Just in time for 2019 Sydney Mardi Gras, Short and Sweet WEEK FOUR presents eleven delicious plays about all things LGBTQIA, each in under ten minutes delivering absolutely entertaining live theatre. However just for this huge LGBTQIA special event, the plays are no longer PG rated and do often contain very coarse language, but always effectively used to good effect. Featuring drama, comedy, lust, love and romance plus two Trans and many LBGBTQIA actors.
Every week there is a new Short+Sweet Top 80 program (Thursdays-Fridays-Saturdays at 7.30pm and Sundays at 6.00pm) together with a separate new S+S Wildcards program each week (Saturdays at 3.30pm and Sundays at 2.30pm). The Short+Sweet huge gala finals, all take place in April 2019.
Second year in this big new venue for S+S, and comfortably seating a maximum of 171. Top 80 WEEK FOUR is a huge LGBTQIA special event, Thursday 28th February 2019 until Sunday. The S+S festival has new shows every week for eight weeks, and runs through to April 2019.
(1) FABULOUS WATER SPORTS
Risqué comedy monologue at the exercise pool class for senior gays and lesbians, at The Garden Of Earthly Delights, we meet the newly-hired and energetic instructor Christopher Hiney. And yes he has an absolutely breathtaking HINEY that apparently everyone wants to be friends with. Unfortunately he is suffering from severe relationship distress, especially not helped by mumbling his way through each and every unwanted mobile telephone call, received from his ex and then from his mum.
Writer: Roy Proctor
Director: Victoria Lewis
Cast: Mitch Summerfield
(2) THE AUDITION
The audience loved the huge comedy heard at an important audition where a famous “off stage” actor struts his stuff and details at length, his huge Curriculum Vitae to the theatre director. Famous for performing the role of Godot in “Waiting For Godot” at the Belvoir Theatre and as Virginia Woolf in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”. As a member of the small minority group of “off stage” actors, he discovers overwhelming discrimination at its worst.
Writer: Steven Otfinoski
Director: Kathleen Hrayssi
Cast: Alexandra Strehl, Trey Daniels, Bob Deacon
(3) BAAAHHH
Comedy involving the surviving anti-social Irish sister and brother, following from the sudden and very bloody-thirsty patricide and matricide. Then they read the Last Will and Testament of their parents. Despite the disgusting deadly dangerous horrors outside their current hiding place, they decide to kill the sole benefactor. Oooops comedy galore.
ITC: Sis and Chris
Writer: Sophie Davis
Director: Sophie Davis
Cast: Sophie Davis, Chris Davis
(4) SAM! A TRAGICOMEDY
Dramatic message piece set in 1997. Whilst dealing with loss, a gay couple in a relationship for the last two years, now wanting to be foster parents, deal with unwanted discrimination from Lorrainia the Social Worker.
Writer: Eric Darby
Director: Latifa Amal-Schwarz
Cast: Douglas Spafford, Cassandra Ng, Nick Barraclough
(5) I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY
Absolute audience pleaser, Marriage Equality with extra happenstance, indeeed everyone has something to say, with coming out announcements of “I am gay” and “I am a lesbian” and a marriage proposal, so will the ring be accepted?
ITC: Peach Productions
Writer: Elaine Laforteza
Director: Meili Bookluck
Cast: Ethan Taylor, Kim Shazell and Happy Feraren.
(6) THE SHOOTOUT
Huge ensemble cast with this very rude and very crude Christmas extended-family comedy of multiple clichés. There is a very fine line between reality and cliché, and repeatedly they deliberately step over that line. However towards the end, a source of great joy by everyone showing acceptance, instead of compromise. Look for the t-shirt with the interesting but unexplored message, “I shaved my balls for this”.
ITC: The Very Idea
Writer: Chris Elena
Director: Kym Vaitiekus
Cast: Erica James, Adam Hedditch, David Bond, Carita Gronoos, Zara Patermoster, Natasha Cheng, Tahlia Ransley, Eowyn Ransley
(7) SOMETHING TRUE
Comedy message play and more, the truth of art. Two completely love-struck lesbians, trying to find the intimacy within “the one true thing” when it is definitely not a truism.
Writer: David Beardsley
Director: Teneale Clifford
Cast: Mathilde Anglade, Casey Campbell
(8) UNLIMITED SERVICE
Masked stylish comedy reminiscent of Commedia dell’arte at Wilby And Dad funeral directors located in Redfern, who delight in selling package deal pre-paid funerals including signing up pre-paid after-life after-care perpetual “Fone Frenzy” accounts lasting 1189 months OR was that 99 years?
Writer: Nicky Denovan
Director: Tabatha Magnan
Cast: Thu Nguyen, Jackson Blair
(9) 200 CLASSIC HITS
Fabulous Comedy Game where the winner takes all, for a trio of close friends, where all dialogue spoken must be all those well known “Song Titles”. Fabulous audience favourite, that hopefully will make it all the way to the S+S Gala Finals in April 2019.
Writer: Peter Greenaway
Director: Simone Neviani
Cast: Edric Hong, Simone Neviani, Matt Thompson
(10) ROOM 54
Comedy reminiscent of the plot for the 2004 movie film “Fifty First Dates”. Page is introduced to very forgetful Simon, who has “Goldfield’s Syndrome”, which is similar to short-term memory loss and anterograde amnesia, where even a goldfish has a longer attention span. In their hospital room, we learn about “Simon Says”, birthdays, relationships, crosswords and prawn-chips et cetera.
ITC: Occupy TAM
Writers: Chris Le Page and Bretany Amber
Director: Chris Le Page
Cast: Bretany Amber, Toby Green
(11) THE MORNING AFTER THE FALL
From The Book Of Genesis, displayed with the compulsory full nudity required, secrets galore and forbidden fruit in the real Garden Of Eden with Steve, Lilith, Adam and Eve, with some of them actually sorting out their actual needs, wants and desires.
Writer: John Bavoso
Director: Alexander Coburn
Cast: Casey Richards, Matthew Costin
