Pratfalls and more at Fringe Erskineville hub

Arts & Entertainment Comedy Stage

Rita Bratovich
August 28, 2022

Image: Jacqui Duncan and Chris Attrill in A Pratfall From Grace: The Roxy Calloway Story. Image: supplied

One of the stated missions of the Sydney Fringe Festival is to champion new Australian works and provide a platform for nascent artists, and for the past six years the Emerging Artist Sharehouse in Erskineville Town Hall has been that incubation hub. Dozens of budding writers and performers have run the gauntlet of a live audience in a risk-free, receptive environment, and for many, it’s been a springboard to future success.

“Initiatives like Sydney Fringe Festival provide a great boost for unknown local artists to get their footing into performance spaces, gaining theatrical experience and reaching wider audiences with their creative works.

Chris Attrill, Nib Oswald, Jacqui Duncan in A Pratfall From Grace: The Roxy Calloway Story. Image: supplied

“Just looking at the sheer variety of cabaret performances, comedy troupes, musical acts, stand-up comedians, dramatic plays, sketch shows and artistry on offer is testament to the crucible of talent bubbling away in Sydney!” says Nib Oswald who directs and stars in A Pratfall From Grace: The Roxy Calloway Story, a one hour comedy on at Emerging Artist Sharehouse from August 30.

Oswald also writes and produces, and has participated in local and independent theatre for many years. A Pratfall From Grace: The Roxy Calloway Story is a collaborative work that evolved from weekly online brainstorming sessions that Oswald took part in along with other members of the creative team.

“Pre-Covid, our show writer Chris, […] actress Jacqui and producer James all met as part of a larger callout for a new sketch comedy team [….] Throughout the following 18 months of lockdowns, we developed over a hundred short scripts via weekly Zoom meetings, eventually performing a few scenes on stage for AJ Lamarque’s Kweens Of Comedy,” explains Oswald.

Jacqui Duncan and Chris Attrill. Image: supplied

Oswald, James Brettell, Chris Attrill, Jacqui Duncan, and programmer, Will Glue Yates (collectively, Dad Joke Comedy) refined a sketch idea that involved a 1940s film noir actress, a cigar and plenty of slapping. It ultimately became A Pratfall From Grace: The Roxy Calloway Story.

“The format of the show starts in a 1970s late night talk show set – hosted by Dick Carlyle – as he begins interviewing faded Hollywood starlet Roxy Calloway about her showbiz rise and fall. We then dive into a montage of flashback sequences throughout the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s – filled with whimsical references along the way,” explains Oswald. “As primarily a two-actor show covering numerous characters, the performance relies on quick costume changes padded out by voiceover narration, music and visual gags on the projector screen.”

One of the unique and appealing aspects of the Emerging Artist Sharehouse programming is that the shows are quite short, allowing patrons to set up camp in the bar and select an assorted tasting plate of entertainment for the night. The Roxy Calloway Story is only an hour long; perfect for the Fringe but a bit limiting for other opportunities.

The Dad Joke Comedy team at work. Image: supplied

Oswald says apart from pubs and RSLs, whose lighting, acoustics and ambience aren’t always ideal, there are few places left in Sydney that offer performance space for small-scale productions.

“That said,” he adds, “Factory Theatre has been a reliable hub of comedy development for years, and fresh productions are often found at The Belvoir, Seymour Centre and Wharfside venues. Hopefully, more government arts grants, new venues like the Rebel Theatre, and initiatives like Hayes Creative Development can provide launching pads for creative works.”

In the meantime, head over to Erskineville Town Hall for a sneak preview of future Australian talent, and make sure you catch A Pratfall From Grace: The Roxy Calloway Story:

“You can expect a lot of schlocky accents, slapstick, photoshop humour… and pratfalls, of course! This show will appeal to anyone with an appreciation for early Broadway, Hollywood, 20th Century American history and old-timey catchphrases.”