Raw Materials

‘Raw Materials’ is the 2012 Directing Theatre Class test pieces. Each play was for about ten minutes. There were two groups of directors; some of the plays were common to both groups but many were not. I have put Group A directors in the bracket before the Group B, unfortunately I only saw Group B. This review concentrates on the quality of the direction.

This diverse selection was presented at the Hayman Theatre Upstairs, Curtin University, Bentley at 7.30 pm, nightly for the week up to Saturday 20^th October.

‘Stuck’ written by Claire Reeve           (Directors A: Rachel Foucar, B: Hayley Daffin)

       A young girl (Rebecca ‘Bubble’ Maynard) is going for a job interview on the top floor, when the lift stops suddenly. She starts to panic, so pushes the emergency button and the lift company’s operator (David Valent) offers his unique help.

The direction was excellent, the script demanded humour, tension and sexiness the director succeeded on all levels. The acting was superb with great chemistry.

Rosie in the Shadow of Melrose’ written by Craig Fols            (Directors A: Emily Kingsley, B: Mary Soudi)

        Outside an American park, a young man (Michael Collins) is on his way home after a troubled meeting with his mother. As he stands waiting for his bus, a woman (Kayla McGillivray) with a motor mouth is determined to strike up a conversation.

This play had a great deal of humour, but with quite a pathetic undertone. Well directed and portrayed.

‘Left to Right’ written by Steven Dietz               (Directors A: Sarah Bazeley, B: Danen Engelenberg)

        Two men (Jesse Daniel, Daniel O’Brien) think their partners (Samantha Barrett, Holly Dodd) are unaware of their affairs with the other woman.

Unimaginative clunky direction mainly held together by Jesse’s top quality acting.

‘Stars’ written by Romulus Linney                     (Director A: Madeleine Currie)

‘Deer Play’ written by Mary Louise Wilson        (Director A: Rebecca Kent)

‘A Whole House Full of Babies’ written by Sean O’Connor      (Director A: Sinéad O’Hara)

If Susan Smith could talk’ written by Elaine Romero              (Director A: Angela La Macchia)

‘Married Bliss’ written by Mark O’Donnell                    (Director A: Seth Woolley)

‘Men’s institution’ written by Itamar Moses                  (Director B: Stephen East)

     A rather dumb ice hockey player (Jesse Daniels) is determined to get on in life, so is sitting an IQ test. Little does he know but the examiner (Peter Townsend) has more on his mind than the student’s mental agility.

A very funny play that relied on a deadpan delivery. The cast had wonderful chemistry and the director built up the suspense and the climax perfectly.

‘Wedding Duet’ written by Lauren Wilson        (Director B: Katharina Spanbroek)

        Three hours after their perfect wedding, the groom (Dylan Searle) is carrying his beautiful bride (Sophie Joske) over the threshold but drops his love on the ground. Can this be a bad omen?

Hilarious play. The director had to take the actors slowly and subtly on a rollercoaster of emotions, she achieved this flawlessly. Strong acting.

‘Head On’ written by Elizabeth Dewberry        (Director B: Hannah Hugessen)

          An interviewer for a TV midday show (Catherine Bonney) is panicking; the main guest for an interview on midlife multi-orgasms in women has not arrived. Instead a rather strange, asexual member of the public (Claire Toonen) wanders in, hoping to see Oprah – could she possibly do the interview instead?

The director had to depict tension, panic, pure adoration, subtle humour and succeeded wonderfully. Two particularly good performances.

‘Night Visits’ written by Simon Fill         (Director B: Patrick Harvey)

         In a busy Outpatients department, the doctor (Prasanth Nayar) has just completed thirty-six hours non-stop when the nurse (Liberty Hills) arrives with a particularly difficult patient (Melissa Dusting) who is suffering from mental trauma.

The director had to make the doctor humorous and positive, whilst he is dealing with a depressed and unresponsive girl. There was another underlying story thread that was shown clearly. The two actors had deliberately not to react to each other, and to slowly start to communicate. Very good direction and acting.

‘A Rustle of Wings’ written by Linda Eisenstein             (Director B: Georgina Cramond)

         A girl (Georgia Knox) with very few real friends meets an angel (Sarah Healey) with real wings in the street. When she tells her workmates (Ariel Tresham, Savannah Wood), they insist that she develops a true friendship.

This was a very difficult play to direct, demanding the portrayal of the delicate but great depth of the character. Sadly did not quite work.