sydney theatre

It takes innovative storytelling to script an approximate 10 minute play. In just a small sixth of an hour, there must be many elements that pool together succinctly to hold the audience’s attention and to simply make sense. Just like a jigsaw puzzle as the minutes slide by, each piece that is put together slowly reveals more and more until, as the last couple of minutes creep up, the picture is complete and all is revealed.

The Manly Festival of Short Plays is one such puzzle, presenting twelve original Australian short plays performed by 39 actors from Manly Theatre Group. These plays are presented over a two week performance period, split into showcasing six plays in week one and six plays in week two. I watched the six plays plays in week 1 and was impressed with the tapestry of themes relatable to the modern audience.

The first play “Cleared for Take Off” was written and directed by Shelley Ross, an avian journalist. It takes us inside the cockpit of a QANTAS plane. Callum Horan, as the First Officer, is the newbie. He’s clearly nervous about meeting the infamous Captain, played with believable super confidence by Lee Sarich. As a storm approaches when the aircraft is in the air, the First Officer is faced with life changing decisions. The First Officer is capable, we can see that, but the play focuses on his internal struggle with being able to have the bravery to question the decisions of his superior and follow his own instincts. The Captain has a strong authoritative leadership style, thanks to Lee’s commanding presence. Callum’s portrayal of the First Officer’s anxiety had me on the edge of my seat!

The second play “Shred or Keep” was written by Cassie Matheson and directed by Frank Byrne. This was a play featuring Phoebe Brian as Simone and Sophie Burton as Penny, Simone’s mum. Set in the home office of Simone’s deceased father, she is helping her mum sort out paperwork. Two boxes lay at their feet with the two words in the play’s title facing the audience. As they go through her father’s desk, Simone comes across something that shocks them both. The dialogue between mother and daughter is the key to this short play and is delivered perfectly by the actors. Sophie delivers Penny’s pointed and not so pointed comments at her daughter in sharp barbs, and we feel Simone’s reactions.

The third play before a twenty minute intermission was “Gold Star Parents” written and directed by Chantal Harrison. It focuses on a ‘new parent’ group, led by an overenthusiastic Barbara ( brilliantly played by Phillipa Coleman). The giant gold cardboard stars with the dangling safety pin was funny, and we laughed as she deemed some parents worthy of its status. This had a relatively large cast of six, a challenge for a 10 minute play for character development which they pulled off perfectly. Each character had their own family unit different from each other and their stories were examined in this short period. Well done to Charlotte Chandler, Claudia Limpert, Max Shadbolt, Chantal Harrison and Audrey Minami along with Phillipa, who shared the stage, as they bounced off each other to show the audience that there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to family units and giving advice. There are messy moments and identity morphing when someone becomes a parent, and a parent group leader too!

After intermission, we saw “Faded Flowers” written and directed by Annie Gurton. This is the story of two women, Iris, portrayed by Rowena Robinson and Rose, played by Caroline Pearce who meet through very different circumstances. This is a story of two homeless women, and the writer’s message of the social impact of homelessness in woman over fifty and the resilience of these woman was strong. Rowena played her character Iris’s positivity brightly, and Caroline’s Rose had an inner strength that shone through. I liked Iris’s cap, which was plentiful with pins. It made me think that in another life, this lady had travelled. How had it come to this, with her living in a car? Above all, the message of being kind, to each other and to have it bestowed upon you is a gift. These ladies are not faded flowers, despite the play’s title and their given names, but perhaps that is what we needed to remember.

The fifth play, “Unfolding Harry” was written and directed by Barbara Courtille. An investigative journalist, Harry Bennett, played by Gavin Woodford sets out to uncover and expose a potential scam – that of Suzi Sock. Mina Vu portrayed Suzi with zen and mesmerising calmness, so much so, that her character’s worldwide “Sock Chi” which earned her 50 million followers and no doubt a ton of money from her health retreats, seemed believable. This had a few exaggerated comedic moments in it, which the audience appreciated.

The last play, “Losing the Plot” was written by Carlin Hurdis and directed by Paul Kininmonth. The originality of the story unwound itself, changed through the short ten minutes and I loved the ride! Cindy, portrayed by Angharad Thompson-Rees, first approaches Keiran, played with an innocent charm by John Cross, (an eco-cemetery manager) to enquire about a new age green burial. She feels this may well be the right final resting place for her globe-trotting, nature loving mum. The plot thickens, excuse the pun, as we come across a father and son carrying a corpse who intend to use this area to do this very same thing… an eco burial! With brilliant acting from Tony (the semi-retired hitman), portrayed by Jeff Parsons, Issac West as Marcus (Tony’s reluctant son) and the return of Callum Horan to the stage—this time as Darrell, a corpse (he previously played the First Officer in the opening play), Losing the Plot’s script delivered a fast-paced and hilarious experience!

Time flew watching these six plays, which is a testament to the skill of the playwrights. The themes were varied, and each performance was engaging and had the audience’s attention. My two favourite plays were “Cleared for Take Off” with its suspense anxiety driven, yet comedic, script and “Losing the Plot”. This collection of plays from the Manly Theatre Group showcases concise storytelling at its finest! Don’t miss it—you’re sure to be impressed and leave with a couple or more of your favourites too. It left me wanting to attend the second lot of six short plays.

Season run: 13 – 22 November 2025
Venue: The Sky Theatre. St Andrew’s Hall. 56 Raglan St Manly
Tickets: www.manlytheatregroup.com

To book tickets to The Manly Festival of Short Plays 2025, please visit https://events.humanitix.com/manly-festival-of-short-plays-2025.

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