tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21136137823376682022024-02-07T17:12:40.114+11:00Melbourne DramatistsThe Melbourne Dramatists are a group of Melbourne playwrights who have come together to champion the cause of dramatic writing in this city. We offer support for writers and oppotunities for new writing through events and awards. Contact us: melbournedramatists[at]gmail.comMelbourne Dramatistshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377339438374933621noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-91030699877011677492010-08-04T17:02:00.014+10:002010-08-24T23:03:42.436+10:00She's Not Performing<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRLlgstQNvyrZz0pmUHxbWZ4Tpj7U1mDoJB3XME2Kd8ibjODnB2FXxcEWGEgwzJ9wLcM-gETPLn9QhS9xgi7rEjqiV5UAx_70WaE7o9QRhSx2-T8mt1duXVVpXQ8kpSyJ5F32FlQbJFc/s1600/SNP-Image-WebRes.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501448481987279394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 280px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 210px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRLlgstQNvyrZz0pmUHxbWZ4Tpj7U1mDoJB3XME2Kd8ibjODnB2FXxcEWGEgwzJ9wLcM-gETPLn9QhS9xgi7rEjqiV5UAx_70WaE7o9QRhSx2-T8mt1duXVVpXQ8kpSyJ5F32FlQbJFc/s320/SNP-Image-WebRes.jpg" border="0" /></a> La Mama Presents<br />A DOLL and Soulart Production<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">She's Not Performing<br /></span></strong>A new play by Alison Mann<br /><br />A woman visits a club and sees a stripper who is a mirror image of herself. She begins to believe that this could be the daughter she adopted out as a teenager. A journey through the psyche of a woman in search of a child she once lost.<br /><div><div><div><br /><em>...Suddenly I became all sex and baby...</em></div><br /><div>A darkly surreal and tender look at past adoption practices and the impact they have in the present day.<br /><br />Written by: Alison Mann<br />Directed by: Kelly Somes<br />Cast: Andrea Close, Chris Bunworth, Rachel Purchase, Mike McEvoy<br /><br />Set Design: Tanja Beer<br />Lighting Desgin: Darren Kowacki & Lisa Mibus<br />Costume Design: Melaine Liertz<br />Dramaturg: Maude Davey<br />Puppetry/Visual Theatre: Gina Moss <br />Consultant: Rinske Ginsberg <br />Dance Choreographer: Tamara Searle<br />Sound Design/Composition: Jared Lewis <br />Production / Stage Manager: Jess Keepence <br />Set Design Assistants: Ashlee Hughes & Jacquie Holland</div><div><br />VENUE: La Mama Theatre, 205 Faraday St, Carlton</div><div>DATES: 18th August - 5th September</div><div>TIMES: Wed & Sun 6.30pm, Thu, Fri, Sat 8pm</div><div>TICKETS: $25 Full, $15 Concession</div><div>BOOKINGS: 9347 6142 or www.lamama.com.au</div></div></div>Melbourne Dramatistshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377339438374933621noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-15674779301510868352009-11-09T10:32:00.008+11:002009-11-09T10:43:46.873+11:00FRESH NEW WRITING at MTC<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">MD is strongly represented in the developmental readings this week at the MTC Lawler Studio.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The pieces are eclectic, original, and unlike anything you will have seen on Melbourne stages this year. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And, they include a number of MD members at the helm!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li>Wed 11th @ 7pm --> Elise Hearst & Sam Strong's <i>The Sea Project</i></li><li><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; ">Thu 12th @ 7pm --> Amelia Roper & Naomi Edward's <i>Hong Kong </i><i>Dinosaur</i></span></i></li><li><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; ">Fri 13th @ 7pm --> Declan Greene @ David Mence's <i>Pretty Baby</i></span></i></span></i></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Come along and see what we have been up to over the last few months. It promises to be a lot of fun and there will, of course, be plenty of red wine and Q & A afterwards.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><i></i><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrAE7aMQMAO005YPTFO-FB9WSEaDSXVcKPWnJwirsk48Y9rTh1vJJsQzHtsCw2V1_DD-bgAUWFDnOcxg_VCzLfmhyphenhyphenNFEXoES6gLoyYA15Pt7i9cPCPUQrbbW1wGir-FJm8_orz3ybnpUd/s1600-h/image.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrAE7aMQMAO005YPTFO-FB9WSEaDSXVcKPWnJwirsk48Y9rTh1vJJsQzHtsCw2V1_DD-bgAUWFDnOcxg_VCzLfmhyphenhyphenNFEXoES6gLoyYA15Pt7i9cPCPUQrbbW1wGir-FJm8_orz3ybnpUd/s400/image.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401881837714165234" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 289px; height: 400px; " /></a><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>David Mencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10119238587265066698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-45757835420716511552009-11-01T02:01:00.004+11:002009-11-01T02:44:28.982+11:00A Link to the UnordinaryDr Ricci-Jane Adams, a Melbourne playwright & recent PhD graduate, has written a terrific thesis on magical realism in Australian theatre. It covers the work of Lally Katz, Ben Ellis and Kit Lazaroo, and is well worth a look:<br /><br /><a href="http://dtl.unimelb.edu.au/R/J8TCBER3TSAURRJS4LTLKSD2CM7MXD94T5PL5E69IYSIPVGBX8-00590?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=99328&pds_handle=GUEST">Seeing in Unordinary Ways: Magical Realism in Australian Theatre</a><br />by Dr Ricci-Jane Evangeline Adams<br />University of Melbourne<br /><br />"Abstract:<br />This thesis introduces three emerging Australian playwrights, Lally Katz, Ben Ellis and Kit Lazaroo, who are interrogating the politics of culture, identity and gender through the application of magic realism to theatre. This thesis contends that magic realist theatre offers a public site for the cultural mediation of binaries: self and other, margin and centre, life and death, western and non-western, pragmatic and spiritual. Australia, because of its history, geographical location and cultural positioning provides a fascinating case study."Amelia Roperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05427800637123256332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-51236537729463276342009-10-15T23:27:00.010+11:002009-10-16T00:20:36.186+11:00Melbourne Dramatists' New Writing Award 2009<div align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6dR2bC_uKGXUwrIzLHwdN285zFjUWJacKpfeD3mpra0Gk_YDzxs6Y1SYclVTOdbbdtxqgWhBnOhZ5F6Dcnb0sTLuNONtkupvDanjPiqDQ06punaxq1NQV1d-PCpyv9edqaEQxBMGEb0/s1600-h/FRinge+image.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 100px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6dR2bC_uKGXUwrIzLHwdN285zFjUWJacKpfeD3mpra0Gk_YDzxs6Y1SYclVTOdbbdtxqgWhBnOhZ5F6Dcnb0sTLuNONtkupvDanjPiqDQ06punaxq1NQV1d-PCpyv9edqaEQxBMGEb0/s320/FRinge+image.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392809993948571042" /></a><br /><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><span style="font-size:130%;">And the award goes to….</span></span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">The Melbourne Dramatists New Writing Award, supported by the Melbourne Theatre Company was presented at the Melbourne Fringe Festival Awards on </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Saturday 10<sup>th</sup> October at Trades Hall.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">The winner of the 2009 award is:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Tom Holloway for his play <i>And No More Shall We Part</i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Highly Commended:</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><em>A Black Joy</em> by Declan Greene</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><em>Yuri Wells</em> by Benedict Hardie</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Congratulations!</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Thank you to everyone who submitted an entry into the award. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">For more info about the Melbourne Fringe Festival go to:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><a href="http://www.melbournefringe.com.au/">www.melbournefringe.com.au</a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><br /></span></b></p>Melbourne Dramatistshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377339438374933621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-31723578521795539832009-10-15T23:07:00.007+11:002009-10-16T00:03:42.245+11:00Australian Women Directors Alliance - Debate gains momentum<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><span style="font-size:100%;">Debate is flourishing in news papers and blogs across Australia regarding the representation of women directors working for main stage companies.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;">The debate has also recently reached the UK. The Australian Women Directors Alliance (AWDA) present statistics and research that points towards a distinct lack of opportunities for women directors in Australia. </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size:100%;">The AWDA is advocating for serious debate and change.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><span style="font-size:100%;">The AWDA is a non-profit coalition of professional women directors and theatre makers. The purpose of the AWDA is to provide a community of peers for mutual support and to further the art, professional development and visibility of women directors in the theatre industry. The AWDA was formed in 2009 as an outcome of focus group discussion arising at the 2009 Australian Theatre Forum (ATF).</span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><span style="font-size:100%;">To read recent developments in this discussion and a range of articles go to:</span></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="'font-family:;font-size:12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.australianwomendirectorsalliance.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size:100%;">www.australianwomendirectorsalliance.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="'font-family:;font-size:12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span style="font-size:100%;">Posted by Alison Mann<br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="'font-family:;font-size:12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></span></p>Melbourne Dramatistshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377339438374933621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-6933690674735714912009-09-02T23:14:00.006+10:002009-09-02T23:35:26.149+10:00Create a culture of Creation<div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DT2WO6wpM32Z6FYaqa4d2OZYFZDSfhOrSd68kwVPHbxcqTzOltQrc6_XhNqk_8YPiWpU5b5GkV3DCz51v7kmdJhk45w1PEgYapCYi8rWq61NHuJJ28FwSQ7X7OLY9Fz-Twl6xwPxvpg/s1600-h/Banni_400.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 318px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DT2WO6wpM32Z6FYaqa4d2OZYFZDSfhOrSd68kwVPHbxcqTzOltQrc6_XhNqk_8YPiWpU5b5GkV3DCz51v7kmdJhk45w1PEgYapCYi8rWq61NHuJJ28FwSQ7X7OLY9Fz-Twl6xwPxvpg/s320/Banni_400.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376862363437120530" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 23px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;font-size:14px;"><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Wonderful to read this today over at </span></span><span style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><a href="http://www.marcuswestbury.net/2009/08/31/time-to-put-creators-on-top/" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(28, 155, 220); text-decoration: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Marcus Westbury</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">’s blog:</span></span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; "><em style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I wonder whether Australia’s European cultural history has somehow left us wanting to keep the artefacts and trappings of European culture while skipping the forces that led to it.</span></span></em></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; "><em style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We should flip the traditional hierarchies over. Rather than place our culture centres at the top, it makes far more sense to think of them as at the bottom. </span></span><span style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It is time we placed far more emphasis on creation and development than reproduction, middle management and bureaucracy</span></span></span></em><em style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> by thinking about those street-level tasks and challenges.</span></span></em></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; "><em style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Time to recognise that culture — and, by extension, art — is not large and grand but small, dynamic, co-operative and competitive creation and to nurture it right at that point. Time to flip the system over and put the bureaucrats and administrators on the bottom and put the creators back at the top</span></span></em><em style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">.</span></span></em></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Amen to that. Writers are creators! </span></span></p></span>David Mencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10119238587265066698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-68293511807261101452009-09-02T09:42:00.008+10:002009-09-02T09:47:16.717+10:00Melbourne Dramatists' New Writing Award<span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;font-family:arial;"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Yes, it's that time of year again</span><span style="font-size:100%;">:<br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Melbourne Dramatists'<br />New Writing Award</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Supported by the Melbourne Theatre Company</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >The award is presented to the writer/s responsible for the best script at this year's Melbourne Fringe. </span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >The award is judged on the brilliance of the writing (rather than the production). </span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >The award is judged by us, your peers.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >The award includes:</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >$250 AND </span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >a funky Fringe trophy</span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" > AND o</span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >pening night tickets to Melbourne Theatre Company shows in 2010!</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Winner announced at the Fringe Awards, Saturday October 10th</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Previous winners include Alison Mann & Adam J Cass</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Have a show at the Fringe and want to be considered?<br />Contact the Fringe office</span>Melbourne Dramatistshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377339438374933621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-70700822151444279542009-07-29T09:50:00.012+10:002009-08-07T08:52:25.738+10:00Recognising the new life, with Martha<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" ><br />"Many writers failed to recognize the new life in their own art, and missed seeing the truth that a first-hand observation of life is always of more value than rules of any sort. Therefore an immemorial war has been waged between the sticklers for old laws, on the one side, and, on the other, the genuinely creative writers. In no art has this war been more apparent than in the drama; and in no art have rigid rules been more oppressive. There have been long periods when the dominance of technical rules, wholly or partially outgrown, has sterilized and all but killed the theater."</span><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/spectop007.html"><span>Aristotle, Classic Technique, and Greek Drama</span> (1927)</a></span><br /><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >MARTHA FLETCHER BELLINGER<br /><br /></span>Amelia Roperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05427800637123256332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-80444052028471171462009-07-09T16:03:00.009+10:002009-08-07T09:05:31.182+10:00Good acting is good acting<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br />I don't think there is a conflict between the writer's intentions and a commitment to diverse casting. When I write a play, I want the best actors. And the best actors are not always white and Anglo looking.<br /><br />I think the problem is that white, Anglo looking performers are considered the natural default. If you have a non-white Anglo looking performer - than that person's ethnicity needs to somehow be the subject of the play or inform the character. As though you couldn't have a strung-out prostitute being played by a Sri Lankan performer without the character needing to talk about her Sri Lankan-ness. If they're not white, we need to explain their otherness otherwise, why were they cast?<br /><br />My friend told me an anecdote. She was an extra on <span style="font-style: italic;">City Homicide</span>. She sat at a desk. In between takes, she had a conversation with Aaron Pederson. He asked how she got into extra work. She told him that she wanted to be an actor but decided against it fairly early on because of the way she looks and the roles she knew would be offered to her. Her mother is Malaysian and her dad is from Trinidad and Tobago. So no one can really place her. Some people thinks she looks Indian, Thai, Arabic, or even Aboriginal. She wasn't interested in a lifetime of 'ethnic other' roles. Aaron Pederson told her that his role in <span style="font-style: italic;">City</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Homicide </span>is the first role he's had that hasn't been about being Indigenous Australian - and he's been acting for over a decade.<br /><br />Like in any other field, people should be given jobs based on whether they can perform the role. Can Aaron convince as a tough cop with a troubled personal life? Yes. Is he attractive and will viewers like him? Yes. Would it be nice not to see Gary Sweet in this role? Yes.<br /><br />We should all be committed to seeing a diversity of faces on our stages and screens and recognise (this is so obvious that it's embarrassing to say it - except the fact that this conversation is happening means it needs to be said) that non-white actors can play a whole lot of roles that have nothing to do with their ethnic background.Melissa Bubnichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811851322790630345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-33849165802456753022009-07-08T15:40:00.003+10:002009-08-11T20:09:26.845+10:00MD and the Smacktors<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUGz0y1KJxvqE5OOvb_IkiHuPM34vDxOacmt-hhzX28S5vKPTzMmIMV7T1UIiG2IepJCdx8Z7wnXHGWOTj1f0-h5C3H79NKlh-cPOR0OsWbu-Ks5-MNLW3lu3lyXvivmd0pqu07DnnJfLt/s1600-h/Mence.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 124px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUGz0y1KJxvqE5OOvb_IkiHuPM34vDxOacmt-hhzX28S5vKPTzMmIMV7T1UIiG2IepJCdx8Z7wnXHGWOTj1f0-h5C3H79NKlh-cPOR0OsWbu-Ks5-MNLW3lu3lyXvivmd0pqu07DnnJfLt/s320/Mence.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355960704483742018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbM-W5ZQvjqGDUbWHbbLY-pGtTZX8xO0IXrpQvc-kJjwLaGCarv8HiMXBO_F2MXMWr56cr5oFB5c76Spb4sCM_qaoQbygWZfq21-gRSTPNtbWJifM5FheG3PK5s6eMm_bs94CGZDw2TPZJ/s1600-h/Alison.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbM-W5ZQvjqGDUbWHbbLY-pGtTZX8xO0IXrpQvc-kJjwLaGCarv8HiMXBO_F2MXMWr56cr5oFB5c76Spb4sCM_qaoQbygWZfq21-gRSTPNtbWJifM5FheG3PK5s6eMm_bs94CGZDw2TPZJ/s320/Alison.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355960702396817554" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_T_YKAdQD0ztkKWh9S-nz16h_o__MBClptawS-rYvKW1qR99uYHyyqEYRQhGk3ENLGlDbfy1Yxpagr8mhxWhAZMtuK-E9HIDvTHkzAhwvlucMa-IDeGN32t_0n0gTbwd40sKplj1RxEda/s1600-h/Smackdown.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_T_YKAdQD0ztkKWh9S-nz16h_o__MBClptawS-rYvKW1qR99uYHyyqEYRQhGk3ENLGlDbfy1Yxpagr8mhxWhAZMtuK-E9HIDvTHkzAhwvlucMa-IDeGN32t_0n0gTbwd40sKplj1RxEda/s320/Smackdown.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355960698098250210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nMotuk6tyA8FCKylCB4tCS2eMSEKG0XG-jIWYil-COMvDiLUEiP6LnoH6QG29Rl8__cKqgVf-lalOAo73PebaRy1eVHL6rWa4m8tRopv9yig-OCBNRdIby6R1SBPQwnKIf7h2BSSrTk4/s1600-h/Roper.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nMotuk6tyA8FCKylCB4tCS2eMSEKG0XG-jIWYil-COMvDiLUEiP6LnoH6QG29Rl8__cKqgVf-lalOAo73PebaRy1eVHL6rWa4m8tRopv9yig-OCBNRdIby6R1SBPQwnKIf7h2BSSrTk4/s320/Roper.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355960688133992066" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiF7sJzx_vF_TsCDl8Abff6sSCAW9dJeQHo2wLGvevVC-dbaCf1Yn9C8YCzLHKyqe3Qmwig804tauWc4HAOdkmroGTABXyYptz8fe44HASTegiVNjNnY2tXNBS9oT28WLDXop2YIugmCb/s1600-h/Play.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiF7sJzx_vF_TsCDl8Abff6sSCAW9dJeQHo2wLGvevVC-dbaCf1Yn9C8YCzLHKyqe3Qmwig804tauWc4HAOdkmroGTABXyYptz8fe44HASTegiVNjNnY2tXNBS9oT28WLDXop2YIugmCb/s320/Play.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355960684889758178" border="0" /></a><br />Enjoy some pics from our last triumphant Smackdown!Melissa Bubnichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811851322790630345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-88065305146313607962009-06-30T19:20:00.007+10:002009-08-13T12:01:02.023+10:00Conversations on Casting<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPN2AHNRbRdUP4EAkBb_IaOJEvQ-QK4-NnPhO98kJ_41r8A50dlasDCEnukniL7_ouJaL_qk3XruNw5Y0EtZmuO7hX16_7-sWkvLfWzQjK99ghbB7Dsf8pS_vVgA5RMz2n13hOAOSMRVL/s1600-h/WEB-BP-LARGE-04.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 274px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXPN2AHNRbRdUP4EAkBb_IaOJEvQ-QK4-NnPhO98kJ_41r8A50dlasDCEnukniL7_ouJaL_qk3XruNw5Y0EtZmuO7hX16_7-sWkvLfWzQjK99ghbB7Dsf8pS_vVgA5RMz2n13hOAOSMRVL/s320/WEB-BP-LARGE-04.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353054706096922370" /></a><br /><div>The racial diversity in Australian theatre issue has flared up again, this time finding a more dialogical home for itself online.</div><div><br /></div><div>Point your browser to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=45009243871&topic=11985&ref=mf">Red Stitch's online forum</a> and check out the discussion.<br /><div><br /></div><div>I don't want to write a big post about it here (I've already done that over at the forum) so it will suffice to say that I believe strongly in the need for Australian theatre companies and directors to make cross-racial casting part of their everyday practice. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not really sure how this intersects with our concerns as writers; whether, for example, we think that diverse casting practices are more important to uphold than the writer's intentions?</div><div><br /></div><div>For me, though, seeing <i>The Birthday Party</i> at MTC the other night was a good example of how diverse casting can open up new layers of meaning in a text. And, a few small annoyances aside (since I know the text religiously), I thought that it was well handled. </div><div><br /></div><div>Any thoughts or comments? </div></div>David Mencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10119238587265066698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-56669979131129661142009-06-25T10:30:00.001+10:002009-06-25T10:33:32.126+10:00Offensively unfunny<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Andrew Denton asked Mel Brooks if he believed there was any subject that you couldn’t make fun of. The man who created <i style="">The Producers </i>– a comedy with musical numbers about the Holocaust – answered (and I paraphrase here because I can’t remember his wording), ‘The only thing in bad taste is not being funny.’ That means everything is up for grabs – genocide, paedophiles, constipation and yes, sick children. But you better make it funny. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p><br />And that’s my problem with the Chaser’s ‘Make-a-realistic-wish’ sketch. It wasn’t funny. It was lame. And somehow in all the debate about the sketch – we seemed to have lost sight of that. The debate shouldn’t be about whether you can make fun of terminally ill kids or whether the ABC was wrong to air such a controversial sketch. The debate should be about the laziness with which some comedians approach ‘wrong’ humour. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">I love a bit of wrong humour. I love humour that pushes well past the boundaries into black unsettling terrain. The problem with the Chaser’s sketch is that it relied solely on being wrong - ‘ooh, they’re making fun of sick kids – that’s so naughty’. It’s not enough to just be ‘wrong’. Anyone can say something offensive. Just take a ride on the 57 tram if you want to be shocked and appalled. The skill is how you push that wrong humour and make it funny. Being funny is about doing something unexpected, crazy, ridiculous, over-the-top – something. It requires skill and thought. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">The only thing that could’ve saved that ‘Make-a-realistic-wish’ sketch is if that sick kid poked Chris Taylor in the eye for being such a patronising douchebag. Then I would’ve giggled.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Melissa Bubnichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811851322790630345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-74678790777331955562009-06-12T15:11:00.004+10:002009-06-12T15:30:10.538+10:00Roll Up Roll Up for the Smackdown!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsv-S1oyqEu51REj7Babrb2OKcbPonzonqxTURqw8EmBink5lyAwQqbenHkTTn0usL8aa0qjlDhPuAzGSGvyhCzmfWZvWleJ5vp2nL4kyBiVKovvFKDG-hnwr2ZFYdSq9U6APiAfSMTMwU/s1600-h/smackdown+3.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 282px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsv-S1oyqEu51REj7Babrb2OKcbPonzonqxTURqw8EmBink5lyAwQqbenHkTTn0usL8aa0qjlDhPuAzGSGvyhCzmfWZvWleJ5vp2nL4kyBiVKovvFKDG-hnwr2ZFYdSq9U6APiAfSMTMwU/s400/smackdown+3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346307244158781058" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ladies & Gentlemen!!</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />The </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Melbourne Dramatists' Smackdown</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> is back (by popular demand)!<br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It's the one and only event of its kind: bare knuckle, no holds barred, playwright wrestling (in a large vat of baked beans) for YOUR gratification and felicity. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So come one, come all...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And join us for a </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">night</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> of theatrical goodness at Melbourne's own </span></span><a href="http://www.thestoreroom.com.au/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Storeroom Theatre.</span></span></a></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">DETA</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">ILS: </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Tahoma"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">David Mence! Melissa Bubnic!</span></span><span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Tahoma"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Alison Mann! Robert Reid!</span></span><span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Tahoma"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ross Mueller! Amelia Roper!</span></span><span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Tahoma"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Tahoma"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>Thursday 18 June, </b></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Tahoma"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>Doors open at 7:00pm for a 7:30pm start</b></span></span><span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Tahoma"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Tahoma"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">@ The Storeroom, </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Tahoma"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">St Georges Rd, North Fitzroy</span></span><span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Tahoma"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">First floor Parkview Hotel</span></span><span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Tahoma"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Corner of Scotchmer Street </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Tahoma"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">& St Georges Road</span></span><span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Tahoma"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">North Fitzroy</span></span><span style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Tahoma"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Tahoma"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Melways Ref: 30 B12 </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Tahoma"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Tram 112, Stop 22</span></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div></div>David Mencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10119238587265066698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-18690455608622307852009-06-06T00:50:00.010+10:002009-08-07T09:04:55.297+10:00Whose Face?<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br />I was recently sent a link to an article in The Australian about the young Perth director Matthew Lutton. For others (like me) who missed it the first time around I have included it below (The Face: Matthew Lutton, by Victoria Laurie, 21/2/09). You can't help but admire the guy's chutzpah. One small part was worth a reread. For playwrights, in particular,<br /><br />"...we compare notes on whether we go to the theatre to see a play or rather to savour a strong directorial vision.<br /><br />"(Lutton) If there's two versions of Women of Troy showing in a city, I go to see Barrie Kosky's version because I want to see what he does," he says. "Otherwise I can go home and read the play: I go to hear his voice.""<br /><br />Do you go to the theatre to "see a play" or "to savour a strong directorial vision"? I stay home and read plays a fair amount too, but I'd like to think that if they were all playing in my city, I'd go - strong directorial vision or not. There's something about hearing them aloud. It's almost as if they were written that way. After reading the article for the first time I made angry toast. That's the toast you make when you cut each slice into four squares, not because you need to but because it makes you feel better. I ate the toast and read the article again. I believe in story. I almost feel the need to apologise for this but you'll notice that I don't.<br /><br />I believe in a collaboration between director and playwright (when there is one. And some of the old ones might not be around so much anymore, but they wrote stuff down. That's the thing about playwrights, we write stuff down). I believe in a collaboration for the production of stories that are not owned by the director, or the playwright, or even the performers. I believe in a collaboration for the production of stories to be owned by the audience. The audience own your work. If your audience leaves feeling that it is yours, and not theirs, then you have failed. If your audience leaves believing that they are not smart enough for you, or smart enough for theatre, then you have failed. Yes, you. And when I say you I don't mean Lutton or Kosky or anyone else with a strong directorial vision, I mean you, dear reader & fellow theatre maker, or me. Yes. Usually I mean me. If my audience leaves believing that they are not smart enough for me, or smart enough for theatre, then I have failed.<br /><br />When a person buys a novel she can take it home and put in on her shelf. She can write her name in it and decide whether it goes on the bottom shelf or the top one with the DVDs, or next to the lamp or under the painting she got from Ikea. That novel might be so great she reads it two or three times before lending it to a friend. Who returns it. She owns that novel. It lives in her house. A play, on the other hand, lives in a theatre. The theatre is someone else's house. She must be invited in. 'Not yet,' says the usher, 'we haven't opened the doors yet.' She only gets to see it once and not at any pace, or rereading the bits that were difficult, but once, and at one pace. In this day of object ownership - DVDs, books, paintings from Ikea - what can the theatre offer? The answer is complimentary key rings. No. Or maybe. Or maybe the answer is an experience that she feels she can own. A story she can take home. Theatre made for the audience. I believe in theatre that audiences feel empowered to own. Accessible is not a dirty word. Accessible is everything. I want them to take it home - the characters, the images, the ideas, the costumes, the memory of an actor - I want them to want to take it all home. That's all. Nothing else. Nothing else matters if you don't have that. I almost feel the need to apologise for it - How obvious! How sentimental! I almost feel the need to apologise for it but you'll notice that I don't.<br /><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>LINK: <span style="text-decoration: underline;">http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25068275-15089,00.html</span><br /><br />- Amelia RoperMelbourne Dramatistshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377339438374933621noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-44209971665661900882009-05-31T22:04:00.009+10:002009-08-07T09:06:07.398+10:00His name is Tom Holloway<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br />The following link is for The Age online article called "A stage they're going through" (30/5/09). It's worth a look but does seem to suggest that all independent theatre artists in Melbourne aim for either a Malthouse Tower Room season or a Full Tilt gig. Now they are both great opportunities but really, is that accurate? I also noticed that it mentions the play Red Sky Morning on a number of occasions, but never once mentions the playwright. The playwright's name is Tom Holloway. I mention that the playwright's name is Tom Holloway because, well, even though my name is not Tom Holloway, and Tom Holloway is not a Melbourne Dramatist, I still think that if I'm going to mention that the play is called Red Sky Morning, then I should probably also mention that the playwright's name is Tom Holloway. I won't mention the director, or the venue, or the actors, or the program, or the name of the journalist, because they have all been covered in the article.<br /><a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/a-stage-theyre-going-through/2009/05/30/1243456778978.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap3"><br />http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/a-stage-theyre-going-through/2009/05/30/1243456778978.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap3</a><br /><br />- Amelia RoperMelbourne Dramatistshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377339438374933621noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-35333557177195449912009-05-27T11:05:00.004+10:002009-05-27T11:50:54.995+10:00Mueller's No Man's Island opens in Sydney<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqIF7JZM2CCODw-pG4RtLi-o_Ehx2UJsM8HOgWstfI0BV6yYt0Mr9uf_g1PHAupojfQWmQs9WxZ-3fAH52BsHgRus4DXjh4fFTawma23VxRJOe46wGzDTnKsXbp7IBEdYPmJ0-ZDcI6a9/s1600-h/P3160634.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqIF7JZM2CCODw-pG4RtLi-o_Ehx2UJsM8HOgWstfI0BV6yYt0Mr9uf_g1PHAupojfQWmQs9WxZ-3fAH52BsHgRus4DXjh4fFTawma23VxRJOe46wGzDTnKsXbp7IBEdYPmJ0-ZDcI6a9/s400/P3160634.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340314324665730754" border="0" /></a><br />No Man's Island was first produced over ten years ago at La Mama. It was the first La Mama play to be included in the Melbourne International Festival. Two years ago it was presented at HERE performance space in New York City. Next week it finally opens in Sydney. <a href="http://my247.com.au/sydney/Old-Fitzroy-Theatre/whats-on/No-Mans-Island-by-Ross-Mueller.165608">http://my247.com.au/sydney/Old-Fitzroy-Theatre/whats-on/No-Mans-Island-by-Ross-Mueller.165608</a>Ross Muellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01742011879208175157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-79259201501099679732009-05-25T09:52:00.009+10:002009-08-13T12:01:34.820+10:00Melburnalia No. 2 Opens to Great Reviews!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6tLNVOzauZ5IqawNJsox9hDURekR8yMOBROzRecYP6TGjYRGu6A4_703svax32PLJ7zOvQ3fqlc3Z9yCxkYsYnl4gjggO4RWUmhcKC1auQ4PrqnvG4-P7oCVS8m7UeFm6Pj1oweW3x0/s1600-h/DSC_0099.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6tLNVOzauZ5IqawNJsox9hDURekR8yMOBROzRecYP6TGjYRGu6A4_703svax32PLJ7zOvQ3fqlc3Z9yCxkYsYnl4gjggO4RWUmhcKC1auQ4PrqnvG4-P7oCVS8m7UeFm6Pj1oweW3x0/s320/DSC_0099.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340049212093700818" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Melbourne Dramatist David Mence's comany White Whale Theatre has achieved wonderful reviews for this week's opening of their show Melburnalia No. 2.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"We're really pleased with the response, it's been a long road but it demonstrates that Melbourne audiences are defininately interested in seeing Melbourne writing."</span><br /><br />Check out the Age review <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/theatre-of-the-burbs-behind-facades-of-five-postcodes/2009/05/24/1243103429775.html">http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/theatre-of-the-burbs-behind-facades-of-five-postcodes/2009/05/24/1243103429775.html</a><br /></div>Melbourne Dramatistshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377339438374933621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-81171263204251361262009-05-23T21:54:00.002+10:002009-05-23T22:02:33.498+10:00Another Melbourne Dramatist in The Age<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0Bg-AXek0MYLbqScrF0m2cecxlsDZHJlOG3Ndg0YFISVRqO42dQqxQyOUyKIIk_XCv4munRy40pnzOmitdl_ZlfYjyvHy-pDtPktJnL1-LzXzBaMP7sRJz0MhfHNEmd_S8PsjI8ZGWY/s1600-h/P3170654.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0Bg-AXek0MYLbqScrF0m2cecxlsDZHJlOG3Ndg0YFISVRqO42dQqxQyOUyKIIk_XCv4munRy40pnzOmitdl_ZlfYjyvHy-pDtPktJnL1-LzXzBaMP7sRJz0MhfHNEmd_S8PsjI8ZGWY/s320/P3170654.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338988336056213586" border="0" /></a><br />Ross Mueller is a Melbourne Dramatist and today he was featured in an article in the Saturday Age A2. You can read the article by clicking on this link - click away. <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/in-an-unscripted-moment-the-seen-is-set/2009/05/21/1242498866789.html">http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/in-an-unscripted-moment-the-seen-is-set/2009/05/21/1242498866789.html</a>.Melbourne Dramatistshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377339438374933621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-63165305494787051352009-05-22T09:41:00.005+10:002009-05-22T17:37:47.370+10:00The Ghost Writer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOVFRmtHR8RSpWGij_gW1VP47olE2_wtkr6FEjB4D4AdTRNePlVqj9efkqWjv-PF0Qr6h8jnajgPlSxmoSgTmrbcuB6dyMJxO2qx0d_OazVDZB4tzas7VSE_cZHDa-5w2yMAXC35IAZg/s1600-h/P1020037.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOVFRmtHR8RSpWGij_gW1VP47olE2_wtkr6FEjB4D4AdTRNePlVqj9efkqWjv-PF0Qr6h8jnajgPlSxmoSgTmrbcuB6dyMJxO2qx0d_OazVDZB4tzas7VSE_cZHDa-5w2yMAXC35IAZg/s400/P1020037.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338549181469159506" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">A Play Reading of <span style="font-size:130%;">The Ghost Writer</span> By Ross Mueller<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Directed by Lucy Freeman<br />Featuring:<br />David Whiteley, Georgina Capper,<br />Natalie Carr & Kevin Summers<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Saturday 30 May, 2009. 3pm </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Plaza Room The Arts Centre on St Kilda Road. </span><br />General admission is by $5.00 donation.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“I am so thrilled to be directing a public reading of the re-write of the Ghost Writer. The fact that the play premiered on the MTC main stage in 2007, and the playwright elected to keep working on the material into 2008 is nothing short of inspiring. I believe if all plays in the contemporary Australian cannon underwent this detailed and responsive reworking, our repertoire would be the stronger for it.”</span> Lucy Freeman<br /><br />This script is available for sale through - Playlab.<br />Go to the <a href="http://www.playlab.org.au/catalogue/index.php">http://www.playlab.org.au/catalogue/index.php</a><br />for details on how to purchase your copy.<br /><br /><br /></div>Melbourne Dramatistshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377339438374933621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-10521818794699002902009-05-18T20:20:00.011+10:002010-08-04T17:20:42.634+10:00The Early Stages - Play Reading<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tXzU-mm2dg8r60YRfDsDht5efTjeQjkLF12b_ciTLsgfJmInhGdwRWKGKYQIYxGbSoHTYetYbWAYNPUgdWcIK0xVAlcY8rIZA7mIjjorFnYvciMtMlYSWM-C9Oj9C4mgtZBeIRbMkis/s1600-h/1447_events_image.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337108201667523890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 191px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tXzU-mm2dg8r60YRfDsDht5efTjeQjkLF12b_ciTLsgfJmInhGdwRWKGKYQIYxGbSoHTYetYbWAYNPUgdWcIK0xVAlcY8rIZA7mIjjorFnYvciMtMlYSWM-C9Oj9C4mgtZBeIRbMkis/s400/1447_events_image.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">She's Not Performing</span></strong><br /><br />A new work by Alison Mann<br />Directed by Kelly Somes <p><strong><span style="font-size:100%;">Thursday 28 May, 2009</span></strong><strong><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size:100%;">6.30pm </span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size:100%;">The Black Box, Arts Centre</span></strong><br /></p><p>The Early Stages features some of Melbourne’s exciting emerging playwrights, presenting their new works through performed readings. The third in the series is She’s Not Performing by Alison Mann.</p>Margarite by chance sees a girl at a strip club that uncannily resembles herself. She becomes fascinated by the girl and continues to attend the strip club by herself. Margarite had a daughter adopted out when she was a teenager. Is it possible the girl at the club could be her? Or is Margarite looking out from within her own fantasies?<br /><br />The Early Stages are FREE events, presented by the Emerging Writers' Festival in partnership with FULL TILT.<br /><br />www.emergingwritersfestival.org.auMelbourne Dramatistshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377339438374933621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-24869924230479364312009-05-18T10:42:00.006+10:002009-08-13T12:01:59.854+10:00Melbourne Dramatist in The Age<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoIuzbx1R8pvSbosJgvSONizCYzHZP64xAs3UWhyEXKOoO3XUg1KmfBFLS9LmE3jA_smAaj2wggQI77TEfRZIrVPI8nJg0ocRR3krGljOGQNkS8mYqBd78vWleo5y_2u1ZD8h31D5q4Q/s1600-h/mence_wideweb__470x291,0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoIuzbx1R8pvSbosJgvSONizCYzHZP64xAs3UWhyEXKOoO3XUg1KmfBFLS9LmE3jA_smAaj2wggQI77TEfRZIrVPI8nJg0ocRR3krGljOGQNkS8mYqBd78vWleo5y_2u1ZD8h31D5q4Q/s320/mence_wideweb__470x291,0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339649210531647426" border="0" /></a><br />David Mence is a Melbourne Dramatist and his company (White Whale Theatre) is about to open their new show about Melbourne's suburbs, <span style="font-style: italic;">Melburnalia No. 2</span>.<br /><br />Check out The Age profile on their upcoming season.<br /><br />And what a nice combination of blazer with jeans?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/all-the-suburbs-are-a-stage/2009/05/17/1242498636652.html">http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/all-the-suburbs-are-a-stage/2009/05/17/1242498636652.html</a>Melbourne Dramatistshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377339438374933621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-17762535337554651282009-05-13T10:53:00.001+10:002009-05-13T10:54:43.501+10:00Melbourne Dramatists Manifesto<div style="text-align: justify;">Melbourne is a cultural community hungry for a diversity of artistic forms. Melbourne Dramatists (MD) believes that there is a genuine and unfulfilled desire for Melbourne plays. <br /><br />MD is an organisation consisting of professional Melbourne based-playwrights at various stages of their careers.<br /><br />Our purpose is to support and champion Melbourne playwrights and highlight issues facing us as artists working in the theatre industry. <br /></div>Melbourne Dramatistshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377339438374933621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-22274437588012466132009-05-12T21:37:00.004+10:002009-05-12T22:01:47.383+10:00The need for a manifesto<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwzLYc5T4uoX7W7KwHBCXiV0eFw8YWbNLImDr3FcKqYnQ68_KWJtYgi6GU9rlBrUTSP6dV-teD8g0aqHuLWcsDDMNYD7I2xhlrvtvnfC682SYAv5AOrW9oTcaLoG3Tw5UGZtJYZdyNlM/s1600-h/_MG_0006-1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 245px; height: 364px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwzLYc5T4uoX7W7KwHBCXiV0eFw8YWbNLImDr3FcKqYnQ68_KWJtYgi6GU9rlBrUTSP6dV-teD8g0aqHuLWcsDDMNYD7I2xhlrvtvnfC682SYAv5AOrW9oTcaLoG3Tw5UGZtJYZdyNlM/s320/_MG_0006-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334904907793468002" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:78%;" ></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The Melbourne Dramatists was started some time ago. I am a founding member. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">When we b</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" >egan there w</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" >as a distinct change in the way that Playwrights were being treated in Melbourne. </span><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" >Opportunities for work were evaporating and there was no advocacy group in Melbourne at the time. Since that first meeting we have changed, morphed and grown into a tight knit unit. We are not just angry folk, we have solid commitments and solutions to offer.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" >We regularly present an Award in the Melbourne Fringe for Best Emerging Writing. The first recipient was Adam Cass and the mos</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" >t recent was Alison Mann. We </span><span style="font-family: arial;">advocate</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" > and enthuse for Melbourne writing and argu</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" >e that there is a market </span><span style="font-family: arial;">for</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" > good stories that are well written (as well as devised) for the Australian stage. We also present Playwright Wresting - otherwise known as </span>Smackdowns<span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" >. These are events that show new work in formative stages. They are fun and frequently loud - which is a reflection of who we are.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" >This blog is not just for ads about our work, most of it is a forum for discussion about the Australian theatre industry. Melbourne used to be the capital of new Australian writing. Where does Melbourne see Melbourne writing now?... mostly in Sydney.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" >We started this journey at that first meeting saying - "we n</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" >eed a manifesto!" ... </span><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" >Now we have written one...</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> Stay tuned.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" ><br />RM.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">PS - the photo above is o</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" >f </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:78%;" ><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" >T</span><span style="font-size:100%;">erry Serio... from Concussion premiered by STC/Griffin.</span></span></span><br /><br /></div>Melbourne Dramatistshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377339438374933621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-46351538827004820642009-05-11T21:29:00.005+10:002009-05-11T21:48:04.021+10:00A Reading<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1HSu53GQMF2OSopaIF0Df-3lT6qno-fhPHudVwSj43uu92nLYbIcF-eVxGlCf8Px7OKJVwq91n1_0-xfMSehuG0W8i0jJY1fR3MPBJ_zQTRyDhv89xsGfGAWuePXyTCNGOh_Op7v9Ap4K/s1600-h/Man.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1HSu53GQMF2OSopaIF0Df-3lT6qno-fhPHudVwSj43uu92nLYbIcF-eVxGlCf8Px7OKJVwq91n1_0-xfMSehuG0W8i0jJY1fR3MPBJ_zQTRyDhv89xsGfGAWuePXyTCNGOh_Op7v9Ap4K/s320/Man.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334531373792541090" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Calibri;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">SICK</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;">by Melissa Bubnic</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:110%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-line-height:110%; font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;">A reading directed by Brett Adam and performed by Sarah Borg and Kurt Geyer. Presented by the Emerging Writers’ Festival and FULL TILT.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:110%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-line-height:110%; font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;">Two strangers find each other dumped in the desert. Frank is an ugly young woman. Philip is a broken old man. Neither wishes to speak about their crime, the reason for their exile. But threatened by starvation, cannibals, and the haunting power of memory, the unlikely pair become friends. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:110%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-line-height:110%; font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;">If society cannot forgive them, can they forgive each other? Or at least themselves? Who will love the unlovable? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:110%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-line-height:110%; font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;">When: <span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Tuesday 26 May<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:110%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-line-height:110%; font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Doors open at 6:00pm, reading starts at 6:30pm<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:110%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-line-height:110%; font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;">Venue: <span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>The Black Box, Arts Centre<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:110%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-line-height:110%; font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;">Price: <span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>FREE<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:110%"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:8.0pt; mso-bidi-line-height:110%;font-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;">This project is supported by the Victorian Government through Arts Victoria.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;mso-bidi-line-height:110%;mso-ansi-language:EN-AUfont-family:Calibri;font-size:12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <!--EndFragment-->Melissa Bubnichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811851322790630345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113613782337668202.post-66544881644065129152009-05-11T15:17:00.002+10:002009-05-12T09:29:05.989+10:00A Bill of RightsTHE MELBOURNE DRAMATISTS BILL OF RIGHTS<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. ARTISTIC INTEGRITY.</span> No one (e.g., directors, actors, dramaturges) can make changes, alterations, and/or omissions to your script—including the text, title, and stage directions—without your consent. This is called “script approval.”<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. APPROVAL OF PRODUCTION ELEMENTS. </span>You have the right to approve the cast, director, and designers (and, for a musical, the choreographer, orchestrator, arranger, and musical director, as well), including their replacements. This is called “artistic approval.” <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. RIGHT TO BE PRESENT.</span> You have the right to attend casting, rehearsals, previews and performances. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. ROYALTIES. </span> You are entitled to receive a royalty for your work. If any other Creative in the production is being paid, or if any admission is being charged you can negotiate a flat fee per performance or a minimum 10% of the gross box office revenue, whichever is the greater. You must never be paid less than any other Creative.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. BILLING CREDIT. </span>You should receive billing (typographical credit) on all publicity, programs, and advertising distributed or authorised by the production company. The nature of your billing (including size, order in which it appears, etc) is subject to your approval. Billing is part of your compensation and the failure to provide it properly is a breach of your rights.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. OWNERSHIP OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. </span>You own the copyright of your dramatic work. Playwrights do not assign (i.e., give away or sell in entirety) their copyrights When a production company wants to mount a production of your play, you actually license (or lease) the public performance rights to your dramatic property to that entity for a finite period of time or number of performances.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. OWNERSHIP OF INCIDENTAL CONTRIBUTIONS.</span> You own all approved revisions, suggestions, and contributions to the script made by other collaborators in the production, including actors, directors, and dramaturges. You do not owe anyone any money for these contributions. If a production company uses dramaturges, you are not obligated to make use of any ideas the dramaturge might have. Even when the input of a dramaturge or director is helpful to the playwright, dramaturges and directors are still employees of the production company, not the playwright, and they are paid for their work by the production company. Neither dramaturges nor directors (nor any other contributors) may be considered a co-author of a play, unless you have agreed in writing that they are a co-author.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8. AUTHOR’S CONTRACT. </span> The only way to ensure that you get the benefit of the rights listed above is through a written contract with the production company, no matter how large or small the entity. The basic contract can be obtained from the Australian Writers’ Guild: <a href="http://www.awg.com.">www.awg.com. </a>Melbourne Dramatistshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377339438374933621noreply@blogger.com0