Short + Sweet Theatre – Week Two Overview

Short + Sweet launches into its second week of 10-minute plays at the New Theatre, Newtown. Here are some quick previews of what’s on offer.

So Says the Sea by Rachel Welch, Jan 13-18

Director: James Hartley

Cast: Maddy Stedman, Aleks Mikic, Petrie Porter, Alex Cubis

Dee has just had a break-up and goes to a beach with her friend Poppy on an overcast, rainy day where they meet two boys from London.

Hartley works on the formula that you have to rehearse for at least an hour for every minute on-stage. To build relationships he gets his actors to sing together. He says this helps the cast to get into rhythm with each other. He’s taken out Best Director for The Fox and the Hunter (Short + Sweet, 2013).

Presto by Michael McRae, Jan 13-18

Director: Henrietta Stathopolous

Cast: Mario Fouad, Cynthia Florek, Patrice Rielly, Mandy Sugar, Emma Webb

A rabbit has a career-crisis and must decide whether to get into the magician’s hat; an ambitious monkey is ready to take his place.

Stathopolous says there are very motivated adolescents in Blacktown. The cast are her drama students and range in age from 15-19. Theatre company Captivate enables them to continue drama for a couple of years after they finish school. She has plans to turn Captivate into a professional ensemble.

Toba Tek Singh by Shruti Ghosh, Jan 17-19

Director: Shruti Ghosh

Cast: Shruti Ghosh, Neel Banerjee

After the partition of India and Pakistan there’s an imaginary exchange of lunatics: Toba Tek Singh is one. The serious import is in the displacement caused to millions.

Ghosh has a fascinating background: she’s a dancer who has completed a Master’s Degree at Macquarie Uni (Dance Studies) and has a Master’s in Film Studies from India. She feels the festival offers an opportunity to see the work of so many people while at the same time get your own projects up and running.

GOD: The Performance Review by Allan West, Jan 21-25

Director Simon Doctor

Cast: Benjamin Bonar, Leyla Hart-Svensson, Edith Hueck, Nick Wright

Earth has many problems and the Board of God’s employer, Universes Incorporated, needs to see a turnaround or God could be out of work.

The director sees the play as being more about the foibles of human nature and God’s frustration with them. A lawyer by profession, Simon Doctor sees parallels between the law and theatre: they are both about the positive and negative sides of people, both involve coming to grips with humanity – which can be interesting or frustrating.

Spidey Glass by Alex M Langenfeld, Jan 20-25

Director: Daniel Cohn

Cast: Christian Heath, Kate Willams

Two fellow workers go home together after having too much to drink.

Originally from the UK (London) where he lived for twenty years, Christian Heath has been in Australia for four years, the last six months in Sydney. He’d been working in marketing but the better lifestyle and climate attracted him here – plus the desire to work in theatre. He sees the crux of independent theatre as people like himself who have decided to abandon their previous career for acting/directing/writing. Conveying so much in such a short span of time is the challenge in this modern love-story.

Evelyn by Brett Heath, Jan 21-25

Director/Actor: Brett Heath

Evelyn has endured domestic violence for most of her marriage. When her husband dies she’s reluctant to let him go without a proper ‘goodbye’.

You may remember Heath from performances in Underbelly: The Golden Mile and Red Dog.

Evelyn’s character is so dominated by her former partner that he speaks through her sometimes. Heath felt a woman would not be able to replicate the harshness of an angry male voice so took on the character himself.

Seeing Steven Berkoff made him appreciate the potential of solo performance and he compares it to being a painter or sculptor alone with your material. The fear element is another attraction of the challenge – exploring “what you’re made of”.

Regret by Joy Roberts, Jan 21-26

Director: Glen Pead

Cast: James Belfrage, Katherine Richardson, Joanna Kedziora

Brian is 42 and ready for love. On his journey to find a wife and happiness he makes a choice he will regret.

Based on a short story Roberts wrote nine years ago, she describes it as dealing with the perceptions that colour our choices – along with controlling relationships and domestic violence. Controversially the Eastern European bride Brian finds has the same name as Mel Gibson’s ex (Oksana). (MMu)

New Theatre, 542 King Street Newtown, tickets from $28/33, shortandsweet.org/sydney

By Michael Muir