REVIEW BY TARAS SCURRY EDITED BY EMMA PARFITT In Element Theatre Company’s original comedy The Banquet Guide by Esther Li, on a weekend night the comedy divulges into the quirky and licentious lives of one house and its guests. Entering the brilliantly intimate setting that is the Guild Theatre, where the seats seemed to cling right above the stage, I looked down. At first, in … Continue reading The Banquet Guide: A Boisterous Night In
REVIEW BY JESSICA FANWONG EDITED BY EMMA PARFITT Golden sand, roaring waves, happy families sunbaking under the calm tropical breeze as kids splash about in the pristine sea… that is the iconic image of an Australian Gold Coast summer. The school holidays are a time to leave the humdrum 9-to-5, escape the doom of finals, the pains of heartbreak, keep all other life grievances in … Continue reading How Far Away Can You Truly Get?
REVIEW BY ASHLEIGH SHEARMAN EDITED BY MYA HELOU This year UMMTA, headed by President Nishka Varghese, have gone in a bold direction with their traditional Sitzprobe performance; fully staging four new works from young Australian playwrights and composers Poppy Poems by Eadie Milne, Stuck in an Office with a Bunch of F***wits by The Vreugdenburg brothers (Harry and Jake), Something Borrowed Something Blue from Ethan … Continue reading UMMTA’s Sitzprobe: A Four Show Spectacular
First performed in 1978, Betrayal paints the picture of an affair over the course of nine years in reverse chronological order, from its resolution to its inception. We were bounced between the three characters, following the affair between Emma (Michaela Bedel) and Jerry (Gabriel Partington) who attempt to keep Emma’s husband and Jerry’s longest friend Robert (Heath Ivey-Law) none the wiser. Simple yet meticulous, Thursday’s … Continue reading Betrayal: Make Sure The Curtains Are Shut
REVIEW BY CHARLOTTE FRASER EDITED BY MYA HELOU As the lights dim in the Union Theatre, the audience buzzes and latecomers scurry in, not wanting to miss the beginning of the show. My pen is in my hand, and I flip it between my fingers anxiously – or, perhaps, excitedly (the line between the two is very blurry). I have seen Othello performed before, professional … Continue reading MUSC’s Othello: Exposing the Immortal Parts of Ourselves
REVIEW BY AKSHITA BENNY EDITED BY OLIVIA DI GRAZIA Go Piss Girl! Or maybe not… ICAC’s Urinetown delivers spectacular performances of a musical theatre favourite. When wandering into the Union Theatre with my musical-loving friend, all we knew about this show, to phrase it crudely, was that it was about pissing. The first thing I said to my friend that night was “go piss girl” … Continue reading Urine For A Treat at ICAC’s Urinetown
REVIEW BY GRYFF CONNAH EDITED BY RACHEL THORNBY Few emotions hold the primacy that fear does. It is both our greatest strength and greatest weakness as a species: our central driving counsel; and the force that keeps us paralysed and stagnating. When entering the Above Sea Level’s production of Far Away, it is clear that fear has metastasized in this space. After a disorienting greeting … Continue reading Far Away, But Not That Far
REVIEW BY AZMY AZURITE EDITED BY EMMA PARFITT “Humans are much worse than animals.” St. Kilda Tales is a show you could come watch night after night, and each time emerge with a different picture of the characters—and perhaps even the world around you. You sit, entranced for two hours, as vibrant and memorable characters clash with each other throughout the whole space. To your … Continue reading St. Kilda Tales: Life Is Nonsense But At Least We’ve Got The Club
REVIEW BY BRONTE LEMAIRE EDITED BY EMMA PARFITT When I enter the theatre they’re already there. One’s facing away on a stool, slow and lethargic. Another sits at the back on a concrete block, biting her nails. The third can’t be still, ramming into the wall again and again as if this time it will finally budge. If you’ve been on public transport you’ve met … Continue reading Barkly Theatre’s SHIT Is Anything But
REVIEW BY ELLA CALLOW-SUSSEX AND ANNA RYLEY EDITED BY EMMA PARFITT No one knew what was happening. The long-established traditions of theatre etiquette weren’t going to save us now. We furiously looked around the room for any sign of what was to come. But we needn’t have worried. Over the course of eight days, an ensemble of students devised and rehearsed a playful and immersive … Continue reading Surprising Encounters at Union House Theatre’s Theatre Takeover
