your portal for australian theatre
stinger · 18 December 2012
‘Calendar Girls’ (CG) the play is based on a true story about a group of middle class, middle aged women in the provincial north of England who raise money for cancer research and treatment by pro…
Read more →stinger · 2 December 2012
I may have read about this concept somewhere, or I may have just invented it myself. I refer to the phenomenon often experienced by actors whereby aspects of the characters they portray become somehow…
Read more →stinger · 25 June 2012
Alas, my time in Broome has expired without me achieving all I set out to. C'est La Vie. Now back in Fremantle, I am looking around for part-time work, appropriate accomodation and a theatre gig or tw…
Read more →stinger · 10 December 2011
For the past 3 months, I have enjoyed the position of chairman of Theatre Kimberley - as far as we know, the ONLY theatre group based here in Broome. As such, I would describe it as 'semi-professional…
Read more →stinger · 7 September 2011
Hardly twelve months after relinquishing my position as President of Phoenix Theatre and moving to Broome to enjoy semi-retirement, I find myself not only back in full-time employment in the high-pres…
Read more →stinger · 17 July 2010
Believe it or not, my one-man narrative play "Harry Power and the Boy Bushranger" (see my blog of 15/01/2009)is back on the program for this years' 130th anniversary Ned Kelly Weekend in Beechworth Vi…
Read more →stinger · 23 May 2010
Last evening we held a reading/audition for this play, scheduled to be Phoenix Theatre Inc's third production for 2010, opening 12 August. The reading went well and we have almost a full cast. (With 6…
Read more →stinger · 16 October 2009
"And Caesar's spirit, raging for revenge With Ate by his side come hot from hell And in these confines with a monarch's voice Cry Havoc and let slip the dogs of war" - Mark Antony (from Julius Caesar…
Read more →stinger · 24 April 2009
I'm writing a play with this working title. It will be a one-acter to start with, but it might expand if I come up with some more ideas. The setting is a committee meeting of a fictitious community th…
Read more →stinger · 20 April 2009
I have the honour of directing the next Phoenix Theatre season - a comedy entitled "When They Send Me Three And Fourpence" by the late lamented Aussie playwright Steve J Spears (of "Elocution of Benja…
Read more →stinger · 20 April 2009
Our little radio drama was a huge success at the FF. I have had numerous requests for copies of the CD and - get this - the VIDEO! There is a chance we may do it once more with feeling - this time in…
Read more →stinger · 15 January 2009
I have just been notified by the organising committee of the 2009 Beechworth Ned Kelly Weekend in Victoria that my monologue 'Harry Power and the Boy Bushranger' (see blog from 22/03/2007) has been ac…
Read more →stinger · 17 December 2008
Thanks to the munificence of the WA Government and the City of Cockburn, the old Memorial Hall at Hamilton Hill is about to be transformed into 'Phoenix Theatre', a state-of-the-art performance space,…
Read more →stinger · 28 October 2008
"Voices From The Tomb" is a radio drama written by WA historian George Russo. It tells the story of the escape of 6 Irish political prisoners from Fremantle Gaol in 1876 and their rescue from certain…
Read more →stinger · 21 October 2008
Even last night's tech rehearsal at the Dolphin - stop/start and long stretches of standing around - usually the height of tedium - managed to get some chuckles out of the crew. Idle actors also amuse…
Read more →stinger · 9 September 2008
On 14/08/08 Sharon-Lee wrote the following on the 'Reviews' page: "I was honestly shocked and appalled at the scathing reviews posted in regards to Harbour Theatre’s recent production of Errol Flynn…
Read more →stinger · 14 August 2008
The President's column in Harbour Theatre's latest newsletter says: "Never let it be said that Harbour Theatre is afraid to try something new. Errol Flynn’s Great Big Adventure Book for Boys had eve…
Read more →stinger · 20 July 2008
I cannot leave my comments to date without special mention for my two leads, being Katherine English as 'Lois Tudor' and Tony Clarke as 'Errol Flynn'. Prior to auditions, I had seen both actors at wor…
Read more →stinger · 20 July 2008
As anticipated, the humour in EFGBABFB has been attacked as being 'Benny Hill' style. I take that to mean puerile and sexist. The suggestion is that that is a bad thing! On the contrary!-) Seriously t…
Read more →stinger · 20 July 2008
Three performances down, four to go. Sabotaged by BOCS, caned by the critics, still the audiences flock to see the show. Opening night was a capacity crowd, as was today's matinee. Saturday night (whe…
Read more →