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Showing posts with label Seymour Centre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seymour Centre. Show all posts

Thursday 14 June 2012

Truck Stop Review

Truck Stop

Written by Lachlan Philpott

Presented by Q Theatre Company in association with Seymour Centre

Directed by Katrina Douglas

Reviewed by Catherine Hollyman

It’s not often you walk in to a theatre and have an instant reaction to the set, as was the case tonight. A grey concrete rectangle circumvented with a cold metal bench effortlessly portrayed the scene of both a playground and/or a truck stop. As we took our seats, the sound of children’s voices told us that, for now at least, we were watching the former. As a backdrop, digital images were projected against two floor-to-ceiling screens.

The synopsis tells us that Sam and Kelly are typical teenage girls, devoted to boys, their mobile phones, Facebook, magazines, music videos and movies. Bored at school and with their lives, they skip lessons one day and head to a truck stop on the highway. A truck pulls up. A dare is issued…

Having read this prior to the play, there was something disturbingly eerie about the empty, somewhat decrepit looking playground and the contrasting innocence of the youthful laughter that made me nervous of what was to come. The uneasiness intensified with the opening scene – or rather video - of three teenage girls dancing ‘like they do in the music videos’ to Rihana’s hit track Good Girl Gone Bad:

Easy for a good girl to go bad
And once we gone
Best believe we've gone forever
Don't be the reason
Don't be the reason
You better learn how to treat us right
'Cause once a good girl goes bad
We die forever….

The tone of the evening was definitely set.

As the song faded, the girls themselves walked on stage and took positions on the bench. The lights came up and Lachlan Philpott’s writing was let loose in all its glory. The pace was fast; the rhythm staccato; the dialogue energetic; the captivation of the audience impenetrable. Neither we, nor the cast, seemed to stop for breath throughout the entire performance. That’s not to say it felt rushed, for it didn’t. To have been any slower or interrupted with an interval would have broken the momentum that Director Katrina Douglas had so successfully generated.

The story of that fateful day, inspired by a real incident that happened in a NSW high school, is told to the audience by sexual-deviant and film star wannabe Sam (Erryn Jean Norvill) – the kind of girl parents hope their daughter doesn’t befriend; the lonely and looking for stability Kelly (Jessica Tovey); and recent immigrant Aisha (Kristy Best) who just wants to try and fit in to this crazy new world her parents have brought her to.

Norvill, Tovey and Best embody their characters to perfection, but it was supporting actor Elena Carapetis who really stood out for me. Carapetis plays all the other characters: from Aisha’s traditional Indian mother, to two different counselors, the teacher, the Westie boyfriend and everything in between. She glides smoothly from one role to the next without breaking a sweat, allowing the three lead characters to shine. She is the glue that binds their individual performances together to create one single production that has you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

It’s one that everyone should watch – especially those with teenage daughters!


Booking Information

Dates: on now until 23 June

Venue: Reginald Theatre @ Seymour Centre

Duration: 90 minutes, no interval

Tickets: Adult $40, Conc / Adult Matinee $35

Book: http://secure.seymourboxoffice.com.au/tickets/production.aspx?PID=71494

Thursday 19 April 2012

SEYMOUR CENTRE WELCOMES CRITICAL STAGES AS NEW RESIDENT COMPANY

Critical Stages, the national professional organisation for independent theatre, is the latest arts organisation to take up residency in the Seymour Centre.

This takes the number of resident companies at the popular, multi-venue arts centre to four, joining with Shaun Parker and Co, chronology arts and SIMA Jazz.

In recent years Critical Stages has become Australia’s leading producer of touring theatre from the independent theatre sector. In the past six years the company has toured fourteen productions by some of the country’s leading independent theatre practitioners.

Critical Stages was established in 2005 as an initiative of Darlinghurst Theatre Company, with core funding initially from Arts NSW and then with triennial initiative funding from the Australia Council from 2009-2011. In January 2011 Critical Stages separated from Darlinghurst Theatre Company to form as a separate not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, with a dedicated management staff and board of Directors.

In 2012 Critical Stages has three productions on the road performing in all states of Australia: THE FLOOD
by Jackie Smith (co-produced with Finucane & Smith); the award winning BOY GIRL WALL by The Escapists, performed by Lucas Stibbard and SYNCOPATION by Allan Knee (co-produced with The Follies Company). This is supplemented by an annual program of work dedicated to touring to the community presenter circuit throughout regional and remote NSW.

It is with great excitement that the Seymour welcomes Critical Stages into our building. In many ways this residency is a natural fit: Over the past few years the Seymour has become home to many successful independent theatre productions, often as part of one of Sydney’s cultural festivals or our own Reginald season of independent works. I look forward to developing future projects with Critical Stages and showcasing them here at the Seymour before they head off to tour the country – Tim Jones Artistic Director Seymour Centre

Critical Stages is delighted to take up residence at The Seymour Centre. As we grow our horizons and offer further opportunities to give future life to independent theatre productions from around the country it is vital to do so from an important artistic hub. Our new home at The Seymour Centre will give us the infrastructure to offer independent artists more support and we look forward to using it as springboard to see their productions find new audiences – Luke Cowling, Artistic Director/CEO, Critical Stages

The Seymour Centre - www.seymourcentre.com

Located in the heart of Sydney University, the Seymour Centre champions cultural exploration and audience engagement. The Centre presents an eclectic mix of the best of contemporary performing arts and encourages participation from audiences across all Sydney communities.

Critical Stages – www.criticalstages.com.auCritical Stages nurtures and supports independent artists, working together to bring exceptional experiences to audiences everywhere. Our vision is to drive a continuous transformation of the performing arts landscape by championing independent theatre.

Saturday 30 July 2011

Motherhood the Musical

This is one of the most amusing musicals I have been in a long time.  Sue Fabisch has a gift of bringing to the stage something like a stand up comedy act with music.  The musical starts with expectant mum, Amy, singing about her joy of becoming a mum.  Her three friends, Barbara, Brooke and Trisha arrive well more like, interrupt with tales of woe! Poor Amy by the end is no longer sure how she feels.  However, the mood soon lifts as they have come to throw her a baby shower. 

Even though I am not a Mum I can remember what I put my Mum through when I was growing up. I particularly liked songs like  Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, I leak, Do it, Costco Queen, actually when I look at the list I liked most of them.  The Costco Queen's choreography with the lights on the shopping trolley's was very effective. 

Monday 18 July 2011

The Last Five Years

The Last Five Years is written and composed by Jason Robert Brown and is showing at the Seymour Centre until the 30 July.

The Last Five Years, was cited as one of Time Magazine's 10 Best of 2001 and won Drama Desk Awards for Best Music and Best Lyrics.  Luke Rogers the Director/ Producer and Mark Chamberlain the Musical Director did a great job at pulling this difficult piece of drama/ musical together. It is not a musical in the traditional sense i.e. there is no large cast with chorus lines and though the story is memorable the tunes are not.  It is just two characters who literally sing their way through the last five years of their lives! 
Before seeing this you have to know that Cathy played by Marika Aubrey is telling the story from when she and Jamie, Rob Mills split up and Jamie is telling the same story but from when they first met. It does get a little confusing at times, especially following Cathy who is telling the story backwards and I still not sure why she sang about breaking up an 8 month relationship after she met Jamie, unless she was having an affair.  I was also found it interesting that at the start you felt slightly sorry for Cathy because Jamie had left her and you knew chances are that he cheated on her, but her songs we not as interesting and varied as Jamie's; her costumes made her look frumpy so by the time you see the scene when Jamie does have the affair you don't feel sorry for her at all. 

Monday 30 May 2011

The Yard

I was lucky enough to go to see the first showing of The Yard last Thursday at the Seymour Centre. Unfortunately, if you didn't see it, well I am hoping they will do some more shows, it was so inspiring.
Shaun Parker, leading Australian choreographer has been working with students from western Sydney Catholic Schools on this dance and theatre work.  The students are part of the Diocese of Parramatta's creative and performing arts initiative, CAPTIVATE, and have been working with Shaun for over two years to develop this amazing, breath taking and thought provoking piece of work. The Yard is set in a western Sydney school yard, it depicts the daily reality of conflict and division between cultures, gender etc. The Yard is set to an electro acoustic score by Nick Wales. The performances fuse dance styles - break dance, locking and popping, tutting and krumping and jerking which are all forms of dance that can be found round the yards of western Sydney.