Lynn Belvedere

SHORT AND SWEET THEATRE 2016 WILDCARDS FINAL @ Depot Theatre

 

02-Bi. Cycle (The Sammy Steel Spin Class Challenge) S+S WC finalist 03-WAR KISS S+S WC finalist 04-Angelfish S+S WC finalist 05-BLESS ME FATHER S+S WC finalist 06-The Odds of Gazing S+S WC finalist.jpg 07-THE POLITICAL BACHELORETTE S+S WC finalist 08-All Stations to Sanity S+S WC finalist.jpg 09-The formative years S+S WC finalist 10-The Interview From Hell - S+S WC finalist 11-The mediator S+S WC finalist 12-But i just got here S+S WC finalist

 

The biggest little play festival in the world. 2016 and this is the fifteenth year of SHORT+SWEET THEATRE SYDNEY, running Wednesdays to Sundays, from 6 January 2016 to 13 March 2016 with the very best of the best are returning in March at the Gala Final.

All the heats have finished, and these twelve just simply superb plays all deserved getting to the S+S WILDCARDS finals. Providing clever message-pieces and both drama and laugh-out-loud entertainment galore, presented in the ten minute play format.

(1) HARRY JEEVA AND THE GATES TO SELF DESTRUCTION – Wildcards Week 6 – Meditation comedy, freshly divorced Harry manages the eternal battle between mind, intellect and soul. Methods explained for controlling anger, greed and lust. ITC: Vedanta, Writer + Director: Robert Grant, Cast: Uma Kali Shakti (Soul), Sanket Das (Harry Jeeva), Belinda Maree Elchaar (Ms. Brill and Amanda), Cristina Siciliano (Mind), Brad Yee (Intellect)

(2) BI. CYCLE (THE SAMMY STEEL SPIN CLASS CHALLENGE) – Wildcards Week 2 – This audience favourite created constant laughter. A very entertaining, and very over the top comedy monologue, delivered in multiple voices. Set in the local fitness gym, we experience the primal Steel Spin Class, as an indoor cycling journey to inspire considered meditation. ITC: Let It Go Productions, Writer + Director + Cast: Sam Anderson (Sammy Steel)

(3) WAR KISS – Wildcards Week 8 – Beautifully written drama from prolific playwright, Alex Broun. Exquisite and perfectly performed wartime memoir, very clever dialogue all about Perihan (Olivia Jubb) a young woman who falls in deeply and madly in lust with “the one” Karim (Nadim Accari) at the wrong time and in the wrong place. Everything starts by ordering turkish coffee with maximum sugar. The tremour in her voice and the quiver in her lips, the pacing and the timing immaculate, and a crowd pleaser. Writer: Alex Broun, Director: Brett Garland

(4) ANGELFISH – Wildcards Week 6 – Huge comedy within a vegan message piece. Angelfish are one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish. A grazing menu of Angelfish from the Tasting Menu are offered at a restaurant by Chef Mirabelle – the Chef (Ashlea Hingston). This couple are in their fifth year together. Viv is the vegan (Joyce Vasta) and Samuel (Ben Dewstow) after five years as a forced vegan, wants his old diet to return. So will their relationship survive the Angelfish? Writers: Leonie Jordan and Bobby Duncan, Director: Leonie Jordan

(5) BLESS ME FATHER – Wildcards Week 1 – Drama unfolds within the Catholic Confessional, victim versus offender. Needing resolution, the former Alter Boy (Wombat GT) now a young man, confesses to envy and suffering for the sins of others, for all that was done to him repeatedly by Father Dowd (Graham Egan). Writer: Joe Starzyk, Director: John Tsioulos

(6) THE ODDS OF GAZING – Wildcards Week 4 – Interesting comedy set in limbo, where the Gambler (Timothy Abdallah) is given just two choices with 2 to 1 odds by the Fortune Teller (Jessica Priebee) via her crystal ball. If only the Gambler understood that there are always multiple choices, beyond the initial two choices suggested? Writer: Sara Seal, Director: Kathryn Mas Thomas, Costume + Prop Design: Brittany Stephen

(7) THE POLITICAL BACHELORETTE – Wildcards Week 7 – The year is 2020, and there have been eight Prime Ministers in the last ten years. During six weeks via reality television, Miss Australiana Peeples is the Political Bachelorette tasked with electing for all Australians, which of the two remaining politicians is our next Prime Minister. Audience absolute comedy favourite, garnered lengthy applause. Writer + Director: Kate Macdessi, Cast: Daniel O’Sullivan (Jeff Hart – MC), Miriam Capper (Miss Australiana Peeples), James Belfrage (Barry Robinson), Neil Modra (Nathan Reilly)

(8) ALL STATIONS TO SANITY – Wildcards Week 4 – Comedy, yes we are all being watched, especially at your local Railway Station. William (Jayden Gobbe-Bezzina) is waiting forever for his train to arrive, when the beautiful Cal (Tegan Gow) arrives. An extremely odd conversation is started with the CityRail voiceover person (Jennifer Halliburton), and then the CountryLink voiceover person intervenes. ITC: The Regional Institute of Performing Arts (RIPA), Writer + Director: Joel Mews,

(9) THE FORMATIVE YEARS – Wildcards Week 2 – Heavily pregnant with their first child, and they are both waiting for the birth, to learn the gender of their child. So many decisions to be made before the birth. Choosing the correct pre-school, school, high school, university. Undisciplined versus entitled, and can they make all the wrong decisions? Writer: Brandon Crose, Director: Avantika Tomar, Cast: Gaurav Jindal (Expectant Father), Avantika Tomar (Expectant Mother)

(10) THE INTERVIEW FROM HELL – Wildcards Week 3 – “Je ne sais quoi” outlandish comedy extraordinaire, set in hell. The Devil (Brooke Doherty) showing the ultimate price suffered by one man (Alistair Bates) because on Earth he was a sinner. Writer: Robert Armstrong, Director: Patrick Matijevic

(11) THE MEDIATOR – Wildcards Week 5 – Female Senior Mediator Mandy (Ros Richards) at the Family Law Court, mediating the parental access needs of Sally (Liz Harper) and her ex Mitchell (Ben Brooke). Comedy with just so much continuous swearing in under ten minutes, and each and every f*word always generated huge laughter from an appreciative audience. Should write an audience award winning ten minute comedy play with 1800 f*words, as it is guaranteed to get 1800 laughs. Crazy unexpected twisted ending. Writer: Vee Malner, Director: Tom Richards

(12) BUT I JUST GOT HERE – Wildcards Week 6 – Wonderful comedy about woefully inept Sara, who moves from Brisbane to a flat in Sydney, where everything that could possibly go wrong for a new flatmate, goes much worse, unbelievably worse. The really cute dog, was an immediate audience favourite. Writer: Oprah Oyugii, Director: Ren Thackham, Cast: Danny Bolt (Michael – the husband and Landlord), Benjamin Scott (Sweetie – the Dog), Sarah Berry (Sara – the new tenant), Scarlett Arthur (Maggie – the wife), Adriana Orecchio (Beth – the pregnant lover)

SHORT AND SWEET THEATRE 2016 WILDCARDS FINALS Week 9 @ Depot Theatre, ran from Saturday 5 March 2016 to Sunday 6 March 2016.

The Depot Theatre, 142 Addison Road, Marrickville

with on-site free car parking.

http://www.shortandsweet.org/festivals/shortsweet-sydney

Production photography by Sylvi Soe.

Editor’s Note- The plays Bi Cycle and The Political Bachelorette won entries into the Gala Finals commencing tomorrow.

 

Published by Lynn Belvedere

Once we were old enough, my parents took the whole family to the Sydney CBD cinemas every week. Thus began a lifetime interest, in going to the cinema every week, and became a passionate cinephile by watching all those very heavily edited ''Australian Film Censorship Board'' true cinéaste versions of brand new release ''Cinematograph Films''. Greater Union always gave my father (who worked in Cinema Distribution Exhibition) guest double movie passes, to every first-night ''red carpet Opening Night'' at The State Theatre Cinema at 49 Market Street. Up until his death, my dad always received ''two house seats'' for every Opening Night performance events at the Theatre Royal SYDNEY and at Her Majesty's Theatre SYDNEY. As a child, when mum choose not to go, I often went with him, to those live performance events. As a young child, I remember being taken for each new show, at both The New Theatre at 60 Sussex Street, and the Phillip Street Theatre when located at 150 Elizabeth Street, and for classical music concerts at Sydney Town Hall. = = = ★★★★★ = = = Being happy is a choice, and I have always viewed my life, as material ready be made into a series of amazing tentpole movies. My New Years Resolution is kept every year: ''Get to see/review five new live theatre shows each week, and get to see/review six new cinema movies each week'', plus is one of the Australian Cinema Pioneers, and apparently have seen far too much already, but always wanting to experience more and more each year. I am also able to do almost everything that I enjoy doing. Yes, I do have a great daytime job in I.T. as ''Software Design Project Manager'', PLUS each evening until quite late - - - Australian Cinematograph Films historical censorship consultant - product-placement consultant - mystery-shopper consultant - playwright, writer, author, director, producer, photographer, cinematographer, color-grader, subtitles proofreader - arts/ drama/ music/ film critic and judge, journalist, member FIPRESCI & FCCA & AFCA, member AACTA accredited film reviewer-critic-writer, accredited IMDB.COM critic-reviewer-author, projectionist, plus an innovative iconoclast - - - ★★★★★ LYNN BELVEDERE ★★★★★ - - - [usr 5] - - -