Image by Chris Lundie
On a seemingly ordinary night in 1962, LA gossip columnist Hedda Hopper invites movie stars and rivals Bette Davis and Joan Crawford for a night of airing dirty laundry, throwing insults, and making a few deals. After lots of drinks and a fine wager from Bette, Marilyn Monroe makes an appearance and the whole night goes off the rails.
Image by Brett Boardman
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a seminal text in English Romantic literature which many Australians would have encountered in a high school classroom. It’s a poem detailing the penance an old mariner must pay for a moment of arrogance and cruelty against a “lesser” being. Little Eggs’s reimagining for the stage adds texture and movement, bringing new life to an old text.
Image by Kevin Patterson
Extremism has been a hot topic for at least the last two decades and with every new attack, when innocent people are targeted and murdered again and again, people ask why and they ask how. The British theatre company Knaive Theatre brings its debut production to Sydney to provoke discussion about the backstory for one of the world’s most infamous terrorists.
Image by Andrea Mudbidri
Night Writes sits down with the director Emma Burns and lead actors Caitlin Williams and Zachary Selmes from upcoming Venus in Fur at 107 to discuss their production and its larger ramifications.
Image by Clare Hawley
Suzie Flack has eschewed “women’s” sport for the real, original, men’s league of AFL. She has always been as good as the boys, ie better than the girls, and she wants her chance to prove herself as the first woman to ever play for the men’s team. Fierce is a complex examination of gender, bodies, ability, and want within the all-Australian realm of professional sport.
Image by Nick Gilbert
Bringing together two of the most well-known composers of the Romantic era, the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra showcased their exceptional talent for another program. When coordinating this concert program, Rachael Beesley and Nicole van Bruggen wanted to recreate an 18th Century concert, mixing styles and genres to keep the performances dynamic.
Image by Clare Hawley
Bob and Jennifer Jones are a typical American couple living out their lives in a quiet, woodsy neighbourhood. Bob was recently diagnosed with a rare neurological disease but they’re coping as best as they can. When the other Joneses, Pony and John, move in, their world is unsettled enough for them to question what’s left unsaid.
On a night of Sydney’s torrential autumn rain, Elysian Fields welcomed the audience into Foundry616 to launch their debut album What should I say. As Australia’s only band centred around an electric viola da gamba, Elysian Fields have a unique and eclectic sound blending influences from all over the world. The launch program included songs from the new album as well as some new and favourite pieces.
Image by Brett Boardman
Mental illness is a very isolating experience because many of the symptoms of mental illnesses, especially depression, attack the parts of the mind that interpret relationships, make meaningful connections, and experience joy. Often the effects of mental illness are not felt until a tragedy occurs, a suicide or another violent physical manifestation of the illness, when the impact radiates outwards through family, friends, and communities.
Image by Geoff Sirmai
In celebration and recognition of International Women’s Day on March 8th, Week Five of the Short + Sweet Theatre Festival was all about platforming women’s voices and work. Both the Wildcard and the Top 80 plays featured short plays written and/or directed by women and many focusing on issued concerning women in our society.
Night Writes 