The Production Company Launches 2013 Season

Melbourne's theatrical jewel, The Production Company has announced a star-studded 2013 program to celebrate its 15th Anniversary Season that includes Gypsy, Singin' in the Rain and The Pirates of Penzance.

Caroline O'Connor star of Chicago (Broadway and Australia), returns from Broadway to create the role of Rose for The Production Company. In Britain the critics hailed her performances in this role.

 

The award winning director Gale Edwards directs this jewel of American musical theatre. GYPSY was inspired by the memoirs of the famous burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee, and charts the story of her outrageous mother, Rose, who is determined to live out her own dreams of stardom through her two daughters.

GYPSY features the all time favourites from the legendary Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim, Everything's Coming up Roses, You Gotta Have a Gimmick, Let Me Entertain You, Some People and Rose's Turn.

Caroline O'Connor's performance as Rose will be a 'must see' for all lovers of musical theatre, and will be presented at Melbourne's State Theatre 10 - 14 July 2013.

One of the great musical romances, Singin' in the Rain is set in Hollywood in the last days of the silent screen era. With all the charm, romance, comedy and glamour of a bygone Hollywood era, Singin' in the Rain features a glorious score with the classics Good Morning, Make 'em Laugh, All I Do Is Dream Of You and the legendary Singin' in the Rain.

Rohan Browne stars as the matinee idol Don Lockwood, Matt Lee is his sidekick Cosmo Brown, Alinta Chidzey is aspiring actress Kathy Selden, and Christie Whelan-Browne is Lockwood's leading lady, Lina Lamont. A super star of the silent movies, Lina Lamont's less-than-dulcet vocal tones make her an unlikely candidate for stardom in the new talking pictures!

Gary Young will direct this stylish new production with choreography by Kelley Abbey and Melbourne's favourite conductor, John Foreman is musical director. Singin' in the Rain is presented at the State Theatre 21 - 25 August 2013.

30 years ago this swashbuckling Broadway version of The Pirates of Penzance rocked Hamer Hall. Now Gilbert and Sullivan's most popular musical comedy returns with all the laughs, songs and romance that made it a long running Broadway smash,

Dean Bryant and Andrew Hallsworth stage this colorful extravaganza, while Mathew Frank conducts a score that includes many of Gilbert and Sullivan's most popular numbers: Poor Wandering One!, When the Foreman Bares his Steel, With Cat-Like Tread and Away, Away! My Heart's On Fire.

Starring a dashing young cast including Gareth Keegan as Frederic, Adam Murphy as the Pirate King and Brent Hill as the Sergeant of Police. The hilarious Virginia Gay is Ruth and Wayne Scott Kermond is Major General Stanley. The Pirates of Penzance returns to Hamer Hall from 30 October to 3 November 2013.

In launching the 15th Anniversary season, Jeanne Pratt, Chairman of The Production Company said, “It is hard to believe that it’s fifteen years since I started this company. My dream in 1999 was twofold: to provide professional opportunities for local artists and to entertain Melbourne audiences with the best shows from Broadway and beyond. Our success has been beyond my wildest dreams. Thank you, Melbourne!”

For more information, visit: www.theproductioncompany.com.au for details.

Image: Caroline O'Connor in Gypsy

Adelaide Fringe Award Winners 2013

As the sun sets on another successful festival, the 2013 Fringe Awards were awarded to the best shows, artists and venues at this year’s Adelaide Fringe.

80 arts industry judges spent the past 4 weeks seeing hundreds of Fringe shows from all genres and visiting over a hundred art exhibitions.

Adelaide Fringe Director Greg Clarke congratulated all of the winners and nominees saying that the plethora of amazing shows this year had made all of the judge’s jobs incredibly difficult.

Mr. Clarke said “This year’s Adelaide Fringe saw a wealth of talent unlike anything we’ve ever experienced before, from both returning Fringe artists and those performing and exhibiting in the Fringe for the first time, there were so many worthy winners.”

The coveted BankSA Pick of the Fringe Award ended up being given to two circus productions, Circolombia andLimbo.

“We really want to thank all those who contribute to the prizes given as part of the awards, particularly to BankSA who contribute so much and to Underbelly who make it possible for one show to go over to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe,” Mr. Clarke said.

Artists receive cash prizes totaling $25,000 thanks to the generous support of Principal Partner BankSA, Adelaide Fringe, Underbelly, Erin Svigos Award, Adelaide Festival Centre and the Melbourne Fringe. Please see below for the full list of awards and winners.

ADELAIDE FRINGE AWARD WINNERS 2013

BankSA Pick of the Fringe Award

Circolombia – Arts Projects Australia
BankSA Pick of the Fringe Award
Limbo – Strut & Fret, Underbelly Productions & Southbank Centre
BankSA TalkFringe Award
3 – MindBlown Productions
BankSA Best Cabaret
Tommy Bradson: Sweet Sixteen or The Birthday Party Massacre – Better Bradley Productions
BankSA Best Circus & Physical Theatre
Fright or Flight – The Birdcage & 3 is a Crowd
BankSA Best Comedy
Kitty Flanagan: Hello Kitty Flanagan – A-List Entertainment
BankSA Best Comedy – Emerging
Wolf Creek: The Musical – SPUR
BankSA Best Dance
Life in Miniature – Anything Is Valid Dance Theatre
BankSA Best Music
Idea of North – The Idea of North
BankSA Best Theatre Performer
Lucy Hopkins – Le Foulard
BankSA Best Theatre Production
The Book of Loco – Alirio Zavarce & Sasha Zahra in association w/ Loose Canon Art Services
BankSA Best Presentation for Children
Squaring the Wheel – Jens Altheimer
BankSA Best Visual Art & Design
TAR – Tony Kearney
BankSA Best Venue
Birdwood Exhibition Centre
Adelaide Festival Centre inSPACE: Development Award
The Book of Loco – Alirio Zavarce & Sasha Zahra in association w/ Loose Canon Art Services
Eran Svigos Award for Best Visual Art
Jess Dare – The Nature of Memory
Underbelly Edinburgh Award
Breaker – Solid Svid Theatre Company
Tour Ready Award – supported by Melbourne Fringe
Homage to Uncertainty – Emma Beech
John Chattaway Innovation Award
Leo – Arts Projects Australia
The Adelaide Critics Circle Best in Fringe Award
Glory Dazed – Holden Street Theatre Co Inc. & Second Shot Productions

For more information, visit: www.adelaidefringe.com.au for details

Image: Glory Dazed (photo by Alex Brenner)

The Golden Age of Colour Prints

The Golden Age of Colour Prints: Ukiyo-e from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston features the art of three of the most important artists in Japanese history: Torii Kiyonaga, Kitagawa Utamaro and Tōshashūsai Sharaku, along with a selection of work by their contemporaries.

Each of these artists were masters and key innovators in the medium of the ukiyo-e print. Focusing on what is known as the golden age of nishiki-e colour prints, the Tenmei and Kansei eras (1781-1801), it showcases 96 ukiyo-e prints and offers a rare opportunity for Australians to appreciate the gorgeous colour aesthetic that is the essence of nishiki-e, or ukiyo-e printed in multiple colours.

In common with other radical moments in art, these images were considered to be crude and unsophisticated when they first appeared. The superficial world of beauty and entertainment of the pleasure quarter and the theatre were considered to be both remote from everyday life and not appropriate subjects for art. However the art form rose to great popularity in the metropolitan culture of Tokyo during the second half of the 17th century.

The imagery of ukiyo-e has had a powerful and enduring influence on Western art and may seem familiar to many visitors. Movements such as Impressionism, Art Noveau and Pop Art are all indebted in various ways.

The work of Australian artists as diverse as Charles Conder, Sydney Long, Brett Whitely and Brent Harris reveal an interest in Japanese art of this time. In contemporary culture the striking images of Japanese Manga comics and Anime films are everywhere. These are direct artistic descendents of the Golden Age artists in this exciting exhibition.

In the Australian context, this will be the first major exhibition of Japanese prints in three years and one of the largest ever held. None of the works in The Golden Age of Colour Prints have previously been seen in Australia, and no exhibition featuring these particular key artists together has previously been staged here.

 

This exhibition is drawn from the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, one of the most significant collections of Japanese prints in the world. The exhibition has previously only been seen in Japan, where it toured four venues in 2010/11. The Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is the sole and exclusive venue for the current tour, after which the works will return to Boston.

The Golden Age of Colour Prints
Exhibition: 7 March - 2 June 2013
Venue: Shepparton Art Museum
Address: 70 Welsford St Shepparton Victoria
Note: entry fees apply

For more information, visit: www.sheppartonartmuseum.com.au for details.

Image: The Chofu Jewel River (Chofu no Tamagawa), Utagawa Toyokuni I (Japanese, 1769–1825), publisher: Izumiya Ichibei (Kansendo) (Japanese), Japanese, Edo period, about 1795–1801 (late Kansei era), woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper. William Sturgis Bigelow Collection 11.24991, image 2012 © Museum Fine Arts, Boston

Animal Farm

Animal Farm is one of the most controversial and studied political commentaries. George Orwell's simple yet intensely powerful fairy tale illustrates how greed and absolute power corrupts absolutely and, with devastating consequences, can change the course of history.

Revolution has taken place at Manor Farm. The pigs have assumed control and under the principles of 'Animalism' a better life free from human service is promised to all.

Guided by a simple set of rules and an unrelenting respect for authority, it is not long before the rules that promised freedom become the chains that bind the animals once again.

This brand new adaptation, directed by Michael Futcher and brought to life by shake & stir theatre co combines physical theatre, animation and multi-media. Animal Farm promises to be one of the most shocking, exciting, relevant and wickedly funny theatre events of 2013 and beyond.

Animal Farm was the Winner of Best Independent Production, Best Direction at the 2012 Matilda Awards and is currently touring Nationally.

For more information and performance schedule, visit: www.shakeandstir.com.au for details.

The Pillowman

"A great man once said ‘The first duty of a storyteller is to tell a story'. Or was it ‘The only duty of a storyteller is to tell a story'? ..."

In a nameless totalitarian state, a writer finds himself the subject of interrogation over a series of gruesome child-murders that seem to mirror the plots of his own stories. As the investigation delves deeper, shocking truths are revealed when the writer's twisted tales begin to come to life, blurring the line between fiction and fact.

The Pillowman is a suspenseful and wickedly funny psychological thriller that explores the dark corners of the human imagination and the thrilling power - and danger - of storytelling itself.

This viciously funny and seriously disturbing play from Martin McDonagh - award-winning playwright (The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Lieutenant of Inishmore) and filmmaker (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths) - walks the very fine line between comedy and cruelty. The Pillowman is as black as comedy gets.

New Theatre is very pleased to welcome back Luke Rogers (Waiting for Godot), after graduating from the NIDA Directing course in 2012, to take charge of this production.

“In a totalitarian dictatorship, the seemingly innocent act of telling a story is never that simple. The play explores the nature, freedom and responsibility of artists and asks to what extent is an artist responsible for the actions of others in response to their work”, says Luke.

“It’s the blurring of the lines between reality and fiction, comedy and violence, that make this a fascinating and gripping piece of theatre. The Pillowman weaves an extraordinary range of images into its theatrical vocabulary: from a gritty police-cell drama to Brothers Grimm-style fantasy."

"It’s a violent comedy of manipulation, misinformation and miscommunication where art itself is under interrogation and the legacy of what we leave behind is under threat.”

“Ultimately, this play is about the power of storytelling and our need to find meaning and answers within the worlds we create for ourselves. Sometimes there are many, often there are none."

"As Katurian says: ‘It’s puzzle without a solution’. Herein lies the suspense, the intrigue and the imaginative wonder of The Pillowman, where the sheer innocence of the words ʻOnce Upon A Time…ʼ become something so much more powerful, dangerous and threatening.

“I am delighted to be returning to New Theatre to work with a dynamic team of artists, to create an exciting new production of this fantastic play for this stage.”

The Pillowman
Season: 16 March - 13 April 2013
Venue: New Theatre
Address: 542 King St, Newtown NSW
Bookings: 1300 347 205 or online at: www.newtheatre.org.au
Image: Bob Seary

For more information, visit: www.newtheatre.org.au for details.