had known more before I’d walked in the room. My mind races – what did I just witness? A ritual, a death? Abuse? I’m uncertain.

Leaving there I nod at James Beach, say a quiet hello to Alice Cooper and make my way to see something up and around the hill…

A hike up the hill with Cat Jones, we banter and chatter and share the things we’ve done and seen at the festival – it’s clear I’ve not scheduled very well – somehow I’ve missed Julie Vulcan’s SPOTLIGHT BUNNY – the car’s battery was flat – and anyway, it was for an exclusive audience of 4. So I missed it.

V
There’s a large and grateful preamble by Jeff Stein listing all the contributing artists to this performance. There’s a huge video projection – video art. A being in a large chicken/rabbit suit made of white bin liners – feels like Donny Darko, that is, if Donny Darko’s dad was a chicken. There’s a book with a V on the cover. Chanting. Pulsing, hypnotic – an aria? Latin? pages are torn from the book of V… puffs of smoke hiss out of a sandstone building. It’s beautiful, mesmerizing and spectaular – and to me a comment on doctrine and history – but then again I’m not certain that’s the intention.

by this time the sky is the type of dark navy blue that often is mistaken for black… we walk down the hill… it’s time for beer and a bite to eat… and more art. I wait in line for food and beer say g’day to James Winter… say hello to Emily Morrison and Max Rapley… it’s light conversation until:

AWFUL LITERATURE IS STILL LITERATURE I GUESS
It’s the fun and cool Applespiel folk as they dance a dance of books – as thick, trashy tomes hang above us like the knotted ropes that hang off walls of a boot camp. They dance. They confess. They question. They explain. They’re patient when the drunk old guy starts singing into a microphone unexpectedly. They read erotic sections from trashy novels. They’re cool. I’m not. That’s ok. It’s something I am certain about.

There’s a wolf whistle and there on an inflatable couch is Caleb Lewis and Melissa Mathiesion. Sitting there, Scott Selkirk takes a photo of us sitting on the black inflatable couch – Michal Imielski, Melissa Mathison, Caleb Lewis and me… there’s an interesting chat about the failures of theatre brewing… but it’s time to see more art…

RUN!

SHIMA
And there it is…
A woman in a long white dress moves as the heavy machinery melts and warps behind her… a square of light… she wrestles with her own hypnosis. I’m breathless twice over. I find a seat, I settle down. On the seat. I settle in myself. It’s soothing. To watch her is to feel love for your own ability to see. Two artists from two very different islands – David Kirkpatrick (Australia) and Anna Kuroda (Japan) – create a visual expression about feeling home… sleep, restlessness, ritual, energetic boundlessness. The minute and lyrical detail of her hands -beautiful. The sound washes and hold us. We are alive in this moment as this figure glows and spins and weave… it feels… it feels.. it feels like pre-sleep thinking. She picks a posie of flowers light with LED lights and we watch. Dance and sound perfectly matched and married.

Afterwards congratulating David and Anna, chatting to Howard Matthew (Shopfront’s new co-Artistic Director), Saskia Vromans…

Marveling at the attendance – all the people I saw and spoke with, listened to, was helped or guided by, entertained by, exposed to… what an incredible community. What a breathtaking event… what a festival! What a celebration of art and expression and ideas and love and bravery and silliness and opportunity!

There is a feeling of uncertainty still washing over me… had my strategy been silly? What was it I just experienced? What did I think? What did I feel? What did I like? What does it mean? What is it for? Why do we do this, we humans? Who stand around standing and talking and pretending and making?

You know, I’m not completely certain about that either.

But there is one thing I am certain of – regardless of the reasons for and against, and the lines of enquiry, we (the arts community – punters and makers alike) are bound to each other through common experience of exaltation, joy, visual delight and also uncertainty.

And that is one of the most beautiful things I have come to realise.

No matter how tenuous and uncertain, life, art, career, love, friendship, stability is – art happens. And you’ll deal with it.

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.

Remounting a show is a huge gamble- the hope that people who missed it last time are in town and can see it, the hope that those who saw the original show feel such a fondness for the show they want to see a replay (like that much loved VHS tape from my childhood) or are curious to see how it has changed. It’s a gamble that the writers, the directors and actors want to see it again, want to work on it again- want to plunge their foot in the same river twice… and the risk feels huge.

Luckily for Stories from the 428, a collection of the writers, directors and actors were available, keen and generous enough to lend their time and talent- and with the help of Leslie, Naomi, Guy and Kendall at ACTT the rehearsals were sorted out- and before long everyone was back ready to jump on board and into the Fringe Festival.

But of course there are a few changes- the two weeks have been combined and refined, some of the original cast are overseas, in other shows and so there is an ensemble cast- largely made up of the original with a few fresh faces thrown in.
Some scenes have been completely re-directed- others reinstated- but the selection is fun, festive, bright and I am utterly proud of all involved:it’s an honour to work with these writers, directors and artists.

After a nail-biting preceding week, 3 hours in which to tech and dress the show with a cast of 17, 11 writers, 5 directors and a crew of 2- the opening of (Selected) Stories From the 428 last Saturday was amazing. The audience full, the laughter loud, the applause generous… Three more shows to go (this weekend) before the show is put to bed.

The dates and times:
Saturday 18th Sept 5pm
Sunday 19th Sept 2pm*
Sunday 19th Sept 8pm

*please note this performance will not include “Baby Doll”

Bookings:
$24/$20 + Booking Fee
http://thesydneyfringe.com.au/shows/stories-428
http://sa2.seatadvisor.com/sabo/servlets/TicketRequest?eventId=100201510&presenter=AUCENTURY&venue=&event=FR428
02 9550 3666

I look forward to seeing you there!

(Selected) Stories From the 428
Bethlehem
Written by Kit Brookman, directed by Augusta Supple
Performed by Jan Langford-Penny

Story 2
Written by Lexi Freiman, directed by Scott Selkirk
Performed by Lucy Goleby, Luke Carson, Lib Campbell, Daniel Fischer

You Are Here #1
Written by Alison Rooke, Directed by Zoe Carides
Performed by Bridgette Sneddon and Felix Gentle

She
Written by Matt Edgerton, directed by Louise Fischer
Performed by Daniel Nemes and Kailah Cabanas

Playlist
Written by Sime Knezevic, directed by Glenn Hazeldine
Performed by Stephen Peacocke

Baby Doll
Written by Joanna Erskine, directed by Ngaire O’Leary
Performed by Maggie Blinco and Alan Faulkner

Oliver Twist Is…
Written by Donna Abela, directed by Scott Selkirk
Performed by Melissa Hume, Daniel Nemes, Luke Carson, Lucy Goleby, Daniel Fischer, Lib Campbell

Clean Skin
Written by Matt Edgerton, directed by Louise Fischer
Performed by Matt Charleston

It was raining all afternoon…
Written by Kit Brookman, directed by Augusta Supple
Performed by Lucy Goleby and Stephen Peacocke

An Advertiser’s Dream
Written by Brooke Robinson, directed by Augusta Supple
Performed by Kailah Cabanas and Julian Ramundi

Mastadon Special
Written by Patrick Lenton, directed by Ngaire O’Leary
Performed by Matt Charleston, Jan Langford-Penny, Lucy Goleby, Lib Campbell

You Are Here #2
Written by Alison Rooke, Directed by Zoe Carides
Performed by Bridgette Sneddon, Felix Gentle, Julian Ramundi and Helena Stamoulis

No Rides Left
Written by Jasper Marlow, directed by Louise Fischer
Performed by Lib Campbell, Luke Carson and Matt Charleston

The 428 Song
Lyrics by Tahli Corin, music by Rosie Chase, directed by Augusta Supple
Performed by Luke Carson, Julian Ramundi and Toby Villis

Earlier this year, a group of playwrights, directors, crew and actors came together to create a project inspired by Sydney’s transport system. A suite of plays were presented at Sidetrack theatre- a different suite each week for two weeks celebrating the bizarre, fantastical, romantic, infuriating Sydney Commuter experience. With a total of nearly 100 artists on board- nearly 1500 people over 10 performances enjoyed the fruits of their labours. Six months later, most of the directors and an ensemble cast have come together with a selection of the scenes from both weeks, culminating in a new show- full of surprises! If you missed it- this is your chance!

The premise is simple: A group of award-winning and emerging playwrights have collaborated to create a unique show inspired by conversations, scenes from the bus window, overseen text messages or perhaps the person sitting across from them on the 428 bus from Circular Quay to Canterbury. And the best thing is- you can catch the 428 to the show as it stops outside Sidetrack Theatre.
Supported by Queen Street Studio, New Theatre, Actors College of Theatre and Television (ACTT), a selection of Scenes from Stories from the 428 has been curated as an official selection of the Inaugural 2010 Sydney Fringe Festival this month.

Directed by: Scott Selkirk, Glenn Hazeldine, Ngaire O’Leary, Louise Fischer, Augusta Supple, Zoe Carides.

Written by: Sime Knezevic, Joanna Erskine, Patrick Lenton, Donna Abela, Matt Edgerton, Lexi Freiman, Brooke Robinson, Tahli Corin with Rosie Chase, Kit Brookman, Jasper Marlow, Alison Rooke

Performed by: Lucy Goleby, Stephen Peacocke, Maggie Blinco, Alan Faulkner, Jan Langford-Penny, Lib Campbell, Luke Carson, Matt Charleston, Daniel Nemes, Melissa Hume, Kailah Cabanas, Julian Ramundi, Bridgette Sneddon, Felix Gentle, Helena Stamoulis,Toby Villis

Creative Producer: Augusta Supple, Sound Designer: Jeremy Silver Lighting Designer: Miles Thomas, Graphic Design: Tim Andrew, Publicist: Julia Lenton, Web Construction: Grant Moxom, Stage Manager: Alison Murphy-Oates

Performance Dates:
Saturday 11th September at 8pm
Sunday 12th September at 8pm
Saturday 18th September at 5pm
Sunday 19th September at 2pm
Sunday 19th September at 8pm
Tickets: $24/$20 + Booking Fee
(02) 9550 3666
www.thesydneyfringe.com.au/shows/stories-428
www.storiesfromthe428.com

” Stories From The 428 is shaping-up as a cult phenomenon. Audiences have been overflowing; generous with applause, laughter and, where appropriate, mesmerised silence.” – lloyd bradford syke www.australianstage.com.au

“The very idea of bringing so many theatre artists together, established and emerging, is fabulous enough. But the fact that so much of the work was good makes the event truly special… and has led to delightful results.” James Waites www.jameswaites.com

“Each scene finds little joys and tragedies in the commonplace; it is a meditation on the private within the communal, and variation within routine. ” Vivienne Egan www.timeoutsydney.com.au

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.

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.

There couldn’t have been a more different experience for the bump in/tech of Week 2’s show. 5 directors completely prepared- wrangling blocking of a cast of 34- and 18 pieces overall. A bigger week- epic in cast and ambition. I can’t say I wasn’t a littel nervous about how this would appear. Double the cast of Week 1 (how DID that happen?) and more works. Where as Week 1 was more introspective (and contained more watery/rain references- yes the bus trips were taken in the rain)- Week 2 was a kaliedoscope of ensembles tumbling out like a morris minor filled with clowns. Two of the writers Lenton and Marlow especially responsible for the more sketch comedy style plays- fun/funny and very entertaining- a very different texture to the literary texts of Freidman and Janaczewska- or the stylistic adventurousness of Corin and Abela… or even the poetic of Erskine and Edgerton. Week 2 fulfilled the design of the project in a much more whollistic way- all writers travelled on the same bus at the same time together (this didn’t quite happen in Week 1) and the directors worked collegiately sharing actors and resources. So in the lead up- this process was working- perhaps the festival feel of the pieces helped this along? I don’t know- but the feel was very different. Not better. But different.

Tech happened. It was fun. Directors ready, clear and excited and ready to solve their own and each others challenges. And I must say that having 5 stagemanager types in the room (one actual, 3 directors who are ex stage managers and a Production manager who is a stage manager by trade) was wonderful and made everything easy.

Dress run with the actors was easy. A little weird having 34 actors to contend with- but wonderful none the less! I was scared I would look greedy or disorganised having that many actors on stage- that I was being indulgent or sloppy… and there were some decisions that needed to be made and I made them (like not having full cast on stage at all times). But it went brilliantly- actors stepped up- directors stepped up- and it was smooth and without a hitch.

Two tragedies happened that week, however. One: A director had suffered a personal loss- and had two funerals to attend in one day (wednesday) and as I had hoped- anything she needed the other directors pitched in and supplied. Two: after the dress rehearsal one night one actor (one of my favourite all time actors I have worked with) Mary Sherman, was in a motorbike accident and was rushed to the emergency department of the hospital. The director of the pieces rang me as soon as he heard and we went straight into solution solving- within 2 hours Mary’s role was recast into 4 actors who were in the cast- Cheryl Ward, Mark Dessaix, Matt Charleston, Lib Campbell came to the rescue… I went to the emergency room with a bag of snacks and foods and some of my favourite Little Golden Books to see my beloved Mary. She is recovering well and I have promised to work with her again when she is better- she is a marvellous and beautiful actor and a sublimely genuine and interesting person- the show was very different without her- but talent like her’s can’t and wont be kept down and I can’t wait to see her return to performing once she has had a full recovery.

Opening night glistened. Adrenilin/panic is an amazing thing- the evening was a rollicking adventure of a fountain of energy and fun and set up the week as one where we were turning people away at the door most nights… which was especially relieving as it was a long weekend AND daylight saving changed the times too! I couldn’t be more proud.

Of course the main thing about the 428 Project was the idea of a colleagiate team- a team who worked together to conquer an amazingly ambitious and multifacetted project which was about the community of commuters and artists who live in the area. The idea was about promoting bus travel- celebrating the good bad and the ugly of commuting. Recognising that Australian writers are up for a challenge and willing to work- and WORK HARD… that actors are brave enough to take a punt on a concept and on new work. That directors CAN work together… and really at the end of the project, the tail to this comet continues to streak across my heart.

Remarkably- it was the team who was spectacular- PJ Gahan- ever calm, clear and efficient (a multi tool triumvirate of Production Manager/Stage Manager/ technical Manager), Miles Thomas (Lighting designer), Alison Murphy -Oates (Stage Manager/mother/ friend/ Seamstress/ list maker/ legend), Gavin Roach (Sponsorship Coordinator/comic relief/ caterer/ friend), Julia Lenton (publicist/ marketing manager/ foyer decorator/ confidant/ door bitch/ list keeper/ venue liaison), Gemma Lark Johnson (Designer/ sign writer. prop maker/ costume maker), Karolina Novak (Artist/ graphic Design/ print manager), Jeremy Silver (composer/sound designer/ sound compiler/ APRA advisor) Rosie Chase (composer/ singing teacher/ musician/ counsellor), Grant Moxom (webdesign/cheerleader).

EVERYONE involved went above and beyond- and all I can say is that I am humbled by the energy, the passion, the professsionalism, the commitment, the humour, the community of artists which defied gravity and expectations and made Stories from the 428 what it was. And it is impossible to do anything but remember never to underestimate artists and their ingenuity, their drive, passion and focus- and I am honoured to keep such company.

Thank you to all who came along to support the show… and All the artists and crew on board (whether it was for three months or for one month) – Theatre is what you make it.

The premise is- I take 8 playwrights at a time on the 428 bus from Circular Quay, through the city, through Newtown , Marrickville and Canterbury in Sydney’s Inner West- as a point of reference for their writing. Their writing is then discussed in a collaborative way around table and read out for their fellow writers to enjoy and be inspired by. Then another bus trip is taken and the playwrights meet again to discuss their work. Out of this process approx 60-80 minutes of performance script is developed, rehearsed and produced at Sidetrack Theatre.

This project is about the joy of writing, finding everyday people/public situations a source of inspiration and creative invigoration.

Getting this show on the road (so to speak) is a marvellous one- and fairly exciting one too! I have been well caffeinated by the lads at Buzzzbar in Newtown during this experience of meeting playwrights and directors.

Originally conceived as a one week season for 8 writers to collaborate- this project has blossomed due to the interest, passion and curiosity of Sydney’s most vibrant writers. This project has now expanded to two weeks of two hour-long works (8 writers per week) with a mixture of emerging and established writers. Although I can’t yet announce the directors (there will be 4 directors , directing per week) I can announce the writers:
Donna Abela, Vanessa Bates, Kit Brookman, Rebecca Clarke, Tahli Corin, Matt Edgerton, Joanna Erskine, Lexi Frieman, Noelle Janaczewska, Sime Knezevic, Patrick Lenton, Ned Manning, Jasper Marlow, Lachlan Philpott, Brooke Robinson and Phil Spencer.

This is a collection of truly inspiring and lovely people- their voices are unique and diverse and hail from a wealth of experience- I am truly honoured to have them on board.

I’ll keep you posted on more as this project develops:

4 Directors/ 2 Weeks/ 8 Writers= Stories from the 428