The Australian backdrop, twisted characters, and a gothic tone. The Hanging, written by Angela Betzien and directed by Aimée Cavanagh is one that all thriller-lovers would hate to miss.
Discover the secrets that surround teenage Iris, her boarding school English teacher, and the detective in charge of finding Iris’ two missing friends. Watch as the characters evolve before your eyes, listen to the dynamic changes in cadence, and experience the horror of the devolving mystery.
With unique stage design, simple lighting cues, and basic sound changes, the actors use little aside from their voices and realistic characterisation to immerse you in their world, leaving you no choice but to focus on the very parts of the play that you may not wish to see.
If forced, I would be hard pressed to choose a star of the show, with all actors giving their very best to the roles given to them, and working together to surprise the audience as they examine the human condition and all that is ugly to witness, yet captivating to see.
With an homage to the classic Australian text ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’, The Hanging is a play that, while short, is one I can see becoming one for the ages, and the cast and crew at Maitland Repertory Theatre Company did a spectacular job bringing it to life.
Warnings: contains references to drug use, child abuse, suicide, pregnancy, termination, descriptions of gore, and coarse language.
‘Cosa Vedranno’ is a Bearfoot Theatre original production and with the first three performances completely SOLD OUT, it is clearly evident that people are intrigued and hotly discussing this new original and thought provoking play. Bearfoot Theatre specialises in original productions and is the leading queer theatre company in the Hunter Region. They are a not for profit company with a mission for producing relevant theatre productions that challenge their audiences.
‘Cosa Vedranno’ was written, produced, directed, and choreographed by the extremely multi-talented Zippie Tiffenright. It is Zippie’s first full-length play and certainly a successful beginning to a long and rewarding career. I greatly anticipate Zippie’s future productions.
‘Cosa Vedranno’ was performed in an immersive art space – The Owens Collective. Upon entering, I was captivated by the incredible and plentiful artworks, displayed on every wall in the quaint, cosy space. This perfectly sets the mood and scene for what the audience is about to behold and experience. I greatly appreciated the immense talent and effort that contributed to these fabulous artworks, including portraits of the four main characters: Lisa, Vinnie, Angelo and Isla.
It was commendable acting for all four of the young actors who were thrown into multi-faceted challenging roles. Lisa, played by Piper Graham, acted superbly and I appreciated their clear, easy to listen to, resonating tone. Vinnie (Mackenzie Thomson) played a complex and evasive character and delivered a solid emotive performance. Alex Giles delivered a powerful performance as the character Angelo and showed the skilful ability to portray numerous perspectives of their complicated character. Isla’s character (Allira Carter) provided a delightful contrast of light and hope in a world of melancholy and anguish and Allira Carter executed this splendidly.
The show utilised a pre-recorded soundtrack which was very professional sounding and poignant. It encompassed some distorted renaissance music and also some original music. The impressive music compositions were by Mackenzie Thomson and Zippie Tiffenright. Daniel Smith accompanied the soundtrack performing live percussion which felt deeply impactful and elevated one’s senses.
‘Cosa Vedranno’ centres around a post-apocalyptic renaissance set in Florence, Italy. New faiths and new ways of life have arisen from a broken world which has been forced to reconstruct itself. It is a homage to the great artists of the renaissance and to the importance of bestilling art appreciation into future generations.
The props were minimal yet meaningful. There was an effective use of cloth fabrics throughout the show cleverly symbolising power, control and submission. The face painting of the main characters was another medium for incorporating art into the show.
Art was the core and essence of the play and at the Q&A Zippie and the cast discussed the importance of art touching multiple mediums of the performance. Interpretive dance, cloth fabrics, communication, visual arts and music were all effectively utilised to create a holistic artistic performance. The venue itself, an art gallery, was a perfect residence to exhibit this truly artistic production.
‘Cosa Vedranno’ is purposefully ambiguous and interpretive, allowing the individual to relate to the work in an individual and personal way. It is a true reflection of art. I was rendered perplexed, wondering and knee-deep in thoughtful discussions about individual interpretations. Is that not the true essence of art?
First Things First…. I loved the play. Maitland Repertory Theatre has brought to the stage an enthralling comedic performance with a group of very talented actors.
The stage was set as a comfortable living room, practical and well dispersed for audience interaction. The audience is immersed into the crazy antics of the night’s unfolding drama, which all takes place in the living room of Pete and Sarah’s home.
The idiom “Oh, What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive“ rings loud, clear and undeniably true as the predominant theme in “First Things First.” We witness the very anxious, escalating to frantic main character, Pete, played by Matt Scoles, squirming his way through lie after lie in a very sticky delicate dilemma. How does one handle their supposedly dead wife spontaneously returning when you have recently remarried a new wife, who knows nothing of the previous marriage?
Well…our main character Pete handles it deplorably! Matt Scoles gave a fabulous expressive character portrayal with top notch comedic timing. He had the audience in his hands the entire night willing him to confess and put an end to the spiraling chaos. Louise Cowan gave a splendid portrayal of Sarah, Pete’s ‘new wife,’ She was ‘on key’ for the role of a timid, attention-seeking, needy wife.
The gorgeous long lost wife of Pete, Jessica, who is responsible for creating all the mayhem and chaos was performed tremendously by Jessica Gray. Jessica brings her own unfolding drama, mystery and surprises to the stage.
Devoted and loyal to Pete’s side and to his ludicrous spinning web of lies, is his best friend George played by Tez Tywal. This is the second time I’ve had the pleasure of watching Tez Tywal perform and I love the natural humorous energy and vibrance he brings to the stage.
A solid and perfectly composed professional performance by Jane Johns who played Margot, the doting and ever inquisitive mother of Sarah. Her skepticism towards her son in law is unwavering and rightly so.
And then there was Alan… who entered in the 2nd half at a time when we thought things couldn’t possibly get any more complicated. But they certainly did! A very enjoyable performance by Matt Robinson who plays the hilarious role of Jessica’s secret French lover. Matt skillfully had the audience in hysterics.
First Things First was a highly engaging and very enjoyable performance from a group of impressive skilled actors. Thoroughly recommended for couples and friends who are after a night full of laughter and great entertainment.
First Things First is running at the Maitland Repertory Theatre from November 20 to December 8, 2024.
As a lifelong lover of A.A. Milne’s stories and poems and the endearing E.H Shepherd illustrations of ‘Winnie The Pooh’ I was deeply intrigued to view the original script by Riley McLean of “Deep in the Hundred Acre Wood” presented by Bearfoot Theatre.
Let me begin with how fantastic it is to see original live theatre productions in Newcastle and I highly applaud Bearfoot productions in continuing to provide their fabulous contribution in our area and beyond.
I loved the immersive greeting of 1940s era tunes and the immediate introduction to Christopher Robin (Zac Scully) laying in the middle of the floor busily drawing pictures of childhood favourite characters; Pooh Bear, Eeyore, Kanga, Rabbit and Piglet. Edward bear (Winnie The Pooh) was perched ready beside a made-up mattress on the floor. I instantly felt connected to the Hundred Acre Woods – Deep In The Hundred Acre Woods I guess you might say.
The play began with the poem ‘Now We Are Six’ and I was enraptured as that is actually one of my all-time favorites. Plentiful exquisite literature of A.A. Milne, including his quotes and poems are beautifully and seamlessly woven into this creative tapestry. Attention to A.A Milne fans – I think you’ll love this respectful honour to his works.
Christopher Robin is shut in his room, hiding away from the bombing raids which bombard the city. He desperately tries to busy himself with the help of his beloved bear and a magnificent dash of imagination. There is a mix of endearing, playful, whimsical,comical, eerie and harrowing moments at different stages and sometimes all at once.
The bombing scenes are deeply eerie created by an effective sound track along with clever lighting and projected image techniques. The creeping stage hands wearing war masks definitely contributed to the disturbing atmosphere.
I have to admit I was skeptical about watching a one person play but Zac Scully was truly exceptional and literally blew me away with his ability to reincarnate one of my childhoods most beloved characters- Christopher Robin. One might presume that it would be an impossible task for a grown man to harness the character of a six year old boy, especially one so worldly famous and beloved but I assure you that Zac Scully mastered it! To merely say I was thoroughly impressed would be a gross understatement. He successfully reincarnated Christopher Robin with commendable skill.
The stage never felt empty or lacking by any means considering Christopher Robin was alone albeit his bear. However, Pooh Bear’s recorded voice effectively gave the impression of him being a solid secondary character.
“Deep In The Hundred Acre Woods” is a ‘What If story,’ a reimagining of the life of innocent six year old Christopher Robin, who was actually born in 1920 and instead displacing him into the thickest, deepest, darkest depths of World War Two. After some deliberation and upon hearing the Q&A responses after the show I’ve decided that It’s an intriguing notion to displace young Christopher Robin in this era as he and his father A.A.Milne were both devastatingly affected by World War One and World War Two respectively.
Riley McLean discussed the relevant parallels in current war torn countries and how they felt urged to shed light on the suffering of innocent children who are subjected to the atrocities of war. The walls were plastered with gruesome war drawings which we later learnt were real artworks from children afflicted in war torn countries- a chilling accessory.
Well done Riley McLean and the fabulous team at Bearfoot Theatre I look forward to your next production.
Although Winnie The Pooh is well known as a children’s favourite this reimagining does contain disturbing depictions of war and is recommended for older A.A Milne fans.
Deep In The Hundred Acre Wood is running from 9-12 October at The Tantrum Studio 101 City Road , Merewether.
Book now for tickets @ https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1272450
