Where Playscripts Go To Live and Other Art-Related Events

I remember (this is Catherine here) such a long time ago being completely devastated when my play Clark In Sarajevo was knocked backed from being published. It had done incredibly well – hell I stood at photo shoots for Literary Awards and it seemed everyone else had their plays with the lovely gold imprint to say you are “shortlisted” sitting on the table to be autographed. But in those days I was still under the belief a play would never be real unless it was a book. Oh it came close – a tiny publisher down south of Sydney, it even went to the proof stage and then they suddenly disappeared. Even more exciting a major American Theatre Magazine wanted it, I was told it was happening! It was real. It was not.

But the play fell on its feet with the dynamo of AustralianPlays.org. They had it in brochures and showcases and since then Clark In Sarajevo has had a multitude of productions from the major acting schools i.e NIDA, WAAPA, WAYTCO to tertiary acting programs all over the country. In the last couple of years it has had productions in both Singapore and Scotland as well.

Now AustralianPlays.org has a vast number of plays that can either be bought or borrowed, yes you can get a library card! Critically the majority of these plays would have been lost if it weren’t for this institution. They are international in their reach with welcoming introductions in German, French and Japanese.

Crucially they are advocates. Tom Healey the Literary Manager, amongst other capacities, chooses plays that he believes will suit a certain demographic and this is promoted through social media. There are also interviews with writers online, which may be of enormous help to actors, directors or writers and many others.

Our Ned has just had 10 of his Shakespeare for Australians plays published under the title Magic Box. It’s right there on the front of the page of the site. Go see.

Now onto a couple of other things one of my plays Deviant Art for the Degenerate was recently shortlisted for the AABB Foundation Playwriting Competition in the U.S. One of the aims of the prize is to create LGBT themed plays based on or inspired by history. (Yes AustralianPlays.org my latest draft hasn’t yet been sent to you with its new title!). It didn’t win but it made me think it’s time now to keep pushing this work further…

Finally if you are in Sydney I’ve three paintings in the Artsite Christmas Salon Collector’s Choice. It goes from the 30 November to the 15^th December.

Here’s the link to the address and to preview the works:

  

http://www.artsite.com.au/next.php

All works under $1500 and one work up at a time until sold. So if you are at all intrigued check out the stock room to see my other ones.

This one is called Precious Metal Mind (Acrylic on Canvas, 46 cm x 46cm)

New Developments - Platonic & NSW PLA

MY WHOCKETY!  This is a full-on week for 7-ON. 

Firstly, Verity Laughton and Vanessa Bates have both been nominated for the NSW Premier’s Literary Award! YAY!

Verity’s play The Sweetest Thing (directed by Sarah Goodes for Arts Radar and Belvoir B-Sharp) and Vanessa’s play Porn.Cake (directed by Pamela Rabe for Malthouse Theatre) are amongst a great field of playwriting peers and buddies. Check out the Sydney Morning Herald link here.

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE!!  7-ON are doing a development week at NIDA with director Augusta Supple and these wonderful actors: Jeremy Waters, Stephen Wilkinson, Madeleine Jones, Lynden Jones, Maggie Blinco, Tracy Mann, Wendy Strehlow, Shondelle Pratt, Helen O’Leary.

The idea is to develop a group show (called PLATONIC) and this week is a valuable chance to try some new material, hear the creaks and clunks in the scripts, sharpen our thoughts and words and enjoy being in a rehearsal room again with so many creative people. The individual 7-ON scripts are listed below (in no particular order) and they all dig, delve and drill down into the title theme of “Platonic”

Ollie

Melody

By Verity Laughton

Stella Started It

By Donna Abela

Robinson

Gary

By Noelle Janaczewska

A Rose By Any Other Name

By Ned Manning

It’s Platonic Baby

By Catherine Zimdahl

Cuckoo

By Hilary Bell

Todd Prefers Red

Two Drifters

By Vanessa Bates

Many thanks and much Platonic feeling to the actors, Augusta and to NIDA!

*PS The picture is my vegie garden. I thought this was a nice sort of analogy for things growing and developing. Even though the broccoli's done now and I've just put in some buk choi. Also we've planted these poppies that are taking off like triffids...

Vanessa

Platonic

Platonic, one of our current 7-ON projects, is part of NIDA's inaugural Independent Program. We're collaborating with Gus Supple as director and producer, and working to develop the project for pop-up and other like spaces. Our plan is to get Platonic on sooner rather than later—by the end of 2012.

What is friendship in our contemporary world? When we’re all on a first-name basis. When parents urge their kids to think of them as friends. When you can have nine-hundred, a thousand Facebook friends? Have we sidelined friendship in favour of currying contacts? Does it matter if your cat or your iPhone is your best friend?

In short plays, monologues, songs, interruptions, and yes, in forms yet to be discovered, 7-ON responds to this theme. Byron may have called friendship ‘love without his wings,’ but 7-ON and Gus are embracing its earthbound nature, and designing Platonic for an intimate setting near you.