Short + Sweet is my favourite time of year, and this new week offers another quite entertaining evening of live theatre. Festival director Wayne Tunks has chosen ten plays for this week, a fine selection of both comedy and drama. It is quite impossible to pick just the one winner, and this week also includes the unique experience of seven wonderful drama delights.
(1) – Objectum Sexuality
Written by Ron Burch / Directed by Kathryn Thomas
Cast: Bryce Lavery-Jacko and Wayne Buckley
Couples Therapy comedy, because Mike is deeply in love with Rocky (a wooden rocking chair), but Mike has cheated.
(2) – Det-end-tion
ITC Presented By Moontan Productions
Written by Amelia Gilday and Alex Fenner / Directed by Amelia Gilday
Cast: Riley Marnell and Daniel Pryke
Very dramatic message piece, as an earthquake causes exploration of the bully/victim relationship of two young men.
(3) – #NotAllMen
ITC Presented By Village Spirit Productions
Written & Directed by Kel Vane
Cast: Michelle Burge, Margareta Moir and James Walkom
Strange Police procedural drama, police interrogation room delivers rough justice. Just the quirky unrealistic “Police Facts” via analysing all the lies “he says versus she says”. Discover the alleged victim versus the alleged perpetrator. Is she is going to miss out on the tax free $15000.00 NSW victim of crime payout?
(4) – The Wee Small Hours
ITC Presented By Angelfish Productions
Written by Leonie Jordan / Directed by Margaret Fitzgerald / Music by Daniel O’Connor
Cast: Pauline Gardner & Rob White
Drama full of grief, regret and revenge. He has re-married, but has taken this 3am telephone call from his ex, on the anniversary of the death of their young daughter.
(5) – Not So Super
ITC Presented By Musketeer Productions
Written & Directed by Paulene Turner
Cast: Paul Byrne, Nicholas Drummond, Liz Hovey and Rebecca Towns
Comedy version of “The Incredibles” versus the Evil Pulse and starring the crazy super family with Flame, Fast, Mind Reader, Time Keeper.
(6) – Yellow Means Caution
Written by Gregory Crafts / Directed by Victoria Lewis
Cast: Emma Mylott & Andrew Wang
Message drama with comedy one-liners, as video game widow Loretta, in relationship crisis needs to find happiness within her rotten marriage with video gamer Max. She has happy painted every wall of every room, using bright bold “Yellow Submarine” coloured paint.
(7) – Love, Honour & Obey
Written by Sally Williams / Directed by Angeline Andrews
Cast: Kirra Farquharson and Will Reilly
Wife insists that her husband obeys her written instructions (including footnotes) detailing how her husband can get way with murdering her in cold blood, but he desperately needs her to stop interrupting him.
(8) – A Dog’s Dream
Written by Jeffrey Fischer-Smith / Directed by Jace Pickard
Cast: Jack Dawson & Richard Lund
Message piece, yes interesting drama, that will take you on an unexpected trajectory. For Mark his dog’s dreams are real. Recently deceased Mark tells his partner Andy, that the family dog needs to be taken to the local park to grieve about Mark.
(9) – The Secret of Me
ITC Presented By Almost Evkav
Written by Sonal Moore / Directed by Evangeline Moore
Cast: Jack Marsden & Alexandra Joyce
Photographic art trends keep changing, and during Queen Victoria’s time, young children being captured in photos completely naked was a symbol of purity and not of sexuality. Strong believable performances, utterly intense dialogue, set in an photographic art gallery storeroom. Unexpectedly Ruth sees an extremely confronting paedophile photo of herself on exhibition, that unknowingly her Uncle Leo had taken of her, over twenty years ago. Dramatically ends with an unexpected resolution of her dilemma.
(10) – Waiting To Go
Written by Elspeth Tilley / Directed by Kym Vaitiekus
Cast: Barbara Hastings, Seb Normel
Clever comedy stereotyping, as these two dancing lollypop-sign-controller road-workers, from just outside your front gate, provide detailed political insanity, whilst doing a famous slapstick routine clearly inspired by the movie film “The Plank”.
All photos by Robert Miniter.
SHORT AND SWEET THEATRE 2017 Top 80 Week FIVE, runs from Wednesday 8th February 2017 to Sunday 12th February 2017 at 7.30 pm at the Depot Theatre, 142 Addison Road, Marrickville, with on-site free car parking.
Website: : http://www.shortandsweet.org/festivals/shortsweet-sydney-0
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