Year: 2016

2016 was a disappointing year at the theatre in Sydney. Most of the Good Work came from the independent co-op productions and theatres. The Sydney Theatre Company just seems to be consistently artistically rudderless and moribund (is it driven, led, by Corporate visionaries or by artists? Money or art? Bums-on-seats rather than genuine artistic risk, exploration? Who are the dominant Board members? Bankers, Administrators or Artists? Be interesting to talk to Jonathan Church, don’t you think?)  Belvoir appears to be in some dynamic of flux with a balanced mixture of hits and misses – a gradual return to consistency in…

My movie glut continues… 1. DANCER. A documentary film originating in the United Kingdom. Teaching acting, one of the primary questions I ask my students is “What will you give up to get what you want?” Sergei Polunin born in the Ukraine appeared, even as a baby, to have a gifted body. And, this film poses and even more startling question: “What will the family (poor) give up to get what they want/need for their son?” Father goes to Portugal, grandmother goes to Greece to find work to pay for the fees necessary to promote their son’s career – there…

Photo by Edwina Pickles Don’t Look Away in association with Redline Productions present BABES IN THE WOODS: Australian Purity Defil’d, by Phil Rouse, based on the good works of Tom Wright, at the Old Fitz Theatre, Cathedral St, Woolloomooloo, 13th December – 21st January. BABES IN THE WOODS: Australian Purity Defil’d is a new musical comedy work in the knock-about vein of the traditional Christmas panto, but, in an Aussie style. A very Aussie style. Drought, ghosts/convicts, mine shafts, bushfires, secret rivers and occasional awful foul language. There are some illuminated signs to cue us, the audience, to APPLAUSE; BOO and…

Hi everyone There have been no plays on my calendar for the past few weeks, so I indulged in a film-going binge. Just for change I thought I would just sum up some of my experiences. I am not suggesting that I am a film critic (yet) but some of us have missed Margaret and David as a guide, so here is a quick flick from me about what I have seen. Maybe you’ll go see. 1. NOCTURNAL ANIMALS – This is the Tom Ford follow up to his A SINGLE MAN. NOCTURNAL ANIMALS is not as satisfying. Beautiful to…

Bali Padda and Griffin Independent present, LIGHTEN UP, by Nicholas Brown and Sam McCool, at the SBW Stables Theatre, Kings Cross, 30 November – 17 December. LIGHTEN UP, is a new Australian work from actor/writer Nicholas Brown and Stand/up comedian/writer Sam McCool. It is their first play/work as writers. The origin of this play seems to have been a personal one for Mr Brown who after graduating from acting school (NIDA – 2000) found that the industry that he was trying to work in was practising, subtly, ‘systemic racism’. So, as far back as 2005, he began to write this…

  Red Line presents, RESPLENDENCE, by Angus Cerini, at the Old Fitz Theatre, Cathedral St. Woolloomooloo, November 29 – December 10th, (late-night show, 10pm start). All you theatre goers in Sydney should respond to the name of this writer Angus Cerini, for it was he who wrote the terrifyingly wonderful THE BLEEDING TREE up at the SBW Theatre for the Griffin Company, in 2015, which has been curated by The Sydney Theatre Company (STC) as part of their season next year. Written in verse this is a one person monologue of a very Melbournian angst – the play was first presented…