Ms Julie Gabler: Trapped is a reimagining of Shakespeare’s Othello, set in a modern Australian household with a diverse cast of intense characters.
Handled with an unapologetic honesty, the two act play explores the power dynamic between an interracial, heterosexual couple, delving into unflinching portrayals of domestic abuse and generational racial trauma.
All the characters in the play are professional actors who structure their lives around their love of theatre. The tone of the play is instantly set in the first scene when, while rehearsing for an audition for Othello, Robert actually attempts to choke out his partner Julie, causing her to knee him in the groin to break free. Tensions rise rapidly when Julie receives that role of Desdemona but their friend Mal receives the role of Othello instead of Robert, causing Rob to spiral into a violent rage fuelled by jealousy and paranoia.
Julie, portrayed by Ruth Gilmour, brilliantly expresses the trials of a woman trapped in a bad situation, through sobbing, bribing and desperate pleas towards her partner. Her moments of silence and stillness where Julie has completely emotionally detached herself truly evokes the pain experienced by an unfortunately rising number of women in this country. Gilmour’s role is beautifully balanced by Lenny Cullen Gorman who brings a touch of lightheartedness to his scenes while still maintaining the importance of the messages he is portraying.
However the atmosphere of the entire production is dictated by Sermsah Bin Saad who plays Robert. His erratic, almost constant presence leaves audience members feeling edgy and unsafe, an experience that is amplified by the live soundscape being created in front of them by Cansu Ceren Gonen, Terry Novel and Zac Rose.
Set on a single minimalistic set, the brutal nature of this play and its unflinching portrayal of domestic abuse is sure to linger in the minds of audience members, long after the final curtain.
A hilarious spoof of Agatha Christie’s classic whodunits, written by Cenarth Fox and directed by David Dodd.
In the south-west of England soon after World War 1, the unknown writer, Agatha Crispie, pens mystery stories. In vain she longs for their publication. Agatha’s family despise her writing and ridicule her plots. Agatha gets a lucky break. A body is found in the library. The police arrive as does a grey-haired, cardigan-wearing spinster with a knack for solving crimes. Suddenly the pressure is too much. Agatha disappears. Then a dapper foreigner appears. He too has a knack for solving mysteries. Then a Scotland Yard detective makes a surprise entrance. There is a dead body, a suspect or three, amateur sleuths, red herrings and dithering cops. It’s just like the life and characters of another scribbler, the slightly better-known Agatha Christie. There are surprises, mystery, drama, humour and that infernal, eternal mousetrap!
Once, I had read the promo I could not possibly miss this one. I grew up with my Mum reading an Agatha Christie mystery every chance she got and our holiday house literally had an entire bookshelf dedicated to the famous writer – who is noted on the program tonight as only outsold by Shakespeare and the Bible! Whether or not that is true to date, I’m thinking to myself no wonder my Mum loved her mysteries. I have read over the years those same books and have eagerly seen all the related movies and series’, so I’m fairly familiar going into this play with knowledge of the murderous titles and there are many cleverly interwoven references to the books in this play, including that body in the library.
‘Agatha’ played by Catherine Christensen is wonderful. Yearning to become a published writer in this story, she must convince her husband ‘Archibald’ played strongly and funnily by Neil Barnett, to let her continue to work on her writing or she must find a way to be rid of him and his family so that she can write her mysteries in peace and without the constant put down of Neil’s mother, ‘Lavinia’ played sternly well by Kerry Hollier.
Equal in putting down Agatha is the daughter of Archibald and step-daughter of Agatha, ‘Elvira’ played by Bel Shields – she is so entertaining! Absolutely loved watching her either as the main stage character when she had the floor or on the side; her mannerisms, voice, and everything else about her was a spot on stuck up Daddy’s girl wanting only the best for herself in society. Will she get it? Her ‘divorce’ scene was impeccably delivered.
I highly praise Rob Coulson as ‘Dithering’. It was easy to see he’s been doing this acting thing for quite a while as soon as he entered the room and delved fully into his character; he was very enjoyable to watch and reminded me of my Pop.
The set is fantastic. You feel like you stepped into the pages where Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple might lay down their reasoning on the suspect murderer, but here we will see the excellent dramatization skills of Gilbert Gauci playing ‘Hercule Grey-Cells’ and Mandy Vicsai as ‘Mary Mead’. I found it hard to believe that Mandy is a newbie to the world of acting, she was perfect in her role, as was Gilbert with his magnifying glass out sleuthing to themed music whilst everyone else was out of the murder scene room.
Outstanding casting on all characters, but my favourite was undeniably ‘Pimms’ played by Annie Laurenson. Annie’s comical timing is excellent and she seemed to feed even more into her character off the audience reactions; her performance throughout the show just got better and better right to the end punchline (which is a hoot!).
If you love Agatha Christie, you MUST SEE this show.
Congratulations to the cast and the hard working production team because yes, it is definitely as you promote: a fast-paced mystery-comedy filled with witty dialogue and outrageous characters, a clever parody of Agatha Christie’s famous detectives— perfect for fans of classic whodunits, and certainly an experience of intrigue, humour, and theatrical fun!
Venue: Clayton Community Centre Theatrette 9-15 Cooke Street, Clayton Vic. This is a very comfortable small theatre so don’t worry where you sit, you can see great from all the seats and it has wheelchair access. There is heaps of parking and the welcoming Encore volunteers served us free tea, coffee, biscuits and a glass of sherry at interval.
Playing: 18 – 27 July 2025 with some sold out shows already!
You can find out more about the lovely ENCORE THEATRE group via:
After being involved in the theatre scene for almost 16 years, it still surprises me just how articulately live performance can capture a unique experience and make it feel universal. Seeing Threadbare was one such experience. Regardless of background, status or age, the audience were invited with open loving arms to sit and feel this story of identity, belonging and fading memories.
We follow Sasha who has some exciting news they would like to share with their beloved gran Elaine. But the repercussions of sharing this part of their lives might damage the relationship between them. Elaine also has dementia. Time seems fleeting and memories are fading. But luckily Sasha has the safety net of a home filled with the love of the family they have chosen.
Multidisciplinary artist Tomas Parrish-Chynoweth embodies the character of Sasha with beautiful vulnerability. Etched on their face and voice was the fraught complexity of navigating through love, identity and memory. Rebecca Morton’s Elaine was simply divine to watch. Every time we saw the light of recognition fade from her eyes, our hearts would crumble to pieces. Sasha’s partner Kaden was played by Blake Appleqvist. Their ability to expertly balance softness, heat and comedy added dimension to the budding relationship that few actors would be able to achieve. Matisse Laida’s Riley gave the audience permission to find humour in some of the more absurd aspects of queerness. Comic timing is no joke but Laida used it with graceful ease.
Completing the family was Sarah Fitzgerald as Kahani. Their performance perfectly encapsulated the exhausting burden of being the “caretakers” of the family. Each actor moved with fluidity, trust and conviction. This can be credited to Manali Datar’s adept and careful direction. Congratulations on this triumphant directorial debut! What this team has achieved with Tomas Parrish-Chynoweth’s poignant script is nothing short of brilliant.
Leaving the theatre space, I could see I was definitely not the only audience member with tears in their eyes and a smile on their face. Sometimes tolerance and forgiveness can feel like wounding yourself especially if you are the oppressed. And sometimes it is too much to bear at the risk of disturbing your peace. But if you can do it, it can also be the greatest gift you give yourself and another person. Love is love is love and at its heart, Threadbare is a celebration of acceptance in all its forms and love in all its forms. I can still feel it holding me close like the warm embrace of my grandmother. Threadbare is showing at the St Martins Youth Arts Centre until the 19th of July.
Creating a successful one-man show is a Herculean task. It requires an enduring assurance of self, vigour of spirit and bold leaps of faith. If you have furthermore chosen to stage an autobiographical story, then the courage and confidence that is required of you is tenfold. Writer and performer Peter Cook has achieved great critical acclaim and impressive mileage from his one-man play Breaking the Castle currently showing at Theatre Works until the 19th of July. Since its premier on the Canberra stage in 2020, this show has undergone a few iterations and is promised to continue developing. If you don’t manage to catch it before the weekend, just quickly zip over to the Sydney Opera House where it will be showing from the 23rd to the 26th of July. Or keep an eye out for the film that will be sure to come out soon.
Upon entry the audience is greeted with a thrust stage (pun intended) designed by Raymond Milner. A menagerie of detritus from half-eaten takeaway containers, books by Shakespeare, alcohol bottles and lines of cocaine litter the space. Eminem’s proclamations of strength and grit fill our ears as we find our seats in one of three sides of the audience. It starts and we begin the journey of this man’s struggle with addiction, ambition and self-actualization.
Enter Davey: an aspiring actor who loves Shakespeare, one-night stands, alcohol and drugs. But this love affair comes at much too high a price. The cost of numbing yourself from unprocessed trauma means that you also lose touch with reality and who you want to be. To be or not to be, indeed.
Each emotional beat of this performance can be credited to director Dr Bridget Boyle and her keen eye for blocking and pacing. There is a strong sense of honest collaboration between the director and writer/ performer and this relationship of trust shines through onstage. You can almost see Boyle’s invisible guiding hand as Cook moves through the space, embodying various characters and voices. The use of Kimmo Vennonen’s soundscape and Ben Hughes’ lighting design further accentuated each dramatic moment as they transpire.
Breaking the Castle is earnest, defiant and deeply personal. It is no easy feat to present your life and bear the vulnerability of self reflection. Yet at its core, this show is about knowing the life you want and daring to pursue it. I wish Peter Cook all the best of luck in finding more things that he likes about himself and the beautiful journey that lies ahead.
