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Acclaimed New
Zealand theatre company heads to Sydney
Wednesday, July 1, 9:09pm AEST.
One of New Zealands most prolific theatre
companies, Fingerprints & Teeth Productions, are taking over Darlinghursts Tap
Gallery in July, with a new production, Cat And Mouse, written by four-time
winner of the NZ Young Playwrights Competition, Thomas Sainsbury.
Roberto works in a bar and meets multitudes of women but nothing can prepare him for Cat.
Drunk, desperate and on a failed date, he takes her number through pity and sleeps with
her out of lust. A week later he meets Cleo: confident, indifferent, independent
everything Roberto desires. The only problem is Cat and Cleo look, sound
and
smell
the same, yet assure him they're different people. As Roberto juggles two
passionate affairs with what may be the same woman, hes about to learn that the game
has changed for good a game that someone has to lose.
Of the new play, director Trent Atkinson says, The risk with producing
smaller theatre is that it can tend to think small. What I like about Cat and
Mouse is that it explores ideas that are profound in their implications, albeit in a
simple way: what would you do if you fell in love with two extremely different people, who
look and feel the same?
With this production, we have two incredible actors playing three characters. They
are surrounded by a pared-down set that slowly becomes cluttered, much in the way our
protagonists memories gradually weigh him down. The fluidity, comedy and pace of the
piece give it a modern feel, but the issue at its heart is elemental. Do we ever totally
recover from a broken heart?
Trent has brought together two of New Zealands hottest young theatre and TV
performers, Stephen Fitzgibbon (The Ten Steps, Honeymooners, Loser, LUV) and
Hannah Marshall (All Saints, Shortland St, Diplomatic Immunity, Loser, LUV).
Cat And Mouse, opening on July 21,, is Sainsburys 19th production. At just 26,
he has already penned some of New Zealands most highly-acclaimed plays. Previous
works include The Basement, Luv, Loser, Main Street, Gas, The Mall, The Feminine,
Beast and Caustic.
---
Carstairs prepares for theatre debut
Tuesday, June 30, 10:09pm AEST.
Film director
Peter Carstairs (September) is about to make his theatre debut, with the
hilarious black comedy The Lonesome West the third work in Martin
McDonaghs famous Leenane Trilogy opening at Belvoir St Downstairs Theatre on
August 21.
The Connor brothers have been fighting since before they could walk. Valene collects
religious figurines, obsessively, and Coleman attends funerals for the vol-au-vents and
sausage rolls. Theyve just buried their dear father who died under suspicious
circumstances which is not so surprising in the accidental death capital of
the world.
The melancholy, alcoholic parish priest attempts to teach the siblings the meaning of love
and forgiveness, but he has limited success. Set against the bleak backdrop of the west
coast of Ireland, a darkly funny, disturbing and explosive tale ensues.
With a brutally acerbic, yet extraordinarily compelling script, which is performed in
dialect, there could be no two performers better suited to the roles of Coleman and Valene
Connor, than Travis Cotton (My Year Without Sex, My Arm, Vigil) and Toby Schmitz
(Ruben Guthrie, Travesties, Rabbit). Then, to round off an already stellar cast,
B Sharp is thrilled to welcome Sibylla Budd (Yibiyung, Rays Tempest, The Secret
Life of Us, The Bank) to the Downstairs stage for the first time. Jacob Nash
of Ruben Guthrie acclaim is designing the production.
Director Peter Carstairs film September was in the official selection at
both the Berlin and Toronto International Film Festivals, and was screened at the 2009
Cannes Film Festival in the Cannes Forum. Before that, Carstairs made a string of
award-winning short films including Gate, starring Joel Edgerton.
"The Lonesome West is viciously funny but, at the same time, very
human. Its ultimately a play about forgiveness and our individual need to connect
with each other; to love and be loved
McDonagh really is one of the most exciting
writers around so, naturally, Im thrilled to be doing the play especially
because its the first time its been done in Sydney," Carstairs said.
Martin McDonagh is renowned not only for his plays, but also films in 2008 he
received a Best Original Screenplay BAFTA and a Best Original Screenplay Oscar Nomination
for In Bruges. The first production in McDonaghs Leenane Trilogy
The Lieutenant of Inishmore played with much bravado in the Upstairs Theatre
in 2003. His pitch black comedy The Pillowman sold out in the Company B 2008
Season.
The Lonesome West is being produced by Arts Asia Pacific, a company which has a
history of producing and touring large scale work within Asia. In 2009 AAP has been
extremely active in Australia, co-producing the world premiere of Australian musical Metro
Street by Matthew Robinson, as well as the Australian premiere of Broadway hit Avenue
Q; which has played to great acclaim in Melbourne, and will open in Sydney on August
12 at the Theatre Royal.
Torben Brookman, Managing Director of Arts Asia Pacific, said: "Arts Asia Pacific is
thrilled to be working with Peter Carstairs and an amazing cast and creative team on The
Lonesome West. Arts Asia Pacific is committed to the development of the performing
arts in Australia, and working with companies like Company B, through the B Sharp season,
is a great way to showcase the incredible work of the next generation of Australian
directors, designers and performers."
The Lonesome West previews on August 20 ahead of its August 21 opening
night. It is scheduled to run at the Belvoir Street Downstairs Theatre until September 13.
Bookings: (02) 9699 3444.
---
Rigby excited as
Jersey Boys nears
Tuesday, June 30, 6:29pm AEST.
Jersey Boys producer Rodney Rigby says he
cannot wait for the show to officially open at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne on
Saturday night and with the overseas creative team now in Australia, all is in readiness
for the big night.
Rigby said preview performances have been well
received.
"The work in the rehearsal room has been
great from day one," he told AussieTheatre.com.
"There is no compromising with the casting
of Jersey Boys anywhere in the world and the same goes for Melbourne."
Rigby would not confirm if the show would tour
beyond Melbourne, saying he is simply focused on the premiere season.
While the Four Seasons-based musical faces tough
competition from Wicked and Avenue Q, Rigby said it all makes for a
fruitful market.
"There's been a lot of great shows and
great stories on stage in Melbourne this year," he said.
"People are going to the theatre, there
will always be competition, but the people are coming."
Reports out of Melbourne are that Bobby Fox -
who will apparently miss tonight's preview performance - is simply stunning in the lead
role.
"The work of the four guys is just
incredible," Rigby said.
"In Bobby's case, he is on stage all but a
few minutes for the entire show - it takes a special performer to do that."
Jersey Boys opens in Melbourne on
Saturday night.
AussieTheatre.com's Troy Dodds will be
in Melbourne for the opening night, with comprehensive coverage following the first
performance and the show's exclusive after party.
---
Actor's Centre
graduates on show
Monday, June 29, 10:23pm AEST.
As the audience waits in a
small, cosy foyer, we can hear 23 young actors complete their vocal warm ups and focus
exercises. The attendants usher us into a converted church hall theatre space, where we
come face to face with the newest personalities in the business: The Actors Centre
Australias (ACA) Graduating Class of 2009.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T - you have to hand it to
them! As the famous Aretha Franklin tune blares throughout the theatre, these 23 students
begin to strut their stuff. They are showcasing two and a half years work
all
that they have learned in a full time acting course which strips them bare, reconstructs
the way they approach their craft and prepares them for an ever changing industry.
After a 75 minute showcase
of monologues and scenes (and one beautiful song from the musical Ragtime), the graduates are buzzing with
excitement. The first of 7 performances is over and they have a lot to be proud of.
For the better part of the
last 5 weeks, The Actors Centre Australia (ACA) class of 2009 have been sifting
through material from countless plays and films in order to find the perfect scripts to
present in their graduation performance. And find them they did! Every student shines.
Directed by ACAs creative director and founder, Dean Carey and also by Simon Hunt,
the showcase demonstrated the students love of their craft, and a passion for the
arts.
A love shared by fellow alumni and patron of the college, Hugh Jackman: "ACA lit my passion for the craft and the
fundamentals I learnt here are a huge part of the foundations I take to work with me every
day.
The schools mission statement partly entails providing an environment
dedicated to possibility and achievement. The showcase itself displayed achievement,
but it is the students who are creating possibility through creating their own projects.
Luke Carson, who hails from Newcastle originally, is one of the many graduates who
speak of creating their own work once schools out. I have been
writing some short film scripts and I hope to finish them and start producing them.
Other students talk of their hopes to put on plays and other shows in the coming months.
Jennifer Williams, another graduate, speaks of her desire to create her own works,
irrespective of the outcomes of showcase. We have to take it as it comes. No-one is
sure what kind of effect the global financial crisis will have had on the industry (but)
there are a few things I want to put do, creatively in the next few months. We have to try
and not stress, relax and just be positive.
Carson echoes these sentiments and adds: I
have learned to have confidence and belief in my own ability. He also tells how the
students have been very well supported at the Actors College and while he will miss
the comfort of school, he will approach the industry with openness rather than tension and
anxiety.
Ladies and Gentlemen (drum roll please
) please make welcome the newest and
freshest faces in the industry the Actors College Australias graduating
class of 2009.
- Erin James
---
Wicked scores 12
nominations
Monday, June 29, 7:15pm AEST.
Hit musical Wicked is set to sweep the 2009
Helpmann Awards, with the show scoring an incredible 12 nominations - including one for
the late Rob Guest, setting up what could be the best possible tribute to a treasured
theatrical veteran.
Both Lucy Durack and Amanda Harrison have been nominated in the Best Female Actor
in a Musical category, while in Best Musical Wicked faces competition from Shane
Warne The Musical, My Fair Lady and Spamalot.
Spamalot has a total of four nominations in what is the major surprise of
the 2009 Helpmanns. The show opened in November 2007 - before several shows that were
nominated last year - and did not play in the most recent Helpmann season.
While there is obviously provision for this in the rules, questions will be raised
about the precedent such a move sets and why other musicals - including Matthew Robinson's
Metro Street - were overlooked for Best Musical.
However, there is no 2008 Hatpin-style snubbing of Metro Street,
with the show earning five nominations from its Adelaide season, a huge honour for its
creator Robinson and a good sign for the show's future.
In fact, Australian musicals are well-honoured this year.
Shane Warne The Musical has several nominations, including one for Eddie
Perfect for Best Male Actor in a Musical, while Todd McKenney is nominated for his work in
the revival of Priscilla.
Two Sydney Theatre Company productions appear in the line-up for Best Play - The
War Of The Roses and Women Of Troy, alongside Ivanov and The
Gatz.
SEE THE FULL LIST OF NOMINEES HERE
The 2009 Helpmann Awards will be held on Monday, July 27 at the Opera Theatre,
Sydney Opera House, whilst the After Party will be held at The Argyle in The Rocks.
Jonathan Biggins and Julia Zemiro, both acclaimed actors, broadcasters and
comedians, will jointly MC the awards ceremony.
Zemiro hosted the pre-broadcast last year.
The ceremony will include performances by the casts of Avenue Q, Candy Man,
Chicago, Jerry Springer The Opera, Shane Warne - The Musical, 7 Fingers and Wicked,
as well as performances from The Australian Ballet, Sydney Dance Company and Opera
Australia.
LPA's Chief Executive, Evelyn Richardson, said: "The Helpmann Awards are the
pinnacle industry event for Australia's live performance industry, recognising the very
best in live performances that annually attract over 20 million people to shows across the
nation with revenues of over $A1.2 billion, and growing."
The Helpmanns will again be broadcast live on pay television, with the Bio Channel
to air the ceremony from 8.30pm. There will be a pre-broadcast section of the ceremony
that will not be aired.
RELATED COVERAGE
Live Chat: Talk about the nominations now
Full list of 2009 Helpmann Award nominess
News: Rob Guest nominated
News: Cate Blanchett up for award
---
Blanchett scores nomination
Monday, June 29, 7:15pm AEST.
Oscar winner and Sydney Theatre Company Artistic Director Cate
Blanchett has been nominated for a Helpmann Award for her work in the company's production
of War Of The Roses.
Blanchett is nominated alongside fellow cast member Pamela Rabe, Blackbird's
Alison Bell and Robyn Nevin from The Women Of Troy in the Best Female Actor in a
Play category.
In total, War Of The Roses scored an epic 10 nominations, including for
Best Play.
The War Of The Roses spans almost 100 turbulent years of English history
by condensing and distilling eight of Shakespeares interrelated history plays. From
the elegance and melancholy of Richard II through to the barbarity and
catastrophe of Richard III, The War Of The Roses was adapted by the
Sydney Theatre Company for this year's Sydney Festival by Associate Director Tom Wright
and internationally lauded director Benedict Andrews.
The production features the STC Actors Company in their final production as a
culmination of three years working together, joined on stage by Blanchett and the renowned
actor Robert Menzies.
Renowned for his distinctly bold interpretations of classic texts, The War Of
The Roses follows Benedict Andrews collaboration with the STC Actors Company
for one of its most successful productions, the award-winning 2007 production of Patrick
Whites The Season At Sarsaparilla.
---
Guest nominated for Helpmann
Monday, June 29, 6:31pm AEST.
The
legendary Rob Guest has been nominated for a Helpmann Award, setting up what could be the
ultimate tribute to a treasured theatrical veteran.
Guest, who died suddenly late last year, has been nominated for his work in the hit
musical Wicked.
The show's producer, John Frost, had exclusively campaigned on AussieTheatre.com
for Guest to be nominated.
Guest, 58, suffered a massive stroke in October and died 24 hours later, with his
family and partner Kellie Dickerson by his side. Dickerson is the Musical Director on
Wicked.
Guest, one of Australian theatre's most legendary talents, is nominated in the Best
Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical category, alongside Damien Bermingham, Robert
Grubb and Derek Metzger.
---
Chicago to close August 9
Sunday, June 28, 10:40pm AEST.
The smash hit musical sensation Chicago will close at
Sydney's Lyric Theatre on August 9.
Ironically, it is the same night that producer John Frost's other show, Wicked,
will close in Melbourne.
This acclaimed production celebrated its 100th performance last week, and tickets
for the final three weeks go on sale on Monday. Sydney has taken Chicago to its
heart, with sell out performances, daily standing ovations and glowing reviews for its
stellar cast.
I was certain it was the ideal time to revive Chicago, especially with the
extraordinary cast we had assembled, Frost said..
The overwhelmingly positive response from audiences and the stellar critical
reviews have proved me right. This is a perfect musical for our times. Thank you Australia
for taking Chicago to your heart, and I hope Sydneysiders race to the box office
to get the final release of tickets so they dont miss out.
The show transfers to Melbourne once its Sydney season ends.
---
Calendar Girls coming
Sunday, June 28, 4:32pm AEST.
Australias leading theatre producer John Frost
(pictured) today announced he will produce the British hit comedy Calendar Girls
in Australia in 2010.
Calendar Girls, by Tim Firth, is currently playing to sell-out houses at
the Noel Coward Theatre on the West End following the success of the fastest-selling
regional tour in British theatre history. Audiences have been effusive in their praise for
the play and its ensemble cast. Calendar Girls will open in Sydney and Melbourne
early next year, with auditions beginning this week.
Calendar Girls is based on the very successful film of the same name starring
Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, which in turn was based on an uplifting and inspiring true
story that is quirky, poignant and hilarious. A group of extraordinary middle-aged women,
members of a very ordinary Yorkshire Womens Institute, spark a global phenomenon by
persuading one another to pose for a charity calendar with a difference! As interest
snowballs, the Calendar Girls find themselves revealing more than they'd ever planned...
UK Producer David Pugh has wanted to turn the story into a play since first hearing about
it. He said: "I dashed up to Yorkshire, armed with bunches of flowers, to try to
persuade them it would make a great play. But they told me there was at least one film on
the way so I knew I had no chance. When Tim asked me if I wanted him to adapt the film for
the stage I had to say yes. It is such a lovely story."
John Frost, David Pugh and Hamish McColl will be conducting auditions this week with
actresses of a certain age from across Australia.
---
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