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Company B extends My Name Is Rachel Corrie
Thursday, May 29, 12:39pm AEST.
B Sharp has announced that its hit production of My Name Is Rachel Corrie will
now close on Sunday, June 8, a week later than originally planned.
The show has been widely acclaimed since it opened at the Belvoir Street Downstairs
Theatre on May 14 and B Sharp confirmed this morning that it would adjust schedules to fit
more performances in.
The next show due to open Downstairs, Miss Julie, has had its opening
night performance put back one week - from Thursday, June 5 to Thursday, June 12.
Company B has also confirmed that due to illness, Sarah Becker has been replaced as
Miss Julie by Katie Fitchett.
- Troy Dodds
---
Mayor
labels STC elitist
Wednesday, May 28, 9:22pm AEST.
The Mayor of the western Sydney suburb of Blacktown has labelled the Sydney Theatre
Company and Opera Australia as "elitist" and has blasted the State Government
over funding arrangements.
Leo Kelly, the long-serving Mayor of one of western Sydney's biggest cities, said a
review of the Cultural Grants Program of ArtsNSW was skewed to major Sydney-based art
institutions.
He is worried that the soaring success of the Blacktown Arts Centre could be halted
by the changes.
"I find it deplorable that they are going down this path, this so-called
reform of the funding of the arts sector, without any consultation with Local
Government," Kelly told The Blacktown Advocate.
"The arts are not just centralised in the CBD and the eastern suburbs. They are out
here, in the grassroots, coalface areas where they are being actively encouraged."
The Advocate reports that Blacktown Council will write to Arts Minister
Frank Sartor seeking a commitment that the centre would not miss out on annual and
triennial program funding opportunities.
Mr Sartor said the review was commissioned to ensure the arts community was receiving
effective government support.
---
Moore
pastes together play from real life experiences
Wednesday, May 28, 9:22pm AEST.
In the 70's, David had vision, moral courage and passion. Now he works too hard, is
overweight but drives a very nice car. Rachel mourns the loss of her social conscience
whilst dealing with her son’s dialysis for kidney failure. Thomas needs a transplant
and is searching for spiritual answers and his pet mouse. All Nina wants is to turn 18
while Craig and Angela are planning their wedding in Blacktown. And grandma Basia, having
shed her heritage when she cut and pasted herself into a new life, must confront old
memories if she is to help her sick grandson search for spiritual answers.
Cut & Paste, a brand new play by Lane Cove writer-director Carla Moore, deals
with life, death and the loss of idealism in the new millennium. It’s a funny, warm
and thoughtful exploration of all the ‘cuts and pastes’ that we make in our
lives, for good and for bad.
Australia has the world’s highest organ transplant success rate, but the lowest rate
of organ donation. Asks playwright Moore: where have all the good intentions of the Baby
Boomers gone? Are we really living in meaner, more selfish times?
In 1998 Carla Moore graduated from NIDA as a playwright. She was also high school drama
teacher to a young Year Seven boy named Brenton Amies who had suffered kidney failure and
was on dialysis three times a week. On one of his rare days in class, he told Carla his
story. It was later to became the very first scene of Cut & Paste.
Carla taught Brenton Drama from Year Five to HSC level; he went on to have two kidney
transplants - one at six years old (from his mum which turned out not to be 100%
compatible) and then one at 13. He is now a healthy 22-year-old actor based in Epping and
the assistant director on this production.
Cut & Paste stars young northern beaches actor Cam McCallum as 13-year-old Thomas
and 83 years young Mary Milton as Basia, his Jewish grandmother who, with wisdom and
courage borne of her own dark wartime experience, teaches the family about endurance and
death. Joy Sweeney is Rachel and Abby Earl plays Nina, her daughter, Thomas’ older
sister. Scott Kimpton and Emily Talbot complete the strong cast as McMansion-bound engaged
couple Craig and Angela.
The play opens at the Chester Street Theatre on July 11. Bookings: (02) 9876 6332.
---
New
theatre company for Tasmania
Wednesday, May 28, 9:12pm AEST.
Small and often forgotten, Tasmania has re-entered Australia's theatre landscape with a
new major theatre company that has a key emphasis on contemporary new work.
The Tasmanian Theatre Company was launched this week, with Charles Parkinson
confirmed as the Artistic Director of the new venture. Parkinson is the former Artistic
Manager of hit regional company HotHouse Theatre.
The company has already announced its first two productions - the Joanna
Murray-Smith epic Bombshells, which stars Carmen Falk, Bryony Geeves, Melissa
King, Noreen Le Mottee, Jane Longhurst and Fiona Stewart and opens at the Backspace
Theatre in Hobart on June 19, and Don't Say These Words, which will premiere at
the same theatre in late July.
Already, the company has signalled it plans to tour Tasmania, announcing it will
take Bombshells to not only Hobart but also Stanley, Devenport, St Helen's, Ouse
and Pontville.
Hobart-born actor Essie Davis, who won an Olivier Award for her role in A
Streetcar Named Desire, helped launch the company this week.
"Most actors want to work in theatre, there's a special thing about a live
audience, nothing is censored, nothing is manipulating what comes between you and the
audience," she told the launch on Tuesday.
"Powerful theatre can make shifts in people's thinking. Tasmania is surely crying out
for this now."
Moulded on small to medium sized companies like Griffin in Sydney, the Tasmanian
Theatre Company is likely to commission one new play each year and will have a strong
dedication to Australian work.
It is the first time in more than a decade that Tasmania has had a professional
theatre company like this, and there is a groundswell of support in the region for the
organisation, which is likely to mainly use local actors.
The company's website boasts: "The Tasmanian Theatre Company’s brand is
our face in the community, representing the values prized by our Staff and Board. The
circular ribbons of our brand symbolise community and continuity and reference
theatre’s ability to weave together stories and lives. Our ribbons speak of
theatrical light, kaleidoscopic movement and shifting emotion. They represent our passion
for theatre in colour and line and are as open to interpretation as the works we will
produce."
Joining Parkinson as Artistic Director is General Manager Mark Fitzpatrick,
Community Program Manager Iain Lang and Administration Assistant Phoebe Melia.
For more details, see www.tastheatre.com.
---
Company
B bounces back
Monday, May 26, 9:50pm AEST.
Company B has posted a $335,185 profit for 2007, turning around a deficit of more than
$450,000 from last year.
The $450,000 loss last year was the company's first deficit in nine years and at
the time, the company declared it would be rectified, a promise that has now been
fulfilled.
Company B started 2007 with an increase of 2,000 season ticket holders, and had
five sold out productions, resulting in a 272 per cent increase in box office revenue, an
increase of $6.8 million over 2006. Bar income increased by $335,000 while sponsorship
income increased by nearly half a million dollars.
But Company B Chair Louise Herron has revealed it wasn't all smooth sailing,
particularly when it came to the upgrade of the Belvoir Street Theatre and the company's
new warehouse.
"Early on, we became aware that the building redevelopment costs had blown out
by $1 million - a result of asbestos in the roof, rain and the usual difficulties of
building projects," she said.
"This took the cost of the theatre and warehouse renovations to a total of
$7.8 million. This came in addition to the $4.8 million paid for the warehouse, therefore
the total outlay was $12.6 million. There was a mortgage in place with Westpac for $1.5
million that we were ready, though not willing, to draw on. Instead, Company B Limited
advanced the funds to Belvoir St Theatre Limited, the company that owns the
buildings."
Herron said that with the company sure to turn around its operating deficit, a
mission began to reduce its debt.
"We applied $1 million to reducing the $1.5 million loan from Company B to
Belvoir St Theatre Limited," she said.
"Company B pays rent to Belvoir St Theatre Limited that includes mortgage
repayments on the loan, so by reducing the loan from $1.5 million to $500,000, Company B
reduces its rent payments and the ongoing financial burden on Company B."
The end result was artistic success, a positive financial result after paying a
bonus to staff and the reduction of total debt on the $12.6 million cost of the renovated
and extended facilities to less than $500,000.
---
Cousens
defends Anderson
Monday, May 26, 9:45pm AEST.
 Kookaburra Artistic Director
Peter Cousens has defended the casting of Jolene Anderson (pictured) in Tell Me On A
Sunday following criticism over her apparent pre-casting in the Andrew Lloyd Webber
song cycle.
Speaking to Broadway At Bedtime on Melbourne radio station JOY 94.9, Cousens said
the casting was not out of left field.
"Jolene is an actress and she is trained as a singer and a dancer but
opportunity, like any of us in the profession, obviously puts you into certain areas and
for her opportunity has taken her into television land," he said.
"For us it is combining skill with profile."
Cousens confirmed other performers came in to audition for the role, and declared
Anderson went through an "audition process", particularly given her casting
needed the backing of the Really Useful Group.
Anderson is a prominent cast member on the Seven Network's All Saints, and
last year won It Takes Two with David Campbell. She was previously linked to Wicked
and Shout!.
Cousens said the forthcoming production of Tell Me On A Sunday - which
opens outside of Sydney before opening at the Seymour Centre and then going to Melbourne -
would have an Australian flavour despite originally being based around a London girl
heading to New York.
"We want audiences to really connect to it and it not be seen as a diva's
turn," he said.
"We can throw our own Australian sensibilities around it, which is obviously
what Kookaburra is all about."
---
Tunks
Rules the Newtown
Sunday, May 25, 12:00am AEST.
 Acclaimed
writer Wayne Tunks broke office records with his romantic comedies The Subtle Art Of
Flirting and The Bridesmaid Must Die! and now, after a series of successful
dramas including Hell Hath No Fury, Silvertop Ash, Unrequited and The Girl
From The West Of The City, Tunks returns with a new romantic comedy.
Directed by Fiona Hallenan-Barker, The Rules Of April opens at the Newtown
Theatre next month and stars Salvatore Coco (Heartbreak High, Looking For Alibrandi),
Bree Desborough (Justine from Home & Away and Shelley from Always Greener),
Errol Henderson (Alchemy’s Romeo & Juliet), Adam McGurk, Simone Oliver (MDA),
Gina Pollock (Away, Impulse), Luke Rogers (Cosi, Double The Fist), Jane
E Seymour (The Bridesmaid Must Die!) and Tunks himself.
It is the third new Tunks play to be presented in Sydney this year.
Press notes for the show read: "April and her two sisters have sworn off
relationships after years of watching their parents’ relationship fall apart. As
teens, the girls had written a list of dating rules, the most important being number 10:
“Never fall in love”. But all these years later, as their parents finally
divorce, the girls must decide whether they should keep to rule 10 or finally let go and
commit. Love and laughter aplenty at Newtown Theatre with a brilliant young cast in
Sydney’s most lively entertainment quarter!"
The Rules Of April opens on June 11. Bookings: www.mca-tix.com.
---
Rising
Star entries accepted all this week
Sunday, May 25, 12:00am AEST.
AussieTheatre.com has confirmed that despite a posted deadline of tomorrow, it
will accept entries into this year's Rising Star competition until 5.00pm on Friday
afternoon (May 30).
"With the initial judging panel meeting on June 1 and a flurry of phone calls
regarding entries, we have decided to accept entries until Friday," said AussieTheatre.com
Managing Editor, Troy Dodds.
"However, it's important that entrants post their packages as soon as
possible. While we will accept late entries through until Friday, the official deadline
stands so we can't take responsibility for late or lost mail."
The biggest musical theatre competition of its kind in Australia, AussieTheatre.com
Rising Star gives one young performer under the age of 23 an amazing career
kickstart, with a prize package that includes a television performance, an appearance at
Light The Night, a headshots package, agency consultations, a publicity package and much,
much more.
This year's competition is sponsored by national musical theatre company
Kookaburra, and the winner will get to attend the company's opening night of Tell Me
On A Sunday and spend time in rehearsals with the show's star, Jolene Anderson.
Last year, the inaugural Rising Star competition was won by Sydney's Emily
Cascarino.
Click here to visit our Rising Star page
---
Van
Badham back in Sydney
Saturday, May 24, 8:44pm AEST.
 From
Tuesday, June 17 until July 12, the Old Fitzroy Theatre in Sydney will host the world
premiere of Poster Girl - a sexy, smart, important black comedy about terrorism
and activism in the celebrity age.
Mindy Xyloine, a celbutante heiress, has been kidnapped by hapless young lefty
"terrorists" and the world is watching. Sort of. As the cops succumb to the lure
of magazine photo-shoots, staying ahead of the investigation becomes slightly less
important than staying ahead of the zeitgeist. It takes Mindy to teach her kidnapper
collective how to play the game.
This re-telling of the Patty Hearst story for the Paris Hilton era is directed by James
Beach (White Russian, NIDA) and stars recent NIDA graduate Shannon Dooley
(pictured) as the eponymous anti-heroine. It is the latest offering from the pen of the
enfant terrible of Australia theatre, Van Badham.
Badham has only recently returned to Australia after five years as a working playwright in
London. She has racked up eight Edinburgh productions in six years, and her stellar
critical reputation has seen her work staged across the UK, in Germany, Austria, the US
and even Iceland. Poster Girl is her first world premiere staged back home in
more than five years.
Director James Beach was immediately attracted to Poster Girl for its feisty
humour.
"The play challenges the falsehoods of a fast and cheap celebrity-driven
culture, while at the same time basking in the tacky allure of it all," he said.
Poster Girl bookings: www.rocksurfers.org.
---
New
direction for writing duo
Saturday, May 24, 8:39pm AEST.
 It
is nothing like the dark, heartbreaking piece that marked their debut as a writing
partnership, but for James Millar and Peter Rutherford, it's just the thing they needed.
After the remarkable success of The Hatpin, in which the duo were charged
with a heavy responsibility given the true story they were sending on stage, it's fair to
say they both needed some light-hearted relief.
LOVEBites provides such relief - a mad-capped song cycle about loving and
leaving and leaping into the joyful (or not so joyful) unknown.
"With The Hatpin, we hadn't written romantic songs, because let's
face it, it wasn't a particularly romantic story," said Millar, who also stars in the
piece along with Octavia Barron-Martin, Sarah Croser and Tyler Burness.
"LOVEBites is lighter and sillier. With much, much ruder words. We've
played with different musical styles as well as contemporary characters and settings. This
is something we have been messing around with for ages."
LOVEBites is a series of short stories about falling in love, and what happens
after the confetti settles. Catching one half of each couple in the instant that love
strikes and then hearing from the other half about how it ended up, it is a
unique, hilarious and moving song cycle that gives only the beginning and end of each
relationship from the separate perspective of the two individuals who share it.
"When I talk to friends or family about their romantic conquests (or
disasters), I often only hear the high-note moments like 'When we got together...' or
'When we broke up...'. This show plays with that idea and connects the beginning of a love
affair with the end of it....and hopefully reveals, without showing anything more, what
went on inside those two book-ends," Millar said.
"All in all, it's a fun and naughty collection of new songs. I really do encourage
people to come and see it."
The new work from Millar and Rutherford marks a new chapter for a duo that is fast
becoming the most prolific new music theatre writers in the country. Still to come from
the partnership is an all new musical commissioned by national musical theatre company
Kookaburra. After the success of The Hatpin in Sydney, the show is now preparing
for a season in New York.
LOVEBites opens at the Seymour Centre on June 18. It is scheduled to run
until July 12. Bookings: (02) 9351 7940.
- Troy Dodds
---
Rocky
Horror moves to Melbourne
Friday, May 23, 10:24pm AEST.
It's a Thursday night, a general performance, and behind the scenes a cast that has dealt
with more than its fair share of drama since opening night in February prepares to take to
the stage in front of a full house at the Star Theatre.
8:00pm hits, and The Rocky Horror Show - which still feels more like a
rock concert than a musical - swings into action, with Helpmann Award winner Tamsin
Carroll taking to the stage to kick things off with her sensational opening solo, 'Science
Fiction/Double Feature'.
The Rocky Horror Show remains a sensational production, and now Melbourne
audiences will have the chance to see the all-star cast it boasts with the show to open at
the Comedy Theatre on September 14.
The move to Melbourne means the show will play for around six months in Sydney, a
solid effort considering the competition it has faced from musicals such as Miss
Saigon, Billy Elliot and now, the unstoppable Phantom Of The Opera.
But as proven by the variety of ages in the audience on Thursday night, The
Rocky Horror Show has an advantage over most other shows: it spans the generations
like no other.
In one row, a lady no younger than 90 sits during the encore presentation of 'The
Time Warp', clapping along while her companions follow the instruction sheets provided at
the start of the performance. Behind her sits a middle aged couple, and behind them, two
teenagers who appear to be on a first date, having the time of their lives.
And there is no more perfect venue than the Star Theatre; its party-like atmosphere
(with questionable, but suited, drink holders for each seat) providing the audience with
something they crave: value for money.
However, behind the scenes, it hasn't been such a joyful ride. The production
almost had to cancel its opening night performance back in February after a row between
director Gale Edwards and English producers turned nasty. Edwards threatened to resign
just hours before the curtain went up, with the entire cast and crew aligning with her
against the English producers.
With that problem overcome, the show has had to deal with above average illness and
injury, forcing producers to bring in performers not originally in the cast.
Still, when that curtain goes up, there's no sign of any of that. There's just an
all adrenalin, action pumped two hours that is entertainment plus.
- Troy Dodds
---
Adelaide
welcomes fringe cabaret
Friday, May 23, 1:21am AEST.
Fresh from its success at the 2008 Fringe Festival, Adelaide’s intimate cabaret
venue, La Bohéme, has announced a new festival, the Cabaret Fringe.
The Cabaret Fringe Festival will light up Adelaide’s winter nights with over 50 of
the city's most talented performers in 15 shows across 19 nights from June 1-22.
La Bohéme was the recipient of a commendation at the 2008 Fringe Awards and received an
Oscart for best new performance venue. The Cabaret Fringe is the brain-child of part owner
of La Bohéme and Festival Director, Paul Boylon.
“Adelaide is a world leader in the reemergence of the artform of Cabaret. The
Adelaide Cabaret Festival has successfully nurtured and developed an ever growing audience
over the past seven years," Boylon said.
“We believe that the time is ripe for a Cabaret Fringe Festival: to give exposure to
local cabaret artists and to provide an intimate venue to encourage new work; to support
and nurture up and coming artists, giving them a platform to develop and showcase their
work.”
After sold out shows at Feast 07 and Fringe 08, A Wink And A Smile Burlesque return with Lounge
L’Amour, an opportunity to be captivated by traditional burlesque and
vaudevillian antics. Described as ‘A small gem of humane and gently weird wit’,
Stephen Sheehan will delight with Steve Sheen’s Little Comidy Show.
Following his sell-out season earlier this year, the talented Hans brings his spectacular
The Showpony Tour to La Bohéme, accompanied by Jonathon Rose on piano and featuring
The Lucky Bitches this show will be shocking and ultimately disturbing.
To celebrate her new release A Gentle Glimpse Of Waking, Jude Elliot performs an
intimate acoustic delicacy of original songs; and the cult cabaret classic Berlin
Cabaret returns to open the Cabaret Fringe with one night of anarchy, songs, and
social diseases!
Mr Boylon said: “The intimate exchange between performer and audience is what dresses
cabaret differently from other art forms, and what better place to house the first season
of our festival than in the unique intimacy of La Bohéme.”
“In the first year of operation the festival will be held exclusively at La Bohéme.
In successive years we hope to expand to other existing venues suitable for Cabaret
performances and slowly build the festivals size and reputation," he added.
For more information, visit: www.cabaretfringefestival.com.
- Rohan Shearn
---
Dodds,
Tunks in weight loss battle
Wednesday, May 21, 9:57pm AEST.
 AussieTheatre.com
writers Troy Dodds and Wayne Tunks are about to throw away the sausage rolls and hot chips
as they take on a training regime created by The Biggest Loser's tough man, The
Commando.
Dodds, the website's Managing Editor, and Tunks, who writes "Wayne's
World" each Wednesday, are involved in the Kick The Kilos competition on western
Sydney radio station Kick 87.6.
Both Dodds and Tunks work for the station, and have committed to three months worth
of training from June 4, as part of a mission to not only trim up but raise money for
important charities.
"Team Dodds" is raising money for OZWAC, a medical research foundation
based in western Sydney, and already has support from HIX Electrical ($50 per kilo lost)
and the Penrith Valley Economic Development Corporation ($15 per kilo lost).
"Team Tunks" is raising money for the NSW Cancer Council, and has the
Bulk Food Warehouse on board ($50 per kilo), as well as theatre publicist Geoff Sirmai ($2
per kilo) and actor Scott Major ($10 per kilo).
"Wayne and I are the big men of theatre but it's time to shape up and we're
both looking forward to the challenge," Dodds said.
"We're having a lot of fun on air with the challenge and we're hoping to raise
as much money for charity as possible. Of course, there is a competition aspect as well
and Wayne and I are both talking big about who will lose more weight."
AussieTheatre.com is encouraging its readers to get behind either
"Team Dodds" or "Team Tunks". Simply email info@aussietheatre.com with your pledge per kilo
and let us know which team you'd like to join.
- Erin James
- Photo: Troy Dodds, The Commando and Wayne Tunks
---
Another
loss for STC
Wednesday, May 21, 9:56pm AEST.
The Sydney Theatre Company has blamed the level of government funding on its $253,000 loss
for 2007, the third successive year the company has posted a deficit.
It was a loss not totally unexpected - Chairman Ian Darling had forecast in the
2006 Annual Report that 2007 would be a tough year financially, and his predictions were
correct.
However, the $253,000 loss is expected to gain frowns across the theatre industry
given the company's envious box office receipts (the second highest ever in 2007) and
record levels of sponsorship and philanthropic income.
"In our last three reports we have noted that the steady cost increases that
have been experienced across the performing arts sector and the reduction in real terms of
Government funding have been pushing the company into increasingly challenging
territory," Darling said in the 2007 Annual Report, released this week.
He goes on to say: "... the deficit is a clear reflection of long-term
structural financial challenges that the company has faced over the last three years. It
is therefore a significant relief that Government has heard our carefully presented
arguments and agreed to provide the company's first significant increase in funding in 28
years."
The Annual Report confirms the extraordinary success of The 25th Annual Putnam
County Spelling Bee, which set a box office record by taking $2.3 million.
Ironically, this production was brought in via the Melbourne Theatre Company and wasn't an
STC-born show.
With the company's recent boost in Government funding and continued support from
sponsors, the Sydney Theatre Company's main threat comes artistically. Whether or not it
can weather the strong competition from companies like Griffin and Company B is a question
that will be answered in the years to come.
- Troy Dodds
---
Las
Vegas contract drama
Tuesday, May 20, 11:11pm AEST.
The producers of the forthcoming Australian production of the musical Las Vegas have
asked actors to sign on as independent contractors rather than employees, sparking a
warning from Actors Equity.
In a letter to members, Equity Director Simon Whipp said Titan Productions
International is issuing non-Equity contracts for the production.
"Performers have the right to decline this contract and demand that the Equity
standard contract be used," Whipp said.
"This will ensure that you are paid leave entitlements such as sick leave and
annual leave, and superannuation. We are seeking to contact the producers of the above
production to discuss the situation with them."
Taking a clear stance against the move from Titan Productions, Whipp encouraged
actors to not sign anything until they have discussed it with their agent or Equity.
Las Vegas is yet to officially announce a season, or confirm theatre for
its premiere.
---
Chemistry
takes hold
Tuesday, May 20, 9:23pm AEST.
If you're watching Sean Taylor and Jacki Weaver in Death Of A Salesman and you
think their on-stage chemistry is pretty special, that's probably because the duo are
married in real life - a perfect scenario for a director, perhaps.
The duo are starring alongside a solid cast in the Ensemble Theatre's production of
the Arthur Miller play at the Seymour Centre's York Theatre. The show opened this week and
plays through until May 31 before transferring to Penrith's Q Theatre.
Of their off-stage relationship, director Sandra Bates said of Taylor and Weaver:
"It will be fabulous to have that extraordinary chemistry between them for our
production."
The Ensemble first presented Death Of A Salesman in 1997 and received John
McCallum’s (theatre critic for The Australian) Critic’s Choice Award
for Most Outstanding Production. Bates, the Ensemble's Artistic Director, has selected the
play for re-staging to celebrate the theatre’s 50th birthday.
After reading Miller’s autobiography Timebends, Bates chose to use three
simple round platforms for the play’s set, and a solo flute in her 1997 production.
These were Miller’s original ideas for staging the play.
“Don Burrows came to some rehearsals then composed an extraordinary soundscape
for solo flute which he recorded, and we will be using his soundscape again for this
production," Bates said.
Bates is thrilled with the whole cast: “Sean Taylor has won numerous Best Actor
awards in his native South Africa – he just won Best Actor again over there for his
role in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf. We’re so
glad he has now made Australia his home. He is exactly right for this part. This is a play
that everybody should see at least once in their lifetime, preferably two or three
times."
Along with Taylor and Weaver, the play stars Adriano Cappelletta, Norman Coburn,
Anna Cottrell, Anthony Gooley, Tom O'Sullivan, Olivia Pigeot, Jonathan Prescott, Catherine
McGraffin and Michael Ross.
Death Of A Salesman focuses on Willy Loman (Taylor), who has spent his
whole life proud of his ability to sell anything to anyone, but is now staring into the
embers of his American Dream. His devoted wife, Linda (Weaver) is barely holding the
family together as her son Biff (Gooley) becomes increasingly disillusioned. In contrast,
his brother Happy (O’Sullivan) dreams about women. Now at the end of his career,
Willy’s reality begins to unravel as he loses his job, the ability to provide for his
family and with it, the respect of his own sons.
More than 50 years after its first performance, Arthur Miller’s classic
Pulitzer Prize winning play is still an extraordinarily relevant and powerful drama.
Death Of A Salesman is now playing at the Seymour Centre. Bookings: (02)
9351 7940. It transfers to Penrith in June. Bookings: (02) 4723 7600.
---
Famous
Melbourne theatre safe
Tuesday, May 20, 12:00am AEST.
Melbourne's La Mama Theatre is safe - for now - after the $170,000 deposit required to
secure the purchase of the site the theatre is housed on was paid as requested late
yesterday.
If the $170,000 deposit didn't land by 5pm yesterday, the venue was likely to be
auctioned off.
The theatre has confirmed on its website that the generosity of those who have
contributed to the Save La Mama fund ensured that enough money was raised to put the
deposit down, after initial concerns that they would fall just short.
The next step is raising another $1.53 million over the next three months to ensure
La Mama's long-term future. The company has put out the call to businesses, governments
and the general public to help raise the required money.
---
Twiney
signs out
Tuesday, May 20, 12:00am AEST.
 Exactly
a year ago today, Nick Twiney was officially confirmed as one of the young stars that
would take to the stage as Billy in the Sydney season of Billy Elliot. Tonight,
he'll play the role for the final time.
The curse of any child performer has hit - puberty. Twiney, aged 15, is growing too
tall and his voice is getting too deep to play 11-year-old Billy, who discovers his
passion for dance while on his way to a boxing class, starting a rift in his family.
The musical opened on December 13 last year and has been a remarkable sucess story
at the Capitol Theatre, rocketing towards its one-year mark.
It wasn't a trouble-free rehearsal process for Twiney. The youngster broke his arm
in the lead-up to opening, prompting producers to bring Corey Snide over from Britain.
Snide was appearing in the West End production of the tuner before receiving a call from
producers to pack his bags and head down under.
Billy Elliot will now move to a new performance schedule for the lead
role, incorporating two new Billys, bringing the total in work to five.
Dayton Tavares, from the western Sydney suburb of Penrith, and Hobart’s Joshua
Waiss-Gates joined the Billy Elliot family earlier this year and will commence
performances shortly.
---
Tributes
flow in for Rodney Seaborn
Monday, May 19, 7:19pm AEST.
Tributes have flowed in today following the death of Dr Rodney Seaborn from a massive
heart attack over the weekend.
Best known for his famous purchase of the Stables Theatre in the mid-1980's, the
96-year-old was a passionate member of the Sydney theatre community who Griffin Theatre
Company Artistic Director, Nick Marchand, today labelled "an extraordinary man".
"Dr Seaborn was a man who lived out the latter stages of his life with the
zest and vigour of someone seventy years his junior," Marchand said.
"He attended the theatre most evenings and the office every morning. For the
last two years I had the great privilege of working alongside him. He had three special
traits – a generous heart, the memory of an elephant and a wicked sense of humour
– that combined to wonderful effect."
Marchand said that Dr Seaborn would regularly conjure up anecdotes about
Sydney’s theatrical history that no publication could ever hope to match.
"I will miss him, and his stories, enormously," Marchand said.
Chair of Griffin, Michael Bradley, said: “Dr Seaborn helped Griffin at perhaps
the most critical time in the Company’s history. In 1986, he saw promise in a small,
but vibrant theatre – and provided the encouragement to help it grow. His personal
investment in the bricks and mortar of the Stables laid the foundations for plays such as Away,
Kafka Dances and Holding The Man, and films such as The Boys and Lantana.
His contribution to Australian culture is hugely significant."
A number of Sydney theatrical publicists - including Amanda Buckworth and Michelle
Guthrie - have today expressed their sadness at the death of Dr Seaborn, as the rest of
the industry continues to mourn the legend's passing.
Dr Seaborn's funeral is to be held next Monday.
---
Theatre's
future decided today?
Monday, May 19, 12:00am AEST.
The fate of Melbourne's famous La Mama Theatre could be decided as early as today with the
company to know whether or not it has enough money to guarantee its long-term future at
the Faraday Street site.
As reported earlier this year, the theatre's director, Liz Jones, received a letter
from lawyers acting on behalf of the family who own the venue, confirming it is on the
market and asking Jones to make an offer. It followed the death of 89-year-old Rose Del
Monaco, who owned the site and was a strong supporter of the theatre.
Now, the time has come for La Mama to decide whether or not it can afford to buy
the theatre, with a deposit of $170,000 required today if the company is to purchase the
theatre it has operated from for some 40 years.
If the $170,000 deposit doesn't land by 5pm, the venue is likely to be auctioned
off and the end could be near for one of Melbourne's finest theatrical institutions.
According to The Age, about $140,000 had been raised as of Friday.
"We doubt very much we could buy it at auction," Jones told the
newspaper.
"We've got a whole series of meetings set up with people in the next couple of weeks,
but to get people's commitments by Monday, you can't talk to big corporations and
governments on those sort of terms."
La Mama has offered to buy the venue for a total cost of $1.7 million.
---
The
Jungle kicks off at Cleveland Street
Sunday, May 18, 10:14pm AEST.
 From the same
author who gave us the films Cosi and Map Of The Human Heart, Australian
playwright, screenwriter and novelist Louis Nowra brings us The Jungle, a sordid
new play that opened at the Cleveland Street Theatre in Sydney on Friday night.
The Jungle is about a one-night stand in more ways than one. Moving from the streets
of King Cross to harbour view penthouse apartments, connections are made. A junkie street
walker. A corrupt cop. A Kurt Cobain fanatic. A gay businessman. A Romanian lover. A faded
rock star. You do the maths.
This bold production showcases the graduating actors of the Actors College of Theatre and
Television at Sydney’s newest venue, the ACTT’s own Cleveland Street Theatre. The
Jungle is based on real-life characters in Nowra’s own stomping ground and Pete
Nettell’s direction in this Brecht-meets-Tarantino style of blacker-than-black comedy
provides the necessary bumpy ride these (literally) hard-hitting characters demand!
“It works a little like a peep show; you pay your money, take a seat, the lights come
on and, as you watch, you’re entertained, horrified and and enthralled," said
ACTT director Lesley Watson.
Pete Nettell is the founder of Focus Theatre, responsible for innovative productions of
Sondheim's Assassins (2003), Into the Woods (2004), Putting It
Together and The Handbag (2005), Dinner (2007) and the recent
sell-out season of Blowing Whistles (2008) Downstairs at Belvoir.
“I worked with ACTT actors in 2007 and am thrilled to have the opportunity to return
and direct these talented students in this powerful piece," he said.
Already boasting an impressive array of graduates, this year’s acting graduates are
only the second group to have completed three years of training utilising the innovative
Eric Morris/Meyerhold acting technique. This is the only college in Australia to offer
this landmark method that is being praised by actors across the world. The mid-year intake
starts July and applications are now open.
The Jungle runs until May 24. Bookings: (02) 9212 6000.
---
Sad
loss: Dr Rodney Seaborn dies
Sunday, May 18, 7:56pm AEST.
He was once labelled the "unofficial patron saint" of Sydney theatre and the
industry is today mourning the loss of Dr Rodney Seaborn, whose impact on the arts in
Australia is mammoth, and constantly under-rated.
Dr Seaborn passed away over the weekend after suffering a massive heart attack.
The man synonymous with theatre in Sydney is best known for his famous purchase of
the SBW Stables Theatre in Kings Cross, which saved the Griffin Theatre Company from
certain extinction in the mid 1980's.
In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald two years ago, Dr Seaborn
said he had particularly fond memories of what he considered Sydney theatre's golden age -
the 1930's.
"There was the Empire, the St James, Her Majesty's, the Royal, the Palace, the
Criterion, the Tivoli - all big theatres, all packed with good shows. When I came back
after the war, that had more or less gone," Dr Seaborn told the newspaper.
Dr Seaborn was born into a family of theatre-goers but it was that purchase of the Stables
in 1986 that put him on the theatrical map. Buying the theatre saw him set up the Seaborn,
Broughton and Walford Foundation, which still owns the theatre.
Without Dr Seaborn's intervention, the Stables would have almost certainly been
demolished. Now, 22 years later, it stands as the home of one of the finest theatre
companies in the country and is renowned for its cosy, intimate nature.
The Seaborn, Broughton and Walford Foundation went on to purchase and restore the
Independent Theatre and to assist the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust, The Ensemble,
the ANPC, Theatre of Image, Bell Shakespeare Company, Company B and Performing Lines, to
name but a few.
Dr Seaborn's dedication and commitment to theatre was honoured at the 2006 Sydney
Theatre Awards, where he received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
A few years earlier, he was made a director and life governor of the National
Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). NIDA currently houses the Rodney Seaborn Library.
Dr Seaborn also has a popular playwright's award named after him, which presents
writers with a $10,000 prize to develop and produce their work for the stage. Dr Seaborn
once said the idea of the award was to "encourage and support the development of new
material".
Dr Seaborn's funeral is expected to be held on Wednesday.
---
Latvian
director hits Belvoir
Sunday, May 18, 7:07pm AEST.
Latvian director Vladislavs Nastavshevs, who trained with Lev Dodin at the acclaimed Maly
Theatre in Moscow, is bringing a magnetic and intimate contemporary rendering of
Strindberg’s masterpiece text to the Belvoir Street Downstairs Theatre from June 4,
when Miss Julie opens at the popular venue.
It is Midsummer’s Eve and the servants on the estate of the Count are celebrating.
With her father absent, Miss Julie mingles graciously. It is only a matter of time however
before the peasants and their spirit of reckless abandon win over the Count’s
daughter and she throws off the shackles of her aristocratic pedigree, leaving her
unabashedly yet unstably in the arms of her father's valet, Jean.
A psycho-sexual pas de deux ensues – a balancing act where the stakes are the highest
imaginable. Miss Julie delves deep into the messy undercurrents of our modern society: the
desire for power, class, weapons of exploitation, emotional weapons of sexual
manipulation, and the cornerstone of our modern world – the notion that not all men
are created equal.
Director Vladislavs Nastavshevs says the production, the result of a Drama Centre of
London workshop, is born from discussions with lead actress Sarah Becker about their
common desire to liberate the classical text from its bonds of stuffy, English
“traditional-ness”, and move it away from naturalism.
“Although the play conveys the bitter aftermath of a liaison between members of
separate classes, and explores duelling ideas about the balance of power between men and
women, and sex and love, Miss Julie isn't simply a play about the constrictions
of class, or even of sex, but about the deeper conflict between the human soul and the
physical body it must inhabit," Nastavshevs said.
“Strindberg is depicting the spirit at war with the needs of the flesh, as well as
the evolving human being in natural rebellion against the constraints of civilized
society. Strindberg himself calls it his “Masterpiece”. It’s an intimate
and intricate unravelling of two bodies inhabiting the same space, which is why it’s
perfect in the Belvoir Street Theatre Downstairs space,” he said.
Miss Julie previews on Wednesday, June 4 ahead of a Thursday, June 5
opening night. Bookings: (02) 9699 3444.
---
Unforgettable
talents at Whitehorse
Sunday, May 18, 4:45pm AEST.
 Mainstay talents Julie Anthony and Simon Gallaher will
combine for a special concert at the Whitehorse Centre in Nunawading next month, giving
local audiences an opportunity to see two of Australia's greatest entertainers on stage
together.
Anthony has held a distinctive place in the
hearts of Australian and international audiences for more than 20 years, while
Gallaher’s longstanding success as a performer has also inspired many, and together,
this dynamic duo never fails to impress.
The pair first performed concerts together in 1992 in a very successful capital city tour
entitled An Unforgettable Evening, where they discovered they had a unique vocal
blend and complemented each other’s style and timbre. They also loved working
together and singing similar repertoire as well as having a terrific rapport on stage.
Together they continue to expand their duet repertoire and it ranges from the classics of
Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin, through to contemporary hit songs as well
as the musical stage greats of Richard Rodgers and Lloyd Webber.
Julie Anthony and Simon Gallaher perform at the Whitehorse Centre on June 14. There will
be both an afternoon and an evening performance.
Bookings: (03) 9262 6555.
---
Standing
ovation for Warlow
Friday, May 16, 1:16am AEST.
They remained seated for the majority of the bows - until, that is, Anthony Warlow walked
on stage. The opening night audience at The Phantom Of The Opera in Sydney last
night gave the veteran performer a personal standing ovation for his outstanding
performance as the Phantom in the tuner, which arrives in the Harbour City after
successful seasons in Brisbane and Melbourne.
The opening night performance at the Lyric
Theatre, watched by a star-studded audience, was followed by an exclusive after party at
the Harbour Grand Ballroom, featuring a dark Phantom theme and atmosphere.
The show now settles in for what is expected to
be a hugely successful run in Sydney, with some $10 million in advance sales for the
season being held going into last night's performance.
The Phantom Of The Opera is the longest running musical on Broadway, having
recently celebrated 21 years since its debut in London’s West End, and has won more
than 50 major theatre awards, including seven Tony Awards. It’s been 11 years since
the musical was last performed in Sydney.
- Troy Dodds
---
Kookaburra
helps kids in need
Thursday, May 15, 11:15pm AEST.
It is a story to warm the heart; a story that proves the importance of a national musical
theatre company that not only presents mainstage shows but has a solid focus on education
and introducing new audiences to live performance.
Earlier this month, Kookaburra CEO Peter Cousens took a group of disadvantaged
children from western Sydney to see blockbuster musical Billy Elliot - the first
of many such trips planned by the company.
The kids were from Eagles RAPS, a youth suicide prevention centre in Blacktown, and
for some, it was not only their first experience of live theatre, but their first trip
into the Sydney CBD.
"I found it very moving," Cousens said.
"For them it was quite astounding, I don't think they knew totally what they
were going to get into, but they had a very fulfilling experience and the Billy Elliot
people were great - we sat around in the theatre afterwards and watched the stage
being re-set and the head mech came and talked to them about how a show is structurally
put together."
Eagles RAPS was established in 1997 by Sally and Marten Wynn to assist with the
prevention of youth suicide.
It began out of concern of local residents for the youth of the area. It does not offer
professional counselling, but has networks to be able to refer youth to professionals when
required. With the assistance of Blacktown Council, Eagles RAPS established a drop-in
youth centre in the disused rural fire station.
The recent visit to Billy Elliot was by no means a one-off - plans are
already underway for another visit to the show soon, while Kookaburra has also secured a
visit to The Phantom Of The Opera at the Lyric Theatre.
"I'd like to get this idea into the culture of musical theatre producers
around Australia that this is the kind of thing that they should get involved in,"
Cousens said.
"We'll facilitate it and help make it work but it's really the generosity of
these companies that are actually making it happen."
Cousens said he'd like to try and take kids from the troubled south-western Sydney
suburb of Macquarie Fields to the theatre at some point in the future as the initiative
continues to take off.
Click here to see a video of the kids at Billy
Elliot (quicktime)
- Troy Dodds
---
Star-studded
opening for Sydney Phantom
Thursday, May 15, 12:00am AEST.
A celebrity-filled foyer is expected at tonight's glittering opening night performance of The
Phantom Of The Opera at Sydney's Lyric Theatre, as the city prepares to welcome
Anthony Warlow to the lead role in the musical for the first time.
“It’s an exciting time,” said producer Tim McFarlane from The Really
Useful Company.
“Anthony Warlow was the original Phantom when this magnificent show first
played in Australia and this is the first time he has played the role for Sydney
audiences.”
Guests for tonight's opening include Tell Me On A Sunday star Jolene Anderson,
Maggie Tabberer, Caroline O'Connor, Chris Bath, Natarsha Belling, Virginia Gay, Deborah
Hutton, Amanda Keller, Antonia Kidman, Matt Lee, Kate Mac, Kate Ritchie, Lisa Wilkinson,
Alex Perry and Simon Westaway.
“Sydney loves an opening night,” said co-producer John Frost.
“Tonight's opening has a diverse mix of Australian theatre legends, television
stars, and celebrities from the worlds of fashion, comedy, film and media."
New Yorker and Associate Director Arthur Masella arrived in Australia this week to oversee
The Phantom Of The Opera’s eagerly awaited Sydney season. He has steered 15
productions of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical under its iconic director Harold Prince.
Also in Sydney this week is Associate Choreographer Patricia Merrin, English born and a
former Royal Danish Ballet artist. Patricia was involved in casting this Australian
production and has a long history of Phantom involvement.
The Phantom Of The Opera is a huge musical production. With 130 cast, crew and
orchestra members, each performance has 230 costumes, spectacular sets, 14 dressers, 120
automated cues, 22 scene changes, 281 candles and 10 fog and smoke machines. And it
contains some of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most famous music, including 'The Phantom Of
The Opera' and 'Music Of The Night'.
The Phantom Of The Opera is the longest running musical on Broadway, having
recently celebrated 21 years since its debut in London’s West End, and has won more
than 50 major theatre awards, including seven Tony Awards. It’s been 11 years since
the musical was last performed in Sydney.
AussieTheatre.com's Troy Dodds and Erin James will be at tonight's opening,
bringing you full and extensive coverage of the event. Have your say on The Phantom Of The
Opera by clicking here.
---
Broadway
gig "a dream come true"
Wednesday, May 14, 9:03pm AEST.
 Deone Zanotto says scoring a job
in the iconic Broadway musical A Chorus Line was "a dream come true"
but has admitted she misses her home country of Australia.
Zanotto, who produced standout performances in
several Australian musical productions including Footloose and Dirty Dancing,
is in her second year with A Chorus Line, understudying the roles of Connie,
Diana, Judy and Kristine and appearing in the ensemble.
"This city is known as the city of dreams
and it has turned out to be all it's cracked up to be and a whole lot more," Zanotto
told AussieTheatre.com from New York.
"I won the green card lottery and three weeks after getting approved I was
packing up my apartment in London and heading for the Big Apple. It has been my dream
since I was a little girl to work on Broadway and I was going to make it happen no matter
what!"
Zanotto said that A Chorus Line is a show she's always wanted to be in.
"Nine weeks after I arrived they held auditions and three weeks after that I
was in rehearsals," Zanotto said of the whirlwind first few months in her new home.
"It is a buzz, I walk to work every night amongst the bustling tourists in
Times Square and think about how unbelievably grateful I am to have this experience in my
life.
"Broadway is amazing, being on stage here is amazing and living in this city
is a blessing. Having said all that I do miss home, but this life is all an adventure and
I want to experience all I can."
- Troy Dodds
---
Guys
And Dolls changes show times
Tuesday, May 13, 9:41pm AEST.
 The
star-studded revival production of Guys And Dolls changes its performance times
this week to cater for the winter months, while producers have announced they will be
selling "house seats" at a premium rate from May 27.
"House seats", normally reserved for
audience members of importance or key representatives of the production team, will be
available for public purchase for $129.90 for Friday and Saturday evening performances and
$119.90 for other performances.
However, the new publically available
"house seats" are not the most expensive tickets for Guys And Dolls,
with the show's "VIP Red Carpet" package costing $165.00 for weekend
performances. This package includes Exclusive Red Carpet Box Office Collection; A Reserve
Premium Seating in the Stalls; Guys And Dolls Programme; Chocolate Box per
person; Ice Cream per person; Beer, Wine, Sparkling Wine or Soft Drink per person and VIP
Red Carpet Hospitality Bar.
From tomorrow (Wednesday, May 14), all evening
performances will commence half an hour earlier than previously scheduled at 7.30pm, with
a Wednesday matinee at 1pm, a Saturday matinee at 2pm and a Sunday performance at 3pm.
Guys And Dolls is playing at
Melbourne's Princess Theatre with tickets on sale until June 22.
---
Pillowman
heads to Belvoir
Monday, May 12, 10:14pm AEST.
 One of the
blackest of black comedies ever written for the stage, Martin McDonagh’s The
Pillowman, will open at Sydney's Belvoir Street Theatre on June 4.
This award-winning play has taken the theatre world by the throat with acclaimed
productions recently seen from London to New York. Hot on the heels of his sensational
Hedwig And The Angry Inch, The Pillowman will mark Craig Ilott’s
directorial debut for Company B which previously presented McDonagh’s The
Lieutenant Of Inishmore in 2003.
Set in a totalitarian state, The Pillowman tells of Katurian, an arrogant
yet largely unpublished fiction writer who is interrogated by the police about the brutal
content of his short stories and their similarities to a series of strange child murders
occurring in his town. When Katurian’s mentally impaired brother is called in for
questioning, two sardonic policemen resort to absurd methods of interrogation to uncover
the truth. What unfolds is a twisted tale of suspense and horror.
In his most recent play, McDonagh explores new territory with a unique blend of
dark and comedy, offering a compelling world of story. In the words of Katurian, "The
first duty of a storyteller is to tell a story”.
Thrilling, tantalising, manipulative and vicious, The Pillowman
investigates the raw human desire for fantasy, the dangerous potential of truth and
narrative, and the all-knowing power of the storyteller.
“The desire for a good story is timeless," Illot said.
"Martin McDonagh is the contemporary master of suspense – a weaver of a
great tale and it’s the tradition of storytelling that taps into the hearts of us all
– to be told a great story and want to know what happens next.”
The sensational cast includes Marton Csokas (Who’s Afraid of Virginia
Woolf?, Riflemind, Romulus My Father), Damon Herriman (The Spook, The Underpants,
Cloudstreet), Steve Rodgers (Riflemind, Cloudstreet, Twelfth Night), David
Terry (All Saints, Edmond, The Impossible Dream), Dan Wyllie (Don Juan in
Soho, The Pillowman (MTC), Love My Way, Cloudstreet), Amanda Bishop and
Lauren Elton.
The Pillowman had its world premiere in 2003 at the Royal National Theatre, and
subsequently received the 2004 Olivier Award and an Evening Standard Award nomination for
Best New Play.
Martin McDonagh’s other plays include The Beauty Queen Of Leenane, The
Cripple Of Inishmaan and Tony nominees The Lonesome West and The
Lieutenant Of Inishmore. His short film Six Shooter won a 2006 Academy
Award.
The Pillowman opens at the Belvoir
Street Theatre on June 4. Bookings: (02) 9699 3444.
---
Parke's
cabaret hits Melbourne
Monday, May 12, 9:47pm AEST.
 Musical
theatre and cabaret star Tyran Parke will take his popular cabaret show A Little
Knight Music to Melbourne's Butterfly Club next month.
Press notes for the show read: "Tyran descends into fantasy and becomes convinced he
is the knight errant of cabaret. The self-styled Don Quixote (with musical maestro, Nigel
Ubrihien as his Sancho Panza) sets out in search of adventures while battling the
windmills of the mind. A talented story-teller, Tyran tells of the chorus boy trying to be
noticed, casual employment as an exorcist’s usher and singing for the maximum
security inmates at Riker’s Island. Each quest is celebrated in story and song,
culminating in the quest to create the role of a lifetime; his award winning portrayal of
George Seurat in Sondheim’s Sunday In The Park With George in Sydney."
Parke recently completed the prestigious cabaret
course at Yale University. Auditions were held worldwide with only a handful chosen to
study under such cabaret greats as Amanda McBroom, Sally Mayes and Julie Wilson. Parke
used the experience to workshop the show Chinks In The Armour (later renamed A
Little Knight Music) which achieved great acclaim in Sydney, Perth and Paramatta.
A Little Knight Music plays at the
Butterfly Club in Melbourne on June 12 and 13. Bookings: (03) 9690 2000.
---
Business
booms for MTC
Monday, May 12, 9:16am AEST.
The Melbourne Theatre Company is celebrating a dynamic 2008, with subscriber figures at a
five-year high, strong growth in its Private Patrons’ Program, and two new homes in
the Southbank Cultural Precinct finally becoming a reality.
At the end of April 2008, the number of MTC subscribers has hit 19,136, which is 690 more
people than 2007’s total and the company’s highest level in five years.
Additionally, the number of subscription tickets sold to MTC’s 2008 Season has
already exceeded last year’s total by 3,375, recording a three-year high of 170,468.
These figures are expected to continue to grow, as the company will be selling 2008
subscriptions until August.
Meanwhile, MTC has also enjoyed strong growth in its Private Patrons (donors) Program this
year, enjoying a 22 per cent increase over the same period in 2007.
Significantly, MTC returned its eighth consecutive budget surplus in 2007, earning 88 per
cent of its income through ticket sales, tours, donations, sponsorship and fundraising.
MTC Artistic Director Simon Phillips said he’s delighted with the company’s
successes, especially as it gears up to move to its two new Southbank homes – the MTC
Theatre and MTC HQ.
“It’s tremendously satisfying that so many people are engaging with us as the
company embarks on such an exciting new stage in its financial, artistic and cultural
growth,” Phillips said.
Currently under construction on the corner of Southbank Boulevard and Dodds Street in
Southbank, the MTC Theatre will open in the first half of 2009.
A long-awaited new performing home that will enable the company to reaffirm its position
as one of Melbourne’s leading cultural mainstays, the MTC Theatre will house the
500-seat state-of-the-art Sumner Theatre, the Lawler Studio space capable of seating 160,
function and VIP rooms, a full cafe and various bars, foyers and display areas.
Additionally, MTC HQ will replace the Company’s existing Ferrars Street headquarters,
which are literally falling down. MTC HQ will ensure the company is functioning at its
peak by housing all of its departments – administration, production, workshop, props,
scenic art, wardrobe and rehearsal rooms – under one structurally sound roof. MTC
will move to these premises at 252 Sturt Street, Southbank in late 2008.
---
Mamma
Mia! film to open July 10
Sunday, May 11, 6:34pm AEST.
 Film distributors have confirmed that the new movie
version of the worldwide hit musical Mamma Mia! will open in Australian cinemas
on July 10, a week before it opens in the United States.
The movie stars Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan,
Amanda Seyfried (pictured), Colin Firth, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Stellan
Skarsgård and Dominic Cooper.
Press notes for the film read: "An
independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna
(Streep) is about to let go of Sophie (Seyfried), the spirited daughter she's raised
alone. For Sophie's wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends -
practical and no-nonsense Rosie (Walters) and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya (Baranski) -
from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos. But Sophie has secretly invited
three guests of her own. On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down
the aisle, she brings back three men from Donna's past to the Mediterranean paradise they
visited 20 years earlier. Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old
romances will be rekindled on this lush island full of possibilities."
The film version follows the extremely
successful stage show, which was one of the most successful musicals ever staged in
Australia. It opened at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne in 2001 and toured Australia
until 2005.
The show's final touring cast was Kellie Rode,
Natalie Alexopoulos, Esther Hannaford, Jennifer Vuletic, Emma Powell, Silvie Paladino,
Christopher Parker, Nathan Wright, Bobby Fox, John O'May, Peter Hardy, Bruce Roberts, Glen
Hogstrom, Tracey Case, Alinta Chidzey, Grant Durham, Susie French, Markham Gannon, Louise
Kelly, Kieron Kulik, Glen Oliver, Eve Prideaux, Paul Ross, Damion Scarcella, Daniel
Slater, Melle Stewart, Ian Toyne, Helen Walsh and Belinda Wollaston.
---
The
Vagina Monologues to play at NIDA
Sunday, May 11, 2:56pm AEST.
Eve Ensler's famous live theatre experience The
Vagina Monologues will be presented at NIDA in Sydney next month to raise funds to
stop violence against women and girls.
The show is being presented as part of V-DAY, a
catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money and revitalise
the spirit of existing anti-violence organisations. This year marks its 10 year
anniversary.
The June 29 performance at NIDA features Noni Hazlehurst, Julia Zemiro, Fran Kelly, Amanda
Keller, Maggie Blinco, Annie Byron, Terese Casu, Vivienne Garrett, Sandy Greenwood, Pamela
Jikiemi, Odile Leclezio, Genevieve Lemon, Alice Livingstone, Dina Panozzo, Pamela Rabe,
Rainee Skinner, Wendy Strehlow, Jessica Tovey, Jacki Weaver and many more.
The production will play at the Parade Theatre,
with proceeds donated to the NSW Women's Refuge Movement.
---
New
chapter for Hatpin
Sunday, May 11, 2:56pm AEST.
Hit Australian musical The Hatpin is
preparing for two significant steps in its life with the release of the original cast
recording next month and a planned season overseas via the New York Music Theatre
Festival.
As the excitement about an original Australian musical playing overseas builds,
writer James Millar has revealed a bold plan to have the American season feature the
original cast that was so heavily critically acclaimed in Sydney.
"All of us involved with the production are very excited about having the
chance to take it to the New York Music Theatre Festival," Millar told AussieTheatre.com.
"It's a top opportunity to show the piece to another community. I think it
will be really interesting to see how quite a left-of-centre Australian story reads to an
overseas audience.
"We are making every effort to take the production as it was - including our Aussie
cast and team who are available - over with us. It's a mammoth task to do this, though,
and since it's still early days we still dont quite know how it will all work."
Written by Millar and Peter Rutherford, The Hatpin focuses on a desperate
mother, Amber Murray, who makes a heartbreaking decision, the consequences of which are
still being felt today. Using the moral support she gains from her friendship with the
free spirited Harriet Piper, she fights the injustices of circumstance and tragedy to find
hope and strength. The piece is inspired by a true story.
"It's very cool, without the benefit of out of town try outs and long workshop
seasons in Australia, to have the opportunity to continue to refine the piece over the
next few months - based on its first season - in the lead up to this second season,"
Millar said.
"I am really excited that The Hatpin will play in New York, but I am even
more excited about the opportunity to watch other brand new shows that will be playing
there as well. I love festivals - It's like being a kid in a candy store."
The cast recording, featuring the original Sydney cast, is set to be released on
June 20, and features 22 tracks. Cover art is yet to be released, but the CD will be on
sale via Middle Eight Music.
- Troy Dodds
---
Bendall
steps down
Thursday, May 8, 9:08am AEST.
Award-winning independent Melbourne company
Theatre @ Risk will be heading into a period of significant change in the coming months,
with its Artistic Director Chris Bendall stepping down this week after more than seven
years with the company.
Bendall has been appointment as the new Artistic Director of Deckchair Theatre in
Fremantle. Creative Producer Kirrilly Brentnall and Associate Director Victor Bizzotto
will also leave the organisation, both of whom co-founded Theatre @ Risk with Bendall in
2001.
The Board has appointed John Paxinos and John-Paul Fischbach to take over as co-Executive
Producers of the company.
“Although I will be sorry to leave Melbourne, I am very excited to have the
opportunity to take on this new and exciting position," Bendall said of his move to
Perth.
"I look forward to the new possibilities and challenges ahead with Deckchair
Theatre, and will continue to support the development and creation of new Australian drama
in my new role. I am immensely proud of Theatre @ Risk’s achievements over the past
seven years. Since our first production in May 2001, we have made a strong imprint on the
Melbourne cultural scene, and continued to do so right up until the last event of 2007,
the Festival of New Writing."
Incoming executive producers Paxinos and Fischbach write: “The Auspicious Arts
Incubator supports independent performing arts projects, performances and artists to
achieve sustainability. The small and medium sized companies that make up the vibrant
independent scene in Melbourne are a great source of creativity and energy. These young
companies are also the companies at risk. We are thrilled to steer the evolution of
Theatre @ Risk to help to support new, exciting and innovative work happening in
Melbourne.”
---
Rising
Star entries close this month
Tuesday, May 6, 9:34pm AEST.
 Entries
into AussieTheatre.com's Rising Star competition close in just three weeks, with
the judging panel - made up of some of the most respected names in theatre - gearing up to
select the winner.
The winner of the competition wins a raft of
prizes, including an opportunity to perform at Light The Night 2008 and on Channel Nine's Mornings
With Kerri-Anne. In addition, the winner will attend the opening night performance of
Kookaburra's Tell Me On A Sunday and will spend time in the rehearsal room with
the show's star, Jolene Anderson. A headshots package, a fully produced cabaret show and a
place in a workshop being presented by the respected Margi De Ferranti are also part of
the prize collection.
The judging panel that will decide the winner
from our five finalists is AussieTheatre.com Managing Editor Troy Dodds,
Kookaburra Artistic Producer Peter Ross, theatrical producer Rodney Rigby, AussieTheatre.com
London correspondent Skye Crawford, vocal coach Margi De Ferranti, performer and writer
James Millar, AussieTheatre.com Deputy Editor and actor Erin James, Light The
Night producer Shaun Rennie and respected theatrical agent Les Solomon.
"It is an excellent range of prizes, a
wonderful judging panel and a sensational opportunity for a young performer," said AussieTheatre.com
Managing Editor, Troy Dodds.
"We don't want anyone to miss out so we're
encouraging everyone to enter the competition now to avoid disappointment."
Entries close on May 26.
For details on how to enter the Rising
Star competition, click here.
Picture: 2007 AussieTheatre.com
Rising Star winner Emily Cascarino.
---
Debate
emerges over Malthouse
Tuesday, May 6, 8:55pm AEST.
An intriguing debate has emerged in Melbourne
over the artistic choices of the city's famed Malthouse Theatre.
The Malthouse's Artistic Director, Michael
Kantor, announced the company's "season two 2008" program this week,
incorporating shows from June through to December.
Kantor enthused: "Assembling this
extraordinary program of theatre making and performances has been as exhilarating for us,
as we hope the experience will be for you. We will present new works commissioned and
developed specifically for this season, as well as the most astonishing works, in so many
theatrical styles, from stages far and wide."
But Melbourne's The Age newspaper took
a shot at the season via an article headed "Malthouse program brings out the
critics".
The article, by Robin Usher, said, in part:
"Most of the program launched yesterday follows the pattern established over the past
four years by director Michael Kantor: something directed by him, some cabaret and/or
dance, a new work by Kantor's old colleague Barrie Kosky, and a return season by an
independent company."
The article quotes Geoffrey Milne, theatre
historian and senior lecturer in drama at La Trobe University, as saying he was impressed
after Kantor's first year in 2005 but results since have been patchy.
"They seem besotted with adaptations, which make up 25 per cent of the work. This
means there is a serious diminution in opportunities for playwrights," he said.
"Since they seem to have shot the writer, it would be more accurate if the name was
changed to Malthouse Performance Company, rather than theatre company."
The Age's theatre critic, Martin Ball,
is also quoted in the story, saying many Malthouse productions "lack depth".
The 1000-word story has attracted criticism from
the respected Alison Croggon, who works for The Australian newspaper, published
by News Limited, a rival to The Age's publisher, Fairfax.
On her regular blog, Croggon talks about the
Malthouse's launch and then declares: "And what do we hear from the Age?
That its 'aesthetic vision is too limited' and lacks 'diversity'! How much diversity do
you want? But hey. Look at the byline. It's no surprise that this beat up is by Robin
Usher, who has never permitted the facts to get in the way of a good snark."
Later, she says: "This kind of stuff makes
me throw up my hands in bafflement and despair. Of course the Malthouse is not beyond
criticism - all our companies ought to be scrutinised and held to account. But let's base
criticisms on the work to hand, not on a bunch of lazy and unexamined assumptions."
Croggon goes on to say that The Australian
provides a "more balanced coverage".
Click here
to read The Age's original story, and here to
read Croggon's response.
---
Blackbird
opens in Germany
Tuesday, May 6, 8:46pm AEST.
 Sydney Theatre Company’s
(STC) production of Blackbird by David Harrower opens this week at one of
Europe’s most prestigious theatre festivals, the Rührfestspiele in Recklinghausen,
Germany.
Directed by STC Co-Artistic Director Cate Blanchett and featuring Paula Arundell, Danielle
Catanzariti and Peter Kowitz, Blackbird was critically acclaimed during its
season at STC’s Wharf 1 from December to February and at the New Zealand
International Arts Festival in February 2008.
"Taking an all-Australian production of a play by a Scottish playwright to a German
stage brings great opportunities for STC and many of our artists," Blanchett said.
"Its terrific to open in a week when STC also has three other mainstage
productions on offer in Sydney; The Year Of Magical Thinking, The
Serpent’s Teeth and Rock ‘n’ Roll, plus a new Romeo And
Juliet at Wharf 2.”
The raw and challenging Blackbird, focusing on issues of love and abuse while
tackling one of society’s most unsettling taboos, plays at the Rührfestspiele
Festival from May 8 to 12. Other highlights of the festival include Speed-The-Plow
from London’s Old Vic featuring Kevin Spacey and Jeff Goldblum and Sombrero
from the world-renowned Compagnie Philippe Decouflé.
In his review of Blackbird for AussieTheatre.com, Troy Dodds
said, in part: "As confronting and thrilling as Blackbird is at times, there
are elements of this production that simply do not work. Cate Blanchett's direction seems
uneven at times to the point where the play becomes terribly unconvincing. It's like
someone is holding a remote control pressing the "fast forward" and the
"rewind" buttons incessantly, as the play goes from being fast-paced (too
fast-paced, at that) to being slow and dragged-out almost at the click of a finger. This
is a bumpy 90 minute ride, and Harrower's brilliant script is at times let down by the way
the production itself is structured."
---
Phantom
hits $10 million in sales
Monday, May 5, 8:54pm AEST.
 Producers are celebrating after ticket sales for the forthcoming
Sydney season of The Phantom Of The Opera reached an incredible $10 million.
After successful seasons in Melbourne and Brisbane, the show commences previews on
May 11 ahead of a May 15 opening night.
“This is a stunning result,” said producer Tim McFarlane.
“Sydney audiences really know how to embrace a show and the message is clear
that the winning combination of the world’s greatest musical continues to work its
magic."
One man who can't contain his smile is co-producer John Frost. Not only is he enjoying
this $10 million result, but his forthcoming production of Wicked has already
taken $7 million in advance sales.
“We had known from its phenomenal success in Melbourne and Brisbane that this
would be a hot ticket, and it is great that Sydney audiences are so receptive," Frost
said of the Phantom success.
The Phantom Of The Opera tells the story of a disfigured musical genius known only as
‘The Phantom’ who haunts the depths of the Paris Opera House. Mesmerised by the
talents and beauty of a young soprano - Christine, the Phantom lures her as his protégé
and falls fiercely in love with her. Unaware of Christine’s love for Raoul, The
Phantom’s obsession sets the scene for a dramatic turn of events where jealously,
madness and passions collide.
“Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masterpiece has been seen by more than 80 million people
in 124 cities around the world,” McFarlane said.
“Audiences have taken it to their hearts and the production is still a truly
magnificent spectacle. We are confident it will continue its incredible world-wide success
in Sydney."
Bookings: www.ticketmaster.com.au.
---
More
problems for Todd
Sunday, May 4, 7:11pm AEST.
Troubled theatre star Todd McKenney is again
in the news for the wrong reasons today, primarily over a fake collapse during rehearsals
for a performance in Adelaide last week.
McKenney, who is currently fighting drugs charges after being caught with GHB in his
pocket last weekend, pretended to collapse on stage while singing 'I Go To Rio' during
rehearsals for the Adelaide Police Tattoo. Thousands of school children were in attendance
at the rehearsal.
McKenney's agent has denied the Dancing With The Stars judge was making light of
his arrest last week.
"There was no association whatsoever with what happened in the past ... he was just
doing what Peter Allen does in that song," Jayne Ambrose told The Sunday
Telegraph.
There's more drama surrounding McKenney, with the Nine Network pulling more than $1
million in advertising from the radio station that employs the star as its breakfast host.
The Sunday Telegraph reports that an angry Nine boss David Gyngell told MIX 106.5
it would no longer advertise with the station after McKenney repeatedly took the mickey
out of Nine's principal newsreader, Mark Ferguson.
It's understood McKenney performed comedy skits on his breakfast show relating to
Ferguson's visits to disadvantaged schools.
---
The
Hatpin to premiere in New York
Friday, May 2, 9:24am AEST.
 The hit Australian musical The Hatpin, written by James
Millar and Peter Rutherford, has been accepted into this year's prestigious New York
Musical Theatre Festival, AussieTheatre.com understands.
Held in September and October, the Festival
presents a multitude of musicals every year and is seen as a stepping stone to greater
heights, with several shows that premiered at the Festival ultimately landing on Broadway.
Written by James Millar and Peter Rutherford,
The Hatpin focuses on a desperate mother, Amber Murray, who makes a heartbreaking
decision, the consequences of which are still being felt today. Using the moral support
she gains from her friendship with the free spirited Harriet Piper, she fights the
injustices of circumstance and tragedy to find hope and strength. The piece is inspired by
a true story.
In her review of The Hatpin for AussieTheatre.com,
Joanna Erskine said, in part: "The Hatpin is a revelation in Australian
theatre. Anyone in the audience on opening night could tell that the standing ovation was
not just for Millar, Hardwick, Rutherford and the cast. It was a proclamation of a stellar
new Australian musical that is finally hitting the big stage and isn’t afraid to
tackle some pretty dark issues. It was the heralding of a new age in which we have
something to play against the domination of Broadway, a show about our history (no matter
how murky) and a show to be proud of."
---
Stars
line up for Paralympic concert
Thursday, May 1, 7:17pm AEST.
 Australia's biggest musical theatre stars will turn out in force to
perform at a special concert being presented in Sydney next month to help the Australian
Paralympic team get to Beijing.
Organisers have announced that there will be performances by Ana Marina, Tamsin Carroll
(pictured with host David Campbell), Rhonda Burchmore, Amanda Muggleton, Peter Cousens,
John Paul Young, Genevieve Lemon, Paul Capsis, Toni Lamond, Leonie Page, Michael Cormick,
Sharon Millerchip, Derek Metzger and many more stars of our live theatre industry plus
cast members of major musical shows such as Billy Elliot, The Phantom of the Opera,
Shout!, Spamalot and The Rocky Horror Show.
Arena Management along with the Billy Elliot Company, Ticketmaster,
Showbiz, Molly’s Cradle wines and high profile industry stars and creatives are
donating their goods and services for this event. The more money raised, the more athletes
can be sent to Beijing to represent Australia at the Paralympics.
“As we prepare to send our biggest ever team to a Paralympic Games overseas, we are
extremely grateful for all the support we receive,” said Darren Peters, Australian
Paralympic Committee CEO.
“The entertainers in this show are among the very best in Australia, and to
think they have donated their time for our Australian Paralympic team is absolutely
fantastic."
A Musical Send Off will be held at the
Capitol Theatre on Monday, June 16. Bookings: 136 100.
---
Tell
Me in Melbourne
Thursday, May 1, 12:00am AEST.
 National musical theatre company
Kookaburra will make its debut outside of Sydney later this year after confirming its
production of Tell Me On A Sunday, starring the All Saints actress
Jolene Anderson, would open at Melbourne's Her Majesty's Theatre on September 3.
Kookaburra has faced a degree of criticism over its "national musical theatre
company" tag, given it performed exclusively in Sydney last year.
The company announced today that single tickets for Tell Me On A Sunday
would go on sale on Monday, May 5 through Ticketmaster.
“We had a great response to our subscription sales this year and expect the single
tickets to sell out quickly," said Kookaburra CEO and Artistic Director, Peter
Cousens.
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black's revised Tell Me On A Sunday charts the course
of a newly single girl arriving in New York. Brimming with the optimism of ‘starting
over’ she sets out to seek success, companionship and, of course, love. But as she
weaves her way throug |
