What Did She Think?

What:  Deja Vu Where:  The Meeting Room, Artshouse When: 16 - 25 September Devised and Performed by: Andi Snelling Directed by: Danielle Cresp Costume by: Victoria Haslam Sound by: Caleb Garfinkel PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDI SNELLING Deja Vu is the latest new work by creative team Andi Snelling and Danielle Cresp. Their first foray into collaboration was the hit show #DearDiary although this is their first non-text based production. Deja Vu is a natural progression for both these artists. Both Snelling and Cresp come from a dance background and Cresp has been teaching Snelling a form of physical theatre called Action Theatre.  Action Theatre is a combination of mime and dance (which is clearly evident in the show) and was supposedly created by American performer Ruth Zaporah. It is one of those 'new' acting methods that Americans love to hybridize and then patent as some new approach to performance so they can take a place in history - and make money from unsusp

What: She Dances Where: The Meatmarket - The Rabbit Hole When: 15-18 September Devised and Performed by: Dawn Pascoe PHOTO COURTESY OF ENCORE PR Melbourne is a city which absolutely thrives on circus arts. The home of companies such as Circus Oz and The Women's Circus just to name two of over 30 local troupes and the home of NICA, it takes a brave and accomplished artist to bring a new circus act to our audiences. Dawn Pascoe (Artistic Director of Perth company Natural Wings) is just such a soul and when I say she brings it, I mean she brings it! Pascoe has brought her solo show She Dances to the Melbourne Fringe Festival this year. In the show she combines lyrical dance, clowning, diabolo, and aerial trapeze and the precision and mastery of all of those skills is evident in every moment she is on stage (or in the audience, as it turns out...). The extensions in her body lines demonstrate a rigorous classical dance training background, the muscle contours across he

What: Edmund. The Beginning When: 10 – 22 November Where: Arts House, Rehearsal Room Written and Performed by: Brian Lipsom Directed by: Peter Evans and Susie Dee Costumes by: Brian Lipsom and Mel Page Stage Management by: Hayley Fox No-one can deny for a single moment that Brian Lipsom is not one of the most accomplished actors in Australia at the moment, and in his show Edmund. The Beginning we discover that he is a phenomenal wordsmith (or witsmith), with formidable performance making skills as well.  Edmund. The Beginning is being performed at Arts House in the Rehearsal Room.  Be warned, the show has a strict lockout. No latecomers! Edmund. The Beginning is one of the densest works I have come across and yet it does not collapse under its own weight which is a phenomenal achievement.  This piece of theatre is not for the lay audient.  To have any means of entering it you really need to have a background in English literature and English theatre histor

What: The Insomnia Project When: July 29 – August 9 Where: La Mama Courthouse Written, composed and directed by: Natasha Moszenin Performed by: Anne Gasko, Jai Luke, Claire Nicholls, Fiona Scarlett, and Andi Snelling Lighting by: Kate Kelly Stage management by: Sarah Walker Normally, whenever I see that a show has been written and directed by the same person I can’t help a little groan from escaping because in my experience it is almost impossible for a writer to step outside the work far enough to make the show a full experience for the audience.  The Insomnia Project , currently showing at La Mama Courthouse, is the exception the to rule.  Moszenin not only wrote and directed it, but she is also the composer and it is her understanding of musical composition which brings the sophistication and detail into her directing that is often lacking. The Insomnia Project is a study of sleeplessness – the phenomenon, the experiences, the distress and frustration,

What: Longevity Where: The Owl and Cat Theatre When: 30 August - 2 September Written and Directed by: Thomas Ian Doyle Performed by: Brayden Lewtas, Fiona Scarlett, and Bee Townsend PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OWL AND CAT THEATRE Thomas Ian Doyle is not only the writer of the brand new play Longevity , but he is also the Artistic Director of the Owl and Cat Theatre. Some may assume this gives his work privileged access, but the continued quality and originality of Doyle's writing speaks for itself in taking pride of place in this venue which only produces world premiers. His new play, currently being performed, is another outstanding example of his ability to focus in on the integral interactions of human beings with a laser beam of honesty and curiousity, with lots of intriguing twists and turns. I haven't seen a lot of Doyle's work, but what he has a reputation for taking risks, breaking moulds, and having the audience step out of the box. His 2014 show Plastic

What: Bordello When: Oct 13 – 17 Where: The Owl and Cat Theatre Created by: Gabrielle Savrone and Thomas Ian Doyle Bordello is dark and dirty and sexy and funny.  This style of performance making is a new direction for Theatre owners Savronne and Doyle, and I have to say that it is a stunningly clever interpretation of the building and its possibilities. The Owl and Cat is a repurposed shop front terrace style building, the kind found all over the older suburbs of Melbourne.  In its usual configuration the ground floor is the theatre and the bar, level two is the green room, dressing room and office, and to be honest, I didn’t even realise there was a third floor garret. For the next few days, though, The Owl and Cat is a smoky bordello oozing sex and seething with intrigue, unrequited love, and sex triangles…or maybe they are sex hectagons? Played with a nuanced melodrama, and performed as structured improvisation over the course of an hour, the audience is p

What: The Last Brunch Where: The Studio - Gasworks Arts Park When: 31 August - 3 September Written and Directed by: Ben Dowthwaite Performed by: Mathew Arter, Elizabeth Brennan, Jay haggett, Aidan Niarros, Ben Paine, Patrick Shields, and Jeff Wortman. Set by; Robert Nightingale Costumes by: Caillan Souter MATHEW ARTER, PARTICK SHIELDS, AIDON NIARROS Stage 6 are a new Victorian theatre company established by Dowthwaite and Arter from a working relationship begun during their studies at Deakin University. The Last Brunch is their second venture, (following Deux Ex Machina which is being restage as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival this year), and continues Dowthwaite's curiosity about the mythos and ritual surrounding religion. The show is currently on at Gasworks in their Studio space. Dowthwaite has directed this play as well has having written it. I usually rail at this combination because I feel playwrights have difficulty seeing their work with an outside ey