Tag Archives: old fitzroy theatre

Review: Debris (Red Line Productions)

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redlineVenue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), Nov 24 – 28, 2015
Playwright: Dennis Kelly
Director: Sean Hawkins
Cast: Felix Jozeps, Megan McGlinchey

Theatre review
Two small children, isolated and severely neglected, completely unaware about how the rest of the world lives. Their normal is in fact horrific, but they are none the wiser. We bring innocent lives to be, and imagine that every baby is given love and care because the alternative is unfathomable and simply unbearable. Dennis Kelly’s Debris illustrates a truth that we know exist but rarely acknowledge. It exposes the ugliest of humanity, and amplifies their brutality by having them voiced by the very young, removing any possibility of moral justification on our part as viewers.

The script is highly evocative and poetic in its surreal, or perhaps fantastical approach, inspired by the minds of children, and their unbridled way of interpreting things that they encounter, but the production is a simple one, with emphasis on performance by two fine actors and not much else. Our own artistry is called upon to visualise a more vivid experience than what is actually presented on stage. Lighting has a tendency to be too obvious in its creative choices, but sound design by Tom Hogan is delicate, thoughtful and effective. Felix Jozeps and Megan McGlinchey play the forsaken children with an enormous energy that keeps the show fast paced and taut. Their roles are harrowing but ultimately straightforward, with insufficient complexity built into the performance that could deliver nuances beyond the predictable.

Debris is an intense and emotionally violent show that demands our attention, but has nothing unusual to say. It is an excellent platform for actors who wish to flex their dramatic muscles, and we are certainly entertained by the display of extraordinary passion, but for all the pain that we see unleashed, we feel little of it. The fact that there are children suffering is not news to anyone, but it is information that bears repeating. We can think about how to make lives better, but it is also true that we do not need to create more lives at all.

www.oldfitztheatre.com

Review: I Am My Own Wife (Oriel Group / Red Line Productions)

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orielVenue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), Nov 17 – Dec 5, 2015
Playwright: Doug Wright
Director: Shaun Rennie
Cast: Ben Gerrard
Image by Rupert Reid

Theatre review
There is something unique about representing queer life on stage. Like many minority groups who have experienced persecution, LGBT stories need to create a legacy from hardship and struggles, so that injustices are prevented from recurring, and also for future generations to understand the histories from which they emerge. Unlike issues around ethnicity and religion that can have greater levels of visibility, LGBT identities have a tendency to be subsumed by a sense of normativity. The more gender and sexual diversity becomes accepted, the more it disappears from public discourse. A tension exists between the attainment of equality and the loss of nuances in individual differences.

Doug Wright’s I Am My Own Wife documents the controversial life of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a German museum curator and transgender celebrity, through the tumultuous years of the Third Reich and East Berlin. The play takes the form of a monologue, but does feature a multitude of minor characters, including the playwright himself. As von Mahlsdorf’s story unfolds, we are reminded of Wright’s presence as an interpretor of events, and correspondingly, the ambiguities between truth and fiction in the details being uncovered. The writing is full of charm and humour, with a plot that intrigues at every juncture. Vividly descriptive, we find ourselves immersed effortlessly in its slightly alien but seductive narrative.

Direction is provided by Shaun Rennie, whose outstanding use of space keeps our senses engaged and active, astutely controlling our perceptions of the show’s frequent contextual transformations, in terms of personalities, time and place. Excellent work on lighting by Hugh Hamilton and a subtle but highly effective set by Caroline Comino add greatly to the quality of unpredictability of the viewing experience. Nate Edmondson’s complex sound design is executed with impressive refinement and is noticeably adventurous with its concepts.

The play could however, benefit from a graver exploration into the darker aspects of von Mahlsdorf’s story. There seems a reluctance to portray her duplicitous nature with a stronger sinister edge, and we are kept somewhat distanced by that jovial artifice, perhaps just the way she would have wanted. Ben Gerrard is marvellous in the production. The speed and clarity at which he alters voice and physicality to depict all his different characters, whilst maintaining psychological accuracy and an air of authenticity through every change, is astounding, and very satisfying theatre. The actor exhibits wonderful commitment, along with an exquisite creativity that is remarkably intelligent and sensitive.

I Am My Own Wife entertains and fascinates. It is strangely lighthearted, given the brutalities that appear in the text. The production should hold more poignancy in its observations of war, Nazism and queerness, but as though borrowing from Charlotte von Mahlsdorf’s strength of character, unpleasant parts of the story are diminished with an unconscious ease. There certainly are lessons to be learned here, that may pertain to personal identity or to social concerns, but they require an investment of thought and attention. Alternatively, a very pleasant jaunt is offered by the show, with resonances that last until the inevitably enthusiastic curtain call.

www.iammyownwife.com.au | www.oldfitztheatre.com

Review: A Girl With Sun In Her Eyes (Red Line Productions)

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redlineVenue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), Oct 27 – Nov 14, 2015
Playwright: Joshua Rollins
Director: Andrew Henry
Cast: Martin Crewes, Kai Paynter, Gabrielle Rogers, Jeremy Waters, Kate Williams, Ezekiel Simat
Image by Vanessa Wright

Theatre review
Life is not a bed of roses. It is a hard fact to come to terms with, but we live with evil around us, and people make decisions everyday that cause harm to others. In Joshua Rollins’ A Girl With Sun In Her Eyes, we see law enforcers at work, and as they confront the darkest sides of human nature, what they reveal are some of the worst that we are capable of. The filmic script jumps between short scenes to concoct a sense of intrigue and to manufacture a plot that can be placed squarely in the suspense genre. Characters are not created with great complexity, but their narratives are strong. There are sequences that aim to shock, and even though they border on the exploitative, their effects are unquestionably powerful.

Director Andrew Henry focuses on bringing intensity to individual performances, but chemistry between actors is lacking. Leading man is the magnetic Jeremy Waters who puts on a very high energy show, but counterparts do not often meet on his level. The staging and interpretation of scenes are straightforward, with little theatricality involved. The choice for a naturalistic approach is logical, but it seems to prevent the exploration of its quite brutal themes to extend beyond the surface. The production’s literal spacial configurations also create issues with scene transitions requiring an excessive number of blackouts that inevitably cause dramatic tension to dissipate repeatedly. Sound and lights help with a sense of continuity, but the piece struggles to find a coherent and sophisticated theatrical realisation of the episodic writing.

A Girl With Sun In Her Eyes is deeply pessimistic, but its ugliness is recognisable. It exposes the duplicity that we all share, of the possibilities for good and bad that reside in all our decisions. We may not wish to acknowledge personal intentions as ever being purposely harmful, but there is no doubt that people around us act with less than honourable motives, and one can never be too careful about becoming entangled. Innocence is a beautiful thing, especially when out of reach.

www.oldfitztheatre.com

Review: Dead Centre | Sea Wall (Red Stitch Actors Theatre)

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redstitchVenue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), Oct 20 – Nov 14, 2015
Playwrights: Tom Holloway, Simon Stephens
Director: Julian Meyrick
Cast: Rosie Lockhart, Ben Prendergast
Image by Jodie Hutchinson

Theatre review
The more we hurt, the more difficult it is to find expression for our internal struggles. We compartmentalise pain, and with time, become more adept at denying their existence, but their effects do not fade. Tom Holloway’s Dead Centre and Simon Stephens’ Sea Wall are two half hour monologues that deal with sorrow and depression. We encounter the protagonists in traumatic states, and see them fumbling through life trying to find a way out of their anguish. Holloway’s piece is vividly descriptive, with evocative fragments that softly, but actively, fire up our imagination. Stephens’ work is equally poetic, but takes a completely different tone. Focussing on the grieving process, he uses the difficulties in articulating painful experiences as a basis for the text, and creates a quiet work that escalates suddenly at the end to deliver a powerful revelation.

The two pieces are presented one after another, but visual elements suggest an entwinement between both stories. Design of the production is understated, but elegant and sensual. Matthew Adey’s lights and Katie Cavanagh’s video projections, along with Ian Moorhead’s sound design, establish an understated but concentrated atmosphere in which the actors offer their very delicate tales. Direction by Julian Meyrick gives a beautiful cohesiveness to the two halves, with a sensitive approach that highlights the similarities between each character’s experiences. We witness the fragility in our humanity, and realise the importance of accepting and understanding the weaker moments of our personal lives.

Rosie Lockhart plays Helen in Dead Centre, fleeing England for Uluru, in search of an answer to her indescribable troubles. The actor’s engaging presence grips us from the start, but it is her ability to communicate a wealth of emotion with a seemingly minimal mode of performance that truly impresses. Helen never tells us what her problems are, but Lockhart leaves us in no doubt about the depth of her torment. Also remarkable are the flashes of humour that emerge, brief but effective, and key to installing a solid connection between actor and audience. Alex in Sea Wall is played by Ben Prendergast, whose portrayal of loss and bewilderment resonates with an intimate familiarity. The evasiveness and fear of sentimentality that he exhibits is a perceptive interpretation of how we deal (or do not deal) with immense emotions, but concluding moments see outbursts of intensity that appear too suddenly, and we question the accuracy of those dramatics.

Catharsis frequently occurs through the artistic process, but not usually at the same degree for all involved. Artists can indulge boundlessly in their excavations of private feelings, but the inspiration brought to their audience must not be ignored. In Dead Centre | Sea Wall, emotions run high, but they tend to stay safely on stage. The poignancies that it imparts are muted, but they are also real. We do not get embroiled too closely with Helen or Alex, but we study them intently and learn about the nature of suffering. The stories are theirs, but the way they help us explain and comprehend life, becomes universal.

www.redstitch.net

5 Questions with Rosie Lockhart and Ben Prendergast

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Rosie Lockhart

Rosie Lockhart

Ben Prendergast: What is your earliest memory of performing?
Rosie Lockhart: I have a vague recollection of playing the Virgin Mary at my preschool Christmas concert. I think I was about 2? Or maybe I just remember the photos? I think I was wearing an old blue sheet on my head. Indie theatre needs more funding people!

If you had to karaoke for your life, which song would you choose and why?
“Somewhere Over The Rainbow”. The Wizard Of Oz was one of those films (like Annie, Mary Poppins and The Sound Of Music) I used to watch over and over but fast forwarding through the “scary bit with the monkeys”. As a teen I sang the Judy Garland song at a Tamworth Eisteddfod. I can’t remember but if I won or not. Then at Sydney Uni, I sang the Eva Cassidy version at an inter-college music competition. I came second that year, bummer. I guess you could say that it’s been with me through the ages…

What’s the most memorable piece of advice a parent/mentor has left you with?
“Do what you love. If you stop loving it, do the thing you love.” My parents have always encouraged my creativity and to pursue a life of an artist. They’ve held my hand a lot of the way but I wouldn’t be living this artist life if it wasn’t for them. Legends.

If you could dine with any person living or dead, who would it be and why?
Ooh hard one. Probably Meryl Streep or Helen Mirren. They seem like the kind of woman who’d be up for “pot luck/bring whatever/whoever and a bottle of wine” kinda vibe. No fuss. No expectations. Good chat.

What’s Sydney’s most underrated feature?
Rosso Pomodoro. Ssh it’s Sydney’s best kept secret. A family owned pizzeria down on the docks in White Bay, just next to Rozelle. It’s the only restaurant at the base of an apartment block, BYO, no corkage, no half half toppings, genuine Italian fare. My brother and I inhaled many a margarita (each) when we lived in Lilyfield during my Sydney Uni days. Best. It’s my favourite place to visit whenever I’m in town.

Ben Prendergast

Ben Prendergast

Rosie Lockhart: Would you rather be a) renovating your house b) making personally scented soy candles c) designing websites & software d) acting?
Ben Prendergast: The notion of making personally scented candles appeals, for example you could have a Kanye West or Cathy Freeman or Ryan Gosling and really move some units, but it could be fraught, so I guess I’ll just stick with d) personally scented acting.

What are you reading at the moment?
I have about 20 books on the go at once, piled next to my bed. The one on the top of that pile at the moment is the Laurence Olivier biography by Philip Ziegler, and I’ve also just started The Moth by Catherine Burns; 50 true stories captured from the famous storytelling event where guests from Bill Clinton to the Sultan of Brunei’s concubine give an impromptu speech.

What do you love about being in the Red Stitch ensemble?
For as long as I can remember I’ve been a creative fella, and being creative sucks in a vacuum (see what I did there?), so it really feels for the first time that I’ve found a group of creatives who are all as driven as I am to make something and shine a light on things that matter. So whether we’re slugging it out on a Tuesday night to decide which of the 50 plays we’ve read should make it into next season, or we’re cutting a rug together during a launch event, or sharing anecdotes of an audience member touched by one or our shows, it’s like a family. A big, incestuous, somewhat creepy, but ultimately good looking and wholesome acting family.

What excites you most about Sydney?
An unexpected vista of the water, the shiny people, not so shiny bridge, colonial flashes, the one way streets. Any city I’ve ever spent time in I’ve always brought my runners and explored. We’re staying with a friend who lucked out buying a Penthouse Bondi apartment a number of years ago, so we’re living large. So I have a month to explore the city by day, and put up a wonderful show at night. Maybe we shouldn’t leave?

If you could invite 5 people to dinner, dead or alive, who would they be and why?
I was going to say the Beatles and George Martin, but then I realised that I’d be missing a huge opportunity to understand something about everything. So firstly I’d like to stipulate that each of these guests must be alive (you could get me on a technicality and then I’m having dinner with four dead people and the Dalai Lama), but they would be: John Lennon, Albert Einstein, The Dalai Lama, Adolf Hitler, and My Nanna Betty. Music, science, religion, and stupidity, and my Nanna Betty (who would hold her own).

Rosie Lockhart will be appearing in Dead Centre by Tom Holloway and Ben Prendergast in Sea Wall by Simon Stephens, a double bill presentation by Red Stitch Actors Theatre.
Dates: 20 October – 14 November, 2015
Venue: Old Fitz Theatre

Review: Bacon And Eggs (Only Children Theatre Co)

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baconandeggsVenue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), Sep 29 – Oct 10, 2015
Playwright: Chris Edmund
Director: Chris Edmund
Cast: Ryan Jones, Tom Dent, Adrian Mulraney

Theatre review
Two actors down on their luck spend the night drinking too much, and stumble upon the ghost of Francis Bacon. When artists struggle with their work, it is important to consult those who have come before, for wisdom, experience and history. Time spent on analysis and self reflection is crucial to the artistic process, especially at those frustrating, but necessary, moments of failure. Chris Edmund’s Bacon And Eggs is a thirty-minute meditation on the greats of European theatre, from Beckett to Shakespeare. Like any artist in any discipline, we study subjects considered to be exemplary, finding appropriate material to inspire and define our personal approaches. Bacon was by any measure, a fascinating figure, but this manifestation of his apparition is particularly straightforward. The play is a very simple one, and even though it does not bear ambitious pretences, there is a monotony to its rhythm and themes that can be challenging.

Performances are quirky but insufficiently varied. Ryan Jones and Tom Dent are strong with their small sections of comedy, but they sustain a singular mode of confusion for a long duration of the work, revealing an overly simplistic understanding of their parts. Adrian Mulraney plays a Bacon who is predictably flamboyant, but there are insufficient dramatic shifts in temperament and motivation to justify a full-fledged standalone production. It is doubtless that interesting ideas can be found in Bacon And Eggs, but at this early stage of its development, many more ingredients are required before the recipe can sizzle.

www.oldfitztheatre.com

Review: A Steady Rain (Redline Productions)

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Steady Rain by Tim LevyVenue: Old Fitzroy Theatre (Woolloomooloo NSW), Sep 22 – Oct 17, 2015
Playwright: Keith Huff
Director: Adam Cook
Cast: Nick Barkla, Justin Stewart Cotta
Image by Tim Levy

Theatre review
We are all flawed beings. Denny and Joey are Chicago policemen who have all their imperfections put on display in Keith Huff’s A Steady Rain. There is a liberal amount of machismo in the way they live their lives, but the play is more interested in their vulnerabilities and in exposing the damage that resides behind tough exteriors. There are dramatic events and cinematic characters to be found, and even though passions run high, there is no guarantee that audiences would respond with the compassion it aims for. We see the humanity of the cops, but whether we relate to their weaknesses and forgive their misdeeds, and hence empathise with their stories, would probably depend on each individual’s own world view.

Adam Cook’s direction works hard to establish the grave pain experienced by the two men, but we never forget that their circumstances are largely self-inflicted. Nevertheless, Cook’s work is thoughtful, energetic and operatic in its sentimental expressions. He brings a grandeur not only to all the explosive emotions of the narrative, but manages to create in the space, an unceasing frenzy that elevates the two-hander to an immensely gripping thriller of a show. Design aspects of the production are superbly accomplished, with Ross Graham’s set and lights providing an atmosphere full of drama and grit. Sound by Jed Silver underscores the entire text with measured tension and outstanding sensitivity.

The centrepiece of the staging are magnificent performances by its two leads. Justin Stewart Cotta plays the fallen Denny, eloquently detailing a moral and bodily descent that is simply fascinating to watch. His aggressive approach gives the show an edge, and his tenacious ability to intimately engage his audience during his many monologues, makes his character’s destructive journey an insightful exploration into the way we can let things spiral out of control. Joey’s experience is less extreme, but Nick Barkla’s work in the role is certainly no less intense. The actor’s extraordinary emotional range is showcased at all its extremes, and the level of authenticity he injects into every moment is wonderfully mesmerising. For those of us who are unable to find satisfaction in the tale being told, the impressive craft that is put on show by these men is more than compensatory.

There is more to A Steady Rain than a buddy cop drama, but what it tries to explore is not wholly convincing. Narratives take predictable forms because our responses are calculable. Innocence and redemption hold a certain sacramental value, and dark stories need them to find resonance. If blame can be squarely attributed to its victims, whatever demise that befalls them stands every chance of leaving us cold. Here, theatrical magic is delivered on many levels, but what is actually being said is ambiguous at best.

www.oldfitztheatre.com

5 Questions with Rowan Davie and Stacey Duckworth

Posted in Suzy's 5 Questions by
Stacey Duckworth

Stacey Duckworth

Rowan Davie: So this play I’ve written, that I’ve cast you in, is it like, Tennessee-Williams-good? Basically, is it in your top 5?
Stacey Duckworth: Oh. Yeah. Goes without saying! For suresies. Its probably not fair, though, to compare it to all the other plays… Outside that though, its a hard list to compile, although it seems to have come down to roles I’d love to perform, or plays that hold particular poignancy from my life. Hedda Gabler, Macbeth, The Importance of Being Earnest, Undermilk Wood, Once – technically a musical, but I saw it in NYC, a life changing trip and truly inspiring performances.

Two parter: You play a film producer, Moët. a) What does Moët do on a quiet Wednesday night once she’s left the studio? b) What/who is her spirit animal?
a) its straight into silk pyjamas, a lean cuisine, a glass of chardonnay and The Bachelor on catch up. b) hummingbird. She’s in constant motion, high pitched, delicate and loves flowers.

Stacey, you played Ophelia to my Hamlet all last year and your singing stole the show. Are you planning to steal Infinity Taster as well? And what acting techniques will you use to go about that?
Well, there’s nothing you can do about talent, but I have taken a leaf out of Paul’s book and slipped a few re-writes into the script. You’ll have to wait til opening night to see the whole spectacular but theres a strong chance of glitter and snap pants.

When it’s all done and dusted, what does the Stacey Duckworth tombstone read?
But wonder on, till truth make all things plain.

Why, seriously, why bother coming to this show?
It’s fun, it’s silly, it’s short, and you can drink in the theatre.

Rowan Davie

Rowan Davie

You wrote a play and cast a bunch of your friends in it. So whats the best (and worst) thing about working with your friends?
Drinking during rehearsals and drinking during rehearsals. Also they’re really really uncritical of the play.

Where do you draw inspiration from as a writer, and how, or is, that different from as an actor?
For me, they both come from the same place – sharing intimacy with other people. I love writers and actors. I’m so impressed whenever anyone writes anything and puts it out there. I’m reading Ka by Roberto Calasso about Hindu mythology. The play on before us at The Fitz, Annie Baker’s The Aliens totally had me going, “wow, I love how simple this is, and the silences and the kinds of characters.” But going off Infinity Taster, it looks like I’ve been inspired by The Simpsons and Saving Private Ryan. Or at least Matt Damon.

In Infinity Taster, your character Paul, is trapped inside his own movie. Have you ever similarly been or felt trapped?
Never. But metaphorically, yes, very perceptive Stace. I guess Paul, being trapped as a dead body in a war movie, is pointing to the feeling of being trapped in your own mind, by your own ego, where concepts and thoughts rule (and are at war with each other) and you are unable to escape into the present moment. And I go through that.

Who plays you in the movie, “Rowan Davie, my shambles of a life” ?
Can it please be Gareth Davies? That man should do everyone’s biopic.

What’s your most important/meaningful/memorable theatre experience?
Hmm.. I’m gonna say Ariane Mnouchkine’s Le Dernier Caravanserail at a Melbourne Fest in ’05. I think it was a 6 hour show in 2 parts. They pulled off the ‘moving sea out of bed sheets thing’ but with 40 actors and twenty metre high waves, while refugees were trying to make it across ropes from one boat to another. It was utterly tragic and completely inspirational. If Infinity Taster was 1/1000th as good, job done.

Rowan Davie and Stacey Duckworth will be appearing in Infinity Taster, by Rowan Davie.
Dates: 15 – 19 September, 2015
Venue: Old Fitz Theatre

5 Questions with Gabrielle Scawthorn and Aaron Glenane

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Gabrielle Scawthorn

Gabrielle Scawthorn

Aaron Glenane: In Fourplay, Tom describes Alice as strong, driven, unpretentious and classic. What are 5 qualities that sum you up?
Gabrielle Scawthorn: It is hard to strike an appropriate balance of confidence and self deprecation when answering this. You inevitably sound like a Debbie Downer or a Bell End so I turned to my nearest and dearest and asked for one each from them. They say the following;
Hugo (partner): Vivacious
Rob (brother): Assertive
Stephen (Papa): Determined
Teghan (best friend): Filthy
Qiao (my local dumpling supplier): Loyal

Alice is most excited to tell Tom about a breakthrough she has at work. What is the most exciting news you’ve ever told someone?
When I was 17, mid completing my year 12 exams, I got selected for a TV show on Channel V. The camera crews came to my house to break the news of my acceptance, the same night I wasn’t allowed to go to a school dance because I had to cram for a history exam the following Monday. After I got the news I ceased all study and went to the school dance to inform my history teacher I would not be doing the exam on Monday because I was moving to Sydney the next day to party and interview rockstars. She took it very well but asked me to stop drinking at school dances.

You’re very proud of your amazing red hair. Who is your most inspirational red head?
William Wallace.

You’ve mentioned having a few A-list encounters. What is your favourite “star struck” story?
Thank you for this leading question Aaron. (I think Aaron has heard this story roughly 4.5 times). There’s no easy way to say this. I straddled Dame Helen Mirren. I was seeing a show on Broadway and on the way to my seat I was straddling everyone so they didn’t have to get up and mid straddle on one particular lap I looked up and Helen Mirren was between my legs! My seat was right next to hers! I brokered a conversation by saying “I’m so sorry to bother you but seeing as I have already straddled you”, the dame was on game and replied, “Yes, we’re already friends aren’t we?”. Then we watched the show together in perfect harmony.

Alice is on a search for true love and connection. What is your definition of love?
Love is when you meet someone that you can take off all the shit we have to wear publicly to get through a day, all the bravado, all the expectation of what we’re “meant to be” and instead you just be and really get to know someone and once disclosing your true self that other person accepts and reciprocates your offering of absolute authenticity and looks forward to waking up to you. That to me is love… and payment upfront.

Aaron Glenane

Aaron Glenane

In Fourplay, Alice says, that you can tell a lot about a person from where they live. Aaron list three things that are currently in your living space that sum you up.
The plant on my bedside table because I need a bit of nature nearby. There’s a poster of James Dean on my wall saying “Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.” The photo frame of my family back home in Victoria.

List three things that are currently in your living space that sum you up perfectly but you wouldn’t necessarily want people to know about.
I have a pair of Where’s Wally underwear. In my DVD collection I own The Notebook…which I bought! I have a “groin guard” which I use at Krav Maga training. But, to the untrained eye it could be misconstrued as something else entirely.

You have often put yourself in a similar acting calibre as Daniel Day Lewis, when off of the screen he is a shoe cobbler. What obscure profession could you see yourself in?
Hahaha I wouldn’t dare say I was in the same league! I’d lose my mind if I was in the same film as him. He’s a master. My first job was being the waterboy for the local basketball team in Ballarat. Maybe the Cleveland Cavs have a vacant position alongside Matthew Dellavedova.

You question Alice’s smoking. What’s your worst habit/vice?
My worst habit is “wishful thinking with the ticket inspectors” and “wishful thinking with how much petrol I’ve got left in the tank.” They kind of speak for themselves don’t they.

Alice asks if you have ever cracked a joke? Aaron what’s your best joke?
An actress, a costumer and a stage manager found an old bottle in a pile of junk backstage. The actress rubbed it against her sleeve, and poof! A genie appeared.
“You got me fair and square,” the genie said. “So you each get one wish.”
“I want a world tour in a starring role,” the actress declared.
“Granted,” said the genie, and poof! The actress was off on her tour.
“I want a yacht and unlimited funds to cruise the exotic ports of the world,” wished the costumer.
“Granted,” said the genie, and poof! The costumer was off on his cruise.
The stage manager rubbed his chin, thought for a minute and said, “I want them back after lunch.”

Gabrielle Scawthorn and Aaron Glenane are the stars of Ride & Fourplay by Jane Bodie.
Dates: 4 September – 4 October, 2015
Venue: Eternity Playhouse

5 Questions with Nick Barkla and Justin Stewart Cotta

Posted in Suzy's 5 Questions by
Nick Barkla

Nick Barkla

Justin Stewart Cotta: Who is your favourite female actor and why?
Nick Barkla: Laura Gordon is my favourite actress. I’ve worked with her several times and she has always inspired me to go deeper and harder with the work. A genuinely bold, powerful actress. Judy Davis is another favourite, an awesome talent!

With the federal government stripping money from the arts and instead allocating gazillions to military drones, do you feel that more artists will need to produce their own work?
Artists should always be creating and producing their own work. You have more control over what you’re doing and can tell the stories you feel are important and truly worth sharing with an audience. In my experience, it’s not a lucrative thing to do, but can be extremely creative and satisfying.

Most annoying thing your co-actor Justin does?
Justin isn’t shy about telling me where he thinks I should stand and how I should say a line, which can be annoying, but what’s more annoying is that he’s often right! He also makes this clicking noise with his tongue at the back of his mouth when he has asthma that is really disgusting.

What is the most challenging aspect of your character, Joey?
Joey is in emotional turmoil throughout the play, but it’s not in his personality to let it out. He’s caught between loyalty to his best mate, and the dawning realisation that he is in love with his best mate’s wife. He’s also been somewhat of a coward and it’s time for him to stand up and be counted. There are so many challenging aspects to this I can’t name one, but it’s been a great ride so far trying to work it all out.

Favourite meal after an exhaustingly intense two-hander play?
Love a good steak and chips after sparring with Justin all night.

Justin Stewart Cotta

Justin Stewart Cotta

Nick Barkla: Denny is a fantastically destructive character, what similarities do you have with him personally?
Justin Stewart Cotta:: Time has proven that I may well possess an addictive personality, though I am ten years sober now. The occasional violent impulse, a genuine love of people and a love of the senses and a lust for all things worldly are probably still inherent in my makeup, though these days I tend to mix it up with some yoga, reading inspiring memes on fb, and burning the odd stick of incense…

We met doing Glengarry Glen Ross, another Chicago-set drama, why were you excited to do A Steady Rain together?
We struck up a fairly immediate bromance on Glengarry Glen Ross, so in essence we just wanted to work together, and instead of doing the typical whining and sobbing over the state main stage theatre companies recycling the same actors and monopolising the best scripts, we just thought “fuck it”, let’s produce our own show. The script you proposed was excellent, so we approached Keith Huff directly for the rights to A Steady Rain and got them. He dug our vibe and our passion.

We both play cops in the play. Do you think you could have been a cop in real life?
No, despite the fact that I would LOVE to play dress ups and cuff folk willy nilly, I would be a terrible police officer. I would be unable to enforce many state and federal laws that are rotten from the core. I truly respect and appreciate how difficult the gig is, but I would more likely be sitting under a tree plucking a Gibson jumbo acoustic and snacking on fresh celery and hummus.

How would you describe the relationship between Denny and Joey, and do you expect any real-life tension to bleed into your work with me?
Denny and Joey love each other and fight each other in that archetypal dysfunctional family way. The bond is doubtless. However the day to day behaviour leaves you wondering how long they can last. I don’t really experience any tension with you. You are a fairly decent chap, but you def get royally annoyed with me when I direct in rehearsals. 🙂 P.S. I’m not the director, the wonderful Adam Cook is. In my defence, I am often right.

How important is it to find the humour and lightness in a play that tackles dark subject matter like A Steady Rain?
Yeah look, the humour and lightness is at a premium. But those colours will never be as important as the love these two best friends have for each other. A vulnerability and a commitment to the gentle truth, and our willingness/ability to bring those qualities to the stage will be the difference between giving you guys an average show or a gripping show.

Nick Barkla and Justin Stewart Cotta will be appearing in A Steady Rain by Keith Huff.
Dates: 22 September – 17 October, 2015
Venue: The Old Fitz Theatre