Flashpoint: new series of free theatre readings and performances

Flashpoint This new series of free theatre readings and performances features winners of the 2006 RE Ross Trust Playwrights’ Script Development Awards. At the State Library of Victoria (Readings of key scenes) Tuesday 24 April Flower of Malaya - Sue Ingleton An intriguing new play by award-winning actor, director and writer Sue Ingleton. After the fall of the Japanese, the British return to Malaya. Through the eyes of Argus journalist Douglas Woolcott, we experience the brutality of war, then love and betrayal as he becomes involved with a local woman. Forty years later, his middle-aged daughter travels to Malaysia to find her lost brother and uncover the secrets of the past. Sue Ingleton wrote Flower of Malaya in Malaysia on an Asialink grant. Tuesday 1 May Brother Boy - Nic Velissaris This moving play explores how the Greek culture traditionally deals with grief, and how this affects relationships within families. This reading and performance of key scenes will feature actors Tony Nikolakopoulos, George Kapiniaris, Ben Adam and Alex Tsitsopoulos, with music by Achilles Yiangoulli. Afterwards, director Peta Hanrahan will discuss the play's themes with the playwright and actors. Nic Velissaris' play What the Umbrella Did Next won the Australian National Young Playwright's Award. His play Wanderlands, commissioned by St Martins Youth Arts Centre, will premiere in 2007. Tuesday 8 May Killing Jeremy - Bridgette Jane Burton Killing Jeremy follows the story of a young woman dealing with the consequences of a car accident which left her boyfriend in a coma. This engaging play explores themes of love, loss and responsibility. This reading and performance of key scenes will feature actors Fabian Kahwati and Bridgette Burton, directed by Wayne Pearn. Afterwards, writer/director Kiera Lindsey will discuss the play's themes with the playwright. Bridgette Jane Burton has written two other one-act plays, Not Forgotten and Juice, and has collaborated on comedy scripts performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. All State Library events Time: 6.30-8pm Venue: Village Roadshow Theatrette, State Library of Victoria (Entry 3, La Trobe Street) Bookings: 03 8664 7016 or bookings@slv.vic.gov.au Cost: Free at fortyfivedownstairs (Full script readings) Wednesday 16 May Still Waiting - Alexandra Collier This witty and perceptive play delves into the places people go when they are waiting for their lives to begin. The focus alternates between Madeleine’s impending audition and the chaotic world of the restaurant where she waits (on tables). This rehearsed reading will feature Cat Wilson. Alexandra Collier performed in the sell-out season of Still Waiting at La Mama in 2005, and at the Adelaide Fringe Festival in 2006. She is currently a literary intern at the New York Theatre Workshop. Thursday 17 May Do Not Go Gentle - Patricia Cornelius In this humorous excavation of the ageing process, the story of Scott’s failed attempt to conquer the South Pole is used as an allegorical parallel to the lives of the residents of an aged-care facility. The result is a vital, compassionate rendering of the human condition. This rehearsed reading is directed by Julian Meyrick. Patricia Cornelius is a founding member of Melbourne Workers’ Theatre and has written over 20 plays, including Lilly and May, Jack’s Daughters and Who’s Afraid of the Working Class. Friday 18 May, 8pm Bear Witness - Mari Lourey Bear Witness follows Dixie, a young photojournalist from Australia, into several war zones and tracks her moral trajectory in the face of the atrocities she records. This powerful play offers a view of war unlike that of the mainstream media. This rehearsed reading, directed by Stefo Nantsou and Rachel Maza, will feature actors Nadja Kostich, Melodie Reynolds and Rupert Reid. Mari Lourey's play Dirty Angels played at La Mama in 2003, and she was also the primary writer of the community play The Bridge, made in 2003 for The Torch Project. All fortyfivedownstairs events Time: From 7.30pm (Bear Witness from 8pm) Venue: fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne Bookings: 03 9662 9966 or info@fortyfivedownstairs.com Cost: Free The RE Ross Trust Playwrights' Script Development Awards, administered by the State Library of Victoria, provide support to Victorian-based writers to develop their play scripts. Entries for the 2007 awards close on 21 May 2007.