Short+Sweet Sydney is well underway at King Street Theatre Newtown, sailing smoothly into week three of this year’s festival.
But this week has been anything but smooth for Pete Malicki, Artistic Director of the short play festival, who received a call on Monday from director John Wood in a panic.
An actor in Wood’s play Just the Ticket – set to preview the next night – had come down with pneumonia and was in hospital. Pete (ever the optimist) eventually talked Wood into finding a replacement who could perform the show with just one day’s rehearsal.
Amazingly, Wood found an actor and started organising urgent extra rehearsals. Problem solved…
Two hours later, in even more of a panic, Wood called again. In a twist like a Hollywood comedy, his other actor had also been hospitalised – with pneumonia!
Another stand-in was organised and after meeting at 9am Tuesday morning, the team swatted, rehearsed and performed the show that night.
More impressive still, they were both ‘off-book’ (no script in hand) by Wednesday’s opening night.
To the actors who saved the day: Michelle Pastor and Alastair Buchanan – take a bow!
The piece by Newcastle writer Sally Davies – one of ten in this week’s program – is about a young man attempting to avoid a parking ticket…
Photo by Kerry Fluhr from the preview performance attached…
– gs
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