making theatre "mainstream"...

I think if you were to compare say, Stuck Pigs to whichever company is producing 'Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks', or HIT Productions, then yes. Stuck Pigs are very much a fringe/indepenent company. And as I heard Todd McDonald say at a forum on 'Fringe' theatre last year, the term fringe is something of a misnomer. It suggests that the groups labelled thusly are wanting to become 'mainstream'. Often, they are happy to exist within their own right - if they can – and produce the work they want. The work just generally doesn't happen to be classic western narrative theatre. Being funded by OzCo and getting a lot of publicity and support doesn’t mean they’re mainstream or large; it means that these bodies are validating the work by supporting it. They recognise that new audiences are slowly developing for these new works, and in their own small way, supporting it. And I’ve found that the projects that mostly get funded aren’t mainstream. It seems the folks at the funding bodies with the $$$ actually often want something original and fresh, but with involved personnel who have some kind of solid track record. And they usually have gotten this ‘track-record’ by - like you and I and many other indepenent theatre artists have -stumping up and frequently losing their own dough, and doing everything themselves. I know what you mean though, Na. A company like Chambermade or MWT get funding in the tens to hundreds of thousands. It sounds like a lot (despite many amateur musical groups here in Melb having budgets of $100,000 to $200,000 plus, and they don’t even pay their actors – but don’t get me started on that…), but considering that they pay their artists and tech equity rates (a stipulation of govt. funding, generally), the money doesn’t stretch that far. So even though they have that money (usually) coming in annually or triennially or whatever, it still doesn’t make them MTC or Oz Opera. And I disagree with your assesment of Malthouse becoming mainstream. A quick look at the quality and quantity of their programming over the last year suggests otherwise to me. New works, Australian works, presentations, forums, physical theatre, etc etc….AND they’re deservedly getting audiences! I do agree to an extent about the Age reviews though. Its not unusual for them to review the same show a couple of times to the exclusion of others. But of course, if you are that show that gets reviewed a couple of times, and favourably, then it’s not something you complain about. Although I agree wholeheartedly with David The Devils Advocate. I think the theatre coverage isn’t too bad in Melbourne, and the press isn’t there to serve us. MX, The Hun, The Age, InPress and Beat, amongst others are all reasonably good ports of call for publicity. It’s just a matter of timing (your screwed if the International Arts Festival’s on and you’re not in it…), an interesting (therefore perhaps not 'mainstream')production, and luck. Anyway. That’s enough for now. Say, what was the topic again? And what did I just say? Dan