Who will our audiences be? How are we making work?

Have your say and join the dialogue with artists, arts workers and audiences about Indigenous theatre making in Australia.

Date: 16 March 2012
Time: 4:00pm – 5.30pm
Cost: Free Entry

Registration opens 20 February at 10am.

Kick back, have a drink and enjoy an evening of live performance, music and entertainment in the beautiful surrounds of the GreenRoom installation.

See details online for the ever shifting line up of performers, dates and times!

The Next NightGarden is:

When: Friday 16^th March 2012

Time: 6.30pm – late
Who: check back soon for our artist line-up
Where: The GreenHouse…Courtyard of the Bille Brown Studio, 78 Montague Rd, South Brisbane.

We will host a series of guests and provocateurs who will offer us insights and invitations to discuss the future directions and relevance of the theatre. Get involved and take advantage of this opportunity to make connections and project positively to the future of our industry and our artists.

When: 8^th March 2012
Time: 3pm – 6.30pm
Where: The GreenHouse…Courtyard of the Bille Brown Studio, 78 Montague Rd, South Brisbane.

Limited numbers. Registration opens 20 February at 10am.

During the workshop, teachers will work with a local Indigenous artist to develop an understanding of a range of Indigenous works and theatre practices. This workshop comes at a vital time when, with the emphasis on Indigenous perspectives in National Curriculum, teachers will be able to study and devise authentic work to share in their schools and classrooms. The workshop will culminate in an Indigenous Theatre Forum.

The workshop will run from 9am till 5.30pm and costs $165.00. For any bookings or enquiries, contact Heidi Irvine, Education Liaison Officer on (07) 3010 7623 or hirvine@qldtheatreco.com.au

When you read a playscript the challenge is to remember that it was written to be spoken….the words on a page were designed to be taken in through the ears freeing up your eyes to see the action of bodies in space. The words act as a blueprint to encourage an actor to embellish, find the emotional resonances and interpret meaning for an audience. Reading scripts is a particular skill that not many people have. It takes an understanding of the potential of the ‘black squiggles on the white page’ to become flesh and blood, to breathe the same air as its audience and to inspire a communal experience of the story. As a writer and director of theatre I think of staging a play as the final steps in a writing process. A process where the architecture, structures and designs you’ve slaved over in an isolated world of your own imagination are realised in 3D to be walked in and inhabited. By it’s very nature theatre is collaborative and a playscript aches to be spoken out loud, hungers to be exercised in the minds of others and demands to be ‘played’ with.

Often the simplest storylines and characters make the best plays. When reading a play on the page a good script can seem too easy to read, broad or unnuanced but put into the mouths of actors and the words can show multiple meanings, deep subtext, unspoken motivations or simply demonstrate that the character is lying. An actor can turn a truth into a lie with an inflection, a raised eyebrow or by turning away.

The words on the page are not describing a state of being they are meant to embody it and the interpretative powers of the actor are meant to create the complexity for an audience. When reading a play you have the advantage of re-reading or taking your time to soak up the information but in performance the actor has only that moment; that split second to get all the complex intentions of a writer to you. There is no rewind, no pause, no chance to think about what has just been said. The rhythm of the text and it’s delivery dictate a forward momentum. The actor must be in that moment of time so truthfully that an audience feels a collective humanity. As a group the audience sit together and knit a collective knowledge of the story and their responses. The audience is not the solo experience of a reader of a book where you can create the world as you imagine it but rather a theatre audience is a collective experience where you feel the confidence to laugh together, the power of intense communal listening or the outrage at the challenge to a social norm and the instant feedback that others feel the same way.

Playscripts are wrought from the live experience of their expression. Reading plays challenges the reader to listen with their eyes and to see between the words.

Love, Wesley

“It packs a powerful punch, and Lawler’s words have a lot of swing left in them.” – Luke Buckmaster, Curtain Call

“…an exception ensemble…a beautiful and robust production.” – Darryn King, Time Out  

“If you care about theatre, it’s unmissable.” – Cameron Woodhead, The Age 

“A heart-lifting reminder of the talent and longevity that can be found in our national cultural industries.” – Aleksia Baaron, ArtsHub 

“[A] nuanced and beautifully acted production.’”– Elissa Blake, Sydney Morning Herald

“This production of Summer of the Seventeenth Doll is a joy.” – Diana Simmons, Stage Noise

“A searing look at romantic dreams” - Kate Herbert, Herald Sun  

“Roo and Olive are magic to watch.” – Haylie Pretorius, The Blurb

“The opening night ovation for this production and for writer Ray Lawler confirmed that it’s still one of the best plays out there.” – Anne-Marie Peard, Aussie Theatre

In the digital era of the 24 hour news cycle, how do photojournalists square their commitment to the truth with the media’s voracious need for a graphic image? When the threat of death is a daily reality, why do they do it?

Landing in Sarajevo and joining a pack of seasoned war journalists, rookie photographer Dannie Hills sets out to capture the perfect image. Each photograph she shoots becomes a kaleidoscope of dreams, memories and emotions – exciting, painful, and forever haunting…

Widely heralded as a remarkable piece of physical theatre, this award-winning play integrates fluid movement, live sound design and animated projections with striking originality. With its frenetic and restless energy set against a backdrop of 20 years of conflict, Bare Witness is a visceral experience that will change the way you look at the news.

“…an outstanding piece of physical theatre: a punishing, sensually immersive investigation of trauma that never forgets to be intelligent…an overwhelming work…ambitious, smart, beautifully realised theatre.”  – Alison Croggon, Theatre Notes

Bookings: Please call QTIX Groups on (07) 3840 7466

Every artist feels vulnerable putting their work out for public scrutiny, but theatre is such an unforgiving domain where the audience have all bought the right to have an opinion. Then, some of those opinions are blogged, printed or passed by word of mouth. It can be the most exciting time of a career or a real low point but we exist to show our work and connect with audiences.

The natural state of the artist is that we always feel that the show needs more work. People will often ask me if I am happy with the show. My response is “it’s not my job to be happy it’s my job to make it better”. As an artist I am always looking for ways to improve the work, to fascinate on the 5% that isn’t working rather than the 95% that is, to strive for perfection but accepting that perfection is impossible. A great piece of art is never finished.

Back to the Opening Night. I learnt a few valuable lessons that I will have to remember when I am attending Opening Nights for other artists –

1. Always celebrate the achievement. Getting a show on is a marathon.
2. Give your opinion when it is invited. Be specific and not generalised. I find that saying “it was marvellous” is just as generic and useless as saying “I hated it all”.
3. Follow up. The best way to support an artist is to spend time thinking about the production and then perhaps write a letter with your thoughts or have coffee with them.
4. Learn lessons from the artist. What did they learn through this project that you might be able to incorporate in your life or work? Artists have professional doubt mixed with the need for proactive confidence and the Opening Night is where we battle to find the middle ground.

Love, Wesley

Enter Jim Hacker’s world of hung parliaments, a nation in financial crises, a world of global warming, illegal immigrants and oil rich dictators. Yes, Prime Minister is a hysterical foray into the comedy of politics and intrigue.

Set in the present day, in the oak panelled drawing room of the British Prime Minister’s country residence, the embattled PM, Sir Humphrey and Bernard are back – this time facing their greatest challenge yet!

The European Union is in financial meltdown and Hacker is hanging onto power by a thread as he heads up a minority government. Then the country of Kumranistan throws a potential lifeline – a multi-trillion dollar infrastructure deal which could save the British economy. Closing the deal, however, will be tricky, and may require some rather unsavoury bargaining. Hacker and his team meet at Chequers to navigate the political and moral minefield and evade the ever-present media who will, of course, try to catch them out.

In 2012, the writers of the original TV series of Yes, Prime Minister bring the riotous inner workings of Westminster to the Australian stage for the first time. Take advantage of this special pre-sale discount offer, only available with the purchase of a Queensland Theatre Company Season Ticket.

“Jim Hacker & Sir Humphrey are back! As sharp and blissfully funny as ever.” Daily Telegraph UK

“The audience loved it. A hit!”  Daily Mail UK