Year: 2008

MOVING TARGETS by Marius von Mayenburg (translated by Maja Zade) was developed from scratch with the director Benedict Andrews over several years of collaboration, since 2005, with 6 hand picked Australian actors. From discussions the actors were given “a book called THE SECRET PROJECT”, which was the source of company discussions and improvisations etc. What was intriguing for me was the fact that this work of Mr Andrews was to be around an original work developed by him with a living and present writer. I have been puzzled by the other work of Mr Andrews for many years, and the…

I traveled to Adelaide for part of its International Arts Festival. Two works stood out for me. TO BE STRAIGHT WITH YOU, a production by DV8 Physical Theatre, led BY Lloyd Newson from Great Britain. On every level from the verbatim text, the politics, the skills of the performers (especially in their clarity of storytelling whilst dancing or moving even skipping), the video artists and the exhilarating technology that supported it all, this was great theatre.  I often lament that the theatre is too tame and all too often a bourgeois comfort of sedation. It was thrilling to be stirred…

Tim Supple’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM was in Sydney as part of its international tour. It was physically robust, sexy, and funny with hints of darkness. Spoken in seven languages the play was superbly told without the assistance of surtitles. In fact it was supremely funnier and more engaging than THE SYDNEY THEATRE ACTING COMPANY’S portentous/pretentious moribund production by Edward Dick last year. The sheer delight of the performers in performing accompanied by a live orchestration was refreshing and memorable.

This is a wonderful piece of writing and Robyn Nevin was wonderfully vulnerable in this one person piece. I saw this early in the run (twice) and felt that I had never seen Ms Nevin so delicate and fragile with her usual strengths of cool intelligence and insight. Sensitively supported by Cate Blanchett with a provocative Set Design by Alice Babidge beautifully lit by Nick Schlieper and an abrasive but mostly apt Sound Design. Stimulating.

First up in March was a Sydney Theatre Company offer from its New or Experimental Theatre wing WHARF2LOUD. They have invited the De Quincey Co to present: ’embrace: GUILT FRAME’. Usually this company is seen at The Performance Space in Sydney, a space known for its experimental nature. Tess De Quincey and Peter Snow presented a 45 minute experience of “art” within the frame work of a gilt picture frame. This is one of a series of explorations using structural elements drawn from The Natyasastra – an ancient Indian treatise on artistic practice, in which the performers negotiate a series…

Sydney is famous in February for the SYDNEY GAY AND LESBIAN MARDI GRAS month-long Festival. Two of the projects I saw were, firstly, a short new work THE FABULOUS PUNCH AND JUDY SHOW by Brent Thorpe at the Cleveland Street Theatre. The text is muddled and the Gay Politics feel dated but there are some amusing “sketch” comedy bits. The direction by Anthony Skuse and the really marvelous Design by Rita Carmody supported gorgeously by the Lighting Design of Verity Hampson has more than a whiff of the old Lindsay Kemp theatrics. Arky Michael gives a brilliantly dark physical, vocal…