Review by Shanna Provost
The true test of a play is its successful exposition in front of an audience. As part of its Made in Canberra season, the Street Theatre provided six members of the ACT Region Playwrights with the opportunity to give their works ‘legs’ to test for viability and durability.
The importance of a synergistic collaboration between writer, director and actor to cocreate a piece that exudes life and colour was quite evident, with a varying audience response to each piece presented under the ‘Bill of Writes’ banner.
Weaving their stories around the central theme of human (and in one case, animal) rights certainly tested the playwrights’ mettle and showed the many variations there can be upon a single theme.
Directors Max Barker, Terry Johnson and PJ Williams worked up tight pieces for writers Bill Fleming, Eris Jane, Jim Jones and Noel Milson. Katie Pollock and Joan McGillivray double dipped as writer/director of their own works.
The shorter, sharper pieces confirmed the adage that ‘less is more’, enjoying a positive audience response, while the longer piece that closed the evening lost its audience midway with its convolutions—clear evidence indeed of the value in writers releasing their work to the collaborative process.
Standout writing from Bill Fleming at the top of the evening, whose cynical take on Public Service processes in Christmas Hijinks was well acted to highlight Fleming’s sharp wit (which perhaps even cut a little too close to the Public Sector bone).
Eris Jane’s engaging Lifting Lucy was enhanced by its strong cast and Jane’s memorable quips such as “L:I’m the one who’s dying! C:That’s just a timing thing”.
It is only through programs such as the Made in Canberra Season at The Street Theatre that emerging local playwrights get the opportunity to hone their craft, so the last hurrah must go to The Street for supporting the evidently quite capable local playwrighting industry.
ACT Region Playwrights meet at the ACT Writers Centre at 7.450pm on the first Thursday of each month. Contact [email protected].
