Welcome to our July newsletter! Thanks to everyone for coming to the
Alvin Purple launches and screenings. To keep you up to date about upcoming events, Currency has recently launched its very own
Facebook page. Click here to become our friend.
Also in this tightly packed issue: Our
author interview with playwright
Tom Holloway, whose
Don’t Say the Words is currently showing at Griffin Theatre.
New Releases,
Special Offers, highlights of the
Byron Bay Writers Festival,
News,
Awards and the latest on what’s happening
On Stage. Enjoy!
Author of the month
Tom Holloway says his latest play
Don’t Say the Words (currently playing at Griffin Theatre) was inspired by Aeschylus’
Agamemnon.
We asked Tom what interested him about the ancient Greek story, how it
translates for modern day Australia, and how love and hate can be
closely related. To read the interview, click here.
New Titles
Don't Say the Words
Tom Holloway
After a decade under siege a city has finally fallen. But ten years
of rage have taken their toll. For an officer returning from this epic
overseas campaign, it is time to put the horrors of battle behind him,
and to take back his place at the family table.
For the officer’s wife, it is time to take her revenge…
Tom Holloway’s ‘epic-in-miniature’ is inspired by Aeschylus’
Agamemnon and a truly contemporary Australian landscape—with breathtaking results.
Don’t Say the Words is currently playing at the Stables in
a Griffin Theatre production. Get your copy at the theatre at the
special price of $10, or—if you can’t make it to the show—you can order it online.
Three Oaks / Chrysalis
Monica Raszewski / Dina Ross
A double volume of new Australian plays—published to coincide with La Mama productions in July and August.
Three Oaks: Inspired by writer Monica Raszewski’s discovery of letters and notes from an artist’s estate,
Three Oaks explores the notion of piecing together a life when a person dies.
Chrysalis: Annie is on trial for the murder of her
three babies. Expert witness Professor Lawrence Taylor is convinced
Annie is guilty. But is she?
Part psychological drama, part poignant investigation into guilt,
obsession and the nature of parenting, Chrysalis approaches big issues
in a compelling voice.
For more information on Chrysalis, visit www.chrysalistheplay.com.au
The double volume of
Three Oaks and
Chrysalis will be published in time for the La Mama production of
Three Oaks, opening 23 July. Pick up your copy at the theatre, or—if you can’t make it to the show, you can pre-order it from our website.
FROM OUR AGENCIES
CURRENCY HOUSE
Platform Papers 17: What is an Australian Play? Have We Failed Our Ethnic Writers?
Chris Mead
Australia has a dynamic collection of stories and cultures—yet how
many make it to our nation’s stages? Is today’s new work really
reflecting our cultural diversity? Have we as an industry failed our
playwrights and our audiences?
Dramaturg and director Chris Mead examines the way the UK handles
the issue, reviews the national scene, asks some tough questions about
institutional racism, colonial, national and community theatre, and
proposes some exciting new ways to develop a more dynamic theatre
culture.
For more information and to order your copy, visit our website.
NICK HERN BOOKS
Tackling Text
Barbara Houseman
An intensely practical handbook aimed chiefly at acting students and
young professionals encountering text for the first time. Experienced
actors and drama teachers will also find it useful in tackling their
specific problems.
Having helped the actor with basic vocal technique, in her enormously successful previous book,
Finding Your Voice, Barbara Houseman now shows the actor how to cope with the demands posed by the playtext itself.
Tackling Text will be available through Currency Press later this month, for details visit our website.
Cotton Wool
Ali Taylor
Two disconnected teenage lads on a Scottish beach, one rootless girl. Young Scottish writer Ali Taylor’s first play,
Cotton Wool is a gripping and darkly comic tale of young lives on the edge.
‘… it is an intriguing couple of hours that mark out Taylor, who
has just won the Metamorphosis 08 playwriting competition, as a quirky
talent whose observations of the teenage heart and the boys' devotion
to Frosties ring absolutely true.’ Lyn Gardner, the Guardian
Cotton Wool will be available through Currency Press later this month, for details visit our website.
OBERON BOOKS
From Word to Play: A Textual Handbook for Actors and Directors
Cicely Berry
Cicely Berry is widely regarded as one of the most significant voice
teachers in the world. In her astonishing new book she looks closely at
the interchange between sound and rhythm in language, showing how it
can change the nuance of the meaning and take director, actor and
audience further into the world of the play.
At the heart of this book is a concise, practical guide for
directors in rehearsal, setting out work strategies that help bring out
both the shape and the details within all kinds of text - whether verse
or prose, seventeenth-century or contemporary.
From Word to Play is available through Currency Press, for details visit our website.
An Oak Tree
Tim Crouch
An Oak Tree is a bold and absurdly comic play about loss, suggestion and the power of the mind.
A man loses his daughter in a car accident. The man driving the car
is a stage hypnotist. Since the accident he's lost the power of
suggestion. They meet when the father volunteers for the Hypnotist's
act.
An Oak Tree is a remarkable play for two actors. The
father, however, is played by a different actor—male or female—at each
performance. They walk on stage having neither seen nor read a word of
the play they're in... until they're in it.
'Crouch's brilliant, wayward show...has an incredible emotional pungency' The Guardian
An Oak Tree is opening at Belvoir St Theatre Downstairs on
16 July. Tim Crouch's unusual script is available through Currency
Press, for details visit our website.
Wedding Day at the Cro-Magnons
Wajdi Mouawad
As the bombs fall in Lebanon, the Cro-Magnon family prepare for
their narcoleptic daughter’s wedding feast. There are family feuds. The
potatoes are rotten and the main course won’t die. And there’s the
small matter of an absent bride groom...
An audacious and bitter comedy from a writer who knows first-hand what it feels like to be caught in a war zone.
Wedding Day at the Cro-Magnons is available through Currency Press, for details visit our website. Wajdi Mouawad's play
Scorched is opening at Belvoir St Theatre Upstairs on 19 July.
Awards
2008 Helpmann Awards
The nominations for the 2008 Helpmann Awards have been announced.
In the category Best New Australian Work the nominees are: Andrew Bovell for
When the Rain Stops Falling, Michael Gow for
Toy Symphony, Alana Valentine for
Parramatta Girls and Gideon Obarzanek for
Glow.
Company B’s production of
Toy Symphony is
in the running for five further awards, including Best Play and Best
Direction. Further nominations include Real T.V.’s production of Angela
Betzien’s
Hoods
in the category Best Presentation for Children; Leah Purcell in the
category Best Female Actor in a Play for her role in Wesley Enoch’s
The Stories of the Miracles at Cookie’s Table; Travis McMahon and Alison Whyte for Best Male and Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in the MTC/STC production of
Don’s Party
and Susan Prior as Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role for the STC production of Andrew Upton’s
Riflemind.
The awards will be held at Star City, Lyric Theatre on Monday, 28 July. For the complete list of nominations visit helpmannawards.com.au.
Currency congratulates all nominees!
News
Debrief: Launch and screening
Alvin Purple
What a night! Thanks to everyone for coming along to the launches and screenings of
Alvin Purple in Canberra and Sydney.
A special thank you goes to
Graeme Blundell who joined
Catharine Lumby and
Jane Mills for the Sydney Q&A, where he shared some dazzling insights into the making of the film and his live after
Alvin.
If you have missed the event, don’t despair—you can see pictures of the night on our brand new facebook page, read our author interview with Catharine Lumby and order your copy of
Alvin Purple right here.
Be our friend on Facebook
We are pleased to announce that Currency Press now has its very own Facebook page.
Join us in our venture to keep Australia posted about the latest
publications, productions and events in the performing arts. If you’re
already on Facebook, all you need to do is follow this link or search for "Currency Press" and click on "become a fan".
Stay up to date about our books, launches and events and let us and the
community know about your upcoming events, productions, rehearsed
readings, etc. Leave a comment on our wall or talk about current issues
in the performing arts on the discussion board.
The page cannot access your personal profile, so nobody who is not
your facebook friend already will be able to see your private
information.
We would love to see you there.
Festival Time
The
Byron Bay Writers Festival is coming up from
25-27 July with
workshops starting from 21 July. The program is packed with
high-profile authors and fascinating talks—to make your choice easier,
we have scanned the program for the best performing arts events:
Friday, 25 July, 9.45am – 10.45am
Perfect word, perfect place: luxuriating in language. With Jack Hibberd, Martin Harrison, Yvette Holt and Manuka Wijesinghe, Chair: Peter Bishop
Saturday, 26 July, 12.30pm - 1.30pm
Talking the talk: getting the dialogue right. With Michael Gow, Max Barry, Virginia Duigan and Judy Nunn; Chair: Kate Eltham
Sunday, 27 July, 12.00pm – 1.00pm, director Susan
Melhuish & actors present rehearsed readings of award-winning plays
by Australian playwright Michael Gow in
PERFORMANCE: Michael Gow on stage.
Sunday, 27 July 12.00pm – 1.00pm
Falling into place: how writers find their genre. With Jack Hibberd, Martin Harrison, Zacharey Jane and Max Barry, Chair: Peter Bishop
Sunday, 27 July, 2.45pm – 3.45pm
All the world’s a stage: Australia’s contribution
A panel discussion with playwrights Jack Hibberd, Michael Gow, Hilary Bell and Morris Gleitzman; Chair: Andrew Knight
If you are interested in Australian film, don’t miss
director Bruce Beresford’s contributions to the following sessions:
Saturday, 26 July, 9.15am – 10.15am
A life in their hands: the pains and joys of portraying a living person. With Bruce Beresford, Susan Wyndham and John Zubrzycki; Chair: Andrew Knight
Sunday, 27 July, 9.30am – 10.45am
Public lives: putting yourself on the page. With Bruce Beresford, David Stratton, Judith Lucy and Kylie Kwong; Chair: Nic Pullen
And
Sunday, 27 July, 3.45pm – 4.45pm
Windows on the world: big versus little screen. With Bruce Beresford, Kam Raslan, David Stratton and William McInnes; Chair: Tristan Bancks
If you’d like to read more about Bruce Beresford and his work, check our website.
Special Offers
Currency’s Clearance Cupboard
If you haven’t done so already, check out our $10 specials basket where
we have some great bargains on a selection of theatre books. Be quick
though, stocks are limited and the special ends 18 July.
TICKET OFFERS:
This month,
Gallipoli opens at Sydney Theatre, Walsh Bay.
Nigel Jamieson, one of Australia’s most distinctive theatre creators,
brings to the stage a visceral exploration of one of the myths at the
centre of the modern Australian psyche. Live music, aerial movement,
image projection and song will combine to create an unforgettable
theatrical experience.
Special offer: Pay just $40 per ticket for Previews
(Friday 25, Saturday 26, Monday 28, Tuesday 29 July at 8pm) or pay just
$52 for performances on Thursday 31 July and Friday 1 August at 8pm.
Call the STC Box Office on (02) 9250 1777 before Friday 25 July and
quote the ‘STC Gallipoli offer’. A $7 transaction fee applies.
Darlinghurst Theatre Company, Sauna Productions and inc. studios present
Ball Game:
Four brilliant one-act comedies by Alan Ball. Until 19 July it’s ‘game
on’ for the superficial, the neurotic, the egocentric and the tainted.
Battle with the sexes, climb the corporate ladder and hold onto your
seats…
Special Offer: Darlinghurst Theatre offers all
Currency subscribers great discounts on tickets: Pay only $20 to all
Tuesday performances and $25 to all other performances! Simply quote
‘Currency offer’ when booking your tickets. Box office: 02 8356 9987 or
online: www.darlinghursttheatre.com
On Stage
NSW
Don’t Say the Words by Tom Holloway is currently playing at Griffin Theatre. Season ends 26 July. For tickets, visit griffintheatre.com.au.
Pick up your copy of the script at the theatre at the special price of
$10—if you can’t make it to the show, you can order your copy online.
Winter, a ten minute play by Sue Smith, will be presented at Griffin Theatre on 15 July before
Don’t Say the Words.
Winter is
part of Griffin’s new Resident Playwrights program Season, offering a
taste of the full-length plays to come. For details, check griffintheatre.com.au.
Scorched by Wajdi Mouawad (
Wedding Day at the Cro Magnons, published by Oberon Books, UK) is coming to Belvoir St Theatre Upstairs from 19 July – 7 September. For tickets, visit
www.belvoir.com.au. Playsripts by Wajdi Mouawad are available through Currency Press, for details check our website.
Gallipoli opens at Sydney Theatre, Walsh Bay this
month. Nigel Jamieson, one of Australia’s most distinctive theatre
creators, brings to the stage a visceral exploration of one of the
myths at the centre of the modern Australian psyche.
Currency subscribers get tickets at reduced prices, for details see our
Specials section.
STCinema: Gallipoli. Sunday 10 August at 2pm, all tickets $10.
To celebrate the Sydney Theatre season of Nigel Jamieson’s Gallipoli,
STCinema presents award-winning Turkish director Tolga Örnek’s film of
the same name, narrated by Jeremy Irons and Sam Neill.
Produced over six years and in seven different countries,
Gallipoli features
interviews with international experts, on-location landscape,
underwater and aerial photography, 3-D computer animations, and
dramatic re-enactments of the trenches and the battles. For more
information, visit www.sydneytheatre.com.au.
Currency Press has published the official companion to Tolga Örnek’s
film, which incorporates significant material not included in the film.
For more information and to order your copy, visit our website.
Ball Game, a night of four one-act comedies by Alan
Ball is currently playing at Darlinghurst Theatre, season ends 19 July.
The four featured plays are:
Made for a Woman,
Power Lunch,
The M Word and
Your Mother’s Butt. Currency subscribers get tickets at reduced prices, for details see our
Specials section. For bookings, go to www.darlinghursttheatre.com or call 02 8356 9987.
Tim Crouch’s award-winning play
An Oak Tree is coming to Belvoir St Theatre Downstairs in a B Sharp production.
An Oak Tree is
a vivid, risky and hilarious experience where no two performances are
the same: one half of the cast changes every night. Directed by Tanya
Goldberg and starring John Leary with guest appearances from some of
Australia’s leading actors. Season goes from 16 July – 10 August. Book
now online or call 9699 3444. Tim Crouch’s unusual playscript is available through Currency Press.
Our Country's Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker is coming to Darlinghurst Theatre at the end of the month. Adapted from the novel
The Playmaker by Thomas Keneally,
Our Country's Good takes
us back to our convict past and tells the true story of the first
theatrical production staged by white people in Australia—performed
entirely by convicts. Previews: Wednesday 23 & Thursday 24 July,
Season goes from 26 July – 23 August. For tickets go to darlinghursttheatre.com. If you are interested in the production history
Our Country's Good, have a look at Max Stafford-Clark's account of the production at the Royal Court Theatre in
Taking Stock: The Theatre of Max Stafford-Clark.
VIC
Three Oaks is coming up at La Mama in July. Inspired by writer Monica Raszewski’s discovery of letters and notes from an artist’s estate,
Three Oaks
explores the notion of piecing together a life when a person dies,
using a combination of text, music and physical theatre. Season goes
from 23 July – 10 August. For tickets go to lamama.com.au.
Three Oaks will be published in a double volume with Dina Ross’
Chrysalis. To pre-order your copy, visit our website.
Chrysalis by Dina Ross will open at La Mama on 6
August. Annie is on trial for the murder of her three babies. Expert
witness Professor Lawrence Taylor is convinced Annie is guilty. But is
she?
Season goes from 6-23 August. For tickets, go to lamama.com.au, for more information on the play, visit www.chrysalistheplay.com.au.
Chrysalis will be published in a double volume with Monica Raszewski’s
Three Oaks. To pre-order your copy, visit our website.
Bell Shakespeare’s production of
Hamlet, starring
Brendan Cowell, is coming to the Playhouse in The Arts Centre.
Subscription season goes from 19 July – 2 August. For more information
and tickets, visit bellshakespeare.com.au. For all titles Shakespeare-related, visit our website.
Lecture: Liz Lethlean’s lecture
Visual Theatre – the art of puppetry is
part of Spotlight 08, a monthly lecture series focusing on research in
the Performing Arts primarily inspired by the Arts Centre’s
Collections. 17 July at The Arts Centre. Free event, for bookings call
03 9281 8754 or email spotlight@theartscentre.com.au
TAS
The Griffin production of Tom Holloway’s new play
Don’t Say the Words is
coming to Hobart’s Is Theatre from 30 July – 9 August. For bookings,
call 03 6234 8561. To order your copy of the playscript, visit our website.
Nick Parsons’ play
Hollow Ground opens at the
Peacock Theatre in Hobart, Salamanca Arts Centre on the 30th July. For
tickets call 03 6234 8414 or email reception@salarts.org.au.
TOURING
Monkey Baa’s production of
Milli, Jack and the Dancing Cat
is touring NSW and WA in July with shows in French’s Forest, Baulkham
Hills, Penrith, Karratha, Carnarvon, Geraldton and Moora. For details
and tickets, visit monkeybaa.com.au.
Monkey Baa’s stage adaptation of Jackie French’s novel
Hitler’s Daughter is available from Currency Press. For more information and to order your copy, visit our website.