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| "Imagine if Rowling dropped with Goblet of Fire, we'd all have lost the plot..." Props from Poems a Dead Boy Wrote |
The last two weeks have been a blur, so much so that I keep
forgetting it’s November. And November is almost half over.
Short & Sweet Melbourne has come and is almost gone.
Tonight is the Gala Finale, featuring 11 under-ten-minute pieces starring and written
by and directed by some of the most talented people working in Melbourne’s
independent theatre today.
Unfortunately, my piece Poems
a Dead Boy Wrote failed to make the final – for which I am most
disappointed for Nicole Bilson, who did an amazing job as Jane, a woman
grieving the loss of her boyfriend. I am really proud of the piece – a monologue
– and so thrilled Nicole was on board for the production. I got some really
great (and useful) feedback from friends and colleagues through the five-show
run – and as always, Short & Sweet is amazing for meeting new people and
for putting on exciting short works.
I saw all forty-two shows across the four Short & Sweet
programmes – plus squeezed in one night of Short & Sweet Cabaret, which showcased
some incredible musical talent. Chapel Off Chapel has felt like a
home-away-from home for the past two weeks – and I’ll miss it, but I’ve made
some great new friends and contacts during the process, even if things didn’t
go as smoothly for me personally as they did last year.
Highlights of the festival for me: Tim Mager’s Bot, Kathyn Goldie’s The Kind of Man, Mark Loder’s Surrender (featuring incredible
performances by Vivenne Garnett and Kerry-Anne Haffern), Nir Shelter’s Life of Death, Tom Mesker’s Spinning (directed by the multi-talented
Nicole Bilson), Gary Dooley’s Datenav
(directed by Christine Husband), Fleur Murphy’s Shadows of Angels (featuring the incredible Kara Stacey Merrin), Jane Miller’s A Taxing Revenge, Mark Andrew’s Climate Change, Con Nats’ The
Pond and A Stitch in Time (winner
of Short & Sweet Auckland).
*
Poems a Dead Boy Wrote
was supposed to be produced as part of Short & Sweet Brisbane/Gold Coast
last weekend, but due to personal issues, the actor had to pull out late in the
rehearsal process and too late for the director to recast. It’s a shame.
*
Meanwhile, another of my short pieces (and another of my
one-woman monologues to feature in Three
Women next year), Like a House on
Fire will premiere at Short & Sweet Sydney in early 2012. I’m thrilled
to, at last, be invited to be involved in Sydney – and can’t wait to see how
that piece shapes up. The director and I discussed casting younger than I
originally envisioned – and this excites me, purely because of the director’s
commitment to the actor he has cast, as well as the actor’s personal connection
to the piece.
*
Last week I had the priviledge of seeing an incredible
production of Johanna Murray-Smith’s Bombshells
at the Owl and the Pussycat. (Note: Melbourne independent theatre practitioners,
please lend your support to Save the Owl & the Pussycat at the venue
tomorrow!)
Produced by new company Lil’ Frenchy Legs, Bombshells was originally written for
one actor – the amazing Caroline O’Connor. This version splits the work amongst
three incredible actors: Madeline French, Stephanie Lillis and Tilly Legge. I
was absolutely blown away by the actors themselves, presenting six wildly
different women in six very strong monologues. I was transfixed and delighted
by the performances and the production itself – directed by Jim French.
Sounds like the show has been very well received, with
several sold out nights – including the show’s final performance tonight. I’d
urge you all to see it, but there isn’t a single ticket left. But keep an eye
on what these women do next – it’s sure to be incredible.
*
I now have a week off from my 9-to-5 job, which will afford
me lots of time to work more on Three
Women, as well as see some more great theatre – including the last couple
of MKA Open Season readings at their new pop-up venue in Abbotsford, and two shows in
Sydney, where I’ll be spending next weekend, to catch up with a couple of friends and get away from it all. But it's hard to leave theatre behind.
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