NEWTOWN HONEY @ la mama

by Curly What the hell is going on.com? How much of our theatre is truly related to what is really going on in Australia today? Not just news headlines but what goes on with our lives. When was the last time you saw a new Australian work? When was the last time you thought about seeing one? A friend of mine was in one, two years ago. I saw one, a year ago. Browsing the Dramatists Playwright catalogue will do your head in. Apart from all those by the big guns; Romeril, Williamson, Sewell, Murray Smith, there’s not much else. So how come we don’t do in this country a majority of Australian work? What the hell is going on? Even amateur companies are really not interested. Maybe as Australians, we as audience are too scared to see our own social situations. We would be asked to look at our own identity and our own understanding and belief of our culture. It’s not good enough to do classics from Shakespeare to Chekhov, or modern English and American plays, nor plays from war torn countries, set in Australia or echoing Australia. Isn’t it time the majority of our theatres professional, co-op and amateur played Australian plays? As I understand it the Malthouse Theatre (Melbourne) has dropped their all Australian content. If we had more Oz content our theatres could be possibly full and plentiful like the English and American theatres Where did our Australian Theatre Renaissance of the 70’s go? That should have been a platform for our theatre future. Somehow we have a fear in Oz theatre, to do things only that are known and famous- obviously this is a sign of our times where ego is prevalent. See our television full of overseas content, see the reality shows, the reality medical dramas this is a true indication of our culture- we are literally dying to see ourselves. Or are we too cool for theatre?

It is extraorinarily difficult to get a new play on written by a new author. It is more difficult if the play is what used to be called a "well made play" a linear narrative piece with exposition, anti climax, climax and denoument. In this country subsidy is needed to keep the professional theatre alive outside of Sydney and Melbourne and subsidy will not be received for the well made play. On the other hand the general public don't go to what they describe as "arty crap." To get a play looked at by the Australian Script Centre it must have already had a professional production. Some amateur companies do new plays by locals regularly but generally only written by people they know. And why not? Professional companies in the states can't afford the risk of doing new Australian work as they don't get audiences. So, writers, like myself and a number of other contributors to this site self produce or attach ourselves to some local group and above all self promote at any opportunity. I am lucky enough to have a UK publisher and some of my work gets performed in the UK occasionally. And what gives you the idea that things are better in the US and UK. Broadway and The West End survive because of tourists and outside of those centres the struggle is the same. I will say however that the musical appears to be bringing young people back into the theatre, now lets hope that some of them will find their way in to see plays as well Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au

Much of this is an old discussion - we've had conversations about the state of playwrighting many times before. (You may want to read the feature on playwrighting I did for Arts Hub; really shows how much new and old stuff is being presented. It's up to us 'fringe' people to put on the new stuff, while places like La Mama are squeezed of funding, and the Malthouse more and more appeals to their 'subscription' audiences, rather than their theatre industry that supports it) The Prompt Copy Store www.store.thepromptcopy.com Sticky Apple Legs www.freewebs.com/stickyapplelegs Puppets in Melbourne www.freewebs.com/puppetsinmelbourne Treading the Boards www.treadingtheboards.thepromptcopy.com

"As I understand it the Malthouse Theatre (Melbourne) has dropped their all Australian content." Just a quick look at the recent history of Malthouse productions shows many, if not most, have been original Australian works with a healthy mix of 'linear' plays and 'arty crap'. In fact, if I count correctly, 5 out 6 productions of Season 1 for 07 are original Australian works.

I hope this will continue. It doesn't change how difficult it is to even get someone to read new work. Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au

Actually, the huge bone of contention is not that they stopped producing original Aussie theatre. What it did do - reduce the number of original plays, produce more well-known works and are using fewer new plays by unknown or unestablished playwrights, and discontinue the hugely popular (or at least amongst the theatre community) Indigenous play season. Malthouse's own AD has (to my recollection) stated that they have moved further away from original Australian content, and closer to producing more European and American works. The Prompt Copy Store www.store.thepromptcopy.com Sticky Apple Legs www.freewebs.com/stickyapplelegs Puppets in Melbourne www.freewebs.com/puppetsinmelbourne Treading the Boards www.treadingtheboards.thepromptcopy.com

In a discussion with said Malthouse AD Michael Kantor and Stephen Armstrong (the EP, I think)at an Arts Admin tutorial a year or so ago, he explained the rationale for producing less work is that under the old Playbox system, the output was greater but the quality far more uneven as not enough time was given for work to be developed and thus, bad reviews and dwindling audiences, hence less reason to fund it and the greater risk of the theatre ceasing to exist. What they have done is occasionally pick up works that have had a chance to run elsewhere (La Mama, Storeroom, etc) and that show genuine potential to engage a larger audience and provide them a season in a well resourced and 'renown' theatre. Construction of the Human Heart is one example - The Pitch which is presently playing there at the moment, is another. I think it a much better approach for sustaining and growing an audience for theatre in general, as people will be more forgiving if they attend a play that might not be well crafted at La Mama and pay $15, as opposed to paying $50. And in reality, your more committed theatregoer will seek out independant fare at the smaller venues and if the reception is good, then chances are it will appeal to a larger audience which the Malthouse can provide. Sadly in this day where every arts organisation has to be strategic about its product and strive to make a buck, it's unlikely that a unknown play by an unknown writer is going to have the cash necessary to professionally produce a show thrown at it. Audiences, and we're talking audiences large enough to put cash back into the theatre's coffers here, like familiarity be it casting a well known actor or producing a play by a David Williamson, Hannie Rayson, Joanna Murray-Smith, et al - or both. Chi-ching! Of course it's not perfect, but that's just the way it is. So really, Malthouse is one of the few larger theatre's in Melbourne that do produce largely Australian work that's more on the alternative side. As for producing more European and American theatre, well, the proof is in the pudding, as they say. Most of the plays I've seen there or have heard about have been Australian.