Month: January 2011

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Groundling nominations close in 7 days

We’ve been thrilled with the response to a call for nominations for the inaugural Groundling awards. They’ve been coming in steadily since nominations opened at the start of December, but there are only seven days to go now before we close the door and start the count to decide the people’s choice for outstanding contributions in acting, directing, writing, design and contributions to the industry in Queensland.

You can nominate up to three in every one of the twelve categories. You don’t have to of course but, whether you choose to nominate only one person in one category or go for the lot, do get your nomination in before midnight next Tuesday, February 1, 2011. That’s when nominations close.

At this point the nominations will be collated, and the top three in each category will go forward to the vote. Voting will commence on Monday 7th February and close at midnight on Sunday February 13th. The winners will be announced here and on other social networks on February 14th.

Click the big green button up there on the right and go for it!

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Getting on …

With a few notable exceptions – !Metro Arts in Edward Street, The Roundhouse at Kelvin Grove, and the Judith Wright Centre in the Valley – most of the major theatre premises in Brisbane have been damaged in some way as a direct result of the incursion of floodwaters last week. Fixtures and fittings and stock, costumes, props and tools have been destroyed.  Some theatres are planning to reopen again today and continue their business; others will be dark for some time. Performances have been cancelled or postponed.

For those theatre buildings directly affected by the flooding, especially those by the river – QPAC and Queensland Theatre Company‘s home at 78 Montague Road – the task of just wading in and cleaning up was daunting. They weren’t the only places affected, of course. Many, for example, turned out to help Drift Restaurant at Milton, a favourite spot for indie cabaret-style shows. Continue reading “Getting on …”

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… all losses are restored, and sorrows end

Intersection of Creek and Adelaide Streets dur...
Image via Wikipedia

Much of the world now knows about the awful Queensland flood disaster which took so many lives and properties this week. Other cities and towns throughout the state have been dealing with floods caused by deluge, swollen creeks and rivers. This week it was the turn of Ipswich, and of the state capital, Brisbane as their rivers rose and burst their banks. ‘Burst’ is a dramatic word, ‘gradual creep’ better describes the slow, inexorable rise of torrential brown water into the city and its streets, homes and businesses. It’s not the first time the state’s capital has been flooded. This image was taken during the floods of 1893. Another great flood happened in 1974. 2011 is probably the worst so far.

As I write, the immediate danger from rising floodwaters has passed and the Brisbane River has gradually slowed what has been a frighteningly fast surge out into Moreton Bay.  The weather pattern has changed to blue skies and sunshine, and Brisbane, as with all flood-affected towns in the state, is in full clean-up mode. It’s been a terrible, exhausting time, one that has taxed everyone to some degree; it will go on for months, maybe years. State Premier Anna Bligh has likened this time to one of ‘post-war recovery’ proportions. Federal, state and local governments are coming together to assist in the recovery.

Our theatres and arts company premises have not escaped either. Shows have been cancelled, foyers and orchestra pits and studios are inundated with water and mud, and equipment has been damaged or destroyed. Hearts are broken, but heads are unbowed.

With typical generosity the wider community are pitching in and volunteering, as always happens when the going is bad. The big cleanup has begun. The arts community are also mobilising to get things back to normal. 23rd Productions Artistic Director Kathryn Fray is coordinating Brisbane artists and creatives to help out with entertainment in the Evacuation Centres in the state, while Harvest Rain Theatre Company under Tim O’Connor are calling for people to register for the Brisbane Arts Community big cleanup crew.

Dear friends, you do the heart good.

Follow @23rdProductions and @harvest_rain on Twitter

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Season 2011: Who are the writers?

This is the third in the series so far investigating some facts and figures on the 2011 seasons from Queensland Theatre Company and La Boite Theatre Company.

The two previous posts were Where do the writers come from? and When do the writers come from? (historical origins). There are links to these articles below.

This post looks at who is doing the writing, and does a break down on the gender composition of the writers and authorial teams, for teams they are in some cases. There are works written by a solo author, there are co-written pieces, as well as adaptations and translations.  In a couple of instances (I Feel Awful by Black Lung for Queensland Theatre Company and The Danger Ensemble’s Hamlet Apocalypse for La Boite Indie) there appear to be no author credit as such.  However there are 5 (Black Lung) and 13 (The Hamlet Apocalypse) creators/ensemble members listed under these productions. All up, this season provides a creatively rich mix of new work.

Whilst some might object to my use of the descriptor ‘Original Works’ to separate plays out from Adaptations, I know of no other to do the job as well. I apologise to any who take offence, especially to adaptors whose works are, of course, original in their own right as adaptations. In any case, most adaptors freely acknowledge a source text as their stimulus. My interest here is solely to sketch out as much detail as possible in analysis of the seasonal offerings by play type and origin.

Queensland Theatre Company
Original Works – author credited and/or created via ensemble: 11
Adaptations and/or Translations from original works: 2 (SacréBleu; Treasure Island)

La Boite Theatre Company
Original Works – author credited and/or created via ensemble: 9
Adaptations and/or Translations from original works: 1 (The Gruffalo’s Child)

As to the breakdown of the authorial teams by gender here are the figures for the total number of credited individual authors, adaptors and translators of all plays in the season.

Queensland Theatre Company: 22M; 1F
La Boite Theatre Company: 14M; 11F

FYI, 8 of the 11 women credited for La Boite’s season are members of The Danger Ensemble’s listed creative team for The Hamlet Apocalypse.

So, who are the writers? White guys, dead and alive.

Attention turns next to the directors in Season 2011.

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