Tag / Ensemble Theatre

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The Caretaker | Ensemble Theatre

Image by Prudence Upton

This review comes from Night Writes guest reviewer Jack Mitchell

“What’s the game, then?”

The thuggish Mick asks the homeless layabout Davies this question at the end of Act 1 of Harold Pinter’s The Caretaker. Davies doesn’t know how to respond and it is almost as though Pinter is probing the audience with the same question. What’s the point of it all? Sitting within the absurdist theatre style, the play questions our assumptions about the fundamental aspects of live theatre. The plot is sparse, the characters speak over and around each other, and the language is cyclical and repetitive. Under Iain Sinclair’s direction, this is a claustrophobic and intriguing production.

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by nightwritessydney

Photograph 51 | Ensemble Theatre

Image by Teniola Komolafe

Most people would have encountered the famous duo Watson and Crick in their high school science classrooms when learning about the structure of DNA. But few will have heard about the context surrounding the monumental discovery and the duo’s rivalry with an early pioneer for women in science; a story comprised of pride, betrayal, and a tragic early death.

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by nightwritessydney

The One | Ensemble Theatre

Image by Prudence Upton

Growing up mixed-race can be complicated and confusing for kids trying to figure out their identity. Add to that splitting your childhood between two countries, having an absent father, and trying to integrate into a racist Australian society and the early years for Eric and Mel were tough ones. With such an unstable foundation, what kind of lives can they make for themselves in adulthood?

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by nightwritessydney

A Doll’s House | Ensemble Theatre

Image by Prudence Upton

Marriage is rich ground for conflict, having inspired countless dramatic examinations of hetero marital dynamics through the centuries. In this new adaptation of the 19th century classic, recognisable conversations about gender roles, freedom, and love demonstrate the timelessness of marriage stories under patriarchy.

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by nightwritessydney

A Letter for Molly | Ensemble Theatre

Image by Prudence Upton

Parents are a complete mystery to children. They exist as these all-powerful figures who seem to hover over your life whether bossy, friendly, embarrassing, absent, or inexplicable. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, you are one yourself and the focus on your own parents becomes crystal clear for the first time. At least that’s what happened to the four generations of Gumbaynggirr mothers and daughters at the heart of Brittanie Shipway’s new play.

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by nightwritessydney

Unqualified 2: Still Unqualified | Ensemble Theatre

Image by Prudence Upton

One year ago Joanne and Felicity formed their temp job agency as a hare-brained scheme for them to do all the jobs themselves, no matter how unqualified, and rake in the money to help stabilise their lives. Now, post-COVID lockdowns and Joanne’s divorce, the end of their plan is in sight. But without the agency and their partner in literal crime, what will they have?

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by nightwritessydney

Nearer the Gods | Ensemble Theatre

Image by Prudence Upton

David Williamson’s script comes at a time of great uncertainty as the world continues to navigate the pandemic and the increasing devastation of climate change while also attempting to reconcile the human disasters of war, greed, and power. In 17th century England, the state of things was similarly bleak.

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by nightwritessydney

Killing Katie: Confessions of a Book Club | Ensemble Theatre

Image by Lisa Tomasetti

Friendships are delicate things and they can grow brittle with age as people set into their ways and rhythms. So when a new voice gets injected into an old script, it can make or break the very foundations of the friendship. In this case, it even ends in death.

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by nightwritessydney

The Woman in Black | Ensemble Theatre

Image by Daniel Boud

Mr Kipps has a story he must tell. It’s a story of horror and misery and death. He has recruited an actor to help him translate this story from his memories so he can finally explain to his family their history. Neither man is aware, however, of just how long the ghosts of Mr Kipps’s past will linger.

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by nightwritessydney

Honour | Ensemble Theatre

Image by Prudence Upton

This review comes from Night Writes guest reviewer Gabriella Florek

It must be so delicious for any writer to experience the audible gasp, groan, or outburst of an audience reacting to a punchy line, a witty comeback, or a harsh truth. Joanna Murray-Smith’s Honour has no shortage of these. Her play is cleverly punctuated by all those things I imagine people wish they had said or perhaps have said in a painful or awkward moment.

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