One-Acts By Locals: Presented by JETS

One-Acts By Locals

One-Acts By Locals Rating

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In recent years the Joondalup Encore Theatre (JETS) have relocated their performances from their home at Padbury Hall to the St Stephens High School Theatre in Duncraig. It’s an impressive space with comfortable seats and all the mod-cons you see in high school theatres these days; not like in my day where we would resort to hiring a stage for the drama room that seemed like something from Ikea, arriving in about 20 pieces, with the kids expected to construct it.

The premise of JETS’ April season is three one-act plays written by locals. I love that Community Theatre provides a platform for local talent, with years of experience or not, giving them a chance to share the stories that may have spent years in a notebook as an idea, or even a fully fleshed out script.

The first half of the evening featured two plays by Johnny Grim, ‘A Little Love and Understanding’ and ‘Jilted Lovers Helpline’. As we entered the theatre, the stage was already set with three men happily chatting at a table, drinks in hand; as the lights dimmed, the conversation grew louder, making a natural start to ‘A Little Love and Understanding’. Mike’s wife is ready to leave him, and he is completely clueless as to why, so he seeks guidance from his two friends (who aren’t exactly living love’s young dream themselves) and his two grown up daughters. Cue conversations about the changes in relationships from the early days of flowers, date nights and romantic gestures to the mundane tasks of everyday life and responsibilities of family that tend to get in the way as the years go by.

‘A Little Love and Understanding’ features a talented cast who drew the audience into the situation, much of the conversation being relatable to the audience in one way or another. The set was simple but effective, good use of props and movement around the space, while subtle perfectly suited the situation.

Gone are the days of the slow open and close of curtains between every scene, audiences nowadays will quite happily sit and watch the quick shuffle of sets between scenes, it feels preferable to be waiting awkwardly for what can feel like an eternity for the curtains to open once again. JETS made clever use of the space with most of what was needed for the first two plays on stage from the start, featuring as background pieces, and then switched out to front and centre when required.

In ‘Jilted Lovers Helpline’ we are introduced to receptionists Mary and Jasmine who are on the frontline of calls from women scorned and men on the verge of a mental breakdown all due to a little thing called love. The two actresses kept us engaged in both their conversations with the aforementioned jilted lovers on the phone, and their own workplace interactions including a conversation around whether you would actually split lotto winnings having bought a ticket for a friend that won (something I’m sure we’ve all considered). Again, the simple set – a couple of desks, computers and accessories worked well for the script which included a few real laugh out loud moments.

Following a short interval we returned for ‘Playing for Sheep Stations’ written by Audrey Poor, where we were taken into a nursing home where the Bingo stakes are high and we see that high school style drama and office politics don’t end, even once you’re elderly. The largest cast of the night featured in a story that both made you laugh and tugged at your heartstrings around the harsh reality of aging. The largest cast of the night bounced off each other well in this enjoyable piece.

With four shows only across one weekend it takes an ambitious group, so well done to JETS. Although I’m sure the cast and crew’s exhaustion will be outweighed by the buzz of performing.

To book tickets to One-Acts By Locals, please visit https://www.taztix.com.au/jets/.

Performance Dates:
April 12 @ 7.30pm
April 12 & 13 @ 2.00pm
Tickets:
$25 Adult, $20 Concession
Groups of 5+ @ $18 each

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Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall

Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall

Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall Rating

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This was my first time at The Garrick Theatre in Guildford, where patrons are warmly welcomed by the smiling front of house team.

Those of us in amateur theatre truly know it takes the assistance of many people to bring a show to life, not just those on stage; whether it’s long-standing members of the group, or the spouses and family who have been dragged along to help out. The experience of live theatre begins from the moment you enter the venue and friendly faces and enthusiastic raffle ticket sellers ensure the evening starts on the right note.

It is that hard work and determination that makes up the premise for Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall, and the age old saying ‘the show must go on’ no matter how dire things become.

It’s opening night of a new murder mystery. Seven of the cast are down with the dreaded lurgy and local councillors will be in attendance to decide the fate of the club’s funding and future. So, the Middling Cove Players’ director, two of the remaining actors, a stage manager who is only there to serve her community service hours and her 13-year old niece band together to ensure Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall takes to the stage as planned. Juggling nerves, props, and absurd miscasting, will they manage to pull it off? Or will everything go horribly and terribly wrong?

Bringing nearly 60 years of theatre experience between them, Kirstie Francis and Sarah House have banded together to direct this Australian farce, written by Mark Kilmurray and Jamie Oxenbould.

Act one takes us behind the scenes as the Middling Cove Players’ arrive ahead of the evening’s performance. Stage manager Karen (Jay Shaw) is hard at work trying to fix the sound system, the group’s leading lady Phillipa (Meredith Hunter) is in the middle of her lengthy warm up routine, Director Shane (Jim Brown) who is not-so-secretly in love with Phillipa, is struggling to contain his nerves, and Barney (Jarrod Buttery), who can only be described as the person in any group you try to avoid, is ready to provide unwarranted advice.

When the cast receive the news that the rest of the players won’t be making it to the show, the obvious thing to do is cancel; but with the fate of the group’s future hanging in the balance, Director Shane decides there’s only one thing to do – the remaining actors will just have to play multiple roles.

The opening night crowd at The Garrick Theatre was clearly a mix of theatre lovers, and theatre folk; with many a relatable moment of life in the world of community theatre gaining a chuckle or slight cringe from those who know the feeling all too well.

After the interval, the stage is set, and The Middling Cove Players’ production begins, following a suitably awkward front-of-stage welcome by Director Shane, where various members of the audience audition unsuccessfully to fill some remaining roles until latecomer Richard (Jack Riches) is thrown backstage and cast into the spotlight. The production starts off well enough, but soon descends into chaos with the realisation that several of the characters being played by one person are on stage at the same time. To complicate matters further the group find themselves running out of time to finish the show with Jenny’s 21st Birthday party, complete with a DJ, due to start in the hall next door any minute.

Any farce strongly relies on the comic timing of its actors and can be a challenge to get right, but this talented cast of recognisable local actors are spot on; you can feel the tension and determination of their characters to ensure that the show does go on. Juggling multiple costumes, accents, and props can be tricky at the best of times, but the degree of difficulty to make the production look like a shambles (think The Play That Goes Wrong) requires a great cast and strong direction, which The Garrick Theatre Club delivered in spades.

Most groups often joke that you could write a play about the behind-the-scenes drama of amateur theatre because nobody would believe half of what goes on. So it’s a joy to watch when someone actually does, even if it does, at times, feel a bit too close to home.

To book tickets to Midnight Murder at Hamlington Hall, please visit https://www.taztix.com.au/garricktheatre/.

Performance Dates:
March 29 at 7.30pm
April 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12 at 7.30pm
March 30 at 2pm
April 5 and 6 at 2pm
Tickets: Adult $28, Concession $23, Members $22.
Processing fees apply.
Bookings: Phone TAZ Tix 9255 3336 or BOOK ONLINE

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Opening Night Review: After Dinner

After Dinner

After Dinner Rating

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3

It’s Friday night at the pub. The stage is set as five lost souls, and a distracted waiter, embark on a quest. On the surface, they appear to have different agendas, but underneath the bravado, they all share a desperate need to feel a little less lonely in After Dinner.

Set in the late 1980s, where the fashion and daggy pub restaurant are practically characters in their own right, big points go to the production team for nailing the brief. Under the direction of Tim Riessen, the cast does a magnificent job delivering the dialogue and mannerisms that are intentionally stilted to demonstrate the awkwardness of their relationships and scenario.

Dympie (Kezia George of Summer of the Seventeenth Doll and Hansel & Gretel), Paula (Lisa Divall of Short ‘n Sweet) and Monika (Amanda Alderson of Squid Games and Frankenbolt’s First Christmas) work in the same office, and had they not worked together, it is unlikely they would have socialised outside of work. The handsome Gordon (Altus Vernooy, making his stage debut from behind the scenes) and Stephen (Ian Fraser of Cracked and Done to Death) meet up at the pub through a mutual friend who never shows up. The waiter played by Tarek Jabado (Frankenbolt’s First Christmas and Under the Table) is a man of few words, but his looming presence (and often absence) is a steady shadow among the chaos.

 

With the ladies at one table and the men at the other, it doesn’t take long for them to notice each other, much to the dismay of the controlling Dympie, who just wanted a quiet Friday night with Paula.

Except this is no typical Friday night as Paula invites the grieving Monika, whose revelations into her marriage reveal a tirade of confronting and intimate truths. The exploration of adult themes and graphic nature of After Dinner suggests you might want to pick your theatre date carefully as some audience members may find the content uncomfortable.

Just as you need to break an egg to make omelette, the messy characters dissolve and then evolve, albeit subtly, as life often does before epiphanies set in.

Performed at the Roxy Lane Theatre just behind the Volare bar on Whately Crescent, this retro theatre is the perfect backdrop to the 1980s. Written in 1984 by Kalgoorlie-born playwright Andrew Bovell, who wrote Strictly Ballroom and Lantana, the fact that it’s still being performed decades later demonstrates the timeless theme of loneliness and the human condition. Poignant, funny and relatable, if the audience’s response to opening night is anything to go by, After Dinner will continue to leave a lasting impression for many more decades to come.

Performance dates: 7, 8, 9*, 14, 15, 16*, 20, 21, 22 & 23* March
Recommended MA 15+
Times: Evenings at 7.30pm, *Matinees at 2pm
Tickets: $23 adult, $19 concession, groups of 10+ $18 each

To book tickets to After Dinner, please visit TAZ Tix.

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Two Churchill Plays: Presented by Melville Theatre Company

Escaped Alone and What If If Only

Escaped Alone and What If If Only Rating

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Melville Theatre has brought two thought-provoking performances to the stage in their latest double-bill offering, Escaped Alone and What If/If Only.

Both written by British playwright Caryl Churchill; each brings to the table deep themes of the human experience – that being catastrophe and grief.

Starting the night with Escaped Alone – director Lucy Eyre has brought together a strong group of four women whose chemistry excels on stage. Set over an afternoon tea, each woman reveals and grapples with their own personal form of catastrophe, leaning on each other to navigate their struggles.

Susan Lynch leads the group as Mrs Jarrett – dealing with PTSD as a survivor of a natural disaster. Her emotive asides are a driving force of the piece, and it’s evident she is pulling from raw emotion to bring the scripts to life.

Having later discovered that these scripts feature no punctuation, Lynch is to be commended for letting the actors really make it their own.

In her Melville Theatre debut, Caroline McDonnell is another standout as Vi, providing a raw authenticity to the role as she navigates family troubles.

Natalie Burbage and Suzannah Churchman nicely round out the group as Lena and Sally, respectively, bringing some light-hearted comedy to the show’s more serious tone.

With strong performances and a solid foundation, my only real qualm with this production was more a matter of the writing than this particular performance itself. Mrs Jarrett’s alluded trauma felt rather ambiguous and left both myself and my friend feeling a little lost at times, though we were still able to enjoy the show regardless.

 

What If/If Only was much more my speed. It offered a poignant 20-minute look into human grief and the spectrum of emotions that come with it.

The immediate clinical feel of the box-like set by Lars Jensen – mimicking the small acrylic box at the front of the stage – creates a strong impression, soon filled with the tableau of the characters within to make it feel as if we are watching some kind of study in a lab.

The stark black-and-white costuming provided by the cast further contributed to this idea.

Lucy Eyre is an anchor as the central nameless character who has experienced the loss of a loved one to suicide. She does well to simultaneously appear vacant in her grief-stricken state while also amplifying the range of emotions, questions and ‘what ifs’ people ask themselves when grappling with suicide in real-time.

Personifying said ‘what ifs’ is Jarrod Buttery as the flamboyant future, Clare Talbot as the spunky and matter-of-fact present, and Tanisha Mavunduse as the hopeful yet starkly realistic child future.

Props must go to both Lucy Eyre and Natalie Burbage for pulling together and executing two insightful performances that leave audiences questioning their own battles with emotion and looking internally to reflect on their own experiences.

To book tickets to Escaped Alone and What If If Only, please visit https://melvilletheatrecompany.au/current-production.

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