Month: August 2010

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The Secret Love Life of Ophelia (Review): Fractal Theatre

Iambic pentameter (aka blank verse) is known for being the rhythm that most closely approximates everyday speech in English. Most of us meet it for the first time in the plays of Shakespeare. With its repetitive de-DUM de-DUM de-DUM de-DUM de-DUM spring on each line of the verse, despite – or perhaps because it’s closely associated with Shakespeare – IP often gets a bad working over in the hands of inexperienced actors. In a misguided attempt to make it sound more ‘real,’ all the insistence and momentum in the rhythm can get flattened out and choked. Perhaps even more unfortunately, it can be spoken in a kind of reverential ‘poetic’ voice which casts the content and the speaker into some kind of other world divorced from reality. IP is full of traps for the young player.

And now, here’s playwright Steven Berkoff appropriating the old master’s metric verse form for  The Secret Love Life of Ophelia, currently playing at !Metro Arts Studio in Brisbane.  I started by mentioning IP because one of the real delights of this Fractal Theatre production, directed by Brenna-Lee Cooney, is that the two actors in the production, Eugene Gilfedder (Hamlet) and Mary Eggleston (Ophelia) handle the verse so well; it’s earthy, muscular, lyrical, downright dirty (but in a soft-porn kind of way) often delicate, and always affecting. Neither actor is the slightest bit disarmed by the text, in fact they chew it up and spit it out – as utterly befits this 21st century, retro-Elizabethan, poetic psycho-drama. Phew!  Hoorah for them and hoorah for Berkoff; it’s great to hear such tough verse done proud. Continue reading “The Secret Love Life of Ophelia (Review): Fractal Theatre”

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Boy Girl Wall (Review): The Escapists @ !Metro Arts (2010)

Spring is just round the corner; love is in the air – along with deadly magpies – so it’s a perfect time for a new, one-man show all about romance and other local hazards, natural or man-made. With no more than a stick of chalk, a couple of puppet socks, a few props and an overhead projector, Lucas Stibbard creates and embodies the entire world of Boy Girl Wall in the bare, black-walled box of the !Metro Art’s Sue Benner Theatre.  It’s a sweet, very funny and touching confection, and a quite splendid night in the theatre from The Escapists.  This is the same creative collective that brought you The Attack of the Attacking Attackers a year or so back. The Escapists’ manifesto: imagination, theatricality and the joy of play are all joyously present in Boy Girl Wall.

Floppy haired, chalk-stained-suited and bare-footed, Stibbard, like his quirky imagination, takes flight through the tiny space of the inner city’s favorite theatre haunt. Stibbard’s is a wonderfully original and intelligent voice, and he leaps and whirls in a non stop, dazzling performance in the best Aussie tradition of yarn spinning. Flicking and switching between characters with the ease of someone totally in charge and on top of his game, it’s a 70 minute delight which flies by at full tilt and as nimbly as the story teller himself.  Continue reading “Boy Girl Wall (Review): The Escapists @ !Metro Arts (2010)”

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Gripped by the actor’s power: Eugene Gilfedder (Interview 10)

Waiting for Godot (QTC) with Bryan Probets
Grimm Tales (QTC)

Eugene Gilfedder is lining up for his third Hamlet – the first was as the prince himself in Shakespeare’s version some 20 years or so ago, and this time it’s in the Australian premiere of Steven Berkoff‘s The Secret Love Life of Ophelia for Fractal Theatre, opening on Friday. Earlier this year he appeared to acclaim as the Ghost and Uncle Claudius in La Boite’s production of the play.

After a long regional, national tour last year with The Kursk, Eugene’s now really enjoying what has been a year so far back-to-back with terrific roles. As one of the most respected as well as busiest actor in town, it’s almost as though his career has had a resurgence, though, as he tells me, he has notched up over 150 productions on stage over the years. ‘It’s been extraordinary to last this long,’ he tells me, ‘and to still be performing.’ It all began as a child, when as part of a large family, he found himself organising his siblings and devising performances at home and later at school.  ‘From Grade 8 on I just took charge! Acting has been my life.’ Continue reading “Gripped by the actor’s power: Eugene Gilfedder (Interview 10)”

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Creative Development of new Elaine Acworth play for EPC Toowoomba

Empire Theatre Projects Company in Toowoomba (EPC) are now calling for expressions of interest from emerging and established arts professionals to take positions within the creative development phase of a new play Water Wars by Elaine Acworth:

The four positions are:

  • Directing Secondment
  • Female Actor age – 27-35 ‘Gally’ a wife and mum
  • Female Actor age – 60+ ‘Mrs P’
  • Male actor age – 18-25 ‘Cal’ Gally’s 7yr old son

Water Wars is a timely and darkly funny exploration of what happens between neighbours as the drought gets longer and tougher and then gets renamed as a ‘dry’.

Set just in the future – when our communities face on-going water scarcity, Water Wars charts the bumpy road of neighbourliness as tempers fray and niggles turn into frank discussions, that turn into skirmishes, that grow into outright war.  But in the middle of all this is a young boy, Cal, and his dog, Freddo.  Cal will have to live with the consequences of the adults’ actions in this water-starved world.

The professional creative team includes Director Shaun Charles, Designer Greg Clarke and actors Chris Betts and Jess Veurman-Betts.

Empire Theatres and Umber Productions are teaming up to develop this work over two weekends – 11 and 12 September and 9 and 10 October 2010.

Positions are open to applicants on a contract basis.

Expressions of interest including a current resume and details of previous relevant experience should be marked “Confidential” and forwarded to:

Ann-Marie Ryan
General Manager
Empire Theatres Pty Ltd
PO Box 1227
Toowoomba Qld 4350

Expressions of interest are due by 5pm Friday 13 August 2010.

Further inquiries for the position should be directed to: Ann-Marie Ryan on email: ann-marie@empiretheatre.com.au

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This Week in Queensland Theatre: Aug 2-8

Check for details on company websites

Opening:

The Secret Love Life of Ophelia by Steven Berkoff Dir Brenna-Lee Cooney (Friday) at !Metro Arts

Boy Girl Wall created and performed by Lucas Stibbard at !Metro Arts

Continuing:

I Love You Bro’ by Adam J Cass Dir David Berthold for La Boite Theatre at the Roundhouse

The Seven Stages of Grieving by Wesley Enoch and Deborah Mailman. An education production Dir Rosalba Clemente for Queensland Theatre Company. Bille Brown Studio

Shadowlands by William Nicholson Crossbow Productions at Brisbane Powerhouse Visy Theatre (Wed-Sat)