Review - Into the Unknown

Review by Danielle Asciak

At 10.30pm last Saturday night, I was caught at the corner of Swanston and Collins street by a man asking that awkward question, ‘do you have any loose change?’ Many ignore or reply with, ‘sorry I just used my change’ or ‘got no change on me’. I stood on the corner, struck dumb. It was only an hour before this encounter that I heard this exact question in the Union House Theatre Mudfest11 developing production, Into the Unknown. I was going to reply with my automatic response but Eleanor Bally’s innocent begging was echoing and I was ready to hand over a gold coin to the homeless man.

Into the Unknown: A play about encounters with strangers in public places is a work that I would like to describe as an artists playground. It is a theatrically devised collaboration by artists Eleanor Bally, Tom Gutteridge, Joshua Lynzaat, Olivia McCombe, Ian Wilding and Mattie Young. From the very beginning, the actors own the space and transport the audience to the unknown. In some parts, the unknown was very familiar and I found myself reflecting on the times that I fantasized on the tram or was faced by a drunken wannabe hero on the train. The four actors Eleanor, Josh, Olivia and Mattie share a wonderful stage presence and chemistry. They articulate the narrative with consistent enthusiasm. Eleanor delivered a standout performance with beautiful sincerity and tenderness. The unknown that night looked like incredible fun and I ready to explore more.

There were moments that dragged but as it is a work in progress, emphasized by the brainstorms on the butcher paper pasted on the theatre’s walls, these moments can be excused. The performance encourages you to ride on the train into the unknown without hesitation and a willingness to embrace your next encounter with the stranger sitting next to you. Are you ready to travel into the unknown?

Into the Unknown has two final shows this Friday 28 & Saturday 29 August at 8:30pm in the Guild Theatre, Union House, $15/$10/$8. Bookings: union.unimelb.edu.au/tickets

Review - Holiday

Review by Justina Lui

Holiday is an original dance piece which explores the universal themes of human interaction and the family. Walking into the smoke filled Guild theatre I was greeted by a simple but effective set which continued the geometric theme first evident in the program and later also in the lighting. This was the first indicator that this dance piece was not going to be about any one particular family but the universal qualities evident in any family.

The soundtrack started unobtrusively with a series of percussive sounds bringing the performers to life from their stationary starting points at the edge of the stage. There was good use of the entire stage space, with the performance often moving beyond the set and even up the walls. I was amazed at the variety of movements the human body can produce both alone and in combinations of twos and threes.

The costumes were generic but effective - as the piece progressed, characters which evoked familiarity were created and projected onto them: the father who yearns to escape the boredom that is family life, the mother who smothers her children, not realising they are no longer children.

The cast was very well rehearsed which was especially evident when periods of individual movement melded seamlessly into unison group pieces. However, more facial expressions from the family characters would have aided the story telling. The father, (Paul Bongiorno) bought a certain gravity to his role which was somewhat lacking in the mother’s (Kate O’Callaghan) performance.

The intensity of some scenes was breathtaking; the support of the family for the daughter (Dara Klein) trying to reach the light. A highlight was the son’s (David Park) duet with his girlfriend (Chiemi Fukimori). The repetitive movements and musical ideas were very effective in telling the story of a relationship from beginning to bitter end. At times the choreography suffered from too many ideas, for example in the playground scene there were too many small groups doing different things making it difficult to focus on the father/daughter relationship. The supporting cast (Scott Williams, Chiemi Fukimori, Jim Nuttal, Sophie Dunn) were fantastic and maintained a very high level of energy throughout the show.

Sparse at times but complete with samples of the Presets, Dean Gourley’s original score contained the only spoken words in the performance. It was more of an industrial sound scape which was closely married to the movement on stage than accompanying music. Katie Skillington’s lighting was also highly effective, seamlessly blending with the dancers and soundtrack

First time director Leah Landau and the entire cast and crew should be commended for creating a highly enjoyable, thought provoking experience.

Holiday closed on Saturday 15 August.

Diary of Lock In! The 24 Hour Musical

By New Beat Theatre Company

7:00pm
People started to arrive. A real mix of talent: song writers, lyricists, writers, performers all ready to tackle the next 24 hours with a bang! Lots of random ideas placed in the $1.99 blow up paddle pool. Highlights include: “Sexual Frustrated Librarians”.

8:00pm
MUDFest Festival Director, Davfid Ryding, chose three “Titles Shows” and three “Big Number Songs”. The cast and crew cheered for the most popular titles: “Wild Nights and Awkward Mornings” and “Clean That Upholstery”.

9:00pm
Time to brainstorm those crazy ideas! The entire group were asked what ideas they had thought about after hearing the winning titles. Some of fantastic ideas that we didn’t use: Wild Knight, Ghosts of the Future and 7 Minutes in Heaven! Too many to use!

10:00pm
Time to split up into areas of expertise. Turns out we have 14 actors, 6 writers, 4 tech, 1 camera man, 3 production! Writers went off to flesh out the plot and characters. Actors played some theatre games.

11:00pm
Plot: Group of people who know each other from a single apartment building, meet on top of the building to welcome the end of the world! Time to get casting! Apartment locals: An old couple, A love triangle between a guy and two girls, three bitchy career women, a homeless guy, a blokey bloke and who could forget the Stud!

12:00am
First couple of You Tube Videos grace the web! Cast told the writers what their characters were all about to help the writers get song writing.

1:00am
First lull. Cast are catching up on much needed sleep while the writers keep plowing along writing those songs! It’s a tough gig for these guys! And the crew – well they’re working on another show. Trinity’s Grease – Check it out!

2:00am
And the marathon continues! Lots of red bull has been drunk by all. Song writing continues in groups and the crew peeps have been tech trouble-shooting. Cast members who had naps were woken up quite groggily. Does pay to stay awake the whole time!

3:00am
The plot of the show has been finalised! Everyone sat down to debrief over the plot to add any ideas that might add to the show. Already 8 hours in and the plot is sorted! Songs are still progressing and actors will soon start improvising their scenes.

4:00am
Song writing continues...

5:00am
Song writing continues some more... (Obviously too tired to think of something witty to say).

6:00am
Song show and tell! We have some amazing songs that have extraordinarily been created in such a short time. The songs are coming together really well. Though the cast still have songs to be learnt, lines to be memorised and compositions to be written! We leave our nightowl location at 8:00am – then its breakfast!

7:00am
Last minute touches on all songs before we pack up at the nightowl location. Everyone seems to feel the pressure of the next 12 hours. Most of the hour is spent cleaning up the venue.

8:00am
BREAKFAST!

9:00am
Everyone migrates to the Guild Theatre for a superfast Bump In! All hands on deck to get lights and set constructed. A lot of napping in the seats from the cast – just making it that little bit harder for them to find that energy. But they’ll get there!

10:00am
More napping and more bumping in. Flyers to be handed out to Open Day crowd made in 20 min flat. Program starts to be made.

11:00am
Gorrilla style wake up call for the cast. Nap time is OVER. Time to get cracking with learning songs, memorising lines and boosting up those energy levels! The entire cast are in the theatre learning the opening number! Sounds good from out here!

12:00pm
Pyscho moment of nearly losing the file of the program! Panic attacks were nearly had. Tempers flare as cast members try to get the lyrics, harmonies and dialogue in their scenes.

1:00pm
Writers were finalising the script and actors were getting blocked in their scenes. Unfortunately, one of our cast members had to go home sick with a fever and their song had to be re-written with a different cast member. As they say, the show must go on!

2:00pm
Set construction was going well but some of the pieces started to fall off. Gaffa tape will fix any problem. Everyone is a little bit delirious at the moment.

3:00pm
Blocking of the scenes continue. It is a mad scramble around to get everyone and everything ready to get the show up and running. Highlight of the hour: The “super-mega – awesome-sexy EIGHT part harmony” that the whole cast had to learn with only a couple of hours to spare.

4:00pm
Tempers start to flare as last minute rush to get the program, tickets, documentary ready without the help of the Powers That Be. But as true Music Theatre pros, we banded together and got the job done.

5:00pm
DRESS REHEARSAL!

6:00pm
SHOWTIME!

Reviews - The Maids and The Manor

The Maids
Review by Moya Stubbs.

Based on the French play Les Bonnes by Jean Genet, The Maids is a complicated story about power struggles and class systems that is importantly, also a performance which explores performance. The central characters are two sisters, Solonge and Claire, housemaids who spend the hours when their mistress, ‘Madame’, is absent constructing elaborate, sadomasochistic fantasies, in her rooms and whilst wearing her clothes, about the power struggle between themselves and their mistress.

The performance was an admirable effort, the text is very difficult and in parts quite disjointed. I did, however, find this portrayal of the Madame by a man to seem to make a mockery of the deeper elements of the play, in particular the complex, emotional struggle of the two girls and eventually their tragic demise. I understand that the text indicates the character of Madame should be a cross-dressing role but in this particular case I found the performance terribly amusing which made it distracting from the rest of the story.

The set was dressed straightforwardly but effectively. The maid’s costumes were also simple but very effective. The lighting could do with a little development in some places and we had a few hiccoughs on the first night, but that can happen to the best of us.

On the whole, it was a very interesting performance. The text is a difficult one for actors and audience alike. It is deliberately disjointed and leaves questions in the air, while the characters spend the hour switching roles, exploring performance and in particular gender performance.

Congratulations to all involved.

The Maids runs until Saturday 15 August at 9:00pm in the Guild Theatre, Union House. $15/$12/$10. Bookings: 0406 527 561


The Manor
Review by Seamus Magee

The Manor opens with a few simple statements of fact about an average politicians wage versus that of an average carer. It then it tells you the facts about Pine-O-Clean.

The Manor paints an unsentimental picture of life for the disabled and their carers without wallowing in self-pity or despair. A minimal set, with scattered white furniture leads you into a world of confinement, sterility and co-dependency. Within this world the show's 2 characters 'PWD' - played by Sarah Whitaker - and 'Carer' - Josua Lynzaat spiral episodically around the same routine, the same conversations and the same spaces in an almost 'Godot-ian' universe.

Carer is presented as a bit of well.... a loser who's employers since school have included Coles, Safeway and a local video store. PWD just wants to be able to get by out in the real world, and really looked forward to living in a share house, "The Manor". The reality of "The Manor" is more bleak: Visitors never arrive, TV never changes and nothing really happens unless by the neglect or incompetence of Carer. The audience finds itself laughing at scenarios in the play which, if played out in real life, would be the fodder of Today Tonight and the rantings of politicians. It also makes you wonder if any of these instances have come from real-life experience.

There are no saints or martyrs in The Manor. It succeeds in getting an audience to laugh while portraying a bleak and confining world of a disabled person and a carer. It presents a slice of life which is thought provoking, well thought out and makes its point very well without preaching to it's audience. The reality it portrays speaks for itself.

The Manor runs until Saturday 15 August at 6:30pm in the Guild Theatre, Union House. $12/$10. Bookings: 0432 763 552 or boonhan.koh@gmail.com

Photography by Shayen Wong.

Why Dance?

Nic Halliwell talks to Director of Holiday Leah Landau to ask why dance at Melbourne Uni?

This year Melbourne University Diversity Festival (MUDFest) is a little bit smaller and a little less present in the Student Union building, but it is still alive and kicking. The program has brought together a great range of mediums and styles to help showcase some of Melbourne University’s artists. Yet Holiday stands a little off from the rest of the bunch. Not only is it a Dance piece, a medium that most students would only think could convey meaning through a bump and grind approach at PAs. But it is also largely made up of and directed by non-Melbourne University students. One cannot help but wonder why would you think of coming to this University rank No. 50407838* for dance in the world to present a show to a largely apathetic student community. I briefly had the chance to speak with Leah Landau, the Director, after the show to find out what inspired her to put on a dance show in the Melbourne University (MU) environment.

“It’s about going out and see something new, there are people who never see dance.” May I add that this interview was after opening night, that had sold out. So perhaps I might be presuming a bit when I said students are apathetic. You’re not all that bad.

This desire to present something fresh to MU had been a driving force behind the production. Holiday originally was conceptualised as a play featuring dance movements. But Leah was inspired by other dance shows around Melbourne and the ability the medium had to convey meaning in a unique and creativity way, allowing the audience to break away from how they normally have to receive their information. “So much could be conveyed through the movement… rather than using voice."

However this work in progress is still evolving and may have more scripted or acted sections added before the next showing. “When you create something from the ground up it seems so much more evolving… this is just its first incarnation.” Here is one of the most important roles that Holiday plays in MUDfest, and vice-a-versa. Holiday is an opportunity for “art-interested” students to see a work in progress, (a very polished one at that). With the Director hoping to present it again in Melbourne, students can follow the development of this piece, to come to a greater understanding of how dance can progress and give insight into how it functions to create what it is. “It is really about where it can go from here… refining things. It is definitely about enjoying the creative process as an ongoing thing.”

So while there is only two nights left, I would urge anyone interested in understanding why dance? To go see Holiday, and take a break from the books and enjoy.

Political side note: It is worth noting that the Frank Tate building used to be the only spaces where dance groups could practice on campus. It is now one of the many computer labs on campus.

(*This number is approximately generated using my subconscious and the theory of automatic writing).

Holiday runs until Saturday 15 August at 7:45pm in the Guild Theatre, Union House. $15/$12/$10. Bookings: holiday.mudfest@gmail.com. For more info visit http://holidaydance.com.au

Sounds like a Holiday

Justina Lui spoke to composer Dean Gourley about his latest project Holiday, a collaboration with choreographer Leah Landau.

The synopsis for Holiday describes “a contemporary dance piece which explores the notion that every single person, at some point in their lives, has wanted to kill somebody.” An original work, Dean’s aim was to create “a visual interplay between the dancers who react to the music and story themes and vice versa.”

“Leah came up with the original concept and I proposed what I could contribute to give form to the entire piece. It was a highly collaborative process, she would give me ideas and I would come back to her with musical suggestions. It was concurrent physical and aural development.”

Over the two month rehearsal period, the show has been elaborated and refined from a linear scripted dialogue interjected with dance to a continuous 30 minute flow of scenes in which relationships between family characters and ensemble cast are explored.

The score is entirely pre-recorded and features “rhythms made from voices and the sounds the cast make when in character. They become almost drum and bass type sounds.” Different dance styles and Rhythmic ostinatos are used to define characters. “There’s a ballerina who does hip hop and break dancing, it’s amazing! Not all of them are trained dancers but they deliver the story with such conviction.”

Dean is looking forward to the show’s opening “I have the utmost respect for the cast – they have all done such a fantastic job!” With ticket prices cheaper than a parma and pot, there’s no excuse not to go.

Holiday runs from Wednesday 12 August to Saturday 15 August at 7:45pm in the Guild Theatre, Union House. $15/$12/$10. Bookings: holiday.mudfest@gmail.com. For more info visit http://holidaydance.com.au