SHORT + SWEET 2014 Theatre WEEK ONE
TAPAC Theatre, Western Springs, Auckland
26/08/2014 - 30/08/2014
Production Details
WEEK ONE | 26 – 30 Aug
Encounter
Writer Renee Boyer-Willisson (NZ)
Director: Joanna Craig
Cast: Paul Trimmer & Brooke Petersen
Joanna’s love of literature, stories and exploring ideas lead her to gain a degree in Directing and explore the mediums of short film and theatre as well as installation artwork. After taking a break to focus on family, Joanna is excited to return to Directing as part of Short+Sweet.
Bankin on the Grand
Writer: Chris Shaw Swanson (USA)
Director: Dennis Brooks
Cast: Dawn Glover Raj Singh
Dennis Brooks is an American writer and director who has spent the last few years teaching screenwriting and directing at South Seas Film & TV School. He rewrote his last stage play into the film Goodnight, Joseph Parker which starred Paul Sorvino, Debi Mazar and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler.
About the Play – The marriage of Buddy and M. Lou is put to the test as the couple awaits rescue on the top of their mobile home during a flood.
Harold Reconciles With His Sister
Writer: Jason Pizzarello (USA)
Director: Renee Sheridan
Cast: Daley Winterstein & Tasha Wilcox
Renée Sheridan graduated from Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School in 2005 and has since worked professionally in both theatre and film. Theatrical highlights include Death of a Salesman, Almost a Bird Theatre Collective’s productions of The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire at Circa Theatre. She rejoined Almost a Bird Theatre Collective for Jeff Koons and was in The Little Dog Laughed at Downstage Theatre. At Centrepoint, she performed in sell-out seasons of Penalties, Pints and Pirouette, The 39 Steps and Enlightenment, a successful season of April Phillip’s premier production of Motel at Auckland’s Basement Theatre and most recently Elisabeth Easther’s award winning play SEED. Screen credits include Shortland Street and The Gibson Group’s Paradise Cafe 2, award winning feature films Eternity and Shopping, short films Bad Dates, The Performer and Inside New Zealand’s documentary The banker, The escort & The $18million. She has sung in bands, narrated short dramas for Radio New Zealand, children’s stories for Learning Media, as well as lent her voice for radio and television commercials.
The Mother
Produced by Groundlings
Cast: Nicole Stevens
‘Groundlings’ is a new project created by Nicole Steven with the aim of bringing fresh and fantastical worlds to the stage. A 2013 Unitec graduate, Nicole has widespread interest in the Performing Arts including experience in theatre, cabaret, stand-up comedy, clowning and Chinese Opera.
About the Play – Rancid steamy breath. Razor-sharp ears. Spindly barbed claws that slice through little bodies like butter.
Dhoti Baba
Produced by Prayas Youth Theatre
Cast: Aman Bajaj, Ram Mantry, Shreya Gejji & Aamir Kapasi
Prayas youth theatre: is the youth wing of ‘Prayas’, an Auckland based non-profit theatre group that aims to share, integrate with, and enhance the cultural mosaic of New Zealand. Last year, we performed a ten minute dance/drama as part of the Top 20 Short & Sweet dance festival that garnered rave reviews and made it to the gala finals.
About the Play – Dhoti Baba follows the adventures of Gopal, who returns to New Zealand after a sojourn in India a changed man. Having been blessed with powers by a Guru, Gopal dons the mantle of ‘Dhoti baba’, a crime fighting vigilante.
The Possethsion
Writer: Ron Burch (USA)
Director: Sananda Chatterjee
Cast: Natalie Crane, Mustaq Missouri & Rebekah Bourhill
Sandy started with Prayas Theatre in Auckland in 2007 and has been involved in various capacities – Stage Manager, Playwright, Assistant Director. Lately, she’s been part of Agaram’s Mumbai Monologues as a playwright. The art of telling stories fascinates her. Short + Sweet is the perfect opportunity to try her first hand at Directing!
About the Play – When Ted and Becky’s 12-year old daughter, Megan becomes possessed by Sethamungus, a demon from the 9th level of hell, it’s up to them to try and free her although Seth does seem a little nicer than their moody teen.
The Proper Execution of The Playwright Mr. William Shakespeare
Writer: Camilla Maxwell (AUS)
Director: Natalie Beran
Cast: Caleb Wells & Paul Trimmer
Natalie Beran is a drama graduate of the America Musical and Dramatic Academy (New York) and also holds a Bachelor of Communication Studies (Radio – AUT). She has worked as a radio announcer/producer, actress and voice over artist in New Zealand, Sweden, Canada and the USA and is currently the Program Manager of The Actors’ Program drama school.
About the Play – Shakespeare attempts to fire his leading “lady,” Mr. Peter Bankbridge. Much to Peter’s dismay.
The Delivery
Director: Luke Thornborough
Produced by Point Blank Productions
Cast: Kristof Haines & Stephen Lunt
Point Blank Productions is a repertory company formed nearly two years ago. Last year they produced the Premiere ‘A Midsummer Mess’ for fringe and the New Zealand Premiere of ‘Frost/Nixon’, to rave reviews. ‘The Delivery’ has been written especially for S&S.
About the Play – Liber and Inuus, your local gays, are are in the midst of an argument after a morning run accident. Something stranger than a twisted ankle and a dodgy bladder is going on though. The strange food cravings and emotional roller-coaster points to another question! Could Liber be…?
Here And There
Produced by: Horiwood Productions
Cast TBC
Horiwood Productions was formed by a couple of friends who love bringing cultural stories to audiences whether it be through acting, writing or directing. Diversity and humour has played a large part in their past work including Maori plays for children, and working with the City Mission’s Hudson St Theatre Company.
About the Play – Mina and Hama are getting hitched and they couldn’t be happier. However Mina faces a daunting task. Telling her Indian family about Hama. And that he is Maori. Mina’s Indian parents are unlikely to accept the union and the topic of mixed marriages comes to light.
Theatre Programme:
WHEN: 26th AUGUST – 6th SEPTEMBER 2014
WHERE: TAPAC (The Auckland Performing Arts Centre)
BUY TICKETS: 09 845 0295 ext 1 or visit www.tapac.org.nz
Full Short + Sweet details
The (Sweet) Team
Festival Artistic Director: Jonathan Hodge
Festival Producer: Sums Selvarajan
Artistic Coordinator (Theatre): Ahi Karunaharan
Artistic Coordinator (Dance): Jessie McCall
Artistic Coordinator (Dance): Lydia Zanetti
Artistic Coordinator (Song): Robbie Ellis
Associate Producer: Yee Yang ‘Square’ Lee
Tech Adviser & Web Development: WhySquare Ltd
Marketing & Publicity: SWPR (Sally Woodfield)
Ten-minute theatrical turns a treat
Review by Janet McAllister 28th Aug 2014
This week, 10 light-hearted “slice of life” plays start the month-long Short+Sweet suite of theatre, song and dance. Next week sees another round of 10-minute plays before the dancers and musicals get a week each.
The now-experienced producers seem very at ease with the short format, presenting satisfying conversations rather than mere skits or overbearing melodrama. At least half of this week’s plays were written locally, and the standard overall is high. It’s particularly enjoyable to see Auckland situations on stage. [More]
Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer
Enjoyable and varied
Review by Bronwyn Elsmore 27th Aug 2014
Ten plays in an evening. It’s not the marathon it sounds, for each is only 10 minutes long. I like the idea of taking the essence of a story, revealing it in a few minutes and leaving the viewer to think later about broader context, backstory, and where it might go next.
In such a brief timeframe the finer skills of playwriting are pushed to extreme: storyline, theme, plot and character must be established and the whole shaped into an effective capsule.
The best of the plays in this first group of the Short and Sweet programme achieve this but, not surprisingly, others fall somewhat short. The storylines are mostly fun and inventive. If an overall theme comes through, it’s deception.
In The Proper Execution of the Playwright Mr William Shakespeare, by Australian writer Camilla Maxwell (Director Natalie Beran), the Bard (Paul Trimmer) fires his boy/leading lady (Caleb Wells), in a mash of the original plays.
A leap of five centuries has us watching a Skype conversation in Horiwood Productions’ Here and There, as a newly engaged couple – Indian girl and Maori man – break the news to her parents. The lack of shaping of the piece and patchy acting take away from the overall effectiveness, but there are fun moments as Prateek Vadagaonkar, Boni Te Rongopai Tukiwaho, Melody Mendonza, Blair Corbett, and Anjula Prakash entertain.
Ron Burch’s script The Possethsion proves to be a more polished mini-play in which a twelve year old girl alternates with the demon possessing her. Which will the parents choose to keep: Megan, their daughter, or Seth-Mungo-Demon-of-the-Night? There’s good direction by Sananda Chatterjee and excellent acting by the three cast members: Natalie Crane, Mustaq Missouri and Rebekah Bourhill.
In The Delivery, produced by Point Blank Productions and directed by Luke Thornborough, a supposed sports injury somehow leads to a surprise delivery. Though there are some funny moments provided by actors Kristof Haines and Stephen Lunt, the whole premise is unconvincing.
Dhoti Baba, written and directed by Aman Bajaj, is an entertaining take-off of Bollywood movies, set in Auckland. A student dentist becomes taxi driver, then a spiritual encounter in the Himalayas leads to the birth of a Superhero. The clichés make it funny but the obligatory dance routine at the end is hilarious, thanks to Aman Bajaj, Ram Mantry, Shreya Gejji, and Aamir Kapasi.
The most theatrical image of the evening is provided in Groundlings’ piece The Mother – a somewhat macabre cautionary tale for kinderlein of a spider who cuts itself away from the safety of parental ties. Nicole Steven is the compelling yet chill-inducing mother.
A very American scenario in Bankin On The Grand by Chris Shaw Swanson doesn’t really translate to this locale, but Director Dennis Brooks pulls some good acting from his cast of Dawn Glover and Raj Singh.
Under the direction of Joanna Craig, Renee Boyer-Willisson’s play Encounter, exploring the dynamics of personal space, tops tonight’s ten for me. The two actors involved, Paul Trimmer and Brooke Petersen, are perfect in the parts.
Daley Winterstein and Natasha Ross, the two actors in the following play – Harold Reconciles With His Sister by Jason Pizzarello (Director Renee Sheridan) – also put on sterling performances, but sadly these aren’t enough to lift a script that doesn’t provide enough promise or entertainment.
An encounter between flatmates following a failed date arranged via internet also produces the opportunity for some well-acted moments by John Bartlett and particularly Lana Walters. OK Cupid is also written by Lana Walters, and is directed by Thomas Sainsbury.
From a total of 25 actors appearing overall, there are many very good performances. Paul Trimmer, Brooke Petersen, Natalie Crane, Nicole Steven, and Dawn Glover deserve special mention, but that’s not an exhaustive list.
So too, should the Stage Manager (Max Thompson) and crew, and indeed all involved in the overall production, be acknowledged – particularly Festival Producer Sums Selvarajan, Festival Artistic Director Jonathan Hodge, Artistic Coordinator (Theatre) Ahi Karunaharan, Associate Producer Yee Yang ’Square’ Lee and Lighting Designer Michael Craven.
With ten plays following in quick succession, the transitions are fast and fault-free, contributing to an enjoyable and varied evening’s entertainment.
Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer
Comments
John Smythe August 28th, 2014
No need to get personally offensive, ‘nom-de-web’, and make extraordinary judgements about a critic just because your view – to which you are welcome – is different.
Not being in a position to see this production, I can only make a general observation. Assuming Aman Bajaj, Ram Mantry, Shreya Gejji, and Aamir Kapasi are “of Indian origin”, surely they are entitled to send up Bollywood clichés.
As I see it, the right of each culture to lampoon its own stereotypes is inalienable – consider The Naked Samoans and Bro Town, and the archetypes celebrated in the work of Indian Ink. To deny anyone a sense of humour about themselves is oppressive, is it not? And sociologically dangerous.
nom-de-web August 27th, 2014
This review has an impeccable flavour of racial prejudice and a very colonial, white, middle-class, biased viewpoint. The only point that the critic and I are in agreement with is Nicole Steven's work.
Bronwyn Elsmore's review is nothing more than that of a queasy undergraduate scratching her pimples.
nom-de-web August 27th, 2014
The review obviously reflects a taste that appreciates cultural stereotypes. While I myself enjoyed viewing Dhoti Baba, as a person of Indian origin, I found the cliches (that the reviewer obviously enjoyed) quite cringeworthy and offensive. It would be nice to have had someone with an open-minded approach review the show.
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