28 Performing Arts
Performing Arts 29
Performing Arts Guide
Mash Up The season of summer has a particular scent about it that affects all my senses. It tantalises my nostrils, sets a tingling in my fingers and a certain taste upon my tongue. Memories of past summers flood back once the sun starts drenching my room, scattering dreams with its beating glare. Festivals carry the same, sounds, tastes, feelings and memories so it was grand to check out one of Australia’s newest, Harvest: The Gathering in Melbourne. Featuring a stellar line up of music and arts the Festival took full advantage of its premises, a park that would not have looked out of place in a Jane Austen film. There were no memories to elicit excitement or retribution, merely the joy of a new festival in a divine setting at Werribee Park. The trees were awash with colour, installations hanging, folding and lying beneath great boughs; paths traversed a lake, ducks swam about unconcerned by the thousands that descended upon it.
performers, ending abruptly in a growing queue for the toilets. The music alternated between a muddy cow paddock and a lush field, punctuated throughout by lines for alcohol and food. The Melbourne leg of the Harvest, The Gathering, has been found wanting by many reviews, too many lines for the toilets, the drinks, the food and the transport. But take away the negatives the result of poor organisation – and the positives remain: the taste of cider and veggie burgers, the smell of sunscreen, weed and rail, the glorious installations scattered throughout the venue and the world class entertainment. With a few tweaks, next year’s ‘Gathering’ will feature more of the good stuff and a lot less piss in the bushes. SARAH MASHMAN
The Performing Arts were held on Bootleg Alley, a path that wound through tents, stages and roving
A CONTEMPORARY TALE AFTER THE SUCCESS OF ‘TRILOGY’ AT MONA FOMA 2011, THE MELBOURNE CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY BALLETLAB HAS BEEN INVITED TO PERFORM ‘AVIARY’, A NEW WORK FOR THE 2012 FESTIVAL.
THE SOUTH CABARET The Brisbane Hotel Circus Horrificus and Friends, December 1. Les Girls Bumps and Grinds, December 9.
COMEDY The Grand Poobah Danger Academy, December 19. The Lower House Lower House Comedy Lounge, December 8. Southern Lights Hotel Kingston Comedy Lounge, December 7. Waratah Hotel The Clubhouse, December 16.
Theatre The Playhouse Theatre Pantomine, November 24 to December 10.
The North COMEDY Fresh Cafe Fresh Comedy, December 15.
DANCE Princess Theatre Dance Academy 34 present: Under the Sea and Tomorrow Never Came, December 6. Tasmanian Academy of Dance present: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, December 10 and 11.
THEATRE
The Brisbane Hotel Bingo, Every Sunday. Late Night Krackieoke, December 10 Quiz-A-Saurus, December 20
Devonport Entertainment Convention Centre, Longford Town Hall Nunsense: The Musical, December 2- 4.
DANCE
If you have something to include, email sarah@warpmagazine.com
The Peacock Theatre Opal Vapour, December 4.
THE WARATAH HOTEL IS BUILDING A NAME FOR ITSELF AS A GREAT LIVE COMEDY VENUE, RATHER THAN AS THE ONLY BOTTLE SHOP OPEN AFTER 11PM.
December’s guest, Greg Fleet (USA/ Melbourne) has done the rounds and has helped to shape the industry in Australia. Warp Magazine’s Tom Hopkins caught up with Greg for an interview. Let’s start with an easy one: how did you get in to comedy? There wasn’t anything I particularly wanted to do. I was studying acting and met these guys doing comedy who kept saying I should try it. I was studying at NIDA but was kicked out. They did warn me to improve my behaviour but I didn’t, which was sort of stupid. Career wise, everything’s worked out fine and I haven’t heard of any of the others since only know of two people in my year apart from myself working in the industry, Baz Luhrmann and Catherine McClements. The rest have been quiet. I head you had a bit of a gimmick starting out didn’t you? My legs used to shake, so I’d sit on a stool. People thought it was a really groovy kind warpmagazine.com.au
Yeah, it’s my only job other than bits of acting and writing which are connected to comedy.
Contemporary dance is not always understood by a mainstream audience. Stamp herself addresses some of the issues
Do you prefer stand up to improvised comedy? Not really - I wish that comedy was a thing where you weren’t allowed to do anything you’ve done before, I find that quite easy and fun. I love stand up for sure but I’d love it if there was more improvised comedy.
Have you been to Tasmania before? What are you looking forward to seeing? I’ve been there quite a few times but I haven’t been to Tassie for over a year, maybe even two years now. I always enjoy
related to attending a contemporary dance performance. “I think contemporary dance is a challenging form for people. For those who haven’t been exposed or engaged with the contemporary form, they can often feel that they’re missing the point.” Unlike classical forms of dance, contemporary movement can leave audiences cold as they struggle to understand the reasoning behind the movement and the lack of a succinct narrative. Stamp says that Adams’ work allows people to “have the opportunity to create their own story through the workings of their own imagination.” Rather than sitting back to enjoy a spectacle of fluffy tutus and en pointe shoes - work which has its own relevant place within the dance world, Adam’s work “is a real flurry of imagery, sound and movement, there’s always something to engage with on an intellectual level.” Having worked closely with Adam’s for the past 13 years Stamp says that she values the Artistic Director as a mentor. Over time, she has appropriated the style of the company, “his kind of work can be quite physically demanding.” As BalletLab is an Independent company, Stamp can’t rely upon full time employment. She alternates between companies and work, balancing out the structure of the year between different projects and teaching dance at the Victorian College of the Arts.
For those who attended the ‘Trilogy’ in 2011, this year does not require a nudity warning. ‘Aviary’ features costumes, spiked with feathers, head dresses that tower over the dancers heads, hand painted backdrops and
Brooke Stamp has no plans of retirement although she feels like “one of the older ones.” With this experience of time, comes
“I continue to work with Phillip as he’s the most experimental, he is committed to his craft and I find working in the company very stimulating,” she says.
When you’re out of the major cities people tend to be more appreciative, they tend to really make the most of the night out. I probably won’t get much time to do much else, you generally don’t in stand-up; it will be good regardless. What’s next for you? I have a TV show coming out next year; an eight-part series, it’s a drama about
There is an expectation of quick wits, confusion and general hilarity that comes with improvised comedy. Matt and Ted Make Stuff Up (Again) this Time with Paul Too was just that. In the absence of a scripted show, ridiculous, innocuous spur-of-the-moment comments and actions occur. Still a young venue, The Grand Poobah on Liverpool Street is a hub of comedy, music, art and eclectic furnishings. Taking over the corner stage located beneath fabric banners was Matt Burton, Ted Wilson and Paul Bender. The area was packed, seats filled to capacity by those who arrived early enough to bags a chair, standing room reduced to rubbing shoulders by the stragglers who arrived on the starting time.
THE GRAND POOBAH NOVEMBER 4 the audience there; it could be that you don’t get stand-up. In Melbourne and Sydney they get so much that they tend to be a bit blase.
projection as part of a further collaboration Adam’s had with respected costume designer, Toni Maticevski, renowned Melbourne milliner Richard Nylon and painter Gavin Brown. In many ways, the company harkens back to the experimental work of Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe, a 20th Century company that fused classic and contemporary dance with design and artwork from artists including Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and Henri Matisse, the Ballets Russe were considered progressive for their time although many of their works have now entered the repertoire of leading classical ballet companies.
MATT AND TED MAKE STUFF UP (AGAIN), THIS TIME WITH PAUL TOO
How often do you travel for gigs?
No, I mean not once you’ve been doing it for a while and you’re established. But it is a difficult thing to start now; there is a lot more competition.
Stamp describes Adams’ conception of birds as “flamboyant” - he uses the birds to explore the relationships between humans and birds, the shared movements and rituals that guide the individual within the artifice of society.
Stamp acknowledges that over time, Adam’s work has become stronger as he has been given the room to experiment and develop the company in his way, thus allowing him to continue to be avant-garde and left of the mainstream.
Is comedy your main occupation?
Is it hard to support yourself as a comic?
Birds are not unusual characters in dance; the classical repertoire is crowded with swans, fire birds and blue birds, interpreted through the graceful movements of petite bodies.
“To be honest in the beginning Phillip wasn’t always supported,” she says. However the Company was recently granted tri annual funding through the Australia Council for the Arts which allows for some stability over the next three years.
of choice. I was billed as “Melbourne’s only sit-down comedian”.
Quite a lot - maybe once a week or once a fortnight, I’ll travel interstate and overseas. I get excited when I get on a plane. I travelled a lot when I was a kid and I think it reminds me of that.
A triumph in collaboration, BalletLab’s new work, ‘Aviary’ was first conceived in 2009 when Adams brought together classical dancers from the Australian Ballet and contemporary dancers from his own company. Stamp says the process drew “unique outcomes in terms of the movement vocabulary developed for the piece.”
BalletLab has long been a company that pushes the boundaries of movement, experimenting with the body and the mind. Not always popular, Stamp admits the beginning presented challenges for the young company.
LOCAL LAUGHS
Tim Logan and David Bakker run The Clubhouse, a monthly comedy event at the Waratah Hotel in Hobart and the Fresh Cafe in Launceston. Apart from local comedians, they showcase stand up comedians from interstate. Past guests have included Sam Simmons, Michael Chamberlin, Anne Edmonds, Luke McGregor and John Campbell.
MOFO attendees should expect “’80s disco fever meets the exotic bird jungle paradise, in the centre of Hobart,” says dancer Brooke Stamp, who has been working with artistic director Phillip Adams since the company’s inception in 1998.
comedians. I wrote it, act in it along with Adam Hills, Alan Brough, Bill Hunter and Corrine Grant. TOM HOPKINS
The Clubhouse Launceston at Fresh Cafe December 15, from 8pm and in Hobart at the Waratah Hotel December 16, from 8.30pm. Tickets are $10. Image: Sarah Mashman
knowledge and Stamp says that “I feel really lucky to be doing what I’m doing, we’ve probably all matured together, we just know that Phillip always says he’s getting closer to what he wants to say. I’m happily engaged with that journey as well.”
SARAH MASHMAN
Phillip Adams’ BalletLab ‘Aviary’ appears at Theatre Royal on January 14 – 17 for MONA FOMA. Tickets available from www.mofo.net.au
of Burton attacking Wilson with every orifice drew a roar from the pack audience. Lips were locked and “It tastes like Easter”, exclaimed Santa (Wilson) in response. Walking the fine line between high-jinks and confusion, the show was improved by the musical accompaniment by Paul Bender on an acoustic guitar. Bender worked on an improvisational basis, adding emotion and suspense to the show. The show recently played to sell out crowds at the Melbourne Fringe Festival. SARAH MASHMAN
A roving story line followed Matt Burton travelling East meeting strangers along the way. Ted Wilson utilised a scant amount of props, from large false teeth, a shaggy wig like a mop head and large blocks to create different characters and scenes. The sight warpmagazine.com.au