Month: June 2010

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The Works: Queensland Theatre Company @ Bille Brown Studio

Bull by Matthew Ryan (2 July)

Matthew Ryan’s Bull is a comedic and bloodthirsty exploration of love, sex and invention based on Greek mythology. Daedalus is an out-of-favour inventor, and must solve King Minos’ problem – his wife Queen Pasiphaë is in love with a bull. Solutions are thin on the ground and a mechanical animal may just be the answer King Minos is looking for…

Director: Michael Gow
Cast includes: Jason Klarwein, Nick Newth, Bryan Probets, Melanie Zanetti

The Dark Room by Angela Betzien (3 July)

Angela Betzien’s The Dark Room is a haunting psychological thriller set at a run-down motel on the edge of a military town. Six unlikely characters converge – Anni, a government youth worker is accompanied by a withdrawn fourteen year-old girl, pregnant Emma awaiting her husband, a drunken country cop and a teenage boy lurks on the perimeter of the motel, watching the man in room 6.

Director: Melanie Wild
Cast includes: Kerith Atkinson, Jason Klarwein, Nick Newth, Bryan Probets, Belinda Raisin, Melanie Zanetti

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This Week in Queensland Theatre: June 14-20

Further details on company websites

Opening:

Bindjareb Pinjarra (Tuesday-Thursday) Visy Theatre at Brisbane Powerhouse
Brisbane Cabaret Festival (Wednesday) Various locations

Continuing:
Out of the Box Festival: QPAC -all over!
The Chairs by Eugene Ionesco Dir Brian Lucas: La Boite Theatre Company at the Roundhouse Theatre
Fat Pig by Neil LaBute Dir Morgan Dowsett: Queensland Theatre Company at Bille Brown Studio
Dancing Back Home: JUTE and Mudlark Theatre (Cairns)
Brave New World Order – a serious rock-opera by Clarry Evans and Brett Heath: Brisbane Powerhouse

Other
Free Range Houseparty creative development workshops.  Drop in throughout the month.  !MetroArts

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Review: Fat Pig – Queensland Theatre Company at Bille Brown Studio

78 Montague Road
Image by Dramagirl via Flickr

I’d like to say that I stand atop a mighty moral pedestal where body issues simply don’t affect me: ‘No, of course I don’t judge people on their weight.’ I hope I don’t, but study after study shows that I do, on some subconscious level. Nothing quite attacks the gut (no pun intended) like an insult about body weight. It’s one of society’s instant triggers. It can mean the start of mass bullying, a riot in defence of the victim, shattered friendship groups and absolutely horrid depression.

So watching Fat Pig puts you in a place where you’re constantly shifting your reaction. The insults that are hurled at the character of Helen, both to her face and behind her back, are ruthless, brutal and hilarious. The play begins when Helen meets Tom in a cafeteria. They begin dating, but Tom is the subject of ridicule from his work colleagues because Helen is overweight. The play’s deliberately abrupt ending suggest Neil LaBute’s script is meant to leave us asking questions of ourselves and society’s views. I’m just not entirely sure how successful this is. Continue reading “Review: Fat Pig – Queensland Theatre Company at Bille Brown Studio”

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This week in Queensland theatre: June 7-13

Plastic boxes
Image via Wikipedia

Greenroom has been tracking what’s on since 1 September last year … yes, we’re just over 9 months old … and it looks as though June is the hot month for activity in the theatre year … so far.  The entire month  is given over to the !MetroArts developmental Free Range House Party – drop-in style, the HUGE Out of the Box Festival starts tomorrow, with the Brisbane Cabaret Festival to come, all of Brisbane’s venues are in full-swing,  and the blog chat is about why we need more.  Some cultural desert!

Opening:

Out of the Box Festival: QPAC -all over! Watch out for tiny theatre-lovers.

The Chairs by Eugene Ionesco Dir Brian Lucas: La Boite Theatre Company at the Roundhouse Theatre

Continuing:

Fat Pig by Neil LaBute Dir Morgan Dowsett: Queensland Theatre Company at Bille Brown Studio

Dancing Back Home: JUTE and Mudlark Theatre (Cairns)

Brave New World Order – a serious rock-opera by Clarry Evans and Brett Heath: Brisbane Powerhouse

Other

Free Range Houseparty creative development workshops.  Drop in throughout the month.  !MetroArts

Blog Post of the Week:

Check out theatre advocate and director Sean Mee’s post in his blog The Death of Reason for the historical reasons for Brisbane’s not having lots of little theatre spaces like Melbourne’s, and how we could – if we tried harder.