Tag: #studenttheatre

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Quelched! The Price of Building a Phallic Empire

REVIEWED BY JESSICA FANWONG EDITED BY CHARLOTTE FRASER Presented as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival 2025, the University of Melbourne Musical Theatre Association (UMMTA) presented a delightfully absurdist new work (slash dating app with the quirkiest app sound) Quelched! Written by Conor Boussiotas and directed by James Pringle, this Fringe run is the full-show debut of Quelched! following its development session at UMMTA’s Sitzprobe … Continue reading Quelched! The Price of Building a Phallic Empire

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Curiouser and Curiouser: JCH’s Wonderful Wonderland 

REVIEW BY POPPY ELFICK EDITED BY CHARLOTTE FRASER I walk into the Carlton Scout Hall and find my seat in front of the quaint stage. Before us are two sets of door frames – one full sized on the stage and a smaller set on the ground in front – and a tree wrapped in fairy lights. Here is the beginning of our trip down … Continue reading Curiouser and Curiouser: JCH’s Wonderful Wonderland 

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Cake, Crinoline and Colonial Sins at Picnic

Barkly Theatre gets off to a sinister, spell-binding start with their debut production. Picnic at Hanging Rock would be a bold choice for any debut. Published coinciding with the 1967 First Nations referendum, Joan Lindsay’s carefully manicured novel sculpts a world in turmoil. Four schoolgirls, perfect Anglo-Australian citizens, disappear from a Valentines’ trip to Hanging Rock; two are never found. Lindsay’s curlicued prose chronicles the … Continue reading Cake, Crinoline and Colonial Sins at Picnic

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Out of this World with ‘Crystalline Consciousness’

EMMA PARFITT DISCUSSES THE DEAD END COLLECTIVE’S DIVE INTO OUTER SPACE Dead End Collective advertised their new production, The Crystalline Consciousness That Speaks Meaning Into Flesh, as ‘a romp’, and a romp it most certainly was. With a talented ensemble cast and captivating production design, this show is a promise of more excellent things to come from Dead End Collective. In their brand-new original work, … Continue reading Out of this World with ‘Crystalline Consciousness’

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A Candid Look at ‘Cancelled’ Culture

MILO PENNEFATHER AND JULIAN MACHIN ON THEIR PROBLEMATIC NEW PRODUCTION Cancelled, Four Letter Word Theatre’s brazen new production, pulls none of its punches. The musical stars one Max Richmond, an arrogant lead singer whose disastrously insensitive remarks have spelled the collapse of his musical career. With the help of THEM, a down-and-out pop icon, Max hatches a plan to get back on top and win … Continue reading A Candid Look at ‘Cancelled’ Culture

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The Effect: Pulls You In—Hook, Line, & Sinker

Reviewed by: Zimo Lee The Effect by Lucy Prebble is a story about two volunteers in an antidepressant clinical trial. There, the characters Tristan (Freddie Carew-Reid) and Connie (Hazel Pigrum) form an unexpected attraction to one-another that blossoms into a heart-wrenching romance; are their feelings their own, or simply an Effect of the drugs? Short Straw Theatre Company boasts a performance that keeps the audience on their … Continue reading The Effect: Pulls You In—Hook, Line, & Sinker

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Element Theatre Company’s “Supreme Me”: An Unequivocal Success

Reviewed by: Pandaren PENG “Supreme Me” adapted from Dario Fo’s globally acclaimed play “Accidental Death of an Anarchist,” tells the story of a man suffering from “Supreme Me” syndrome. Through his encounters at a police station, he uncovers the dark tactics behind a farmer’s “accidental death” and takes on the role of a senior inspector from the Supreme Procuratorate to review the case. His successful … Continue reading Element Theatre Company’s “Supreme Me”: An Unequivocal Success

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“What Would You Wish For?”: MUSC’s Patience

Reviewed by: Molly Lidgerwood After four years, MUSC returns to Shakespearean comedy with their whimsical, enchanting and, “utterly original” production: Patience. Despite the tempting allure of staging tragedy, co-writers and directors Josh Higgins and Alexi O’Keefe delivered 50-minutes of pure entertainment and escape through their heartfelt homage to Shakespeare’s comedy. Their production is a triumph through the combination of its quick wit, ensemble performances, and … Continue reading “What Would You Wish For?”: MUSC’s Patience

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Swinging Into the Jazz Age With Trinity College’s ‘The Great Gatsby’

Reviewed by: Dempsey Doyle Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald narrative classic The Great Gatsby is not only an ambitious, aesthetically stunning filmic experience, but an ode to the lavish yet licentious times of the Roaring Twenties. Considered to be both a cinematic and literary masterpiece by many, Trinity College rose to the trials that come with portraying the tale’s melancholic merriment. … Continue reading Swinging Into the Jazz Age With Trinity College’s ‘The Great Gatsby’

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