Keith Gow, Writer

The launch of the Melbourne Theatre Company's 2013 season - under the leadership of new Artistic Director Brett Sheehy, accomplished a lot. A new logo - neon. A name for the MTC theatre building - the Southbank Theatre. The Open Door initiatives: shows for young audiences, Pathways for emerging artists and Neon - a thrilling studio season. Oh, yes - and the eleven plus one shows that make up the MTC's mainstage season. Including another brand new initiative, Zeitgeist  - more on that in a moment. While the umbrella title for the season is "A New Light", the theme of the launch was inclusiveness.  We have household names like David Williamson, alongside other mainstage regulars like Johanna Murray-Smith and Allison Bell and Robyn Nevin, presenting work with Sam Strong, Simon Stone, Alkinos Tsilimidos and Nadia Tass. And the incredible Neon  initiative , allowing The Haylot Project, Sisters Grimm, The Rabble, Fraught Outfit and Daniel Schlusser

Once  - one of the highlights of my trip and my theatre-going year There are forty theatres that comprise the world famous Broadway. Altogether, there are over 230 theatres in New York, if a talking tour bus is to be believed. And what of cabaret venues and non-traditional performances spaces? New York must be the city with the highest concentration of live performance in the world. It’s hard enough to keep tabs on everything that’s happening in Melbourne’s theatre scene. In New York, it’s impossible. Which is why New York is so enticing, but also so tricky. How can I even sample everything the city has to offer? Can I avoid the temptation of Broadway itself, with its shiny marquees and Tony Award Winner notices plastered everywhere? Where do I begin Off Broadway? Whose recommendations do I take? This trip was inspired by a production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods – a transfer of a production from London’s Regents Park to New York’s Central Park. I’ve always wa

As a writer, I want to feel like I’m developing on a creative level. As a playwright, I want to know that I am advancing my career. Sometimes these things happen in tandem. Most of the time, they feel separate. I am writing my newest play or I am working on a production of a show I have already written. I am attending a discussion group or a lecture or a presentation and then I’m networking and trying to sell myself. Even looking at that list, it’s not always clear which of those things is which. Networking can be just as much about developing creatively (working with new actors or a praised director) as helping my career. Last Friday night, I had a special one-night only reading of my play Painting with Words & Fire at Primary Stages in New York. I was in town and an actor friend of mine from Melbourne, who is now living in New York, agreed to help me put together a presentation of my work in the Big Apple. It was a bit about presenting it for New York locals I know, who ha