38 Performing Arts
Performing Arts 39
Editorial
Review
Water World
Joan of Arc
I have a friend that loves rain, especially sun showers. More specifically, she adores puddles and jumping in them.
Earl Arts Centre, Launceston April 29
Across rugged terrain and dusty roads with a roadie, a tour manager and two suitcases of equipment, Tim Watts is on an exhaustive tour of Australia’s regional and urban centres. Over the course of the tour, Tim Watts thought his geography would improve but technology has thwarted him and as he isn’t using a “big old map” to chart his course. With a GPS now fairly standard in every rental car, his knowledge of Australia’s cities has little chance of expansion. Watts is touring his multi- faceted show, The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer and he has created a new world with a unique geography, unrecognisable to any GPS system. The planet is Earth, but it is an Earth that has been consumed by rising tides and dampened skies. Watt’s planet is a water world and the hero is Alvin Sputknik, one of the few survivors of a great tragedy that has claimed much of Earths human population, animals, vegetation and land. Presumably, the fish are okay. Watts describes his show as a “grand, epic love story,” as Alvin, who lost his wife to the tragedy that left people living on farms atop skyscrapers and mountain peaks, sets out to save her soul which left her body when she died and sunk to the bottom of the ocean. It is also an end-of-the-world drama, not unlike Armageddon as people desperately cling to life and try to save the human race from killing itself and what is left of the planet. With these dramatic overtones, Watts is quick to inform that although he is interested in the environment, the show does not have a moral or educational tone, instead it is a “really fun show, filled with hope, it has a lot of heart.” One aspect of the tour that has been unsettling was that at every stop, there was a tragedy just before the boys arrived. “We just did Sydney at the time of all the big floods, we did Auckland a day after the big earthquake in Christchurch occurred,” he said. Image: Alvin Sputnik - Bubbles
Rather than upset people, Watts said that after they had seen the show, audience members approached him. They said,
”It was really helpful to see something that had hope and heart rather than despair.” The show is a tragic comedy, entertainment rather than education or desolation and despair although he is quick to point out that at its heart, the show is also about grief and loss. With an affinity with the one man band, Watts holds all the strings, completely controlling the action on stage for Alvin. It is partly this resourcefulness, the reliance upon only himself and a dark space that has enabled Watts and his team to perform in so many regional venues. “Alvin’s journey is a solo mission and I like that in myself as a performer, I’m all alone and have to man the show myself,” said Watts, although he regularly collaborates with other companies, including Perth’s Weeping Spoon. The show has won a swag of awards for puppetry, production and for best in show however for Watts it is the knowledge that he is juggling all the technical and artistic challenge whilst he is on stage. “There is something a little magical when the lights come up at the end and it’s just me and I’ve been keeping all the imaginary balls in the air.” Katherine Farrell
Dates: Hobart Theatre Royal June 20 & 21 Tickets from the venue
Corruption of the church, women in the military, even the royal wedding (which was taking place at the very moment the curtain went up) - all these contemporary issues had echoes in Stephen Beckett’s tale of Joan of Arc’s short life in 1429. Based on George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan, Beckett’s adaptation has been pared down to the basics in terms of characters, sets and storyline. Beckett’s play has only four characters. Joan herself is played with dogged enthusiasm and optimism by Eleanore Knox, with the knight Robert played by Chris Rattray. Dennis Mann seemed to be channelling Frank Thring with his superciliously camp archbishop, lording it over the petulantly self-doubting, cowardly Dauphin, played by David Quinn. The play opens with a young Joan trying to rouse a drunken knight to convince him to accept her as a soldier and take her to meet the Dauphin, so she can raise the siege of Orleans and have the Dauphin crowned king, which she has been told to do by ‘voices’ from God. Not unlike women in today’s military, Joan is initially dismissed with tales of battle being no place for a woman. The knight relents, however, and eventually comes to respect and love her as a fellow soldier, who dresses as a soldier and not as a woman, so that her fellow soldiers can see her as such. After eventually winning the Dauphin and the archbishop over, she goes on to lead an army, expel the English from France, and crown the Dauphin as king.
Ultimately, however, she is betrayed, captured by the English, tried for heresy and burned at the stake. Both church and royalty turn their back on her, the church threatened by the idea of the voice of God coming through any but their own official channels. The dramatic crescendo leading to Joan’s execution was let down a little by the epilogue, which detracted somewhat from the emotional intensity of the execution. Though an integral part of the original play, pointing the way to Joan’s pardoning and eventual canonisation, the long musical interlude after the execution, and the length of the epilogue itself, did take away somewhat from the powerful impression that the audience would have otherwise left with. This is a small quibble though, and the play was otherwise well executed. Changes of scene were indicated through a very simple set and lighting design. Place was indicated by two door-sized paintings and one easel painting, by Harry Morgan which were changed for each scene, combined with lighting effects that moved us seamlessly from flagstone floors to a sunny day by the Loire River. Stephen Beckett productions is a new independent theatre company to Tasmania. Their recent productions have included Shirley Valentine at the Earl Arts Centre in June, 2010, and Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap is upcoming in September 2011. Megan Casey
She is not a duck, nor is she a child, and as college students we spent one afternoon jumping in a large puddle that collected outside Spotlight, it was more a pond then a puddle and our return to EC was greeted with unimpressed, eye-bugging glares from our teachers. So the onset of winter and all its rainy greyness is not to her what it is to me, cold, sad and dreary. Happily, this year, it seems that the Gods of Performing Arts - otherwise known as booking agents - have put their heads together to make my least favourite season bright, musical and impressive. With great fanfare I must announce once more that the circus is coming to town! It may not parade down the main streets (although I did see some snippets in the mall) but the internationally renowned Cirque du Soleil is finally visiting Hobart and if you’re up North and can’t handle the two
For the classical dance lovers, ballet with all the trimmings, tutus and Pointe shoes, swans and peasant girls and boys in tights are flitting through theatres across the State, from Burnie to Hobart, the Australian Ballet and the Tasmanian Ballet Company will fulfill any balletomane’s cup to a brimming, steaming crescendo. Comedy, theatre, burlesque and modern dance will fill in the empty weekends and keep your toes dry as you sit in bars, theatres and clubs across Tasmania, safely cocooned in creativity and generously covered by a rain repellent roof. Of course, all the theatres in the world won’t keep you dry if you’re my friend, her grand jetés finish with a splash! SARAH MASHMAN sarah@warpmagazine.com.au
Performing Arts
News in brief Don Quixote tickets on sale The Dancers Company, comprising guest artists of The Australian Ballet and graduating students from The Australian Ballet School, present the lively ballet classic Don Quixote. Based on the legendary tale by Spanish author Cervantes, this classic ballet tells the story of the knight Quixote on a quest to find his lost love. On his journey, he crosses paths with the swooning young lovers Kitri and Basilio in a tale of fun, mischief and mistaken identity. Set in a Spanish seaside village, this lighthearted and colourful ballet features a rich diversity of characters. Its dramatic liveliness and virtuosic dancing makes this ballet classic the perfect showcase for The Dancers Company’s many talented dancers. • Hobart Theatre Royal - Tuesday July 12, 7.30pm Wednesday July 13, 7.30pm • Theatre North - Friday July 15, 7:30pm Comedy Workshops in Hobart During the June school holidays (June 14 to 17), Class Clowns workshops will be held at the Backspace Theatre (behind Theatre Royal), made possible with the assistance of the Hobart City Council. Don’t be shy, put it out there! You’ve got five minutes to get the big laughs. Winning acts in the state finals will fly to Melbourne to play the main stage at the 2011 Class Clowns National Grand Final on August 31. First prize is $2000. Blasting into the comedy scene in ‘96, Class Clowns has been developing the art of comedy in the nation’s teenage students from Darwin to Hobart, Perth to Wollongong
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hour drive through the midlands, hold tight because as the winter months are waning and the days begin to lengthen, Circus Oz will be touring, touching down in both the North and South of the state.
and more than 20 centres in between. The program is supported by teachers’ notes and online resources, as well as year-round professional developmental workshops. To register for the 2011 Class Clowns heat in Hobart, and for all the Class Clowns info including workshop registration, the national tour schedule and highlights from last year’s Grand Final, visit www.tastheatre.com. Launceston Performing Arts shows During the student-directed festival, The 13th Floor, you can see three short plays directed by the University of Tasmania’s School and Visual and Performing Arts 3rd year students, including: The Audition, written by Kenneth Robbin and directed by Jake Baylis; Bang on the Nerve, written by Van Badham and directed by Mikaela Campbell; Bulletproof, written and directed by Chris Vernon. Every night features a mix of twisted dark comedies, splendid historical dramas and sublime psychological adventures. As this is the first opportunity that the final year students have to direct their own play, expect an exciting night with themes explored, stories shared and exceptional acting that will simply be a night that you will never forget. Tickets can be purchased through the Annexe Theatre Box Office prior to the show or between 8.30am – 3.30pm, Monday – Thursday through the Cultural Activities Office at the Academy of the Arts, Inveresk (03) 6324 4450. Some productions may contain coarse language and sensitive subjects.
Performing Arts Guide THE SOUTH Cabaret
Theatre CONT.
The Brisbane Circus Horrificus and Friend’s Cabaret June 2 & July 7
Rainbows End June 24- June 25
The Derwent Ent’ Centre Cirque Du Soleil present Saltimbanco June 15- June 19 Les Girls Les Tease presents Starlettes June 24 The Peacock Theatre The Australian Burlesque Festival June 3 Wrest Point Casino Divine Divas June 17 Comedy Brookfield Vineyard Brookfield comedy Club June 8 The Grand Poobah Danger Academy June 7 a 20 Cavalcade of Whimsey Every Wednesday night Hobart Theatre Royal Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow June 10- June 11 The Lower House Lower House Comedy Lounge June 9 The New Sydney Big Laughs in the Little Pub June 29 Onba The Clubhouse June 7 a 21 The Peacock Theatre He Says/ She Says June 17 THEATRE Hobart Theatre Royal Turns June 16- June 18 The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer June 20 - June 21
Hobart Theatre Royal Statespeare June 29- July 1 Theatre Royal Backspace Tidal Pools June 2- June 11 I am My own Wife June 22- June 26 The Playhouse Theatre WhoDunnit June 3- June 18 The North Cabaret The Princess Theatre Divine Divas June 17 Comedy Devonport Entertainment and Convention Centre Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow June 9 Theatre Annexe Theatre, School of Visual and Performing Arts The 13th Floor Student Directed Festival The Last Word HeadLock Monsters June 5- June 6 The 13th Floor Student Directed Festival Woodsong- A Tree Story Star Struck Slut from Paradise Don’t Say the Words June 9- June 10 The Princess Theatre Turns June 14- June 15 Rainbows End June 21- 22 Aida June 29- July 2 Earl Arts Centre Africa, My Darling Patricia June 3-4 Beautiful: A Ghost Story July 6- July 9
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