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Stupidity of an industry gone mad

February 12, 2008: The Australian theatre industry is working against itself in fighting the casting of Rob Mills and Anthony Callea in Wicked, writes AussieTheatre.com Managing Editor, TROY DODDS...

Over the lasd


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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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