Talking With .... *****
Sun, 9 Oct 2005, 12:18 pmWalter Plinge1 post in thread
Talking With .... *****
Sun, 9 Oct 2005, 12:18 pmUnfortunately the set of 11 monologues titled ‘Talking With …’ finished last night at Curtin’s Hayman Theatre. This was their best production for some time and was almost faultless.
I know there will be shouts of ‘he is a Hayman supporter’, but the practically full house spoke for itself.
How often do we hear the cry 'there are not enough parts for actresses’? ‘The men get all the best bits’. Well here is a supreme example of 11 brilliant parts for women. Every play was beautifully written by Jane Martin (an American author?).
The plays were intended to give directing skills to the Curtin students, and they certainly succeeded.
The first play ‘Audition’ would have made anyone who has done a worthwhile audition eg NIDA, cringe. It was all there as Kathryn Delaney stammered her way through her introduction ensuring that she would be allowed to complete her trial pieces or ‘the kitty cat will die!’ Kathryn will be around for many years to come. The frantic direction by Walter Hanna and Kate Green worked superbly.
‘Lamps’ with Andrea Jenkins told the story of a girl with an obsession for all types of lamps. Their warmth and brightness gave her joy. Megan Williams’s direction, by getting the girl to do her monologue in a semi-secret and intriguing way, was gracefully beautiful.
‘The Twirler’ directed by Julia Petricevic, had an mid-American Band baton twirler tell of her attempt at the championship. How she was mocked by friends for being a twirler. Hannah Brennan as the girl bubbled with excitement as she told her story and got the audience to share in her hobby. Stunning costume.
‘Scraps’ was the sad tale of a housewife bored out of her mind, who found relief in transferring everything she did into the exciting world of Oz, along with Dorothy and the scarecrow etc. This pathos filled story was very touchingly portrayed by Amanda Watson.
‘Rodeo’ was the tale of a cowgirl in Dakota, who had been displaced by some dolly bird who had no idea about rodeos. Director Matthew Prosper and actor Annalise Mack got all the humour out of the script.
The first Act finished with the disturbing story, ‘Clear Glass Marbles’, of a mother’s death as recalled by her daughter (Tenielle Clarke). Alan Chambers’s direction was delicate and thoughtful. Too much pathos would have killed the monologue, as it was the delay before the final applause summed up the audience’s involvement. Tremendous.
The ‘HandlerÂ’ was the story of a simple Georgia girl (Clea Jones), who appeared to come from a town where centuries of inbreeding had lowered the IQ. She had been taught to handle snakes by her father. Her only knowledge of any topic in the whole world seemed to be of the snakes alone. She enthused about their venom and their skins. The naïve presentation from directors Jes Craig-Piper and Sarah Rudling was precisely what was required. My favourite.
‘Dragons’ was about the delivery of a little monster by a mother in the labour ward. The mother, Erin Hutchinson, would have made any one who has been through childbirth wince. Beautifully directed by Sarah Fay
Â’15 MinutesÂ’, directed by Amanda Watson showed an actress, Amy Welsh, preparing to go on stage yet again. But she feels that every night she gives her all and gets nothing back from the audience in the shadows. So she wishes to communicate with them on a personal level. Amy practically brought the audience to tears as she went from her highs to her pitiable lows. Most touching.
In ‘Marks’ Jes Craig-Piper skilfully played the part of a woman who had been marked by people throughout her life so decided to mark herself – with tattoos – to remind herself in later life of these influential people. Tom Stokes again captured the essence of the introverted quiet lonely girl.
The second Act finished with a comedy about ‘French Fries’ and other McDonalds products. Andrea Jenkins and Dayna Patterson directed this fun piece. Jo Wren portrayed the aging woman who spent all day everyday in McDonalds ‘because that was the ultimate place to be’ and ‘after all, a man with a severe condition was cured by a Big Mac’. Very funny.
I can only say how sorry I am that this show was for 4 nights only. It would be a wonderful piece of theatre for the Festival. Well done all concerned.
I know there will be shouts of ‘he is a Hayman supporter’, but the practically full house spoke for itself.
How often do we hear the cry 'there are not enough parts for actresses’? ‘The men get all the best bits’. Well here is a supreme example of 11 brilliant parts for women. Every play was beautifully written by Jane Martin (an American author?).
The plays were intended to give directing skills to the Curtin students, and they certainly succeeded.
The first play ‘Audition’ would have made anyone who has done a worthwhile audition eg NIDA, cringe. It was all there as Kathryn Delaney stammered her way through her introduction ensuring that she would be allowed to complete her trial pieces or ‘the kitty cat will die!’ Kathryn will be around for many years to come. The frantic direction by Walter Hanna and Kate Green worked superbly.
‘Lamps’ with Andrea Jenkins told the story of a girl with an obsession for all types of lamps. Their warmth and brightness gave her joy. Megan Williams’s direction, by getting the girl to do her monologue in a semi-secret and intriguing way, was gracefully beautiful.
‘The Twirler’ directed by Julia Petricevic, had an mid-American Band baton twirler tell of her attempt at the championship. How she was mocked by friends for being a twirler. Hannah Brennan as the girl bubbled with excitement as she told her story and got the audience to share in her hobby. Stunning costume.
‘Scraps’ was the sad tale of a housewife bored out of her mind, who found relief in transferring everything she did into the exciting world of Oz, along with Dorothy and the scarecrow etc. This pathos filled story was very touchingly portrayed by Amanda Watson.
‘Rodeo’ was the tale of a cowgirl in Dakota, who had been displaced by some dolly bird who had no idea about rodeos. Director Matthew Prosper and actor Annalise Mack got all the humour out of the script.
The first Act finished with the disturbing story, ‘Clear Glass Marbles’, of a mother’s death as recalled by her daughter (Tenielle Clarke). Alan Chambers’s direction was delicate and thoughtful. Too much pathos would have killed the monologue, as it was the delay before the final applause summed up the audience’s involvement. Tremendous.
The ‘HandlerÂ’ was the story of a simple Georgia girl (Clea Jones), who appeared to come from a town where centuries of inbreeding had lowered the IQ. She had been taught to handle snakes by her father. Her only knowledge of any topic in the whole world seemed to be of the snakes alone. She enthused about their venom and their skins. The naïve presentation from directors Jes Craig-Piper and Sarah Rudling was precisely what was required. My favourite.
‘Dragons’ was about the delivery of a little monster by a mother in the labour ward. The mother, Erin Hutchinson, would have made any one who has been through childbirth wince. Beautifully directed by Sarah Fay
Â’15 MinutesÂ’, directed by Amanda Watson showed an actress, Amy Welsh, preparing to go on stage yet again. But she feels that every night she gives her all and gets nothing back from the audience in the shadows. So she wishes to communicate with them on a personal level. Amy practically brought the audience to tears as she went from her highs to her pitiable lows. Most touching.
In ‘Marks’ Jes Craig-Piper skilfully played the part of a woman who had been marked by people throughout her life so decided to mark herself – with tattoos – to remind herself in later life of these influential people. Tom Stokes again captured the essence of the introverted quiet lonely girl.
The second Act finished with a comedy about ‘French Fries’ and other McDonalds products. Andrea Jenkins and Dayna Patterson directed this fun piece. Jo Wren portrayed the aging woman who spent all day everyday in McDonalds ‘because that was the ultimate place to be’ and ‘after all, a man with a severe condition was cured by a Big Mac’. Very funny.
I can only say how sorry I am that this show was for 4 nights only. It would be a wonderful piece of theatre for the Festival. Well done all concerned.