Tag Archives: TAP Gallery

5 Questions with Ainslie Clouston

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ainsliecloustonWhat is your favourite swear word?
Definitely ‘motherfucker’ but pronounced ‘moderfucker’. Appropriate at any time of the day and in all situations. Especially as a term of endearment.

What are you wearing?
PJ’s… the best time of day moderfuckers!

What is love?
Demanding, consuming, addictive, inspiring, passionate, gentle, firm – life’s ultimate roller coaster… to quote a line from the play, “it won’t bow, it won’t serve, it won’t do what you want, what it should, it won’t be how you thought, or was taught how it was meant ta be. You can’t lead it cause it’ll be draggin’ you wherever it wants.”

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
The Floating World at Griffin. Blew my mind! Great writing, fantastic acting and surprising as hell!!! Loved every second of it.

Is your new show going to be any good?
It’s John Patrick Shanley… need I say more – the master of Brooklyn prose! It’s going to rock. We have a cast and crew who love the shit out of each other and the play! It’s raw, powerful, funny and honest – your ultimate lover! 😉

Ainslie Clouston is starring in The Dreamer Examines His Pillow.
Show dates: 10 – 21 Dec, 2013
Show venue: TAP Gallery

Cristina In The Cupboard (Subtlenuance)

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cristinainthecupboard1Venue: TAP Gallery (Darlinghurst NSW), Jul 4 – 14, 2013
Playwright: Paul Gilchrist
Director: Paul Gilchrist
Actors: Sylvia Keays, Stephen Wilkinson, Alice Keohavong, Helen Tonkin, Peter McAllum, Kelly Robinson, Sonya Kerr, Sinead Curry

Theatre review
Cristina is spending time in her cupboard, and she invites us in to witness her thoughts as she searches for explanations and meanings of life. Surrounding her are a host of friends and family who live unexamined lives, and we see exactly what she is retreating from. Paul Gilchrist’s script is poignant and beautiful. Cristina’s philosophising is gentle but true, and the ideas being discussed delve deeply into crevices of our minds that we know exist but do not often acknowledge. Gilchrist’s excavation into the human psyche is a creative process but he is guided by honesty, which is the key to his writing being accessible to all.

Leading lady Sylvia Keays is earnest and full of conviction. She gives her character a childlike quality, and that innocence encourages her audience to listen with the same wide eyed wonder and openness. Helen Tonkin plays Cristina’s mother Gwen with soulfulness and warmth, and is memorable in several moving scenes that highlight family dynamics. Sinead Curry’s performance as the minxish Belinda gives the play a cheery vibrancy, and her comedic talents help a great deal with the entertainment value of the show.

In fact, all performances are strong and effective, but direction of the work tends to rely heavily on the words, with visual aspects sometimes left under-explored. There is a lot of space in the script for more imaginative expression and adventurous flights of fancy but instead the actors are often left in contexts of realistic dialogues, and their lines are sometimes drowned out by even more lines. On occasions where breathing space is provided, Gilchrist’s genius lines really do ring through the air with their strong resonances. Cristina In The Cupboard is a timeless work that speaks with intellectual and emotional clarity, and should be staged every place there is a thinking audience.

www.subtlenuance.com

5 Questions with Charlie Hanson

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charliehansonWhat is your favourite swear word?
I’m very fond of fuck-face, especially as a term of endearment.

What are you wearing?
No shoes. I very much like not wearing shoes. One of my favourite things about living in Australia is that this is an acceptable lifestyle choice.

What is love?
Perseverance, compromise and cups of tea.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Jerusalem at the New Theatre. 4 stars.

Is your new show going to be any good?
Yes, yes it is.

Charlie Hanson is appearing in Triune.
Show dates: 22 Nov – 7 Dec, 2013
Show venue: TAP Gallery

5 Questions with Peter Hayes

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peterhayesWhat is your favourite swear word?
That would be the F-word I repeated loud and long and clear when I was knocked off my bicycle last Friday.

What are you wearing?
A white shirt and jeans.

What is love?
Much considered in Shakespeare’s Sonnets and seems crucially to depend on many precarious variables.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
The Good The Bad And The Lawyer with a star to each actor for a five star show.

Is your new show going to be any good?
The writing is very good and Bryan Andrews knows what he is doing so what could possibly go wrong?

Peter Hayes is appearing in Shakespeare’s Sonnets.
Show dates: 30 Oct – 9 Nov, 2013
Show venue: TAP Gallery

5 Questions with Sylvia Keays

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sylviakeaysWhat is your favourite swear word?
FUCK.

What are you wearing?
Light blue underwear, black bra, a red shirt with big graffiti print “Amour Moi” and black tights. Too much? 😉

What is love?
Untamed.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour Cirque du Soleil – 5 out of 5! Brilliant.

Is your new show going to be any good?
Absolutely! A new Australian play Cristina In The Cupboard by Paul Gilchrist of subtlenuance. An experiment in comic magical realism – with an amazing cast of eight. It’s on.

Sylvia Keays is starring in Cristina In The Cupboard.
Show dates: 6 – 17 Nov, 2013
Show venue: TAP Gallery

Love Field (Bakehouse Theatre Company)

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lovefieldVenue: TAP Gallery (Surry Hills NSW), Oct 22 – Nov 2, 2013
Playwright: Ron Elisha
Director: Michael Dean
Actors: Lizzie Schebesta, Ben Wood
Image by Tessa Tran, Breathing Light Photography

Theatre review
Jackie Kennedy and Lyndon Baines Johnson (the 36th President of USA) feature in this fictional story situated on a jet, immediately after the Kennedy assassination. Ron Elisha’s writing is imaginative and his thoughts are complex. There is a sense of something wild bubbling under his constructed universe, although the surface is deceptively restrained and conventional.

Direction of the production focuses on the creation of a naturalistic environment, and relies heavily on the actors’ lines to convey Elisha’s ideas. This is a tall order, as these concepts are deep and seem to demand more elaborate exploration. On the other hand, what results is an elegant work with a dignified simplicity.

Both actors are gifted with impressive but easy, stage presence. They are naturally fascinating creatures that absorb our attention effortlessly. Ben Wood plays Johnson, with a commanding speaking voice and great conviction. He instils clear character transitions throughout the play, and allows us to perceive several dimensions to his personality in a relatively short time (it runs for approx 75 mins). Lizzie Schebesta’s performance of the newly widowed Jackie Kennedy is beautifully melancholic, but she comes across slightly young for the role, and a little muted in her approach.

Although lacking in extravagant dramatics, Love Field is interesting and engaging. Its attempts at discussing issues of gender and social politics are well-meaning, and because modern times always seem to be in a state of “political turmoil”, the play is a timeless one.

www.bakehousetheatrecompany.com.au

5 Questions with Lizzie Schebesta

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lizzieschebestaWhat is your favourite swear word?
Fuck, I don’t know ? They’re all pretty good. Swear words are the most delicious part of the English language… And so they should be. They offer instant consolation when life sucks balls.

What are you wearing?
It’s 5am. I’m wearing my pyjamas.

What is love?
A mixture of adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin designed to make you procreate and stay alive.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Penelope. Ten stars. It was fantastic. Beautifully realised and very funny.

Is your new show going to be any good?
Mind blowingly good. It’ll change your life.

 

 

Lizzie Schebesta plays Jacqueline Kennedy in the world premiere of Love Field.
Show dates: 23 Oct – 2 Nov, 2013
Show venue: Tap Gallery

The Good, The Bad & The Lawyer (Big Splash Productions)

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rsz_gbl_40_-_geoff_mark_marcVenue: TAP Gallery (Surry Hills NSW), Oct 10 – 27, 2013
Playwright: Tony Laumberg
Director: Richard Cotter
Actors: Mark McCann, Tricia Youlden, Brigid O’Sullivan, Geoff Sirmai, Marc Kay

Theatre review
This is Tony Laumberg’s fifth script with his Crowley characters. Henry is a conservative Sydney lawyer, and his wife Margaret is a headstrong left-leaning “home maker” who likes nothing more than to challenge her husband’s belief system. In this installment, Margaret decides to welcome an asylum seeker from Iran in their home much to Henry’s chagrin, but the real conflict begins when Henry’s cousin Mickey arrives from Queensland, with a lot of baggage.

Performances in this comedy are consistently exuberant. Geoff Sirmai’s portrayal of Ahmed (the Iranian) should be noted for avoiding gross stereotyping, and also for being the most surprising character in the show. The actors all have different individual strengths that are used to their maximum potential, but some moments could benefit from a little curbing of enthusiasm. Their madcap frenetic energy is effective to a point, but too much of a good thing ends up a little repetitious in this 2 hour production.

The play’s structure is a classic one, and Laumberg is adept at writing jokes and clever punch lines. A bit of editing would perhaps tighten the second half the show, but The Good, The Bad & The Lawyer delivers a night of entertainment with plenty of good, clean laughs.

www.tapgallery.org.au

5 Questions with Luke Holmes

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lukeholmesWhat is your favourite swear word?
Fuck, mainly for the variety. It’s one of the most versatile words there is.

What are you wearing?
Shorts and a t-shirt.

What is love?
When you’re happy to risk a lot of pain for a chance at a little bit of happiness.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Penelope at the TAP Gallery. 4 out of 5 stars.

Is your new show going to be any good?
Triune will be three whole types of awesome 🙂

 

Luke Holmes is writer and performer of Triune.
Show dates: 22 Nov – 7 Dec, 2013
Show venue: TAP Gallery

5 Questions with Marc Kay

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marckayWhat is your favourite swear word?
Mother F**ker.

What are you wearing?
Shorts and t-shirt.

What is love?
$200/hour.

What was the last show you saw, and how many stars do you give it?
Jerusalem at New Theatre, 4 out of 5 stars.

Is your new show going to be any good?
No, it will be great.

 

 

Marc Kay plays Mickey the gambling addict cousin from Brisvegas in The Good, The Bad And The Lawyer.
Show dates: 10 – 27 Oct, 2013
Show venue: TAP Gallery