Short & Sweet final this week

The finalists for Short+Sweet Sydney 2010 have been confirmed and will battle it out on the big stage at NIDA’s Parade Theatre this weekend.

The Gala Final of Short+Sweet is one of the biggest nights on the Sydney Theatre calendar: the best 12 plays from the largest 10 minute play festival in the world are presented for two nights only at the magnificent NIDA Parade Theatre. The culmination of two months of competition, with 170 ten minute plays presented at two theatres, all comes down to one amazing – and amazingly varied – night of theatre.

After the plays are performed celebrity judges will present awards such as Best Actor, Best Writer and Best Director as well as the top prize, the Short+Sweet Award for the Best Overall production of the Festival. Extra sparkle is added by Movie Extra filming the event to be televised later in the year as the series “To Be or Not to Be”.

SHORT+SWEET SYDNEY 2010 GALA FINALISTS:

It’s All The Rage
(Wildcards winner)
Writer: Carl J. Sorheim (VIC)  Director: Susie Hardgrave
Cast: Anthony Slater (Man)
This man has his eye on the hot girl working in Starbucks.  When his plan to show her how he feels keeps meeting delays, he gets angry. Just how angry can one man get?

Life of Death
(Judge’s Choice – Top 100 Newtown Theatre Week 4)
Writer: Nir Shelter and Terence Foltyn Director: Nir Shelter
Set and props: Eddy Taylor
Cast: Brett Heath (Death), Tai Scrivener (Garry)
Death in the 21st century hides behind a burgeoning bureaucracy until Garry un-wittingly brings Death to admit he no longer believes he can perform his job. Death learns to appreciate his work, life and – most importantly – himself.

Lifetime
(Judge’s Choice – Top 100 Newtown Theatre Week 3)
Writer: Angie Farrow (NZ)  Director: Beverley Callow
Cast: Renee Lim (Megan), Matt Thomson (Elliot)
Is it possible to be loved in a lifetime of ten minutes?

Mr & Mrs Metcalfe enjoy the Music of Elton John
(Judge’s Choice – Top 100 Newtown Theatre Week 6)
Writer: Frank Legget (NSW)  Director: Felicity Nicol
Film Advisor: Jeremy Brull  Cast: Karen Cobban & Graham Yates
Star trek, travelling and trivia. Come join the Metcalfes for a cuppa tea and a couple of stories.

Perfect Stillness
(Judge’s Choice – Top 100 Newtown Theatre Week 2)
Writer: Jane Miller (VIC) Director: Amelia Tranter
Cast: Ro Dempsey (Annie), Ben Brock (Tim), Chris Lewis (Mr Harrison)
Can you really “know” your partner? Tim and Annie discover that after 12 years together, on some things, they stand miles apart. But what is “truth” anyway, and in the end, does it even matter?

Pride & Prejudice – in ten minutes flat
(Judge’s Choice – Top 100 NIDA Parade Playhouse Week 1)
Writer: Tim Hehir (Vic) Director: David Farland
Costume Designer: Teresa Negroponte
Musical Director: Charlie Coy
Musicians: Olga Solar (violin) Angus Gardiner (cellist)
Choreographer: Caroline Mooney
Cast: Celia Kelly (Lizzie Bennet), Nick Hunter (Darcy),
Sontaan Hopson (Jane Bennet), Peter Lawrence-Wenke (Mr Bingley)
Based on Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice, this humorous play depicts love and life in the English upper class during the early 19th century.

Putting Your Best Foot Forward *
(Judge’s Choice – Top 100 Newtown Theatre Week 1)
Writer: Pat Brennan (NSW)
Director: Katherine R. Davis
Cast: Andy Leonard (Clive), Charles Billeh (Santos)
The opening night of a new production has Santos making his theatrical debut under the watchful eye of seasoned campaigner Clive. *Invited to participate in Short+Sweet as one of the winners of Crash Test Drama – December 2009 final.

Rain of Ruin
(Judge’s Choice – Top 100 Newtown Theatre Week 5)
Writer: Elaine Romero (USA)
Director: Sadashivam Rao, Mayu Iwasaki (Associate Director)
Cast: Nastassja Djalog (Agnes), Shingo Usami ( Kenji), Michael Curnick (Harry Truman), Mayu Iwasaki (Japanese Sister), Haruna Kawachi (Japanese woman), Wayne Underwood (Oppenheimer)
Costume and Stage Design: Mayu Iwasaki
Described as “eye-opening” by Variety Magazine, Rain of Ruin follows an American woman to Japan where she falls in love with a Japanese man. The only thing that stands between them is the atomic bomb.

Seven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza
(Judge’s Choice – Top 100 NIDA Parade Playhouse Week 3)
Writer: Caryl Churchill (UK)
Director: Sarah Goodes
Designed by : Marissa Dale-Johnson, ITC: Splinter Theatre Company
Cast: Anna Martin, Sophie Gregg, Kate Buchanan, Chris Lewis, Andrew James and Daniel Hunter.
This controversial play by British playwright Caryl Churchill was written in response to the 2008-2009 Israel operation in Gaza. The play consists of seven short scenes about crucial stages in the history of Israel and explores explaining violence to children.

Taking A Bullet
(Judge’s Choice – Top 100 NIDA Parade Playhouse Week 2)
Writer: Steve McGrath (NSW) Director: Alan Smithee ITC:
Still Knocks Productions
Cast: Gerry Sont (Agent Kubrick), Steve McGrath (Nathan)
President Obama is protected by the United States Secret Service. Prime Minister Rudd has Nathan.

Thin Air
(Judge’s Choice – Top 100 Newtown Theatre Week 7)
Writer: Thomas Coash
Director: David Ritchie
Design: Tony Youlden
Cast: Gertraud Ingeborg
A circus performer prepares to step again onto the high wire after her husband has ‘come down’ (fallen to his death).

Tipping Point
(People’s Choice Gala Finalist)
Writer: Mark Andrew (VIC)
Director: James Balian
Cast: Deborah Bradshaw (Laura), Yannick Lawry (Rob)
Breaking up makes Laura and Rob re-evaluate their relationship.

Saturday’s final starts at 7.30pm.