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theatre anywhere!

XS Entertainment — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:05:02 +0000

Between 10 – 19 May you’ll find new plays in alleys, puppets in bars, cabaret in warehouses, comedy in your home and office and performances you can be a part of online from Texas to London, Hamilton to Toowoomba.

Anywhere Theatre Festival is the brainchild of husband and wife power couple Paul Osuch and Alexandra McTavish. They’re pretty humble about conceptualising, developing and continuing to run the whole thing so when you see them around – anywhere but in a theatre for the ten days between the 10th and the 19th of May – please congratulate them and give them big hugs and a whole heap of love!

N.B. Some shows are already SOLD OUT!

What will you be seeing anywhere but in a theatre???

In the tradition of murder-balladeer Nick Cave, the femme fatales of Babushka invite you into their bloody nightmare to indulge in dark tales of murderous passion, sinister sirens and the infinite beauty of death in the debut season of Where the Wild Roses Grow.
Late night Cabaret at its finest.
DATES: Thu 10th & Sat 12th @ 9:30pm
PLACE: 275 Macarthur Avenue, Hamilton Reach

A family of Gremlins has taken residence in Brisbane. Roxoff, Mofball & Botolf Gromlot are trying to launch their new budget airline and fulfill their dream of flying. Tickets sales are going well, and their maiden voyage is due to take off shortly. There is only one problem….they haven’t built the plane yet.
DATES: Thu 10th to Sat 12th @ 7:00pm & Thu 17th to Sat 19th @ 7:00pm
PLACE: Reverse Garbage, 20 Burke St, Woolloongabba

As a collective the cast and the directors have come up with a collage of 5 scenes exploring life on the brink; public transport, romance, hospital drama and misadventure. 3 Windows will be an excellent opportunity to see Cinematic Theatre for and by Young People at it’s most vivid and vibrant… don’t miss it.
DATES: Fri 11th & Sat 12th @ 7:30pm
PLACE: 37 Manilla St, East Brisbane

Set in the heart of Fortitude Valley, four playwrights turn a dirty alleyway into the legends of nights out – where drunken youth roam free and the pavement becomes a stained and silent tapestry of history.
DATES: Mon 14th & Tues 15th @ 7:00pm ONLY
PLACE: Winn Lane, Fortitude Valley, 4005

10 Really Fast Festival Facts

1. Brisbane does it first
The 2012 Anywhere Theatre Festival is the only fringe festival in the world for performance anywhere but a theatre.

2. Already the biggest performance festival in Brisbane
The 2012 Anywhere Theatre Festival has over 50 productions and 200 performances already confirmed meaning it has more productions and performances than Brisbane Festival.

3. Attracting interstate and international
The 2012 Anywhere Theatre Festival features 6 companies from the U.K., Two from the U.S., one from New Zealand, Tunisia and France.

4. Brisbane proves it has a depth of untapped talent
Recognised companies such as Queensland Theatre Company and Circa Presents mix with independent and up and coming companies.

5. A theatre festival with performances on Twitter
A mix of international and local performances from streamed international performances to interactive augmented realities.

6. A Brisbane festival from the Sunshine Coast to Perth
Performance locations range from the Sunshine Coast down to the Gold Coast and across to Perth.

7. A two person volunteer team producing the biggest festival in Brisbane
The festival is organised by a core husband and wife team over evenings and weekends with financial contribution from Arts Queensland.

8. Theatre Anywhere – even in your house
This year theatre anywhere will be taken to the extreme with performances you can book to come to your home or office! Other performances happening in elevators, parks, city cats (tbc).

9. A Brisbane idea to the world
The purpose is to bring fringe festival to everyone, especially to places with a lack of theatres. We are already discussing how the festival can move to regional centres and other states.

10. International institutions want to know how we do it!
Since the 2011 festival we have been asked to advise on how to do theatre anywhere and have an invitation from the Milan Commissioner of Culture to talk as they prepare for their 2015 Universal Expo.

Writing on the Walls

abunterprojects — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:59:00 +0000

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If you are in the heart of Brisbane after twilight in coming weeks – look up. You will see some of the city’s most prominent buildings swathed in ‘virtual graffiti’ created by a diverse group of local teenagers under the mentorship of respected artists. Highly visible red text is emblazoned upon previously untouchable buildings in the CBD and Southbank.

Writing on the Walls is an initiative of Brisbane City Council (BCC) developed to support National Youth Week objectives, empowering and celebrating youth. Brisbane-based public artist Sebastian Moody and cinematic theatre producers Brad Jennings and Stephen Maxwell of Markwell Presents were employed by council to facilitate workshops with young people from diverse backgrounds to create artworks that represent the sentiments of young people living in Brisbane today.

I was commissioned to review this exhibition. Find the full review under Reviews at the top of the page.

The Groundling Awards 2011

XS Entertainment — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:20:45 +0000

The Groundlings. These are “the people’s choice awards” of Brisbane theatre (unlike the Matildas, they have never claimed to cover Queensland at large). Personally, while I think the voting system is as fair as it can be (and I hope news of it reaches as wide a voting audience as possible and I hope that the voting audience saw what they claim to have seen), I still have a couple of qualms over the noms process. I can see, however, that the people who knew the noms were open, who saw a bit of theatre throughout 2011 and who bothered to get online and nominate have spoken. N.B. As a theatre critic (as opposed to a normal person) I did not submit any nominations, nor will I be voting (although, perhaps in future, there is a case for noms to be submitted by the companies, then narrowed down by the critics, then voted on by the people). There are certainly some notable oversights. Now, don’t think that I’m being biased and playing favourites, trying to influence the votes by posting the clips below. There are simply some companies recording very well, their trailers and the opening night audience responses. That’s right. The value of those vox pops just went through the roof!

To cast your vote (READY, NORMAL PEOPLE?) and to find out the results (after voting closes on February 10) head on over to actorsgreenroom.net

I don’t mind telling you that I’m surprised by some of the nominations. Here they are…

2011 Categories:

Outstanding Contribution by an Actor

Leon Cain (Orphans - QTC)
Bryan Probets (Body of Work including Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness- La Boite; Animal Farm - Shake and Stir; Pygmalion - QTC)
Lucas Stibbard (restaged season of boy girl wall - La Boite)

Outstanding Contribution by an Actress

Melanie Zanetti (Pygmalion - QTC)
Amy Ingram (Rabbit: the good room - Metro Arts)
Nelle Lee (Animal Farm - shake and stir theatre company)

Outstanding Contribution by a Director

Steven Mitchell Wright (The Hamlet Apocalypse for The Danger Ensemble/La Boite Indie)
Tim O’Connor (JC Superstar for Harvest Rain Theatre Company)
Shaun Charles (Water Wars for Umber Productions/La Boite Indie)
Michael Futcher (Animal Farm for Shake and Stir)

Outstanding Contribution to Set Design

Josh McIntosh (Body of work including Animal Farm)
Penelope Challen (Water Wars)
Simone Romaniuk (Fractions)

Outstanding Contribution to Costume Design

Romance Was Born (Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness)
Josh McIntosh (Body of work including Aladdin and Animal Farm)
Stephen Curtis (Pygmalion)

Outstanding Contribution to Lighting Design

David Walters (Body of Work and innovation in Water Wars for sustainable lighting practices)
Jason Glenwright (Body of Work including Ruben Guthrie; Animal Farm)
Ben Hughes (Body of Work including Orphans; Fractions; The Hamlet Apocalypse; Studio Shorts JUTE)

Outstanding Contribution to Sound Design or Composition

Guy Webster (Body of Work including Water Wars; Animal Farm; Ruben Guthrie)
Dane Alexander (The Hamlet Apocalypse)

Outstanding Contribution to Multimedia Design

Freddy Komp (Body of work including Water Wars; Empire Burning)
Dead Puppet Society (The Harbinger)

Outstanding Contribution to Innovative Theatre Practice

Paul Osuch and Anywhere Theatre Festival for creating an imaginative infrastructure for theatre-making
Umber Productions and its contribution to sustainable theatre practice through the production of Water Wars
Steven Mitchell Wright and the Danger Ensemble for pushing performance and theatrical boundaries

Best New Play in an Inaugural Queensland Season

Water Wars by Elaine Acworth – Umber Productions/La Boite Indie/Empire Projects Company
Animal Farm by George Orwell, adapted by Nick Skubij (shake and stir theatre company)
Fractions by Marcel Dorney – Queensland Theatre Company

Best Production

The Hamlet Apocalypse - The Danger Ensemble/La Boite Indie
Animal Farm - shake and stir
Water Wars - Umber Productions/La Boite Indie

Best Musical Theatre Production

Cabaret - Zen Zen Zo
Spring Awakening - Oscar Theatre Company
Jesus Christ Superstar - (return season) Harvest Rain Theatre Company

Best Co-Production

Faustus (QTC and Bell Shakespeare)
Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness (La Boite and STC)
No Man’s Land (QTC and STC)

Outstanding Contribution to Queensland theatre

Terry O’Connor and John Brabon (Producers) for the development of the long-running project Shakespeare Under the Stars (Townsville)
Julie Whiting (Founder and Musical Director Blue Fish Theatrical) for leadership in the development of musical theatre training (Brisbane)
Tim O’Connor (Artistic Director) and Harvest Rain Theatre Company for the company’s contribution to the development of a sustainable independent theatre model (Brisbane)