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The Sneeze

Thu, 30 July 2009, 06:56 pm
hollychampion23 posts in thread
Freshly Sneezed Review: The Sneeze by Michael Frayn after Chekhov Theatre Forward NIDA Parade Studio, 215 Anzac Parade opp. UNSW Five actors, five stories and five directors… and only 3 days of rehearsal per play. The newly formed Theatre Forward alliance, made up of graduates of the NIDA directing course, advertises its debut and the Australian premiere of The Sneeze, as an ‘experiment’ and invites curiosity as to whether this audacious rehearsal timeframe can actually pull off seriously good comedy. They succeed. Although the performance is “still evolving” as one of the directors put it, its freshness adds vivacity to the bold and very funny performances from these five actors. Annie Maynard and Berryn Schwerdt sparkle and satisfy as the dueling George-and-Martha-type couple in “The Bear”, under Sarah Giles’s direction. Keith Agius manages to be both amusing and incredibly sad as the pathetic old clown in “Swan Song”, directed by Imara Savage. Solid performances are also put in by Garth Holcombe and Olivia Simone as the young couple in “The Proposal”, although Simone is given rather little to do by Morgan Dowsett, who concentrates on the comedy of Holcombe’s dithering. Directed by Kate Revz, the potentially difficult central piece “The Sneeze” is performed with only gobbledy-gook for dialogue and much hilarious hand gesturing and facial contortions, Á  la Mr. Bean. As his army officer character gets sneezed on, Agius’s po-face here has to be seen to be believed. So does Schwerdt’s complex array of twitches, timbre shifts and dangerously unexpected laughs as the ageing, hen-pecked schoolteacher under David Harmon’s direction in “The Evils of Tobacco”. Harmon must have experimented energetically with Schwerdt in rehearsal. The latter’s transformation into an older man is so convincing that it is a shock to see how much younger he actually is when he changes character for the transition to the next piece. The transitions between these disparate plays were handled fairly smoothly, although one was left wondering exactly who these people waiting at a cold bus station were. There was a suggestion that they were quintessential melancholic Russians: On entering the theatre, the setting was immediately announced by Cyrillic graffiti sprayed across a blank noticeboard. Four of the actors lounged in place before the performance began; not a new technique but one which is used rarely in theatre and has the effect, especially in such an intimate space, of making the audience feel as if they too are performing, which can be particularly unsettling if a fifth actor is somewhere behind you… The five directors allowed some overacting, but this made for such a good laugh that it was not generally a drawback. Some effort was made to link motifs between the pieces—a black tailcoat, an eye-twitch, operatic singing, the sneeze (of course)—however this motivic tapestry concept could have been carried through a little more. Production values were necessarily low-budget but designer Renée Mulder’s set of suitcases (the director’s perennial salvation!) and bus-stop bench were used imaginatively. The sound and lighting designs were creative; I particularly liked the use of hanging lights to ‘switch’ characters on and off as they were required. Overall, the anxiety-ridden schedule, the melting pot of creative minds and—as I understand—large helpings of generosity from the performers and the NIDA Springboard Initiative have contributed to making The Sneeze an unusual and very enjoyable evening in the theatre. My major complaint would be that at 95 minutes, it was rather short and I wanted to see more (!) but I have no doubt that we will see much more from these talented young directors. The Sneeze continues until Saturday August 1. Performances daily at 7:30 pm with a Saturday matinee at 2 pm. Tickets: $29 Adults, $24 Concession

Thread (23 posts)

hollychampionThu, 30 July 2009, 06:56 pm
Freshly Sneezed Review: The Sneeze by Michael Frayn after Chekhov Theatre Forward NIDA Parade Studio, 215 Anzac Parade opp. UNSW Five actors, five stories and five directors… and only 3 days of rehearsal per play. The newly formed Theatre Forward alliance, made up of graduates of the NIDA directing course, advertises its debut and the Australian premiere of The Sneeze, as an ‘experiment’ and invites curiosity as to whether this audacious rehearsal timeframe can actually pull off seriously good comedy. They succeed. Although the performance is “still evolving” as one of the directors put it, its freshness adds vivacity to the bold and very funny performances from these five actors. Annie Maynard and Berryn Schwerdt sparkle and satisfy as the dueling George-and-Martha-type couple in “The Bear”, under Sarah Giles’s direction. Keith Agius manages to be both amusing and incredibly sad as the pathetic old clown in “Swan Song”, directed by Imara Savage. Solid performances are also put in by Garth Holcombe and Olivia Simone as the young couple in “The Proposal”, although Simone is given rather little to do by Morgan Dowsett, who concentrates on the comedy of Holcombe’s dithering. Directed by Kate Revz, the potentially difficult central piece “The Sneeze” is performed with only gobbledy-gook for dialogue and much hilarious hand gesturing and facial contortions, Á  la Mr. Bean. As his army officer character gets sneezed on, Agius’s po-face here has to be seen to be believed. So does Schwerdt’s complex array of twitches, timbre shifts and dangerously unexpected laughs as the ageing, hen-pecked schoolteacher under David Harmon’s direction in “The Evils of Tobacco”. Harmon must have experimented energetically with Schwerdt in rehearsal. The latter’s transformation into an older man is so convincing that it is a shock to see how much younger he actually is when he changes character for the transition to the next piece. The transitions between these disparate plays were handled fairly smoothly, although one was left wondering exactly who these people waiting at a cold bus station were. There was a suggestion that they were quintessential melancholic Russians: On entering the theatre, the setting was immediately announced by Cyrillic graffiti sprayed across a blank noticeboard. Four of the actors lounged in place before the performance began; not a new technique but one which is used rarely in theatre and has the effect, especially in such an intimate space, of making the audience feel as if they too are performing, which can be particularly unsettling if a fifth actor is somewhere behind you… The five directors allowed some overacting, but this made for such a good laugh that it was not generally a drawback. Some effort was made to link motifs between the pieces—a black tailcoat, an eye-twitch, operatic singing, the sneeze (of course)—however this motivic tapestry concept could have been carried through a little more. Production values were necessarily low-budget but designer Renée Mulder’s set of suitcases (the director’s perennial salvation!) and bus-stop bench were used imaginatively. The sound and lighting designs were creative; I particularly liked the use of hanging lights to ‘switch’ characters on and off as they were required. Overall, the anxiety-ridden schedule, the melting pot of creative minds and—as I understand—large helpings of generosity from the performers and the NIDA Springboard Initiative have contributed to making The Sneeze an unusual and very enjoyable evening in the theatre. My major complaint would be that at 95 minutes, it was rather short and I wanted to see more (!) but I have no doubt that we will see much more from these talented young directors. The Sneeze continues until Saturday August 1. Performances daily at 7:30 pm with a Saturday matinee at 2 pm. Tickets: $29 Adults, $24 Concession
Walter PlingeFri, 31 July 2009, 10:13 am

I once had to put on a play

I once had to put on a play that had twelve hours rehearsal from 8am on a Sunday morning to performance at 8pm on a Sunday evening, so yes it can be done.
LogosFri, 31 July 2009, 10:55 am

Interesting

It would be interesting to know how it is decided that a performance is the Australian premiere. I saw "The Sneeze" in Adelaide at the 1990 Adelaide Fringe. It was definitely the Michael Frayne translation and it was a local production not international. I was recently also told here in SA that I was going to see the first performance of Pinter's Homecoming for 40 years when I had directed it in 1992 at La Mama Adelaide. Please don't get me wrong I am not criticising the NIDA performance. I am just interested. Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au
Walter PlingeFri, 31 July 2009, 11:57 am

Ill be honest Logos,

Ill be honest Logos, without meaning to be rude, that the production at NIDA cannot be really directly compared to what you have done in 1992, after all this is akin to professionals
jeffhansenFri, 31 July 2009, 12:25 pm

.....and the fact fact that

.....and the fact that Logos IS a professional, not just akin to one? www.meltheco.org.au
LogosFri, 31 July 2009, 12:48 pm

Thank you Jeff

Actually you are correct. The La Mama production in 1992 of the Homecoming was professional (yes Craig we paid pro rates). As for the Sneeze production. I do not remember whether that was pro or not although I suspect it wasn't. I was an audience member and my point was that the article simply says Australian premiere not Australian Professional Premiere. I was trying to find out what counts as a premiere not start again the fight about pro and am which quite frankly I'm a little sick of. Both areas do good work and bad work and that wasn't my point. I have no problem at all if you are going to claim a production as the premiere amateur or premiere professional production although I am not convinced it really matters if you are genuinely claiming a premiere. I would also be interested to hear from the purists out there whether or not a student production is in fact a professional production. This is not a can of worms I was going to open but nida girl started it. I also wasn't comparing my production of the Homecoming in 1992 to NIDA's production of "The Sneeze" in 2009. I wasn't even comparing the two productions of the Sneeze one of which I saw the other of which I didn't. Therefore I am not qualified to draw comparisons. I was querying the use of the words Australian Premiere when I knew I had seen a production of it before. Incidentally now I come to think of it, I seem to remember the SA State Theatre Company did the Sneeze at around that time. It wasn't the production I saw as they have never performed in the Theatre I saw the Sneeze at but I'm sure that that will resolve the issues of pro versus am. Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au
LabrugFri, 31 July 2009, 12:54 pm

Either way.

Understand your concerns Logos.

Makes no difference if you are pro or am, or even fringe. If you want to legally put on a production then you need to get the rights from the author or publisher in order to do so. Premiere should be based around that very simple fact - the first authorised production. After that you can start splitting hairs about Pro vs Am, State vs State, etc.....

Keep it simple I say.

Absit invidia (and DFT :nono:)

Jeff Watkins
SN Profile
"ƃuıʇsǝɹǝʇuı ǝɟıן ƃuıʞɐɯ"

LogosFri, 31 July 2009, 12:56 pm

Labrug

Labrug I posted my longish answer up there while you were doing the same. Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au
KOTFri, 31 July 2009, 12:59 pm

I was wondering what

I was wondering what constitutes a "premiere" also. I just assumed that 'The Sneeze' would have been done, at least once, somewhere in Australia before in front of a paying audience and it was definitely done in Adelaide by a company here earlier this year.
LogosFri, 31 July 2009, 01:01 pm

Hmmmm

Having reread the original post, I see that the company in question is made up of NIDA graduates, which of course immediately resolves the issue regarding the professional status of the show. It is not a student production so therefore the issues regarding it's professional status revert to the rather interesting discussion re the clamp down on English fringe theatre and payment of national minimum wage rates. Either way I am simply querying the statement that it is an Australian Premiere. Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au
Freddie BadgeryFri, 31 July 2009, 01:42 pm

Flies in ointment and spanners in works a speciality...

"...the company in question is made up of NIDA graduates, which of course immediately resolves the issue regarding the professional status of the show." Yeah. It means the show is 'akin' to professional. Hehehehe. Furthermore, after hours (actually, around 30 seconds) of searching I managed to find the following on adelaidenow.com.au "Samela Harris April 27, 2009 12:30am The Arts Theatre until May 1 For a new director, a panoply of Chekhov stories is a baptism of fire. Nick Ely emerges only slightly singed. His production of The Sneeze, eight stories adapted for the theatre by British playwright Michael Frayn, is like a Chekhovian revue - and, typically of revues, it rides like a roller coaster, over points high and low." Here's the link for those who want to read the full review: http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,,25391835-5016717,00.html Judging by this, it would appear that not only is Theatre Forward's performance NOT the Australian premier of The Sneeze- it isn't even the first time it's been done this year! Nevermind, keep trying guys. freddie the rocking jedi badger (gone to the dark side for longer than he expected)
Walter PlingeFri, 31 July 2009, 02:18 pm

Wrong nida girl. You are

Wrong nida girl. You are only students. You're not professional until you leave drama school and try and cut it in the paid world of acting.
LogosFri, 31 July 2009, 03:49 pm

The Sneeze

Of course the entire group of plays that Frayne translated from the original Russian and the short stories that he translated and dramatised that was put together under the title The Sneeze is too long to do in one evening. Maybe they are claiming to have been the only ones to do those particular plays. Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au
NaFri, 31 July 2009, 05:08 pm

I take issue with that: I

I take issue with that: I worked professionally (ie. I got paid) on a number of shows and in a number of venues whilst attending university. Many people do. Not to mention, many people are professionals (ie. get paid for roles) before attending university, and do attend just for 'the piece of paper'. There's nothing that says you can't be a student and be a professional at the same time. Puppets and patterns at Puppets in Melbourne
JoeMcSat, 1 Aug 2009, 07:55 am

"Ya tell'm luv!" {'hilda

"Ya tell'm luv!" {'Hilda Baker}
LogosSat, 1 Aug 2009, 09:18 am

Sorry but...;

What you are talking about is a different thing than student productions done while one is at Uni. I am querying whether or not these are considered to be pro and suggest they are not. My experience when I went to Uni at 38 years old after having worked professionally in the industry for a long time was that if I was going somewhere or working on something as a student I was not treated as a pro but if I was working as a pro I was treated accordingly. Agents really only treat the specifically designated "show case" as something they ought to see. Other student productions are in my experience ignored. Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au
NaSat, 1 Aug 2009, 09:43 am

Actually, the line is finer

Actually, the line is finer than that for me: I was studying lighting design and other production management topics at uni. Halfway through my course, I was hired by the uni venue manager to work there, and was paid for it. In some cases, this included paid work to supervise my fellow students, or those studying in the year below me; under your definition, this would be something I worked on as a student. Do I consider the job there unprofessional, just because I was not a graduate yet, or had not fully completed my training in the same areas I was being hired for? No. I'm sure there are differences between working as an actor/student, than as a techie/student, but unless the show itself is affiliated with a university (ie. is course work) then I would consider paid/pro work whilst being a student to still be under the professional banner. As I point out: it's a fine line sometimes. There are many groups that develop within courses; many courses encourage and also teach (I know Swinburne does it) small groups to perform 'independent' (that is, within the course work, but without in depth supervision or artistic/administrative support) of the university. These groups can often survive outside of the course and continue as small fringe groups; VCA has a lot of graduates doing that. I would state that much of these shows/groups lie in the nebulous profit-share/co-op area that is professional, but not as officially pro as larger companies. And in fact, the answer to your question isn't about the group itself, but about just how much involvement NIDA has with the production of the show/group. As Logos points out below, if the group is made up of graduates, then NIDA may only be serving as a convenient (and perhaps cheaper) venue. Puppets and patterns at Puppets in Melbourne
LogosSat, 1 Aug 2009, 12:18 pm

Na

You were in what I would think was a very unusual situation. It's not uncommon for graduate students to be paid in Uni to help tutor and lead students but not common for undergraduates. (What will happen now is that about 50 different people will tell me about how it also happened to them.) In that situation of course you were working as a professional. This whole razor edge between pro and am is getting silly. Of course under Craig's definition student course work productions being unpaid are not pro shows and I'm inclined to agree with him. Where we get hazy is in co op groups who do shows while at Uni or immediately after. (How do they find the time? No NIDA student will ever have time to do outside shows, they barely have time to sleep or get a part time job to pay the bills.) Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au
NaSat, 1 Aug 2009, 02:16 pm

Perhaps I should clarify: I

Perhaps I should clarify: I was undertaking paid work from the uni, IN MY FIRST YEAR there. This is a TAFE Diploma, so it would fall under your category of working as an undergraduate in my opinion. (I will add that also that year I was a paid lighting tech/stage manager for a non-uni show) I agree the fine line between am and pro is damn confusing sometimes. Why don't we just call the above show a graduate co-op and leave it at that? As mentioned, some universities, my own included, have (what would be considered) co-op shows as a requirement to their course work. My final production of my first year at uni was just such a thing. Technically, we could even keep any of the profits the show made, even though the university laid out the funds in the first place. Puppets and patterns at Puppets in Melbourne
Walter PlingeMon, 3 Aug 2009, 04:14 pm

Well then, what you're

Well then, what you're doing then is a professional premiere then.
Walter PlingeMon, 3 Aug 2009, 04:16 pm

You certainly took issue

You certainly took issue with it alright. You moderated it down - again... :(
NaMon, 3 Aug 2009, 04:45 pm

Not sure who you're

Not sure who you're referring to there... But it was moderated down before I even got around to reading this thread. :shrug: Besides, as has been pointed out on other threads, if you register (it's free!), you have the opportunity to vote it back up. Puppets and patterns at Puppets in Melbourne
LabrugMon, 3 Aug 2009, 07:54 pm

Once again - Moderation

Ms Plingeet, Moderation is not a single user affair. It is the result of multiple moderation votes. Each registered user can only moderate once and therefore one single registered user cannot be responsible for a comment being moderated down.

Absit invidia (and DFT :nono:)

Jeff Watkins
SN Profile
"ƃuıʇsǝɹǝʇuı ǝɟıן ƃuıʞɐɯ"

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