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Melbourne's strong year

December 22: There are no shiny trophies, no need to frock up and no one semi-famous to read out the nominations. In fact, there’s no prize at all, except knowing that this is the remarkable work that has inspired ANNE-MARIE PEARD over the last 12 months.
 
Theatre in Melbourne - even if I could go out every night, I would still miss something worth seeing.
 
Overall, I wish I wasn’t disappointed by so many commercial productions and wish that people who see commercial shows would also take a chance on the small, independent productions. It’s always going to be hit and miss, but this is where the best theatre continues to be created and it hurts knowing that it’s only seen by a lucky few.
 
That’s not to say it’s all been good, but it isn’t hard to remember the great stuff. These artists and companies challenge with their content, reinvent form, respect the intelligence of their audiences, and refuse to be bland. Some of them were visiting us from interstate and overseas, but most of this incredible theatre has been created here in Melbourne.
 
Before the drum roll, let me thank Jo, David, Laura, Karla, Kim and John (the wonderful team of Melbourne reviewers) for their knowledge, their passion, their style and their from-the-heart opinions.
 
And thank you to everyone who lets us know that you appreciate reading what we have to say.
 
Outstanding Artists 2008
 
Writer
Adam Cass for Oasis Oasis and Sarah Collins for Nothing Extraordinary Ever Happens in Toowoomba. (Ever)
 
Director
Benedict Andrews for Moving Target – Malthouse Theatre and Yvonne Virsik for Nothing Extraordinary Ever Happens in Toowoomba. (Ever)
 
Designer
Anna Tregloan – Venus and Adonis – Malthouse Theatre
 
Sound Designer
David Franzke – Venus and Adonis – Malthouse Theatre
 
Lighting Designer
Paul Jackson – Moving Target – Malthouse Theatre
 
Never to be missed creator/performer –  female
Melissa Madden Grey - Venus and Adonis – Malthouse Theatre and Vamp – Malthouse Theatre
 
Never to be missed creator/performer – male
Daniel Kitson – The Ballad Of Roger And Grace and The Impotent Fury Of The Privileged
 
Festival Director
Kristy Edmunds for her final, unforgettable Melbourne International Arts Festivals.
 
 
Outstanding Productions 2008
 
Cabaret
Reuben Krum's Naughty Show  – Reuben Krum and A Suicide for Winter – The Tiger Lillies and Lea Delaria is Naked – Lea Delaria  
 
Musical
Spontaneous Broadway
 
Commercial Program
Blackbird – Melbourne Theatre Company
 
Dance
Three – Batsheva Dance Company
 
Comedy
Sammy J In The Forest Of Dreams and Cell Block Booty - Sisters Grimm
 

The best of the best
 
Ollie and the Minotaur – foogle and 9minds and An Oak Tree – Tim Crouch/Melbourne International Arts Festival and Romeo And Juliet – OKT/ Melbourne International Arts Festival
 
But the show that will stay with me from 2008 is:
 
The Ballad Of Roger And Grace – Daniel Kitson and Gavin Osborn


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A senseless death

August 28: The entertainment industry has been shocked by the death of Mark Priestley. TROY DODDS says it's a devastating loss, and one that could have been prevented...

On Tuesday night’s edition of All Saints, Mark Priestley’s character Dan was tied to a pole, witnessed a car crashed, saved a life and got married.

But that was television, and it appears nothing compared to what was going on in the real life of Mark Priestley.

Priestley took his own life yesterday at the age of 32. A senseless death, and one that has shocked his family, friends, colleagues and of course the close-knit cast at All Saints.

According to media reports today, Priestley was suffering from depression.

To the simple-minded, that seems incomprehensible. After all, this boy from Perth had come to Sydney with a dream and he appeared to be living it, capped off by his regular role on one of the most popular television shows in the country.

Depression, however, doesn’t discriminate and while it can often affect people going through some pretty tough things in their lives, it can also impact people who appear – on the surface at least – to have it all together.

Always be wary of the “funny guy” in your group of friends, an old pal used to tell me, as they are likely to be the most unhappy one of all.

Family history, illness, life choices – all can play a part in depression and there’s countless other reasons and risk factors, too.

Men are less likely to look for help than women, and hence are less likely to be treated and overcome their problem.

Sometimes, because we can’t see blood streaming down someone’s face, or there’s no crutches in sight, we as society tend to take depression with a grain of salt. We don’t take it seriously enough. If anything can come out of the death of an otherwise healthy 32-year-old man, it is that his profile raises knowledge of the very real problem and serious consequences depression can have.

No matter what your thoughts on depression, Mark Priestley checked himself into a hotel room yesterday and took his own life. Sit back and think about that for a moment. This man clearly needed help, and his friends and colleagues will now be left with questions of “why” and “what could I have done”.

The reality is it is first and foremost up to the individual to get help. Help is available, and it is important to search for it. Facing up to your problems is far better than the alternative.

As for Mark Priestley, the world has lost a talented young man well before it should have. To his family, friends and everyone who knew him, our thoughts are with you.

- beyondblue info line (National) - 1300 22 4636
- Lifeline (National) - 13 11 14
- Suicide Helpline (VIC) - 1300 651 251


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National Script Workshop

July 15: It’s only been two days since I returned to normal life and left Playwriting Australia’s National Script Workshop in Canberra, writes JOANNA ERSKINE...

Thanks to generous funding from the Ian Potter Foundation, a total of ten playwrights along with dramaturges, directors and a troupe of actors were able to hole themselves up in the nation’s capital for some serious script development. I was there as part of the Graduate Programme, one of four emerging writers offered five days of dramaturgy and workshopping sessions to take our plays to the next stage. We joined the Studio programme, who worked for two weeks on their new plays, which mostly comprised more established writers including Reg Cribb and Angela Betzien. The National Script Workshop, wonderfully designed by Chris Mead and his team from Playwriting Australia, meant that emerging playwrights, dramaturges and directors were offered the same resources as established artists, as well as their feedback, mentoring and a fantastic opportunity to showcase new writing.

It was certainly a surprise to see that all twelve Graduate Programme participants were female, a fact which became the brunt of many jokes. Nevertheless, we seemed to have come from all over Australia which made for some invaluable insights into the national theatre industry at large. In fact, the entire cohort had links to all Australian states and were from a range of theatre companies. Those represented were Company B from Sydney, MTC from Melbourne, Barking Gecko from Perth, QTC from Brisbane and the State Theatre Company of South Australia. Everyone took the opportunity to share their experiences of theatre in each state, with much discussion about the pros and cons of getting work put on in each city. There is certainly a climate of difference existing in Australia, which means that major cities do not easily communicate with each other about our art.

For my script I was fortunate to have a director from Melbourne and a dramaturg from Brisbane, and with my knowledge of the theatre scene in Sydney, we were able to plan future productions that could move from city to city. These cross-state pairings gave us insights into the different types of opportunities existing around Australia. I was impressed with the number of mentorships available in Brisbane, as well as the numerous and unique theatre spaces available in Melbourne. But just as I considered packing my bags to move cities, those living elsewhere told me that they thought all the opportunity was in Sydney! What is clear, however, is that each Australian city has its collective and inimitable theatre scene which is altogether quite insular. We need to start blurring boundaries and collaborating with other cities. At the moment, the only cross-country exchanges seems to be extended touring shows which house themselves in cities all over then move on. The question of how we can open up and sustain artistic exchanges between cities is an interesting one indeed.

After a civilised reception on the first night, followed by a rather entertaining trip to a Canberra bar where we all seemed to relax and enjoy ourselves, we got started on the Saturday morning. The first two days were spent solely with writer, director and dramaturg, clarifying and redrafting so that the play would be ready for the actors. Days three to five were spent with the company of actors, two sessions a day. Directors met each day on a ‘first dibs’ basis for actors, so that at one stage each play had their ‘ideal cast.’ Of course this meant that at some stage each play had actors not suited to roles. My play, which requires five male actors, was once give three female actors for an entire session. After initial concern that this would be a wasted couple of hours, it turned out to be one of the most insightful sessions I had.

The actors. The amazing actors. It was so worthwhile to have a range of male and female actors of different ages and races. Hearing my play read in different accents has given me a vitally different sense of character. The actors also were a range of veteran, renowned personalities to young, fresh faces straight out of drama school. The different interpretations and ideas, as well as the camaraderie of the past, present and future of our industry through these people, was contagious. It’s impossible not to feel intimidated when you have Vanessa Downing, Syd Brisbane, Anita Hegh or Paul Blackwell sitting across the table from you with your new, freshly printed script in their hands. After all these are your words you are exposing and it is a confronting, yet liberating thing to hear one’s characters come to life. Even from a first read you can tell whether a play has promise or not. There were certainly a few terrifying moments trying to read expressions on faces. Thankfully, after initial nerves I realised that everyone associated with this Workshop was there for us to succeed.

Each actor fully invested themselves in their roles. They shared praise, advice and suggestions generously and honestly. One of my actors informed me of a similar story to my play’s plot, and the next day handed me a copy he had gone out and bought for me. There simply is no way to express how dedicated these actors were to breathing life into our plays. I came out of the five days with a new confidence in my script, having made numerous important discoveries and realising that there was a whole lot going on in my play that I even did not realise. In fact I walked into the rehearsals thinking I had exact ideas about certain characters and walked out thinking the opposite. On the final evening we were able to show one scene from our plays, with the emphasis on the heart of the writing, rather than a showcase. I showed a scene that I still had questions about, and consequently was able to talk to others about their suggestions. I was humbled and inspired by the responses I received from theatre industry professionals I have long admired. The Graduate Programme plays certainly showed a renewed and varied range of new Australian voices. As we are effectively the next generation of Australian playwrights, we have an obligation to sustain and get our industry thriving. After last week, I am confident we will do just that.

It was an exhausting process. Workshopping scripts is an exhilerating but mentally draining exercise. After a 9am – 5pm Workshop, while everyone else gets the night off, playwrights usually spend most of the night drafting changes made during the day. It’s early up to get the new script printed and then straight back in for another day of exploration. But given all its exhaustion, it’s a process I wouldn’t do without. For playwrights to hear their words and see them worked on the floor, with actors to help form characters and guide the plot, it’s invaluable. Too often writers will work on their scripts, and send them off without spending the necessary time testing it out. Also invaluable was the fact that so many representatives from theatre companies were there to see our work and are genuinely interested in hearing more from us. I am sure that many of the Graduate plays will one day make their way to our stages. Coming up on our stages you can expect these exciting new works – a play version of a classic Australian text, a location based game project, a play for young audiences from a Sudanese refugee, a work that traipses a dried up river bed and the remains of life, and a hilarious tale of trolley boys.

For me it’s straight into workshopping of another play, then in a few weeks I fly to Umbria. There I’ll be regularly reporting from my residency with the New York La Mama Theatre Company’s Playwright’s Retreat. In the meantime I’ll be supporting new Aussie theatre with a renewed vigour, as we all should.


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A welcome disorientation

October 2, 2007: What is theatre really all about? AussieTheatre.com's JOANNA ERSKINE finds out thanks to a visit to Sydney's tiny Belvoir Street Downstairs Theatre...

Over the last few days I’ve been debating a conundrum in my head - How often do we fully give ourselves to our experience as an audience? Admittedly you may think that audience members give little more than their ticket price, attention, appropriate laughter and applause. But can we give ourselves to the performance so that we become immersed in the whole experience? I am talking about that feeling when you get lost in the darkness, entranced by the plot and characters, intrigued by the world of the play enough that we start to lose sense of ourselves. This experience seems to be much easier to achieve at the movies. As much as I hate to admit it, even though I see five times more plays than I do films, if it is any good, I forget where I am. I forget about the time ticking by and whether I am going to be over three hours and have to pay for parking. I forget about the conversations over dinner and drinks beforehand. I don’t sit there trying to work out who that guy is in Row C. I start to lose myself in the story and when the lights come up, I am genuinely disorientated.

I have seen some brilliant plays in my years as an avid theatregoer, and this ‘disorientation’ effect seems to be a good indicator of a job well done. I had the pleasure of experiencing this when I saw Jesus Hopped the A Train at Belvoir Downstairs, directed by and starring Wayne Blair. Written by Stephen Adly Guirgis, the play at first does not sound that remarkable. Two death-row inmates battling with their demons and clashing over religious beliefs, matched with a ‘good’ guard, a ‘bad’ guard and feisty lawyer. A simplification, yes, but all the same it was a production that I was not expecting to be so engrossed in. The characters were at the ends of their tethers, in a desperate situation and yet, were heart-renchingly hilarious. They were at all times human, endearing though criminals, familiar though foreign. The setting stripped away every possible mask and revealed each for their unearthed truth.

Blair as Lucius, the bible-touting murderer, was truly charming and disarming. Ryan Johnson as Angel, presented a portrayal of a man tortured so much because of an unthinking act, that he was like a puppy that needed to be petted. Anni Finsterer as the lawyer Mary Jane was soft underneath her doggedness, and her speech about her Irish father was beautifully constructed and realised. The writing could have so easily slipped into full-blown melodrama, worthy of daytime television. But it didn’t. Alan Flower’s final speech as D’Amico was somehow poignant in the mundane, in the recognition of how easily a life can slip away and the world goes on. The piece had resonance and reality. It didn’t try and force moral messages. It didn’t focus on what I thought was right or wrong. To me it was about the characters.

At interval when the lights came up I was surprised. An hour had slipped by and I had tuned out to my own world and lived amongst the cell blocks. Walking out into the foyer in a daze, I recognised friends who had seen the show and also loved it. When the Belvoir bell clanged for us to return to the intimate space of ‘A Train,’ I left my red wine glass half full. Surely that’s a sign right there. I see a great deal of shows, and it’s rare that I actually want to get right back in and cut short our slight reprieve. As a writer myself, it’s something that I aim for. And I think it’s something that audiences deserve. If we can create theatre that is so enchanting, so ‘disorientating’ in a very good way, maybe we will start to draw the kinds of crowds that cinema can. Theatre is the most immediate storytelling we offer. With real live performers in close proximity, shouldn’t every word they utter, every movement they make, grab our attention and never let go? For me it stands at this – next time I go to the theatre, I want to be invited into a world, no matter how pleasant or horrendous, and I want that feeling when I never want to leave.

Joanna Erskine was a paying audience member of Jesus Hopped the A Train. It plays until October 7 at Belvoir Downstairs. Bookings www.belvoir.com.au.


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Griffin should not be under-valued

September 2, 2007: When theatre companies announce their 2008 seasons this month, much will be made about what the Sydney Theatre Company and the Melbourne Theatre Company are doing, given they are seen as the “leaders” when it comes to the presentation of plays in Australia, but there's one company in particular we shouldn't forget, writes TROY DODDS...

These days, of course, so many quality theatre companies exist and their seasons can be equally as exciting and indeed quite often deliver work of much more interest than the mainstream companies.

One venue in Sydney I have particularly fond memories of and still love to visit is the SBW Stables Theatre in Kings Cross. Many of you would remember The Muf-Tee Show in 2003 and 2004, which played on Friday and Saturday nights at 11pm. It was during my tenure as a publicist in Sydney and we all had plenty of fun working on that show – and it’s a shame something like it still doesn’t exist. It’s also where I fell in love with the venue and its history and have always kept a keen eye on it.

Since the days of Muf-Tee, the Stables and the Griffin Theatre Company have taken tremendous leaps forward and while they get a fair degree of attention, I think the company’s dedication to Australian work and the quality of plays it produces often goes unnoticed.

I’m actually one who doesn’t stamp my feet too hard about Australian work being a requirement of companies as at the end of the day good theatre is good theatre even if it comes from Outer Mongolia, but Griffin is the only theatre company in Sydney entirely dedicated to the development and production of new Australian plays and for that it deserves a huge round of applause.

Griffin has always had a dedication to Australian work but the arrival of David Berthold a few years ago – a smash and grab tenure as he has now moved on – changed Griffin completely and ensured its future was nothing short of bright. It followed what some saw as a slightly rocky period, where Griffin was perhaps swamped by the growth of independent theatre in the city. Bethold’s vision has continued under new Artistic Director Nick Marchand and for mine Griffin is the company to watch in terms of its development in the future.

Indeed, Griffin can’t do too much wrong at the moment. It’s season in 2007 has been stellar, featuring both Australian and world premieres, and included a return season of the sensational Holding The Man, which has now transferred to Company B to be part of its season. Its Stablemates season provided an avenue for international work as well as more local work – all showcased by independent companies – while the Searchlight initiative gave us a week of new Australian plays.

The Stables is the theatre that people like Cate Blanchett and Jacqueline McKenzie made their professional debuts at, while Michael Gow launched his professional career there. Its history is remarkable, and the impact of Griffin and the careers it has begun are endless.

In 1999, The Sun Herald called Griffin the “Theatre of the Decade” for producing new Australian theatre, and as another decade starts to loom towards a close, it’s a mantle they deserve to maintain.

Of course, Sydney has a plethora of other companies also doing tremendous work. Company B, for instance, continues to grow and this year took home a Helpmann Award for Best Musical, a remarkable achievement when you think about the multi-million dollar shows it was up against.

When you’re thinking about your subscriptions for next year, keep companies like Griffin and Company B firmly in mind. Not only will you be supporting their sensational Australian commitment, but chances are you’ll get 100 per cent quality – it’s what companies like this have become renowned for and they should not be forgotten.


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