https://www.stagewhispers.com.au/reviews/romeo-and-juliet-17
Showing posts with label Graduate Dramatic Society. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Graduate Dramatic Society. Show all posts
Auditions - The Comedy of Errors, March 2021
Audition Notice - The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare.
NEW AUDITION SLOTS ADDED: Saturday 7th November, from 1pm to 5pm, at the Bradley Studio, behind the Octagon Theatre, University of Western Australia.
AUDITIONS: Sunday 8th November 2020 and Monday 9th November 2020, at the New Fortune Theatre, University of Western Australia.
PERFORMANCES: March 10-20, 2021
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The Comedy of Errors is one of Shakespeare’s early plays, it is also his shortest. It is one of his most farcical comedies containing slapstick humour, mistaken identity, puns and word play.
The Comedy of Errors is set in the Greek city of Ephesus and tells the story of two sets of identical twins who were accidentally separated at birth.
Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant, Dromio of Syracuse, arrive in Ephesus, which is also the home of their twin brothers, Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant, Dromio of Ephesus. When the Syracusans encounter the friends and families of their twins, a series of wild mishaps based on mistaken identities lead to wrongful beatings, a near seduction, the arrest of Antipholus of Ephesus, and false accusations of infidelity, theft, madness, and demonic possession.
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Cast of Characters
Solina – Duchess of Ephesus
Egeon – A merchant of Syracuse – father of the Antipholus twins
Emilia – Antipholus' lost mother – wife to Egeon
Antipholus of Ephesus and Antipholus of Syracuse – twin brothers, sons of Egeon and Emilia
Dromio of Ephesus and Dromio of Syracuse – twin brothers, bondmen, each serving his respective Antipholus
Adriana – wife of Antipholus of Ephesus
Luciana – Adriana's sister
Nell/Luce – kitchen wench/maid to Adriana
Balthazar – a merchant
Angelo – a Goldsmith
Courtesan
First merchant – friend to Antipholus of Syracuse
Second merchant – to whom Angelo is in debt
Doctor Pinch – a conjuring schoolmaster
Gaoler, Headsman, Officers, and other Attendants
I see the Dromios as genderless so anyone may audition for these roles (they do have the lion’s share of the laughs in the play).
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AUDITIONS: Saturday 7th, Sunday 8th and Monday 9th November 2020
Audition venue: The Bradley Studio, behind the Octagon Theatre, on Saturday, and The New Fortune Theatre, Arts Building University of Western Australia, on Sunday and Monday. The New Fortune is an outdoor venue, so wear a hat and/or sunscreen if you book a daytime slot.
For an audition on Saturday 7th at the Bradley Studio, behind the Octagon Theatre, book an audition at:
For an audition on Sunday 8 November at the New Fortune Theatre, book an audition at:
For an audition on Monday 9 November at the New Fortune Theatre, book an audition at:
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Please prepare the following:
A Shakespeare monologue from your repertoire. It can be anything but you’ll need to deliver it fast AND make it funny at the same time.
OR
A prepared reading of one of the following:
Antipholus’ speech
Adriana’s speech
Dromio’s scene
Adriana’s speech
Dromio’s scene
These are available at the following link:
If you choose to do a reading I need to see that you can handle the language so please DON’T try to sight read it on the day.
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Depending on availability rehearsals will be on Monday and Wednesday evenings, and Saturday afternoons, commencing on Monday 30 November. Sundays may be added in the February 2020 due to a shorter rehearsal period than normal.
This is unpaid community theatre
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About the author:
A guy named William Shakespeare, you may have heard of him.
About the director:
David Cotgreave is a versatile professional of the highest calibre boasting a career spanning thirty years across every artform.
David is a very experienced performer having created over sixty-two roles. Highlights have been Alfieri (A View from the Bridge), Malcolm (Macbeth) and Bassario (Merchant of Venice) for GRADS, Jake (Jake’s Women) for the Old Mill Theatre, Uncle Louis (Lost in Yonkers) for Playlovers, Presley Stray (The Pitchfork Disney) for The Gordian Theatre Company, Tom Hackford (The Accrington Pals) @ WAAPA and Derek (Derek) for the Hayman Theatre Company. David has also received two performance awards, best actor in a play (Lost in Yonkers) and best actor in a short film (The Pacifist).
David’s passion extends to all aspects of his arts and events career having been the Production Manager at the highest level in the Arts industry. His credits include: the Sydney Theatre Company; WA Academy of Performing Arts; the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games; Festival of Perth, the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and more recently the West Australian Ballet.
The Comedy of Errors will be David’s Shakespearian debut as a director.
Our New Committee & President's Report
We have finally been able to hold our AGM, originally scheduled for March but delayed for obvious reasons. We have a new committee - made up of some returning members and some exciting new members:
PRESIDENT Neale Paterson
VICE-PRESIDENT Seanne Sparrow
SECRETARY Barry Park
TREASURER Kristine Lockwood
CONMITTEE MEMBERS
Dean McAskil
Eddie Stowers
Thomas Dimmick
Rosalind Moore
Nigel Goodwin
Adam Poole
Arnold Wong
CO-OPTED COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Stephen Lee
Fiona Johnson
Grant Malcolm
Jonno Beckett
Thanks to all who attended, and special thanks to our retiring committee members, for all their support over the last year: Pete Nettleton, Jeremy Heenan and Martin Forsey.
FROM THE PRESIDENT
This report is an edited and updated version of a report which was posted on Facebook in April, after the cancellation of the AGM due to COVID situation.
Our 2019 Annual General Meeting was held in the Shakespeare Garden of the Arts Building, just after the completion of Lucy Eyre’s production of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice - which re-established Grads in the New Fortune after a lapse of several years. It was a successful production, playing to good houses. It was nominated for both Best Actor (Judd Milner as Shylock) and Best Actress (Grace Edwards as Portia) at the Finley Awards, and Judd Millner’s Shylock won in its category. There is no doubt that the New Fortune Theatre is Grads' 'brand'. We are the only group keeping it alive as a theatrical venue, and University Theatre are very happy to support our continued use of it.
In July we experimented by mounting a staged reading, with music, of the locally written historical play Voices From the Tomb, directed by Pete Nettleton, at the Old York Courthouse. Special thanks to Seanne Sparrow for her help with organising this, and to Pete for all his work. It went very well and we actually made a bit of money! I believe that this kind of show offers many opportunities for Grads in the future.
In October we presented Tennessee Williams' Glass Menagerie in the Dolphin Theatre, directed by Jane Hille. It was a powerful and imaginative production that adopted a challenging non-naturalistic performance style and had an innovative and beautiful set. The small cast was strong and incredibly committed. James Ford, who played young Tom, was awarded a special commendation for Best Youth at the Finley Awards and the cast were all nominated for Best Ensemble.
In November we started planning for our next show in the New Fortune, Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor, directed by Thomas Dimmick. It was performed in March, and I am sure that all who saw it would agree with me that it was a life-affirmingly inventive, funny and colourful production, with a glorious cast, that used the New Fortune stage beautifully. Ticket sales were not at the level of the previous year's Merchant of Venice, given the uncertain situation at the time and the relatively unknown play, but it was a wonderful production by any account.
The Merry Wives finished its season - and within days we were in lockdown. We were planning to hold our AGM and then to present Alide Chaney's production of 'My Mother Said I Never Should…' in July at the Townshend Theatre in Subiaco. Events forced us to cancel both, of course. However we are very keen to mount Alide's show next year.
The current outlook - at least in Western Australia - at least at the moment - has allowed us to proceed - a little nervously - with our plans for 'The Boys in the Band', to be directed by Barry Park in November. University Theatres has made it possible for us to use the Dolphin Theatre for a two week season. I am very optimistic that the timeliness of the play and our positive association with PrideFEST WA, who are very happy to promote the play as part of their November celebrations, gives us every opportunity for a successful season and a fresh start.
Our next planned show is a summer Shakespeare season in the New Fortune, followed by Alide’s show mid-year, probably in the Townshend Theatre. We are also hoping to work with Grant Malcolm, who has an exciting concept for a series of staged readings of Shakespeare in the New Fortune.
Please join us on this journey...
NEALE PATERSON
President
Annual General Meeting 2020
Please come to our Annual General Meeting!
We encourage all who have an interest in the future of Grads, in these challenging, difficult and exciting times, to attend our Annual General Meeting, on Sunday 9 August 2020, 5pm-6:30pm, at the Arts Lecture Room 4, University of Western Australia.
https://studentvip.com.au/uwa/main/maps/116631
Please join us, to discuss the future of Grads and to elect a new committee - we would be delighted if you would be prepared to offer your assistance..
Entertainment and drinks and nibbles will be provided.
Stephen Lee is unfortunately unable to speak, as previously advertised. In his place, the President of Grads, Neale Paterson, will step in as understudy and speak briefly about his experiences with Grads in the 80s and 90s, leading into an informal discussion of Grads in all its eras and incarnations, old and new, memories and ideas for the future - and then to a brief AGM to formalise things for next year.
All are truly welcome to participate.
Please send any agenda items you may wish to discuss to bookings@grads.org.au
Auditions - The Boys in the Band, November 2020
Grads is back!
9 actors are sought for the GRADS (The Graduate Dramatic Society) production of the original version of Mart Crowley’s ground breaking smash hit gay play THE BOYS IN THE BAND, to be directed by award winning director Barry Park, by arrangement with ORiGiN™ THEATRICAL, on behalf of Samuel French Inc.
Production dates: 4th to 14th November 2020 at a Perth venue to be confirmed.
AUDITIONS: 25th or 26th July 2020
Audition venue: BDA, Level 2, 369 Newcastle Street, Northbridge
(press bell to ask for access)
For an audition on Saturday 25th July 2020, book an audition at:
For an audition on Sunday 26th July 2020, book an audition at:
PLEASE NOTE CAREFULLY THE DATE, TIME AND VENUE OF YOUR AUDITION
Please prepare a short, contemporary monologue in an American accent or read an extract from the play.
Queries: Production Manager, Dean McAskil: deanmcaskil@gmail.com 0403 939 813
Rehearsals on Monday and Thursday evenings, Saturday afternoons, commencing Monday 31st August 2020
This is unpaid community theatre
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This ground breaking American play is the first truly honest portrayal of the lives of contemporary gay men. Half a century later, the play proves to be as entertaining, bold, and inspiring as ever. The Boys in the Band centres on a group of gay men who gather in a posh NYC Upper East Side apartment for a friend’s birthday party. An unexpected guest and a street hustler arrive. The drinks are poured and the music is turned up. The evening slowly exposes the fault lines beneath their friendships and the self-inflicted heartache that threatens their solidarity. Secrets are revealed, arguments are unearthed, and blows are thrown, culminating in a shocking drunken game. This fiercely funny play that shocked mainstream audiences premiered Off-Broadway, at Theatre Four in New York City in 1968, running for 1,001 performances. It was subsequently made into a successful feature film with the original cast. At a time when gay characters were seldom seen in commercial media except as crude stereotypes, this play presented a well-rounded view of what critics of the day referred to as “the homosexual milieu.” Celebrating its 50th Anniversary, The Boys in the Band was presented at the Booth Theatre on Broadway in 2018, winning Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Play and Best Featured Actor in a Play. The entire cast of the 2018 Broadway revival are reprising their roles in a Netflix film.
REVIEWS
"A play of real substance, one that deserves to be performed not occasionally but regularly." – The Wall Street Journal
"The Boys in the Band … goes from wittily bitchy to heartbreakingly brutal… " – Out Magazine
"Witty, bitchy, revelatory and dazzlingly entertaining [...] the excoriating wit is still there." – New York Post
"Terrifically thoughtful … The Boys in the Band emerges remarkably universal." – NY1
“A beautifully, fearlessly wrought play.” – The Wall Street Journal
CASTING
Michael (stage age thirties but older actors will also be considered)
The play takes place at Michael’s apartment. Michael is a lapsed Catholic alcoholic who is undergoing psychoanalysis. He is a smartly groomed writer who has sold a screenplay that was never produced. For the most part, he travels the world, running up bills and getting other people to pay them. He is aging, losing his hair (a fact that is commented on several times throughout the play), and seeing a therapist to help him deal with the self-hatred that he feels about his lifestyle. He is well versed in cinema history and has a movie reference for just about every occasion. Early on, he explains to Donald that he has quit drinking and smoking because he is unable to “get through that morning-after ick attack” when he realizes the things that he has said and done the night before while drinking. Later, after the hostility between Emory and Alan subsides, Michael starts drinking again. His behaviour becomes increasingly bizarre and offensive. He eventually makes up a “party game” that is meant to humiliate all of the guests. In the end, in a reversal of the first scene, Michael leaves his own apartment, intending to go over to midnight mass at the Catholic church.
Donald (stage age thirties but older actors will also be considered)
Donald, who has wholesome American good looks, does not really know the other party guests well. He is a conflicted friend of Michael’s who has moved far from the city to spurn the gay lifestyle. He lives in a rented room in the Hamptons, where he has worked scrubbing floors since he dropped out of college. Donald comes to town on Saturday nights to see his psychiatrist, and then he stays at Michael’s apartment.
Emory (stage age thirties but older actors will also be considered)
Emory is the joker of the group and the most flamboyantly gay. He is always referring to himself and to the others as “girls” or “Mary.” He is the one who made most of the food for the party. It is his light, whimsical, girlish attitude that infuriates Alan, leading him to punch Emory at the end of the first act. During the game at the end of the play, Emory chooses to phone Delbert Botts, an older boy whom he had a crush on in junior high school and high school. Emory once embarrassed himself, begging Delbert to be his friend and buying him an expensive present, only to find out at the senior prom that Delbert had been laughing about him to others and was engaged to be married.
Hank (stage age thirties but older actors will also be considered)
Solid, athletic Hank left his wife and two children to live with Larry. He is a schoolteacher. Alan, noticing the wedding ring on Hank’s hand, feels close to him, raising the possibility that Alan’s attraction is not erotic but is because he identifies with Hank as the only other heterosexual in the room. In act 2, when Alan is feeling sick, Hank stays with him offstage. At the end of the play, when it is his time to phone the person that he loves most, Hank phones Larry, even though he knows that Larry has a difficult time committing himself to just one man.
Larry (stage age thirties but older actors will also be considered)
Handsome Larry is a commercial artist. He has had an affair with Donald in the past, although it was impersonal: they had sex but never even learned each other’s names. As Larry explains it, “We haven’t exactly met, but we’ve... Seen... each other before.” Although he lives with Hank, Larry is reluctant to commit to a monogamous relationship, feeling that such a thing is unrealistic.
Bernard (stage age thirties but older actors will also be considered)
Bernard is an African American who still pines for the wealthy white boy of the house where his mother was a maid. He has a small part in the play until the end when Michael initiates the Affairs of the Heart game. Encouraged to phone someone he loves and tell him that he loves him, Bernard chooses to phone Peter Dahlbeck, the son in the household where his mother worked as a domestic. Once, when they were drunk, Peter and Bernard were intimate with each other in the pool house, but they never spoke of it again. When Peter’s mother answers and says that he is off on a date, Bernard spends the rest of the play angry at himself for having been so stupid as to have phoned. He is nice-looking and dressed in Ivy-League clothes.
Alan (stage age thirties but older actors will also be considered)
Alan is an aristocratic old college roommate of Michael’s. Alan did not know that Michael was gay when they were in college, so Michael tries to keep it from him. Throughout the play there are several strong hints that Alan has homosexual feelings that he is trying to suppress. Alan is crying when he phones, asking to come over. Michael is afraid that Alan will find out that he is gay, a secret that is lost when Alan enters the apartment to find all of the men dancing together. Alan bonds with Hank after noticing the wedding ring on his finger and stays around him during much of the play, telling Michael when they are alone, “That Hank is really a very attractive fellow.” Alan claims to be straight but becomes a little too emotional when his manhood is threatened and who is strangely reluctant to leave each time he says he is going. After a few drinks, Alan becomes enraged at Emory and lunges at him, threatening to kill the “little mincing swish,” the “freak.” Late in the second act, Michael insists that Alan call Justin Stuart, a man who had a gay affair with Alan in college. It seems that he is acknowledging his homosexuality when he phones and says “I love you,” but when Michael takes the phone, he finds out that Alan has called his wife and committed himself to his heterosexual relationship.
Cowboy (stage age twenties but older actors will also be considered)
The Cowboy is a handsome, well built young man, a male prostitute dressed in a cowboy outfit, hired for twenty dollars to sing “Happy Birthday” to Harold and spend the night with him. Unfortunately, he shows up early, before Harold arrives. He wants to get home early and get to bed because he hurt his heel while doing chinups. Throughout the play, he asks naive questions, unable to keep up with the witty banter of the rest of the group. He leaves with Harold in the end.
Harold (stage age thirties but older actors will also be considered)
It is Harold’s birthday, and he is the last character to arrive, at the very end of the first act. He is a former ice skater, morose at losing his youthful good looks. Harold copes with the depression and self-loathing that he feels by taking drugs: when he arrives, Michael mentions his being late and high on marijuana, and he explains, bitterly, “What I am, Michael, is a thirty-two year old, ugly, pock-marked Jew fairy.” Later, commenting on the issue of beauty, he mentions his soul and notes, “if I could, I’d sell it in a flash for some skin-deep, transitory, meaningless beauty.” Michael announces to the group that Harold is hoarding depressant drugs so that he can commit suicide before becoming old, a claim Harold does not deny. The Cowboy, who is beautiful and almost completely devoid of any intellect whatsoever, is attractive to Harold.
DIRECTOR
Barry Park
Barry is an experienced director and actor whose productions have achieved considerable success. He recently won the Finley’s Director Award for his Playlover’s production of August: Osage County, which also won Robert Finley Best Play Award and several others. His production of Present Laughter was also ranked in the Top Ten Plays at the Awards, won the Best Costumes Award and was nominated for several others. His production of A View from the Bridge for GRADS, also nominated for four Finley Awards, was Runner-up Best Play. His production of Other Desert Cities for Playlovers, nominated for six Finley Awards, won the Technical Achievement Award. His production of Design for Living for The Old Mill Theatre won the Best Set in a Play Award. His GRADS production of David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly won the Finley Director Award, Best Play Award and several other awards. His GRADS productions of The Real Thing, Broken Glass and All My Sons were all nominated for several Finley awards and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof won several Finley awards. Overseas, his productions of Death of a Salesman, The Golden Masque of Agamemnon and The Life and Death of Almost Everybody won several National Theatre awards. Among other shows Barry has directed are: Agnes of God, Songs from the Shows, Snoopy! The Musical, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man in the Moon Marigolds, Blythe Spirit, On Monday Next, The Fantastiks and Lord of the Flies.
PLAYWRIGHT
Mart Crowley
Mart Crowley was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi and educated at The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. After graduation from the drama department he went to New York to pursue a career in the theatre and landed jobs as production assistant to the directors Sidney Lumet and Elia Kazan. His first play, the groundbreaking The Boys in the Band, opened Off-Broadway on April 14, 1968 to rave reviews. He wrote the screenplay and produced the film version, directed by Academy Award winner William Friedkin. The 2011 documentary, Making the Boys, explores the genesis of the play and film. Crowley’s other produced plays are Remote Asylum (1970); A Breeze from the Gulf (1973), which earned a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle nomination for Best Play; Avec Schmaltz (1984), written for the Williamstown Theatre Festival; For Reasons That Remain Unclear (1993), a pre-scandal effort to investigate sexual abuse in the Catholic Church; and The Men from the Boys (2002), a sequel to The Boys in the Band. From 1979 through 1984 Crowley was the producer/co-writer of the ABC TV series Hart to Hart. He also wrote several television movies and mini-series. In addition, he is the co-author of the children’s book, Kay Thompson’s Eloise Takes a Bawth, published by Simon & Schuster (2002). He is the winner of the 2009 Lambda Literary Award for The Collected Plays of Mart Crowley. He lived in Manhattan and died in 2020.
Merry Wives of Windsor - Audience Reactions!
"The opening night of The Merry Wives of Windsor was an absolute joy. Full disclosure: two-thirds of the cast are friends of mine, but I was interested regardless. I've seen The Scottish Play and "Everybody Dies" several times, but I'd never seen this Shakespearean comedy.
"It was hilarious. There were scenes where the audience was literally roaring with laughter. I am far from an authority but Will peppers his plays with diverse characters, and ordinary situations which, although written 500 years ago, are instantly recognisable today. We relate, and therefore we laugh. Today's soap operas, sitcoms, and farces had their origins half a millennium ago.
"ALL the cast were having enormous fun. Robert Jackson and Kaitlin Okely balanced each other wonderfully. Cameron Leese strutted befittingly, whilst Jason Dohle bumbled comically. Nigel Goodwin brought his Monty Python and the Holy Grail A-Game to the table, and for the Hogwarts fans Barry Potter was in fine form.
"Publicity and word of mouth have suggested that Grant Malcolm is channeling Brian Blessed. Grant does not disappoint. It's a fine and generous actor who can alternately propel a scene, and then relinquish control as the script requires.
"But if your production intends to live up to its title, then you'd better damn well cast a couple of strong female leads. And in Anna Head and Meredith Hunter, The Merry Wives of Windsor showcases two of Perth's most accomplished actresses. They owned that stage, ran rings around poor Grant's character, and had the audience in hysterics. And did so with an almost casual effortlessness, as though Shakespearean comedy was the most natural thing in the world. Their chemistry was undeniable and their stage presence indisputable.
"Congratulations to director Thomas Dimmick, and all involved, for a fantastic piece of theatre and a marvelous evening's entertainment."
JARROD BUTTERY, FACEBOOK
The Merry Wives of Windsor - OPENS THIS THURSDAY!
Only five days to go!
Enjoy all of the jealousy, lust and buffoonery on a balmy March night under the stars with added peacocks. Book now!
The Merry Wives of Windsor was written at the request of Queen Elizabeth, who wanted to see her favourite character, Sir John Falstaff, "in love". It is the only play Shakespeare wrote which is completely original, not based on an earlier plays, tales or historical chronicles.
The fact that the only play that came entirely from Shakespeare's imagination is a comedy about middle-class characters in a small country town doesn't quite sit with the idea that the author could not possibly have come from a humble background. Or does it?
Discuss...
Notice of Annual General Meeting - Sunday 29 March 2020, 5pm-6:30pm, at the University of W.A.
We will start with a talk from distinguished director and actor, Stephen Lee, accompanied by drinks and nibbles. The AGM itself will start at 6pm and should not last more than 30 minutes.
If you have an interest in the future of Grads, we would be delighted to see you there.
The Glass Menagerie - book now!
GLASS MENAGERIE OPENING NIGHT OFFER!
HALF PRICE TICKETS AND FREE DRINKS AND NIBBLES!
We are delighted to present a special offer for the first night of The Glass Menagerie, in the Dolphin Theatre, UWA, on Wednesday 16 October at 7:30pm.
$20 tickets - that's almost half the full price - and free drinks and finger food after the show!
Book online through TicketsWA and quote the code GMR19 to receive your discount:
https://www.ticketswa.com/event/glass-menagerie
We would love to see you there!
Special thanks to the Business Development Alliance, which is a proud sponsor of this GRADS production.
Notice of Annual General Meeting - 31/3/19
The Annual General Meeting of the Graduate Dramatic Society will be held on
Sunday 31st March 2019 at 2 pm
At the Shakespeare Garden, University of Western Australia.
The Shakespeare Garden is the Arts Department courtyard at the rear of the New Fortune stage, where we are currently performing our acclaimed production of The Merchant of Venice. It is an attractive and appropriate venue in which to consider our future.
https://goo.gl/maps/QY2FHFNRoBr
https://historiesofemotion.com/2018/06/08/gardens-emotions-and-shakespeare/
We encourage you to attend and help us follow through on our successful year returning to the University as the home of Grads. We have had three successful seasons and look forward, with your help, to many more. If you are not currently a member, you can join on the day.
Sunday 31st March 2019 at 2 pm
At the Shakespeare Garden, University of Western Australia.
The Shakespeare Garden is the Arts Department courtyard at the rear of the New Fortune stage, where we are currently performing our acclaimed production of The Merchant of Venice. It is an attractive and appropriate venue in which to consider our future.
https://goo.gl/maps/QY2FHFNRoBr
https://historiesofemotion.com/2018/06/08/gardens-emotions-and-shakespeare/
We encourage you to attend and help us follow through on our successful year returning to the University as the home of Grads. We have had three successful seasons and look forward, with your help, to many more. If you are not currently a member, you can join on the day.
Reviews - The Merchant of Venice
Kimberley Shaw, Stage Whispers
The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare
Directed by Lucy Eyre
New Fortune Theatre, University of Western Australia. March 7-16, 2019
The Merchant of Venice is perhaps one of the less frequently performed Shakespeare plays, mostly because of the obvious anti-Semitic feeling. This production is set in Venice, but in 1938, and is set alongside anti-Jewish policies in Mussolini’s Italy, the visit of Hitler to Italy and the looming shadow of the Second World War. Played in the beautiful outdoor New Fortune Theatre, which mimics the dimensions of the 1600 Fortune Theatre, on a warm Mediterranean-like evening, it is the perfect setting for some good Shakespearean Theatre.
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| Judd Milner (R) as Shylock, with Eddie Stowers as Tubal |
Lucy Eyre is an intelligent and thoughtful director, and she has chosen a cast that are strong and effective, many of whom might be termed Shakespeare Specialists. Leading the cast are Barry Park, as the complex, likeable but flawed, Antonio, an excellent rival to the conniving but very sympathetic Judd Millner as Shylock - in a very strong performance. Catalyst character Bassanio is given Latin charm and lovely depth by (a largely unrecognisable) Thomas Dimmick in an impressive Shakespearean debut.
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| Grace Edwatds (R) as Portia, with Melissa Merchant as Nerissa |
Particularly impressive are Grace Edwards, as a very clever and admirable Portia and Melissa Merchant as her maid and companion Nerissa. Lovely comedic work from this pair, with expertly layered performances. The other women, especially Abbey McCaughan’s beautifully poignant Jessica, and Solange Burns’ - in a fascinating interpretation of Launcelot, also deliver strong performances.
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| Barry Park (L) as Antonio and Thomas Dimmick as Bassanio |
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| Steven Hounsome (L) as Lorenzo with Abby McCaughan (centre) as Jessica |
Other standouts include Steven Hounsome’s earnest and genuine Lorenzo, Eddie Stowers’ delightfully obnoxious Prince of Arragon, and Neale Paterson’s excellent doubling of Old Gobbo and The Duke. Strong support from Patrick Downes as Salarino, Malek Domkoc - a stunning Prince of Morocco, Sarah Thillagaratnam, dancers and members of the entourage.
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| Solonje Burns (L) as Launcelot with Neale Paterson as Old Gobbo |
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| Eddie Stowers (R) as the Prince of Arragon |
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| Malek Domkoc (centre) as the Prince of Morocco |
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| Patrick Downes (L) and Mark Fitzpatrick as Solanio and Salarino |
Gary Wetherilt’s set design complements the venue well, and Mark Nicholson’s lighting is impressive in a temporary rig. Costumes, by Merri Ford, are thoughtfully created, are true to the era and are instrumental in setting the scene.
A must-see for Shakespeare lovers, but Grads’ The Merchant of Venice is a great choice for anyone who loves intelligent, thought-provoking theatre. The lovely setting is a great bonus.
Kimberley Shaw
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Jarrod Buttery (from Facebook)
Every so often you see a play that punches you in the guts and takes your breath away. The Merchant of Venice (Graduate Dramatic Society) is masterfully put together but still a dark, confronting story. Judd Millner is superbly sympathetic as Shylock, who, after a lifetime of being vilified, sees an opportunity for retribution -- and is crushed in the attempt. The ferocity of the forces arrayed against him is heartbreaking.
Another surprise is that the nicest man in Perth Theatre, Barry Park, so chillingly portrays one of Shakespeare's nastiest characters -- a diametric opposite to his good self -- effortlessly done with Barry's innate skill of delivering difficult text as if it was day-to-day language. He is well supported by an authoritative Thomas Dimmick as Bassanio.
But if the play belongs to anyone it is Grace Edwards as Portia. One disadvantage of the outdoor New Fortune Theatre is the occasional echo, but Grace's powerful delivery and commanding stage presence dominated every scene. Again, Grace was intimately supported (in more ways than one) by the voluptuous Dr Melissa Merchant as handmaid Nerissa, who also provided much of the meagre comedy in this very dark play.
Everyone was fabulous! I believe there was a cast of 23! I counted 14 men alone in the courtroom scene! Quick mentions to the delightfully wicked Eddie Stowers as a cheeky suitor, and Solonje Burns in one of Shakespeare's trademark eccentric roles perfectly suited to her compelling voice and physicality.
Yes, it's a dark play, but it's a subject that should not be ignored or forgotten. And if you make it along to this exceptional production -- it won't be. Congratulations to director Lucy Eyre and everyone involved.
Jarrod Buttery
The Merchant of Venice - 7-10 & 13-16 March at the New Fortune
Book for THE MERCHANT OF VENICE at
www.ticketswa.com/event/merchant-venice
or call 6488 2440 between 12pm and 4pm weekdays.
When: 7-10 March and 13-16 March 2019, 7.30pm
Where: The New Fortune Theatre, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, 6009.
Who will win Portia's hand? The heiress to a large fortune is forced into marriage by an unorthodox method, stipulated by her late father, attracting suitors from all over the world, including Bassanio, which sets in motion a fateful transaction. The merchant, Antonio, must default on the large loan from Shylock, the Jewish moneylender he abused, but instead, the vengeful creditor demands a gruesome payment. A thrilling climax that tests the laws of Venice at a time when the rise of fascism in Europe threatens to quash the bohemian lifestyle of Venetians, and to embolden anti-Semitic attitudes that are waiting to surface.
Adapted and directed by WAAPA graduate Lucy Eyre, this contemporary production of “The Merchant of Venice” is set in 1938. Don’t miss one of Shakespeare's most important plays performed on a unique stage: The New Fortune Theatre at the University of Western Australia, which is a reconstruction of the Fortune Playhouse built in London in 1600.
Photography by Myles Wright
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