SPA writers' poll

Page 37

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT

BOB BAKER FISH

GAME OF THRONES

The most defining moment was seeing MKA’s The Economist on the mainstream news stations with the slogan ‘Small Melbourne Play’. The fact that a “small Melbourne play” made Channel Ten, Seven, and Nine is staggering. Independent theatre is often an art form that is challenging to gain audiences for outside family and friends. Yet here is a new Australian play creating this kind of media stir.

TOP 5 FILMS

1. The Hunter 2. How I Ended This Summer 3. Essential Killing 4. Red State 5. Helldriver

The arrival of the second volume of Stephen Sondheim’s annotated lyrics, Look, I Made A Hat.

HOW THE ARTS CAN BE IMPROVED IN 2012 Ticket prices for the theatre and musicals should be cheaper and Book Of Mormon should tour Australia.

QUOTE OF THE YEAR THE HUNTER

The Plague Dances, The Wild Duck, and Blood Wedding at Malthouse; Medea for Belvoir; Queen Lear at MTC.

HOW THE ARTS CAN BE IMPROVED IN 2012

DANIEL CRICHTON-ROUSE

1. Treme 2. Game Of Thrones 3. The Daily Show 4. Breaking Bad 5. Foreign Correspondant

CASSANDRA FUMI

TOP 5 FILMS

1. Blue Valentine 2. Midnight In Paris 3. The Future 4. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 5. Black Swan

TOP 5 TV SHOWS 1. Gossip Girl 2. Killing Time 3. The Slap 4. Gavin And Stacey 5. The IT Crowd

ABC Radio National’s By Design, hosted by Alan Saunders. Whether the talk’s of typography or interior design, city planning or visual arts, it’s always an engaging listen.

The arrest of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and the jailing of Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof are the most important arts stories of the year. Other than that, Ryan Gosling’s jacket in Drive.

TOP 5 FILMS

QUOTE OF THE YEAR

1. Drive 2. Take Shelter 3. The Turin Horse 4. Martha Marcy May Marlene 5. Senna

“Can-a muh fukkasay fuck on here?” Samuel L Jackson, introducing himself on Twitter in superb fashion.

TOP 5 TV SHOWS

HOW THE ARTS CAN BE IMPROVED IN 2012

MOST ANTICIPATED ARTS EVENT OF 2012 Biennale of Sydney. Simon Amstell. Philip Glass doing the Qatsi trilogy. Roxette.

1. Game Of Thrones 2. True Blood 3. Grand Designs (UK) 4. The Hour 5. Gourmet Farmer

TOP 5 FILMS

The mainstream media can stop asking family and religious groups their thoughts on the arts, as no one cares what they think.

TOP 5 THEATRE PRODUCTIONS 1. Loot (Sydney Theatre Co.) 2. Speaking In Tongues (Griffin Theatre Co.) 3. And No More Shall We Part (Griffin Theatre Co.) 4. Smoke & Mirrors (Sydney Festival) 5. In The Next Room, or the vibrator play (Sydney Theatre Co.)

DANIELLE O’DONOHUE

1. Pirate Rhapsody, Mermaid Requiem (Tommy Bradson; Melbourne Fringe) 2. J.A.T.O (MKA) 3. Christina: A Story With Music (Attic Erratic) 4. Moth (Malthouse) 5. A Mouthful Of Birds (VCA)

BEST ARTS FESTIVAL The mad square: modernity in German art 1910–37 at NGV, because it contained a huge amount of art forms from film, paintings, portraiture, sculptures, Dada installations, and photography. Mad square also had amazing curators that enabled the viewer to go on a journey through the time periods and emerge feeling somehow uplifted in the possibility of art preserving despite everything. I feel perhaps I enjoyed it more as I took a tour, having someone with a wealth of knowledge discussing works always seems to make them more affecting.

PODCAST/RADIO SHOW SmartArts with Richard Watts (RRR). This programme is great as it always provides insightful provocations on things happening in Melbourne, mostly performing arts and spoken word. It was incredibly useful during the Melbourne Fringe and the Melbourne Festival season, as he discussed highlights and things worth seeing as well as raising and sparking many discussions about the content of the productions. BLUE VALENTINE

1. Oranges And Sunshine 2. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 3. Elena 4. The Eye Of The Storm 5. Beauty Day

TOP 5 TV SHOWS THOR

1. Bored To Death 2. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia 3. True Blood 4. South Park 5. Pop Asia

TOP 5 THEATRE PRODUCTIONS

TOP 5 ART EXHIBITIONS

TOP 5 THEATRE PRODUCTIONS

ORANGES AND SUNSHINE

PODCAST/RADIO SHOW

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT

We can broaden our audiences.

TOP 5 TV SHOWS

DAVE DRAYTON

“The light not so much lit the set as it sculpted the darkness.” Alison Croggon

MOST ANTICIPATED ARTS EVENT OF 2012

MOST ANTICIPATED ARTS EVENT OF 2012

1. Outpost (Cockatoo Island) 2. Anthony Lister: Bogan Paradise (AS Gallery) 3. Surface Tension (aMBUSH Gallery) 4. Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Man, The Image & The World (QAG) 5. Primavera 2011 (MCA)

1. Masterclass (Gareth Davies & Charlie Garber; Imperial Panda) 2. The Interminable Suicide Of Gregory Church (Daniel Kitson) 3. Silent Disco (Griffin Theatre Co.) 4. The Wild Duck (Belvoir) 5. Baal (Malthouse/Sydney Theatre Co.)

TOP 5 ART COMEDIANS

BEST ARTS FESTIVAL Anthony Lister: Bogan Paradise. Old porn shop somehow made creepier, and significantly more awesome.

1. Ryan Coffey 2. Demetri Martin 3. Paul Foot 4. Gabriel Iglesias 5. Claudia O’Doherty

TOP 5 FILMS 1. Thor 2. X-Men: First Class 3. Warrior 4. Rango 5. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2

TOP 5 VIDEO GAMES 1. Sonic Generations 2. L.A. Noire 3. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception 4. F1 2011 5. Limbo (PS3)

TOP 5 TV SHOWS

BEST ARTS FESTIVAL Outpost on Cockatoo Island. Its use of the island, as well as the sheer talent on display make it my most anticipated festival of 2012, if it returns. Also, Jurassic Lounge! A festival every week! MICF, Imperial Panda, and Sydney Festival also deserve a mention. DRIVE

1. Game Of Thrones 2. Doctor Who 3. Gossip Girl 4. Being Human 5. Rescue Special Ops

TOP 5 THEATRE PRODUCTIONS 1. Mary Poppins 2. Belong (Bangarra) 3. Hairspray 4. My Bicycle Loves You (Sydney Festival) 5. Entity (Sydney Festival)

PODCAST/RADIO SHOW Born Angry.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT The amount of beards on Sydney’s theatre stages, and the fact that their quality often came close to matching that of the performances on stage.

QUOTE OF THE YEAR “I had one hot cup of tea and too much time to think, so I rewrote the story of us.” Ginger Alford

MOST ANTICIPATED ARTS EVENT OF 2012 Markus Zusak finally delivering the next novel.

HOW THE ARTS CAN BE IMPROVED IN 2012 Bringing Philip Glass’ Einstein On The Beach to Australia.

BEST ARTS FESTIVAL The mad square. It was very creative time in German art.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT Book Of Mormon: The Musical winning nine Tonys despite its very wrongtown subject matter.

QUOTE OF THE YEAR “This ain’t reality TV. This is eight shows a week. Every chorus member that you saw tappin’ had to make miracles happen.” Neil Patrick Harris performing a rap celebrating theatre to end this year’s Tony Awards.

Have your say: twitter.com/frontrowSPA

BORED TO DEATH 37


Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.