AWAY tickets at $25 this weekend

SpareTicket.com.au have a limited number of tickets to this weekends performances of Away (at the Octagon) at the discounted price of $25 each (plus booking fee if you aren't a Black Swan Member).

Tickets are for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights performances.

To reserve your tickets you must be a member of the SpareTickets Club, however you can join this on-line for free (up until the 30th August).

Members simply reserve their tickets on the net, roll up to the venue before the show, quote their SpareTickets booking number and collect and pay for their tickets at the discounted price.

As a SpareTickets Club member you can optionally request to receive an "email alert" when new discounted tickets are released that meet your specified criteria.

Visit http://www.sparetickets.com.au for full info.

$25 for a tired old Australian show starring 'over East' soapie stars? Honestly, if you want to see some great theatre for half that price, go and see PTC's 'Shopping and F***ing' at PICA this week - some compelling theatre starring some of WA's finest. Gib Nolte, Mike Frencham, David Meadows stand out. Have a look.

jh

Just an endnote to my above (somewhat snarky) post.

I have no problem with 'Away', and I am sure that this show will be excellent, I am just a little cheesed off that a company who call themselves WA's Premiere Theatre Company (or words to that effect) haven't have the guts to put anything on this year besides 'safe' theatre - Cosi, Away - starring actors from over east. I will probably get some backlash for this, but stuff it. Yes, I know they have done some innovative stuff in the past few years, and I know that they have underwritten the astonishing 'To Whom it May Concern' at Rechabites at the moment, but I can't really fathom the fact that they are compelled to get in stars from Home and away and Seachange for a show that is guaranteed to sell out on the strength of its name, you know?

Any debate? Comments? And if you're going to flame me, then I would appreciate intelligent, cohesive arguments, okay? ;)

jh

I too enjoy innovative and "unsafe" Theatre, but the best examples I have ever seen are not from mainstream companies. As a company that recieves a fair wack of public monies they also have a duty to put something on the stage, the public may want to see.
I have seen 3 or 4 versions of "Away" so I will be staying away from this play anyways,anytime and anywhere.
Just because an actor has come to the publics attention through the medium of television they shouldn't be banned from the stage, many of Australia's favourite actors have a soapy or TV show to thank for their succsess nationaly.
Having the "TV personality" in a show brings an audience into the theatre that otherwise may never have gone near the place. This can be frustrating to the Theatre lover, as the TV land audience have no appreciation of live theatre, they chat, and generally seem disinterested in the show until their "Star" appears. But hopefully one or two may become converts.
I agree Justin that their are many fine actors in WA but I would bet London to a brick that if they had a chance to become a soapy star they would jump at it.

As exciting as the prospect of cheap tickets to Away is....

For the same price (much cheaper if you are concession or if you turn up ten minutes before the start) is the truely brilliant show "To whom it may concern"

Three short plays by Melbourne writer Daniel Keene staring George Shevstov and Steve Turner, directed by Marcelle Schmitz.

Yes, it is a Black swan co-production but all the reasons people bring up for seeing Away become reasons for seeing To whom... All perth talent, new and exciting work which I dare say many people in Perth wouldn't have seen. I would also suggets if your feeling inclined to see shopping and f**ing then you should also see this play. Similatr content? No but they would apeaL to similar audiences.

And No I do not work for Black Swan and I am not friends with cast or crew. I saw the show and dares ay it was one of the best perth shows in recent memory.

On till next week at the Rechabites hall starting at 8pm. $25 full, $20 concession plus studebnt rush tickets ten minutes before the show.

This is one of those productions that it is criminal that thye are getting small houses!

If you object to imported stars and out dated plays then you muste se To Whom it may Concern

If yoiu enjoy fine theatre, brilliant writing and inspirational acting see "To whom it may Concern"

I think you may have misunderstood me - there are plenty of WA actors who are making great livings for themselves Over East acting in shows such as All Saints, Neighbours, Water Rats, etc. The issue that I am concerned about is that rather than cast PERTH shows with PERTH actors, they insist on bringing Melbourne or Sydney actors over. A great example of this is Glenn Elston's Australian Shakespeare Company in King's Park. Half the cast were from Over East, and WA actors were consigned to understudy roles, when the company would have saved a packet in living away from home wages by casting someone from Perth who would do the job just as well. I guess the point I'm making is that shows like 'Away' or 'Cosi' or 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' or whatever is going to rake in the audiences and the dollars no matter what - even if they do star 'Toadfish' or someone. It's just frustrating that the largest companies can't take the lead of great WA companies like Barking Gecko, DeckChair, and PTC who almost always cast locals.

There's my rant.

j

Justin Hammond wrote:

> ...cast PERTH shows with PERTH actors, they insist on bringing Melbourne or Sydney
> actors over. A great example of this is Glenn Elston's Australian Shakespeare
> Company in King's Park. Half the cast were from Over East, and WA actors were
> consigned to understudy roles, when the company would have saved a packet in living
> away from home wages by casting someone from Perth who would do the job just as well.

I agree largely with what you're saying but...

Away -
with Travis Cotton - raised and trained in Perth

A Midsummernight's Dream -
Puck, Titania, Demetrius (both of them), Lysander...actually the entire cast plus all the understudies, with the possible exception of Helena, were from Perth and/or trained here.

I am simply wondering, what on earth your definition of 'Perth' actors is? Some may have relocated to Sydney, but isn't it a little hypocritical to be annoyed with them for jumping at the chance to return to perform in their home town?

Amanda Chesterton

..and I forgot about Mark Priestley, Nick Miller, Tim Minchin, Trilby Glover etc in the Black Swan Cosi which was apparently full of eastern states sopie stars as well.

??????

Amanda Chesterton

Yes, but I would be interested to know about the Perth links of Max Gillies (Cosi); Tempany Deckert, Kerry Armstrong (Away) etc... I am not begrudging these actors the chance to work: rather, I am wondering how these companies can justify 'padding' their casts with actors who are there (if only in part) because they are from Home and Away or whatever... I don't blame Tempany or Kerry for coming over, but I could list dozens of wonderful Perth actresses who could have filled those roles (yourself included Amanda), when Black Swan are producing a well-known play that is guaranteed to do well regardless of All-Star casts. There are plenty of great actors and actresses in Perth who aren't working and would jump at a chance to work with one of these big companies, whereas the exposure that TV stars may generate over east may mean that work is a little easier to come by for them, both in Syd-Melb and Perth. If these actresses and actors were auditioned alongside twenty other actors from all over and got the role on their own merits, then I will stand corrected and will apologise. However - featuring Max Gillies on the poster for Cosi and Kerry Armstrong (recent Logie winner and all!) on the poster of Away, when neither play a leading role, makes me wonder about the agenda in casting for some of these companies.

j

Yes, there are some very fine Perth actors out there, but if we insist on every company that comes to, or is based in Perth to use only local actors, then guess what? We won't have anyone 'big' coming to do shows in Perth, and we would all be tired of seeing the same old faces again and again.

Big name stars are sometimes needed to draw in an audience that normally won't come. While we all do this for the love of it (at least in Community Theatre we do), bums on seats is what keeps companies financial.

Finally, what would then happen if the Eastern State companies reversed this and wouldn't hire Perth actors over there????

Rob Tagliaferri (not the mayor!)

Well, I have just been to see "Away" on the cheap tickets (which, by the way are now $22), and I thought it was fantastic!
All of the actors, local or imported were brilliant!
To join the argument - Travis Cotton (Tom)was brought up and trained in Perth, Rhonda Ellen Cressey (Gwen) lives in Perth, Murray Dowsett (Jim) was born and trained in WA, and Claire Munday moved to Perth from Wales in Jan 2000, the programme doesn't say where Adam and Neill live.
I must say that Kerry Armstrong was the pull for me, because I adore her acting, and I also wanted to see if Tempany Deckert could actually act!! (She could!) Kerry Armstrong was a brilliant Coral, and in a strong ensemble piece like this, who could tell which characters were the leads, perhaps there were none!!

Regards,
Christine

Hiya Justin

Just like to say that I am sure Kerry Armstrong was a theatre actor long before Seachange and she is fabulous.

It is unfortunately tv that brings actors such as Kerry to our attention, and if it is only by the "Seachange" that we know her, so be it.

I am looking forward to 'Away'..."Shopping and fu**ing" sounds interesting but probably isn't my cup of tea, I may go to see it anyway just to prove myself wrong.

Good luck with the show,
Cat