‘STAGE ONE’ is an initiative of the Theatre Arts course at Curtin University. Now in its 5th year, it offers Western Australian playwrights the opportunity to write and premiere a new play. It is then produced at the Blue Room Theatre, providing undergraduates with the acting and technical experience of working and exploring a new work.

Previous Curtin students, who have benefited from this perfect opportunity, include Frances O’Connor, Mandy McElhinney, Kate Atkinson, Clare Hooper, Kate Mulvany and Jess De Gouw.

This 70-minute dark unsettling play, with touches of black comedy, can be seen at The Blue Room Theatre, Perth Cultural Centre, Northbridge until Saturday 10^th December. Please check the performance times.

Alexander Gerrans set of Patrick Howe’s design, is a very convincing garage and store room. There are several very good weather and woodland effects. Lizzie Howard had some unusual and difficult props to acquire. The costume supervisors were Taylor Burtenshaw and Gemma Wilkie, who created realistic gore damaged clothes.

Joe Lui mentored both Noah Bateman with his realistic soundscape, and Kane Scriven’s wonderful mood lighting.

Stage Management ran smoothly thanks to Sally Davies and her deputy, Jack Wilson.

The whole production was overseen by Stephen Carr and Karen Cook.

The scene is today in the region of the NSW Blue Mountains.

     In the mountainous countryside is a Body Farm, this is where people who have left their bodies to science are left lying around in different soils and fluids so that pathologists can gather information on how quickly bodies decompose in different circumstances.

     When Anton died, his family found that he had left his body to the Farm; his sister (Jess Nyanda Moyle) is devastated that he did not have a proper funeral. One day at university, a girl with an angelic face and a nervous smile (Caitlin McFeat) approaches the sister, and gabbling away asks if she would like to join her church.

     In a nearby garage, owned by the aunt and uncle of #2 (Bianca Roose), is a group known as ‘The Family of the Book’ – who, for anonymity reasons, prefer to use numbers rather than names. Dressed in white forensic overalls are two threatening men #3 and #4 (Frazer Shepherdson, Sam Ireland). After painstaking planning, they have kidnapped the Body Farm’s caretaker (Ming Yang Lim) in order to gain access.

       A slightly dozy member of the group, #6 (Anna Lindstedt) arrives wearing non-standard ‘Family’ clothing. With her is the leader, #1 (Declan Brown) who, knowing that it won’t be long before the police arrive, decides to quickly move in on the Farm.

       After such planning and with God on their side, what could possibly go wrong?

The director and guiding light of this highly original play, is the multi award-winning actor and writer, Will O’Mahony; who on this occasion is assisted in the directing by Chelsea Gibson. The play has superbly observed and richly written characters. The action starts with humour and slowly works up to a gripping climax, followed by a scene that had the whole audience squirming.

The actors each knew their part in the story’s colourful jigsaw. Many very different parts working in perfect harmony. One small suggestion, when there is a great deal of shouting, either lower the voices down an octave, or speak more slowly – even in the wildest argument – as some of the diction was lost.

Adroit direction of a terrific script, involving an interesting set of characters and backed by clever technical skills. Strongly recommended, you will not have seen a play like this before.

This one hour, interesting piece can be seen at The Curtin Stadium Dome, Dumas Road, Curtin University in Bentley, on Saturday and Sunday evenings at 7.00 until 27^th September. The parking in the multi-storey car park, next to the silver dome, is free after 5.00 pm.

The set is an empty floor with a few props.

The production manager carried two voting boxes to the centre of the stage area, and counted voting tokens that were to decide which of two endings the cast should perform.

       A cello plays soft restful music, as the actors, dressed in cream muslin and cotton, chant in a strange language.

      The five actors roll on the floor trying to stand; they are newly born birds (?) trying to walk. The frustration is palpable. Some find it easy, but there is always one struggler (Amy Johnston), and one runt of the litter (Aaron Smith) who through jealousy is determined to create havoc. He even attacks one of his siblings (Rachel Foucar) who is nurtured back to health by her sister (Angela Donlan).

      We watch as the group learn to fend for themselves and eventually fly.

The poster said ‘7 pm sharp’. On arrival there were no programmes, they had been forgotten to be picked up. As I paid for the tickets, the production manager said to the box office cashier, ‘We will start late to give latecomers a chance to get here’. The audience sat in the cold, unheated venue for 15 minutes waiting – there were no latecomers. Meanwhile the scantily dressed actors were continuing their warm up routine – simply to keep physically warm.

With my ticket, I was handed a plastic token with which to vote; good idea, but although I saw the voting box I had no idea that I had to vote on entering. I wrongly presumed this was for voting after having seen the show.

The production manager announced at the beginning of the play, ‘as you will have gathered the story line from your friends or relatives, we have had a vote to determine tonight’s ending’. Sorry, but I did not have anyone tell me the story in advance, or what the voting was about.

On the positive side, the cast were magnificent, they worked tirelessly. The choreography and athletic action clearly explained what was happening within the story. The clever acting plainly showed frustration, love, sibling rivalry, helping others, the challenges of life and many other aspects of the Icarus story.

The show would benefit from a 25% reduction in the performance time, by trimming each scene or action.

Three people that I have spoken to came close to walking out – because of the cold – but stayed on to support this enthusiastic team. One person thought the action was demonstrating the development of language. Whatever you interpret the storyline as being, you have to admire the cast’s labours.

‘Melancholy Play’ was Ruhl’s first major play; it premiered in 2002 and is now being presented for your immense pleasure by the Hayman Theatre Company, in building 102 on the Curtin University Campus in Bentley.

Performances are nightly at the early time of 7.00, and the season runs until Saturday 25^th April.

The set represents a couple of apartments in Perth, where the antique furniture is interchangeable as the action moves to and from each venue. The walls are a patchwork of many, quality wallpapers and the floor a higgledy-piggledy arrangement of carpets and rugs; both of these combinations reflecting the manic confusion of the characters’ minds and the situations in the play.

Clever well-made set by Eloise Carter, Annika Jane, Alex Roussel, Gema Seenarain, Michelle Endersbee, and Ashleigh Ryan with props supplied by Dicky Ng.

Karen Cook’s lighting subtle and selective design was smoothly operated by David O’Connor. Sound effects by Jack Beeson.

       Frank (Nathan Whitebrook), a bespoke tailor, addresses the audience through a window offering a defence of melancholy. As he speaks, Tilly (Zoe Street) a glamourous bank teller, then walks up to Frank and asks why he is an almond*. Frank is infatuated with her.

      Italian psychologist, Lorenzo (Kane Parker), explains to the audience the maternal history behind his lack of emotion. He turns to attend to his patient Tilly, who seems to live on the brink of an orgasm, and has the ability to take everyone she speaks with her, to the edge. Even a mundane conversation with Tilly leaves Lorenzo very much in love.

      Julia (Savannah Wood), who sits in the corner playing her own compositions on the cello, creating music for the various lovers in the story.

      Later that day Tilly is at the hairdresser, where the owner, Frances (Olivia Dugandzic) becomes obsessed with Tilly’s hair, asking her round to her flat to meet her reticent partner, a nurse called Joan (Daisy Grant). Soon, the jealousy begins to surface. Who, if anyone will win Tilly’s heart?

*In this play, the Amygdala, named in Greek after its almond shape, is the brain’s organ of emotion. In actual fact, the two Amygdalae appear like a pair of cherries on their stems, in the centre of the under surface of the brain – the most protected area of the brain. The right ‘almond’ produces fear and sadness, whereas the left creates happiness or anxiety.

This whole play was written very dryly, and with the fantastic cast directed by award winning Leah Mercer and her talented assistant, Ariel Tresham, the humour started almost instantly. Extra dramaturg provided by Kayla MacGillivray; with an uproarious fight sequence, co-ordinated by Philip Miolin. Lorenzo’s excellent accent was coached by Luzita Fereday.

The players have flawlessly captured the subtleness of the script, giving just that tiny bit of over-the-top delivery. The result was amazing. Every nuance of expression gave even more joy to the already captivated audience. Even at the peak of the pandemonium, the cast were resolute, only showing the desired melancholy or elation.

Please don’t think ‘only a few students struggling to produce an average show’, this is real quality. Great script, very good direction, a perfectly tuned-in cast working as a team. A fast moving, laugh out loud comedy. Treat yourselves to something very different.

Even in 1963, after being hacked by the English censors, the run was only for two nights. A much lighter Broadway musical version of this play was presented in 2006.

This translation from German is by Johnathan Franzen, with creative collaboration by the cast.

The two and three-quarter hour drama can be seen at the Hayman Theatre Upstairs, building 102 on the Curtin University campus, Bentley. Performances each night are at the early time of 7.00 until Saturday 7^th March.

The stunning set is of a silver birch and bamboo (?) woodland in a German provincial town -the year 1894. The designer, Sally Phipps and her assistant Sean Guastavino, have covered the auditorium walls with bandage width, white strips with bark pattern printed on. The stage is of a bower in a wood. Construction by the ever-reliable, still alive, Ian Stewart.

The set is brought to life by Karen Cook’s brilliant lighting. Karen has employed strong side lights combined with multiple ‘pups’ (small low power spots). The warm soft lighting puts a glow on the walls, and the actors are lit by the incident glow. Lighting operated by Maddi Mullins.

Elliot Macri’s delightful music and soundscape is just the simple unobtrusive style and level required. Sound operated by Georgia Smith.

        Lying on the bank of the wooded creek in the sunlight is innocent, fourteen years old, Wendla (Beth Tremlett), she is dreaming of love and not wearing knickers. Upon awakening, she meets her equally naïve, good friends, Martha (Savannah Wood) and Thea (Amelia Tuttleby). As they are chatting, the handsome Melchior (Sean Guastavino) walks past and their bodies experience a brand new feeling.

       Back at home, Wendla learns that her cousin has had a baby and so once again tackles her mother as to how exactly babies are ‘initiated’. Her overprotective Mum (Kayla MacGillvray) explains about ‘the stork’, which does little to satisfy even naïve Wendla. Not surprisingly, when Wendla meets Melchior later in the hayloft, the inevitable occurs.

       Melchior meets his school pal, the shy and often teased, Moritz (Alexander Gerrans); they discuss women, and what they know about them – mainly innocent lies. Whilst Melchior faces the mechanical facts of sex with excitement, Moritz seems somewhat traumatised. Their friend, Hansy (Jeremy Bunny) is having more advanced fantasies and imagines himself making kinky love to Thea.

      In the second Act, the cruel and bullying headmaster, Heart Payne (Jarryd Dobson), finds Melchior’s sexually blatant letter to Moritz. Backed by the school teaching staff, the headmaster gets the poor janitor, Fetch (Terence Smith) to carry out his outrageous demands. With little support from their parents – especially Moritz’s father (Aaron Smith) – terrible consequences follow for the two young teenagers. Wendla has just discovered that she is anaemic – or could she be pregnant? The doctor (Gemma Middleton) is called in.

     A masked figure (Nathan Whitebrook) appears, he seems to be the conscience or fate of the people around.

Director Teresa Izzard, with a dozen cast and two dozen techies to cope with, has taken on the dramaturg help of Nathan Whitebrook, and acting coach Phil Miolin. The production is topped off with make-up by Heather Jerrems and a talented costume team (Chelsea Johnston, Kate Phipps) led by Hannah Miller.

This complex play has been admirably stage managed by Samantha Barrett and her deputies, Dylan Dorotich and Laura Beeton.

There are a couple of areas that the script could have been thinned out slightly, but the director kept the pace moving on beautifully. Most of the cast had several parts, but managed to move between the personalities smoothly and still portray their characters with depth. The four or five leading parts were extremely well acted, and were backed faultlessly by the remaining cast.

The first Act of the play (it is the first two Acts of the book) shows the awakening of the children’s youth and their becoming aware of sex. The second Act shows the darker side and consequences of acquiring too much knowledge of intimacy.

The tickets for this epic are almost sold out, but try and get one if you can. There are quite a few players in their first major production, and yet the result is wonderful. Very many congratulations, a most professional production.