Tastings A Review (2)

Tastings Review

1. The first play was a dive into the whimsy of the child. It contained both beautiful language and structure that made the piece gradually unfurl as a very well crafted work. Having seen this both nights the effect of it was more immediate the first but the second one became more captivated by the method. It was quite delicate, a good choice as the opening number.

2. This play involved an evening encounter of a couple who have clearly grown out of love. We watch as the somewhat painful and inevitable tension snaps. The depth of the writing came through a little more on the second night with some exchanges fleshed out a little more during the exchange. There was a very realistic sense of moving towards an inevitable break-up.

3. This monologue was a lovely snapshot of a relationship between a boy and his mum and his nan. It was considered and again an example of highly crafted writing and structure. Key to this piece was its focus on quite a limited subject matter which gave it a deceptive simplicity ideally suited to the short form.

4. Dinner can be a trial at the best of times. When one of your children decides they are vampire then things become bigger, brighter and more extreme. Bring on the wine, bring on the hysterics, bring on the caped vampire who will never clean his lair. Very amusing and borderline farcical at points, this play was such fun to watch both times. It was delivered with much energy!

5. Love is always complicated but does one play it out on stage within a play? It does present the luxury of casting ones lovers and dressing a very pretty set! This work was delightfully metatheatrical and gorgeously floral suffused in a warm yellow light. One feels that with this optimism about love that eventually everything will turn out alright. 

6. This play was written by the reviewer but from a totally biased perspective everyone involved was amazing and an absolute privilege to work with. x

7. The closing play was a revelation. The character took you on a ride with her language and her voice. At times you were close to tears, at others dissolving in laughter, always struck by the truth of what was being said. A special point to make was the very good use of the second person voice throughout and a seamless transition between the ‘you’ and the ‘I’. Excellent performance as well as writing, this play was the well deserved winner of the Mudfest Fringe Award and Best Mudfest Show.  

As a whole the Tastings presentation was excellent and a truly variable menu. All of these works were impressive in consistency in structure and writing so points to all the artists and performers.

Review: Tastings

Mudfest's 'Tastings', curated by Justin Nott, offered a seven course degustation of delicious morsels.

Hayley Jach in 'Dream Time' starts with a girl in a blonde wig and fairy wings telling a childhood monologue until... woops she's forgotten the words and she's actually drunk and accosting the audience. It's a disarming and unnerving beginning that paves the way for more treats.

Domini Marshall's 'Right Beside You' starts with 'He loves me, He loves me not, She loves me, She Loves me not." A couple spend a typical evening arguing over holidays and intimacy. It's a mundane tale with a refreshing twist. Small details take on larger meanings, such as that eternal question, pizza or thai?

Poet Darren Parker, seen previously on the Mudfest stage in 'Poetry Double Bill', gives a more restrained performance devoted to his grandmother Dulcie in 'Me Mum's Mum'. The tone ranges from childish sweetness to bitter adolescence, and reveals the quieter side of Darren's performance.

Hannah White's 'Dinner' provides a good ol' family meal but the characters who come to the table are far from meat and three veg. With a Hi-5 obsessed daughter, a son who thinks he's a vampire thanks to "that show all the kids are watching...'Truly Bloody'", and a mother hitting the bottle after a stressful day at work, it can only end in chaos. It's ridiculous and hilarious, with a whole heap of heart.

Hayley Bracken's 'Lovers' seems at first like the dessert that has come too early, with its sickly sweet romance. But like a trendy salted-caramel macaroon, this play within a play within a play quickly reveals its bite, and then leaves a genuinely sweet aftertaste.

Tilly Lunken and Dione Joseph offer the richest tasting of the night in 'Curtain Call'. It's Thursday wash-day at the nursing home. Gracie, an aging playwright suffering from dementia struggles to remember, and forget, her past. As the play of Gracie's life unfolds (the laundry becomes a stage, the nurses actresses, the clothes costumes), the women share their disappointments too. The plot is intricately layered and many-toned, from joyous to heartbreaking, brought to life by some very talented actresses. It's a play to be savoured.

As with Samantha Law's 'Just Peachy', a warm monologue from a shy girl that offers piercing observations and... a peach. Samantha has brilliant comic timing and manages to reach the heights of despair and humour in the same line. She has the audience hanging off every word, and wiping away tears of joy at the conclusion.

The shorts benefitted from work-shopping by industry professionals, and it shows. They were sharp, professional, and surprising in all the right ways, leaving a very satisfied audience at the end.

Tastings Artist Interview #2

Company name: lover lover

Artist name: Hayley Bracken

Show/artwork: Is it easier for Lovers?

Dates: 25th -26th August (Tastings*)

What was your initial motivation for joining the Mudfest Kaliedoscope in 2011?  The opportunity to see an idea be realized.

Is this your first mudfest show? Yes.

Are their future plans for this show?
 I do hope so! we want to make it longer and  stage it more imaginatively at another venue soon

Who is involved? Andrea Bergin and Tom Logan are the primary cast

What are your expectations for the show?  I hope it will surprise, delight and provoke thought and discussion

How do you think audiences will react? Only time will tell..

Review: Tastings Cabaret

Festival co-director and event curator, Dani Asciak, highlighted an important point in her introduction to the Tastings Cabaret event: cabaret is an integral part to Mudfest. An art form that is rarely seen on campus, Mudfest provides the perfect medium to exhibit these personal, musical stories. This makes Tastings Cabaret a welcome addition to the festival program, allowing new performers the chance to write and workshop a cabaret with industry professionals Karlis Zaid and Trevor Jones. It was also a successful event for audiences as well, allowing them to experience three diverse and entertaining performances.

A blurry Allie Sutherland on the Tastings stage

The first cabaret for the event was “I could have been an actress”, performed by the talented Allie Sutherland. Her very personal account of balancing the stress of completing a thesis with a love of theatre was a joy to watch. It was a very relatable view into the stress of study, and was performed honestly and with such passion. The use of musical theatre songs was also very effective.

The second performance, “Reading an erotic novel at a late age”, was a sharp contrast to the traditional cabaret format the audience was expecting. Written by Sharon Flyn, this piece used minimal music and focused on a more traditional, dramatic ‘back and forth’ between two elderly women. It was a refreshing change of pace, and the two performers, Alex Parke and Hannah Roe, were both extremely entertaining as the women.

Closing the night was Jessica Gulasekharam’s “Don’t call us, we’ll call you”, an exploration of the pursuit of fame. Featuring entirely original songs, the cabaret showcased Jessica’s many talents, with her flute and piano duet being a highlight. While she may not have become a “mega star”, she dazzled the audience with her account of her attempts.

Special mention must be made of the set-up of the evening. Using a combination of cabaret tables and traditional seating in the rear (reminiscent of UHT’s “Trans-mute”), the space in the Guild theatre was made more personal in order to match the performances. The simple staging of a rug and hanging fairy lights were also very effective and added warmth and definition to the small stage area.

This was the first Tasting Cabaret event to be run under Mudfest, and I hope it continues through future events. It is refreshing to see theatre’s shorter, more musical cousin performed on campus and by such enthusiastic, new performers. Here is to the triumphant return of Mudfest Cabaret!

Tastings Artist Interview #1

 Image credit: http://leloveimage.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-just-dont-feel-anything.html

Artist name: Domini Marshall
Show/artwork: Right Beside You, part of the Tastings showcase
Dates: 25th and 26th August

What was your initial motivation for joining the Mudfest Kaliedoscope in 2011? The Tastings program sounded like an amazing opportunity to work with an established playwright in developing a script. It's the first play I've written and the process has been fun and a great learning experience.

Is this your first mudfest show? Yes!

Are their future plans for this show? Not at the moment...but maybe..

[Lilly's note - there TOTALLY SHOULD BE!]

Who is involved? Nadia Fragnito is the amazing director on board. Declan Greene is the fabulous playwright mentoring me. Sarah Hall and Sean O'Donoghue are the lovely actors.

What is the most scary thing about the show? The scariest element is also the most exciting and is yet to come - the audience's reaction!  I hope they'll laugh at the irony but recognise the tragedy.  Mudfest has been a really fantastic and supportive space to develop and produce creative ideas. I've had next to none experience in playwrighting but Mudfest was the perfect platform to begin.

Director Required

"Looking for a director for a short play, accepted as part of Tastings in Mudfest at Melb Uni.

You get to direct a new work and be mentored by the fabulous Declan Greene!

Small time commitment (a few rehearsals and one performance).

Send me a message for more info."

Posted by Mattie Young on our facebook. Reply to her there!!