Rock Apocalypse - Perth

I was just wondering if anyone saw Rock Apocalypse in Padbury which has just finished I think. I really wanted to go and see it but couldn't make it and wanted to know what it was like! Can someone put a review up of it? Thanks! Am

I had the misfortune of seeing it on opening night and dear, dear me... that's three hours of my life I will never, ever get back. Basically, it was a mess of ideas with the cast obviously enjoying themselves at the expense of giving the audience any.

I'm a 3rd year acting student at NIDA back in Perth to catch up with family and friends before school goes back. I wanted to check out some amateur theatre while here, as thats where i started. Stupidly i went and saw Rock Apocolypse. To any prosective actor, director, stage-hand or anything theatre based who saw it...use this show as a lesson in 'what not to do'. It was poorly directed, mostly badly acted and only a couple of the singers could actually sing. (they must have been friends of who ever casted it) the only saving grace was the band....why they wasted their talent on the show is beyond me. I've never been this harsh on a show before...don't think i'm an ass. But jeez that bollucks made me mad. Oh one more thing to the director who "Said the credits" at the end.....there's a reason there's a progam you twit.

Oh thank goodness! I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought it was terrible.

No - I thought it was a shocker as well. I agree with everything said above and more. What a waste of time.

Oh was it not good? It sounded interesting.

Something that sounds interesting and being good don't always go hand in hand.

And what instrument did you play in the band smart ass? I attended this Saturday just gone and I thought the show was fantastic. I'm a collegue of one of the cast, and if you had any idea of the troubles they went through just to make it to opening night, you'd be keeping your mouth shut and applauding like the rest of us were. They put their heart, soul and reputation on the line to at least attempt that show and the last thing they need is people bad mouthing them not even giving words of encouragement.

You're asking an audience to applaud a show just because there may have been some behind-the-scenes dramas, even if the show itself was weak and tedious? You're asking for people's money, for goodness' sake, and you're not a charity.

I am a friend of the cast..and wanted to say a couple of things. Yes I am fully aware that this play went for 3 hours and no it wasnt the best play in amatuer theatre that Ive seen. Personally I thought it was a bit to long for amatuer theatre and not hugely engaging for the audience.. BUT before you go bagging it off, a lot of hours and effort were put into that show. Personally I dont think I could have remembered all those lines and words myself. I agree at times that the cast werent really projecting it to the audience as much as what they could have been and it may have seemed at times that they were having all the fun. I thought that the lead roles of Ash and his partner were well played considering they had so many lines and words to remember. If you going to bag a show you should really say what it was and use constructive critisim to support your arguement for the cast to learn from. I thought the over head projector and the lay out of the stage was good. I liked the live band.. It beats having a cd sometimes. I thought the computer thing with all the wires was wellmade. And even though there were many things that could have been improved and bearing in mind that I was there on opening night when all kinds of things are prone to going wrong in any play, if you were there then you would have realised that you were thier for support of your freinds and that is the main thing. I think the play had a lot of potential but would have been a bit more easier to view if it had been shortened and a bit more fine tuning.. Well done to the cast for the persistance and time and effort that they put into it.. THis show is just one of the shows I have seen by JETS crew and I can say that I have enjoyed past shows that I have seen. I just hope I havent upset the person that I care for most in the show. He knows who he is...xxx

I saw this play on opening night... I cant think what was more painful, the maid who stripped off and coudnt sing in key or the fact that we had to sit there for 3 whole hours in the heat.. This was definately too long for amateur theatre, also bearing in mind that it seemed that the director was in there to show up the other characters and show his vocals.Unfortunately this play did not reflect the best of his vocal abilty. Life isnt all about picking rock takeoffs and strutting your stuff on stage clothed or unclothed. Its about delivering a solid script,having a good time as a team and most of all entertaining your audience. One most important thing should be mentioned.. that the lead roles of ASH and his partner were played rather well considering. They had 3 hrs of lines and music to learn and perform. In general most support characters(even if they werent or were very experienced)played thier part ok and were able to deliver thier lines and music. I feel that if this play had been shortened and directed properly then it may have been more successful. Unfortunatley most people walked away politely commenting that "at least the cast enjoyed themselves" or "It was a long production to take on, well done for hanging in there and remembering your lines and for sticking it out" Shame...

Sounds like Apocalypse really burned...

Thank you very much. I played the role of Ash and it's good to see some positive feedback in amonst it all. There are a few things that I would like to clarify... 1. The director was not on stage to show up the other characters. The original actor set to play the role pulled out of the show with just over a month to go. The show was potentially going to be cancelled, however I am the one that suggested that Tim took the role of Ricky on, as he knew the lines and we'd come too far to pull the show... and with all the high energy action sequences, i wouldn't have been more comfortable up there with anyone else. 2. The show was actually shortened, as it's meant to run longer than 3 hours, however due to licencing issues, we were unable to shorten any more. Sorry about that. We're just as annoyed as every one else. 3. Props must definately go to the band. Amongst the problems that occured, we didn't receive all materials from the producer until very close to curtain up. Several music scores didn't arrive until 2 weeks before the show. We're not asking for pity, we know that the show didn't turn out the way we wanted it to. But at least you know that we did our best. We aren't professionals. We don't do it for money. We do it for the love of the industry and for experience and learning. Also, deal with the heat people. We had no control over it. Try being in there under spotlights as well :) Ben Robinson

Deal with the heat? If you're not interested in the comfort of your paying audience, then how can you expect them to ever return again if you have a "don't care" attitude on that front?

It's not that we don't care. The reason we can't do anything about it is because it's a community hall that we were performing in and the local council wasn't able to get the air con system up to scratch in time for us. I know that some people left at intermission because it was just too hot, particularly at the matinee shows, and i can totally understand that. I actually had a thermometer on stage last Sunday and it peaked at 47 under the lights. Believe me, after this experience, we're going to be pushing for the problem to be fixed quickly.

Your previous comment about the heat - "deal with it" - facetiously implied a "hey, not our problem" attitude. Who are you dealing with at the council, so other people can air their grievances with them?

This was an unmitigated disaster. All the warning signs wre obviously there - they should have taken pity on Perth and cancelled the show before they opened, rather than inflict this nightmare on them. I came, I saw, I really wish I hadn't.

I went and saw the show last Saturday. Yes, the hall was hot and yes the show was too long but aside from that, there were some good bits in the show and there were not so good bits. The main problem for me was the seeming lack of energy directed towards the audience.. there seemed to be little thought towards making the production flow for the audiences benefit ie. long and clunky scene changes; meaningless and unnecessary dialogue. The sound wasnt great the night I saw it; the neverending saga of mics cutting out and the singers performing a whole verse before someone actually thought to turn their mic up. The band was quite loud in some songs, but a live band in a relatively small hall with a full drum kit is going to be loud, so there's not much that could be done about that. Great idea to have a band (and a competent one at that) for the show and not use (cough cough) backing tracks; they lifted the shows energy levels with the music and I know I started tapping my foot quite a few times. Well done band! AAGGGHHHH Accents!!!! I'm a big believer in not doing them if you can't maintain them. Ash slipped in and out of his American accent all the time and since I only saw it once I cant be sure, but there seemed to be quite a lot of 'added' in jokes which killed the flow of the scenes. The dominatrix girl was probably the only person who attempted an accent and actually worked hard to keep it all the way through her performance. Ricky was good; lovely voice in his solo song (cant remember the name of it). Dawn powered out her part of the love song and this was one of the songs in which she could have easily been overpowered by the band, but she found her voice! I liked the gospel song; so hard to do well. Noooot quite sure about the insertion of some songs... Poison? ? I'm sure there was a reason. Each group is different and chooses whether to follow theatre etiquette or not, but there were some weird things happening that I didn't understand. Backstage people walking through the audience, sight lines being ignored, cast wandering out the front at half time to talk to their friends, directors speech at the end on a non-closing night.. I just didn't get it. Anyway, I applaud the group on their efforts. I saw some good performances and listened to some great music (I might use that band for a show. Does anyone know where I can find them?) and it was not an unpleasant experience. Some refining of skills would benefit I think though. Thank you for your hard work in putting on the show.

I believe the symbolism behind poison was that Ash felt that the dominatrix was "poison" and a bad influence on him.. it was actually one of the parts I did enjoy... must have been the airguitar. Ricky (Tim) does actually have a lovely voice.. Probably not so suited to this play and Ash(Ben) continues to improves his vocals on an ongoing basis. Dawn did well. I totally agree about the DOminatrix' role in this she maintained her accent and gave it a try in the vocals. I guess we can scrutinise it forever but thats not what I wanted to do.. I just wanted to defend a good effort.

I meant the small girl with the whip as the dominatrix woman... not the nurse. And I still don't see the 'symbolism' behind Poison at all. It was too long for what was happening on stage and I'm hoping that rights were sought. Ive seen companies go down for doing that. Defending a good effort is fine, but there is a difference in slamming a show, and offering advice so that the cast and crew learn which is what I believe Ben is wanting to do as mentioned in his post. Thats what I wanted to do, which is why I thanked them for their work.

I directed Rock Apocalypse, as well as playing (Under protest, I might add.) the part of Ricky. After being informed by Ben of some of the scalding venom being levelled at our cast and company, I felt it necessary to address it directly. Posted by Lauren Weston >I had the misfortune of seeing it on opening night and dear, >dear me... that's three hours of my life I will never, ever get >back. Basically, it was a mess of ideas with the cast obviously >enjoying themselves at the expense of giving the audience any. Please, Tell Simon Haynes (The author of Rock Apocalypse), and David Spicer (The copyright holder) this. It may have escaped your notice, but the funny thing about plays is that they are scripted, and, believe it or not, but this “Mess of ideas” was performed as close to the script as humanly possible. The script is a turd. I am completely aware of this. But ragging on my cast will achieve nothing but to dissuade them from performing in the future. Posted by Jason Craige >I'm a 3rd year acting student at NIDA back in Perth to catch up with family and >friends before school goes back. I wanted to check out some amateur theatre while >here, as thats where i started. Stupidly i went and saw Rock Apocolypse. (sic) As much as I’d like to avoid ad hominem, you’re a third year student and you write this badly? You’re not exactly flaunting your credibility here, Jason m’laddo. Also, you wanted to ‘check out some amateur theatre’ in, one is assuming not a limited area of the Perth metropolitan area, and you chose a play whose promotional materials were made in publisher, and whose members were performing in a clapped out community hall? Is that troll I smell? However, “Jason”, I’ll not go with my assumption that your story is a complete fabrication, and you are, in fact, a certain specific individual with a certain specific grudge. I’ll play along and pretend you are on the level. >only a couple of the singers could actually sing. (they must >have been friends of who ever casted it) … and already I'm being accused of favouritism. How lovely. Firstly, Amateur Theatre is designed to foster and grow individuals. The individuals who were given the roles were ones who I believed would not only best perform the roles, but also grow as actors in performing them. Secondly, the casting was the best that could be done with those who auditioned. I was not exactly presented with what could be called an abundance of choice when casting. Perhaps instead of lambasting small community theatre groups on the internet, you could persuade these ‘family and friends’ to audition and/or become directly involved in community theatre, as I’m sure they’re all absolutely perfect, just like you. >I've never been this harsh on a show before...don't think i'm an ass. But jeez that >bollucks made me mad. You know, a lot of people don’t like shows, but oddly enough, they usually leave at intermission, even ask for a refund (Of which, I am given to understand, there was not ONE SINGLE REQUEST), instead of presenting a smiling face to the cast before lambasting them on the internet. Dare I suggest a lack of testicular fortitude? Or was it perhaps that you COULDN’T leave? >the only saving grace was the band....why they wasted their talent on the show is >beyond me. …And here we are. Obvious Troll is obvious. (Oh, and the thanks at the end are a contractual obligation with sponsors and also a requirement in the company constitution. Again, you could have simply left.) Posted by Derek Lazzaro >You're asking an audience to applaud a show just because there may have been some >behind-the-scenes dramas. How about 50% of the musical score not being made available until three quarters of the way through the rehearsal period? How about having to fight tooth and nail to get any sort of response from the copyright holders? How about finding that the alleged composer of the score is a pseudonym and that there are no records of prior performances of this play whatsoever, when the material forwarded to us included glowing reviews and praise for the show? How about going through 3 Rickys (one, as Ben has previously mentioned, a month before curtain up), 2 Enemas, and 2 musical directors (Primarily due to the previously mentioned score issues), not to mention the withdrawal of sound and lighting without so much as a phone call to inform us? How about a cast of 15 being expected to put on a show designed for three times that number, on a stage an eighth of what is, in retrospect, required? Considering all cast and crew are volunteers, most of whom work full time, I’d say they performed phenomenally, all things considered. Originally posted by Gutted >it seemed that the director was in there to show up the other characters and show his >vocals. Thank you for successfully restating the primary reason I did not want to play Ricky Valiant when the original cast member abandoned us. Thank you for affirming my beliefs that people would automatically assume the worst. Next time I’ll just pull the show and piss all over the effort made by the remainder of the cast for the want of but one. Hurrah for you. >I feel that if this play had been shortened and directed properly then it may have >been more successful. Unfortunately most people walked away politely commenting >that "at least the cast enjoyed themselves" or "It was a long production to take on, >well done for hanging in there and remembering your lines and for sticking it out" Really? Got 50 thousand dollars to pay for the copyright fines we would incur by shortening the script? God knows it was hard enough to get the approval to remove the scripted aspects we couldn’t meet. Pesky, niggling little things requiring zero point energy and the breaking of a good number of the laws of physics. And it’s a shame, considering at least 75% of the booked audience over all six nights was invited by the cast, wether directly or indirectly, and they gave the impression they enjoyed the show, for the most part. It’s really regretful that people’s friends and family lie to their faces like that. Or maybe you’re merely overstating your feedback sources. Posted by Glen Saunders >This was an unmitigated disaster. All the warning signs wre obviously there - they >should have taken pity on Perth and cancelled the show before they opened, rather >than inflict this nightmare on them. I came, I saw, I really wish I hadn't. Thanks Glen, for generously volunteering to pay back the money we would have been liable for had the play been pulled when the setbacks occurred. Oh, wait, you weren’t? What a pity. Sometimes all you can do is press on. I’ll say it clearly, We are a small, non-profit community group. Whilst we are not a charity, true, we ARE, however, still reliant on grants, donations, and fundraising to finance performances. If all we wanted was to make was money, all we would have to do is put on children’s panto after Retirement village variety show, rinse and repeat. But amazingly enough, our members are here for the love of, and to grow in all aspects of the dramatic arts. Sometimes that means risks have to be taken. It is unbelievable that people who profess to know what they are on about in this aspect cannot understand this. What is even more unbelievable is the childish behaviour and envenomed trolling I have witnessed here today. I came here, after being informed of the general content of this thread, with the intention to contact those dissatisfied individuals and perhaps organise a more appropriate medium for them to forward their frustrations on to the company, so that we can learn and grow from them. Unfortunately the only person who had the respect for the cast and crew to post a truly objective review was Nigel Kingsley. Nigel, thank you for your feedback, and rest assured it will be taken on board, not only by myself, but will also be forwarded to the committee. I join with Ben in apologising for the heat, but remind people that as it is a community hall, the City of Joondalup is not obligated to do anything they do not wish to. Hopefuly, after Mayor Pickard and Alison Gentry's attendance (and personal discomfort), air conditioning will be something to be implemented before next summer. The rest of you, clearly you have less than no clue about what you are on about. You serve no purpose but to portray yourself as scat-hurling primates. Grow up, get a life, and come back when you actually have something constructive to add.

Reason why Alice Coopers "Poison" was used... As shown in earlier scenes, Ash is beginning to give into the temptation of Tiffany, but begins to realise that Dawn is the one he loves. The symbolism of Poison is right there in the lyrics. I (Ash) want to love you (Tiff) but I'd better not touch I want to hold you but my senses tell me to stop i want to kiss you but I want it too much It's also implying that Tiffany is a "poison running through my veins", to his symbolic heart, therefore killing his love for Dawn in his heart. The reason we used a commercial song here is because the script called for music here, but we weren't given any score to use there (Same goes for the Rocky Fanfare) and yes, the company has a special licence, simmilar to that of a community radio station, allowing us to use whatever songs we wish. Thanks for all your feedback Nigel. It's greatly appreciated.

If it wasn't worth responding to, why did you bother? Perhaps someone hit a raw nerve? OK, how can people get their money back now if they weren't happy?

You know, if Amelia hadn't asked the question, no one would have said anything.

And if the reviews had remained civil, objective, and constructive, neither would I.

>If it wasn't worth responding to, why did you bother? Perhaps someone hit a raw nerve? I never said it wasn't worth responding to. These attacks on my cast are most definitely worth responding to, if only because I have significant doubts about the possibility of having the whole venomous thing deleted. >OK, how can people get their money back now if they weren't happy? The same way you apply for a refund from any other performance. By approaching the box office during intermission or after the show has finished and requesting one. If you have the temerity, and indeed, the downright incivility to demand a refund after posting these borderline libelous attacks on my cast (under the cowardice of the anonymous pseudonym, none the less), then by all means, contact Joondalup Encore Theatre Society and discuss the matter. Of course, perhaps you should also take a long look in the mirror and ask yourself why you are hounding a community group.

All Amelia asked for was a review of the play. What she got was a blasting by certain people towards the acting and directing of the show and not to mention the heat of the community hall. Where is the review? where was the feedback? All I read was people complaining because of things that not only beyond their control, but beyond ours as well. Apart from Nigel and Hayley, which as Ben has mentioned, greatly appreiate your feedback, no one has given a review. Certain individuals who shall remain out of the spotlight (they know who they are) have attempted to sabotage the reputation of the JETS company due to their own distaste for us. As Tim has said, we are an amateur group who do this for the love of acting and gaining experience in a subject that we all like. Yes, we were aware of the problems this play was giving us. Yes we are aware of the extended running time and yes we are all aware of what the audience was feeling while watching the show in the heat. No, these are not excuses and no we are not hiding behind them, but we have attempted to do our best with the situations we were given. I had family and friends attend and i did not hear on single complaint from them, only constructive criticsm about the show and how we can use that to better our next performance.

Maybe people didn't say anything because it was best not to, but then by Amelia's prompting, a whole can of worms got opened and they said what they really thought. The truth hurts sometimes.

I've been watching this thread with interest having seen the final matinee and after reading some of the more recent replies I feel like it's time I weighed in. Firstly a few comments on the thread itself. Ben and Tim are correct, several of the replies have not been reviews, they have been attacks. But for the director of the show to get on here and be just as petty ("you’re a third year student and you write this badly?") is not a good way to go. I feel I should also point out "Tim" that if you're going to attack your critics for being anonymous then: a) Maybe you should follow the free registration link yourself. b) You should take note that your supporters are just as anonymous, which to the outside cynic looks a little dodgy. Now. Onto the "review". Simply put, this production was under cooked. It lacked polish. I have never walked out on a show but I honestly came close on doing so during this one. The show was not good, you need to accept that. I will now try to give feedback on where the show was good and bad and ways you might of improved it. A frequent complaint I've seen is the temperature. This is true, the venue was stifling. I was sitting directly under a fan and couldn't feel any air movement. The line that you have no control over the heat is not entirely true. You could of turned the fans up, you could of used a different venue. Or, my preferred option, you could of pushed back your performances until after the air conditioning was fixed in the venue. This would of made everyone more comfortable and given you time to polish the production. Oh, also Tim. If you think the script is a 'turd' then WHY the FRAK did you direct it? It seems the most obvious way to improve this production would of been to start off with a good script that you were actually passionate about. There are a lot of scripts out there, even for musicals. I find it hard to believe you looked through every script available and found this one to be best. Hell, track down some WAPA 3rd year to write you a script. Now. Choreography. Where was it? I saw evidence of choreography in the first and last songs and during the big entry to the institute number. The rest of the time the chorus were obviously standing in a row along the back making it up as they went along. And according to the programme I have, the girl who played Tiff also choreographed, which is confusing to me seeing as in the last song she seemed to be basically watching Dawn to try and figure out what to do. Also, marching on the spot was not particularly entertaining. This was a problem I noticed throughout the production. You had bad use of space and people. Most of the action seemed to center around the back of the stage, pull it forward. The entrances through the audience were an interesting touch and broke it up a little. You also seemed to under utilise your Deadheads. During the last number for instance you could of had the Dead Heads on stage as well, marching beside the 3 or 4 mains. Flow. This play did not. Scene changes felt like they dragged and I have a feeling there was one or two instances of dead stage. From what I can tell there was also a lot of ad libbing going on. This is a problem because it did not flow, it didn't fit a lot of the time (The scene where Tiff is trying to restore Ash's brain and he keeps jumping off the table springs to mind) and it also raises some copyright issues I believe. Which is surprising considering how careful you were apparently being to not breach copyright. Something that annoyed me throughout is that Ash was not mic'ed. He should of had a headset microphone like Dawn. Also, Ash (Ben..?) you need to slow down a bit and work on your projection mate. I found you hard to hear and some of your lines ended up garbled. I also saw you seemingly grinning about your clever ad libs once or twice which annoyed me. Stay in character mate. Tiffany pulled off sultry quite well. I think I'd have to agree that the poison strip tease dragged on a bit, though I did see the symbolism of the song. Tiff, if you read this, I'm sorry but your singing was weak and seemed a bit off key. Maybe spend some more time with the music director? Tim, your Valiant portrayal was pretty good. I didn't really like the death metal style song, but some of your other songs were definetly good and your acting was pretty good. I'm worried that you having to take on the role cost the play in terms of direction though. I remember once scene where the spy character snuck on stage to take photos but was blocked by several other bodies milling around making it.. awkward. Perhaps you could of gotten a director you've worked with before to take over or act as assistant director? On a random note, the flashing homing bug was good. For about 5 minutes. Then it became a distraction, I found myself constantly watching someone's flashing pocket waiting for it to be turned off. On a somewhat similar note, maybe a centre stage set-up for the projector? Off to the side like it was I'm not sure if people had a chance to take in what was going on on it. Dawn was good. Great singing, good acting. I was a little confused by her reactions once or twice, but I suspect this was here trying to respond to another cast members 'clever ad lib'. As someone else commented, the sound operator was terrible. They needed more practice or a replacement. Mic's cutting in half way through verses in a musical is really bad. I also found Asha nd Valiant collecting a microphone from off stage sort of... illusion breaking. Maybe have a dead head run it on instead? Also, a real "BANG" sound effect for the guns would of been good. Make-up and costuming was pretty good, though I'm not sure how appropriate some of the clothing was. What era was this play set in? the only dates mentioned were 58/59 which lead me to believe it must be set somewhere in the sixties. On a front of house note, asking your audience to pay $1 for a cup of cordial on a stinking hot day seems like blatant profiteering. Maybe at least offer free refills or free water? $1 for the cup and all the cordial I can make and drink myself would of been alright. That's all I can think of. I hope you've all learned a lot from this play. I'd also argue that the loss of revenue from pulling the play might be better than the loss of revenue through reputation damage. This really was a dissapointing showing. Better luck next time. -Stuart the non-anonymous

I'm really not sure about the fight scenes. They looked a bit too much like a couple of guys mucking around a lot of the time. The flipping of the table was good and attention getting. Chainsaws on stage was surprising. Maybe an attempt to explain why people with guns seemed so hesitant to use them..? Or a nice quick kick to relieve them of the gun so they have a reason to go hand to hand? Just an idea.

I've been reading this thread over the past couple of days - it's not pretty. Note to the Director: If we are asking people to pay for the privelege of seeing our show, we should be man enough to accept it being criticised. Not all reviews are written the way we'd like them. We're more than willing to use the excuse that we're not professional performers when we deliver a show that doesn't meet expectations. Well, I doubt any of the people that commented on this thread are professional reviewers. You can't necessarily expect every comment to be constructive. I didn't see this show, but it sounds as though the feedback is pretty unanimous. People paid money to see it, they took time out of their schedule to be entertained. The play doesn't appear to have delivered - they've every right to say so. I've been on the receiving end of negative criticism. Maybe not quite as harsh as you've received, but pretty close. It hurts, but you need to respect it. Some of the comments in your response are simply awful. Firstly, you say that "the script is a turd". How can you blame your audiences for being angry if you yourself hated the play? Why on earth did you perform it in the first place? Secondly, you blame your performers. "The cast was the best that could be done with those that auditioned". I'd be more than a bit miffed if I was one of them. Thirdly, you accuse reviewers of "borderline libelous attacks on your cast". I'm no lawyer, but the only borderline libelous attacks appeared to me to come in your responses. You really need to be a bit more careful! Fourthly, you hurl insults here there and everywhere. Apart from the rudeness factor, it's not very smart. Do you honestly think that it's not going to hurt your box offices in the future? I hate to say this, but I think you need to grow up very fast if you want to survive as a Director.

I agree with Garry D, as a Director the play was your choice, the cast was your choice, the venue was your choice, to play a part was your choice and the directional input was your choice. Everything was your choice, the venue was a known, the script was a known and after auditions the cast was a known at some point you decided that the show was fit for human consumption, don't start belly aching now. Learn from this and learn fast, or your career as a director will be short. If the boot was on the other foot I assume you would accept the plaudits and acclaim, so, if the hat fits wear it.

Oh yes. Bad was great but as someone else mentioned definetly on the loud side. They drowned out anyone on stage without a Mic (A problem given the previously mentioned slow kick-in of the Mic's). Memorably, the first musical number with the Dead Heads fixing a TV. Three of them on stage singing along and I couldn't make out a single note from them. It's a tricky one given that the venue is not a Tardis. Perhaps move them to the back, but then we wouldn't get to see them... Put them back stage would probably work best, but similar problem. Some kind of sheet creating a soft wall between them and the stage might of made people on stage more audible while leaving them visible to most of the audience. But yes, a tricky one. Just thought the band deserved some Props.

Was there no one handling props on this show?

Thanks for your feedback. Just a couple of things I feel need to be responded to, however. Posted by StuartP >But for the director of the show to get on here and be just >as petty ("you’re a third year student and you write this >badly?") is not a good way to go. Firstly, we're pretty sure we know exactly who that troll is. His entire post is a complete fabrication designed to do nothing but tear the cast down. Secondly, he used this fabrication to attempt to establish his authority, I merely pointed out the holes in his illusion. >I feel I should also point out "Tim" that if you're going to attack your critics for being anonymous then: >a) Maybe you should follow the free registration link yourself. >b) You should take note that your supporters are just as anonymous, which to the outside cynic looks a little dodgy. a) I have an account here which is used for official company business. I am posting here as myself, not as an official representative of the company, and I belive the TOS frowns on multiple accounts. b) All of my "Supporters" are using the same names by which they are identified in the show's program. >The show was not good, you need to accept that. Oh, it's accepted. What I'll not accept is internet superheros venemously bashing on my cast. >The line that you have no control over the heat is not >entirely true. You could of turned the fans up, you could of >used a different venue. Yes, it is, no we couldn't (Fans were at maximum), no, we couldn't (We had an agreement specifying the usage of that hall.) >Or, my preferred option, you could of pushed back your >performances until after the air conditioning was fixed in >the venue. This would of made everyone more comfortable and >given you time to polish the production. Definately couldn't be done. Remember when I mentioned that we are reliant on grants? Well the grant committees look very unkindly on failure to meet timeframes. Staging companies tend to get pissed off when you alter the terms of contracts. Also, City of Joondalup has not even given a definate answer as to wether or not air conditioning will be installed in the hall, let alone when it will be completed. Whilst I appreciate your feedback, please do try and limit it to areas in which you have the facts. >On a front of house note, asking your audience to pay $1 for >a cup of cordial on a stinking hot day seems like blatant >profiteering. Maybe at least offer free refills or free >water? $1 for the cup and all the cordial I can make and >drink myself would of been alright. Thank you for pointing this out, I was not aware of it. As far as I was made aware, only the cans were to be charged for. Water and cordial was supposed to be made available free of charge. Rest assured I will adress this to the appropriate individuals. >(The scene where Tiff is trying to restore Ash's brain and >he keeps jumping off the table springs to mind) >Chainsaws on stage was surprising. Maybe an attempt to >explain why people with guns seemed so hesitant to use >them..? All scripted elements. As for the script, it was the only thing submitted, it was rushed through selection, I was the only person stupid enough not to say 'no way' to directing. So the fact that it was a turd was not immediately apparent to me. My fault indeed, but I think a lot of people are underestimating the difficulty of predicting a script's relative worth when the play has never been performed before and the 'reviews' we have to judge it on are so much smoke and mirrors. Thank you again for your constructive criticism. Posted by Garry D >If we are asking people to pay for the privelege of seeing >our show, we should be man enough to accept it being >criticised. Criticism I can handle. Venom from the peanut gallery I'm less inclined to grin and bear, however. >I didn't see this show, but it sounds as though the feedback >is pretty unanimous. 6 trolls and 2 reviewers does not even present a quantifiable cross section of the total audience. Particularly since all evidence is pointing towards the trolls being stirred up by a certain isolated fringe element. We are aware that the show was not as polished as it could be, and that a number of elements were lacking, rushed, or absent. But none of that in any way justifies the attacks. Also, if you didn't see the show, you really have no business weighing in, do you? >That's all I can think of. I hope you've all learned a lot >from this play. I'd also argue that the loss of revenue from >pulling the play might be better than the loss of revenue >through reputation damage. Pulling the show would have bankrupted the company. Sorry, but I'll take a poor performance over that. Yes, I have learned a lot, and thank you for your wishes of 'better luck next time'. >Secondly, you blame your performers. "The cast was the best >that could be done with those that auditioned". I'd be more >than a bit miffed if I was one of them. Reading is Essential (TM) The castING was the best that could be done. Sounds a lot worse when you remove those three letters, but I belive that was the idea, wasn't it? Meaning that the people selected for the roles were the best of those who auditioned. I can hardly cast people who didn't audition or display any interest, can I? I'm not blaming the cast for anything, merely re-stating that what you see is quite often what you get. >I hate to say this, but I think you need to grow up very >fast if you want to survive as a Director. Go ahead and say it. I don't enjoy directing. But as they say in the barracks when it's time to clean the latrines, "Someone's got to do it". I've minimal experience in it (read: none when it comes to musicals), and no doubt this shows quite obviously. >I agree with Garry D, as a Director the play was your >choice, the cast was your choice, the venue was your choice, >to play a part was your choice and the directional input was >your choice. Everything was your choice, the venue was a >known, the script was a known and after auditions the cast >was a known at some point you decided that the show was fit >for human consumption, don't start belly aching now. Hah! That you belive this is completely laughable. Very little you have mentioned, apart from 'directional input', which I've already admitted culpability for, was directly under my control. Choice? Perhaps, but with my arm VERY twisted in not a few instances. Please, unless you are intimately familiar with the workings of my company, don't try and lecture me on it.

Dare I suggest enough has been said about the merits of this production. The cast and crew have been wel land truly tarred and feathered, (rightly or wrongly), now, as a 'community theatre group,' let's give the guys a chance to learn from this event,and perhaps show what they can do with their follow up event. Good luck with your next effort guys! Johnny Grim A lad in sane productions

So are we to assume that you had no control over any aspect of this production other than "Directional Input". When a production is chosen by any director there are certain preliminaries that must be addressed. 1. Do I like the script. 2. Can I get the rights. 3. Can I cast this production. 4. Does this production suit the venue. 5. Do I believe I can do this production justice. if the answer to any one of these is no, then don't do the production. From your responses you only yes to number 2. It is beyond belief that still went ahead with the production, if you were pressured by other learn to say no.

Thank you all for your inputs and output's or should i say reviews. Please do not blame the director for virtually everything, he did ask me for more time for rehearsals etc but i said "No" due to hall hire, licensing, etc,etc,etc. I must take all the blame, being the president i should have canceled the show, i knew things were not going to plan but i insisted the show must go on. I know there were good points and bad points. As one of our sporting hero's said "i would never have become famous if i hadn't have made all the mistakes." I am really sorry for those people who did not enjoy the show, please call me on 9305 8579 and i will refund your money. Sorry, I sold the cordial for a dollar, this was because we had most of our can drinks stolen, but ice cold water was definatly free. Vocal workshops and Drama workshops will be considered for our future season. There's no business like show business, the headaches the heartache's the back aches the flops the sheriff who escorts you out of town. In this case the critics, but we will endeavour to continue with strength, enthusiasm, courage, confidence, determination, perseverance, support and learn by our mistakes and constructive criticism. Lets put this to bed. love you all for being so passionate about theatre. I guess this was not a review. President.

Sorry to keep rubbing at a fresh wound, but I'm curious to understand how the JETS company goes about productions. Feel free to reply privately. From what Tim has said: 1. A Third party selects and submits a script 2. The script is reviewed by the committee 3. A Director volunteers to direct the piece (sight unseen?) 4. The company arranges sponsorship and venue 5. Rehearsals begin Apologies for the confusion on the water. I apparently went jumping to conclusions as people on the internet are prone to do. And yes. Will curtail my desire to pursue this any further and let it come to a gentle rest. Good luck to JETS. I shall keep an eye out for reviews of future productions.

I cannot believe that a production this bad can have generated such hostile reviews and comments over the last 4 days!!! It sounds as though it was so bad I actually wished I'd seen the thing.

Apologies for the misquote, should be "the castING was the best that could be done with those that auditioned". My point still stands though.

Well, at least we enjoyed playing the music. I played the keys in the band, and there was a song called 'Broadcasting Live' which was my favorite song to perform in the show. And 'Bad Girl' (the opening song of act two) was a fantastic jazz number even if the singing was a little off. There's been a lot of passionate writing in THIS forum. I just want to say that if they'd been given another month I thought the show would have been more successful. It would probably have been cooler too with lots of people commenting on the heat! Tighter performances as well. I want to congradulate two people actually - I though Belinda (who played the dominatrix doctor) acted incredibly well throughout the entire duration of the play, and Tim for taking up the reigns of Ricky after I left the show. That's right! I was the original Ricky! Dah-dah DAH! I had to leave the show just before christmas because I had to write two musicals of my own before Janurary, and after being thrown into the role of Ricky after the first guy left I didn't have the time to commit to rehearsals or learning lines - and there was A LOT of dialogue. With two weeks before the performance all the music finally arrived and I was given a call by an old friend to play in the band, and since it didn't require as much attention as acting I was able to hop back on the bandwagon.. although the cast wasn't too happy with me when I was back... bit of a 'fopar' (spelling!?) if you ask me... But I thought that Tim did a good job with what he was able to do realistically. But, then, yes, in the end it was for the audience who didn't seem to enjoy it as much as we did. Oh, and I'm not your troll if that's what you were insinuating in your post before Tim. Shame!

No John, I never thought nor deliberately insinuated that it was you. If I belived that it was, I would have contacted you directly. Apologies if you thought you were being indirectly referenced there. (And I did speak to Ben about using the word "Abandoned" when used in reference to your leaving. I thought I made it quite clear to all involved when you stepped down as Ricky that the circumstances surrounding it were quite out of your control.)

Hey everybody, Thought I would weigh in here as well and put my 2 cents in. As somebody who was in the show I know that I might have a slightly biased opinion but will try and be as objective as possible. My thoughts on Tims job was that he went well above and beyond, yes things faltered a bit when he had to take over as Ricky but nobody else would have been able to learn the lines for that role with so little time left to spare. My personal opinion and people can argue coz I came in at a late stage. Is that there were too many cheifs and not enough indians. If the director says jump you say how high, don't argue about it. The band and especially musical director were an absolute credit. Again above and beyond. My personal feeling is that it is amateur theatre and I will say that I have only been in 2 other productions previously. It was a fun reintroduction for me. We tried our hardest for the audience. I wholly appreciate StuartP honest and constructive feedback. People like me want to learn where they went wrong for next time. Not just hear how crap we were. We can't improve just from being told we weren't good and that is why I appreciate StuartP comments so much tell us what we are doing wrong so we can learn.

Janet has kindly replied to my questions.

hey guyz...as a cast member it was hard under those lights...we did the best we could in the time space that we had...im a year 11 high school student and although you may not want to listen/read what i have to say please do... I'm always told to give "constructive critisism"...reading these bullitens about 3 of them include any critisism...i was dissapointed in the show but tried my hardest to keep the energy up...im sorry none of you enjoyed it but think outside the box...think...what if you were one of the cast?...if you morons had been through what we'd been through you'd understand why the play turned out like it did... Some of the reasons people were cast as they were are as follows: Ricky-Tim- everyone else was unable to do the part because they had other commitments Ash-BJ- Why BJ was cast as ash is beyond me Tiffany-Leanne- Tim wanted to give her a chance to improve her acting skills...and thats a fair enough reason Although the only character i played was a deadhead (the one with knee-high black and white striped stockings) i could see how hard it was for the other cast members FYI: Cast memebers are allowed out the front to get drinks...we are human...we do need to drink...yes your probably thinking..."why didnt you have water bottles backstage???"...the answer...we did...some people had 2 but they were all empty by the end of act one and our cold ones just happened to be in the fridge...and guess where that was...IN THE KITCHEN!!! *sigh*...people these days are so close-minded... anyway i just wanted to say...people who say crap like "it was crap...it went for too long...the cast couldnt sing"...to all those people...UP YOURS!!!...get a life...if you didnt enjoy it...get over it...move on...its over...you dont have to go back there...you saw it once...the cast had to live through it for 3-5 effing months! but before i finish id like to say thankyou to the band...kate our music director was excellent...john the other keyboardist thankyou so much for doing that...andrea (i think it was) on the saxaphone...you were great...and the drummer and guitarist...im sorry i dont know your names but you guyz were brilliant...as a band you were absolutly FANTASTIC!!! Thankyou to the audience who came and im very sorry you didnt enjoy it ~xxAlyxx~

hey guyz...as a cast member it was hard under those lights...we did the best we could in the time space that we had...im a year 11 high school student and although you may not want to listen/read what i have to say please do... I'm always told to give "constructive critisism"...reading these bullitens about 3 of them include any critisism...i was dissapointed in the show but tried my hardest to keep the energy up...im sorry none of you enjoyed it but think outside the box...think...what if you were one of the cast?...if you morons had been through what we'd been through you'd understand why the play turned out like it did... Some of the reasons people were cast as they were are as follows: Ricky-Tim- everyone else was unable to do the part because they had other commitments Ash-BJ- Why BJ was cast as ash is beyond me Tiffany-Leanne- Tim wanted to give her a chance to improve her acting skills...and thats a fair enough reason Although the only character i played was a deadhead (the one with knee-high black and white striped stockings) i could see how hard it was for the other cast members FYI: Cast memebers are allowed out the front to get drinks...we are human...we do need to drink...yes your probably thinking..."why didnt you have water bottles backstage???"...the answer...we did...some people had 2 but they were all empty by the end of act one and our cold ones just happened to be in the fridge...and guess where that was...IN THE KITCHEN!!! *sigh*...people these days are so close-minded... anyway i just wanted to say...people who say crap like "it was crap...it went for too long...the cast couldnt sing"...to all those people...UP YOURS!!!...get a life...if you didnt enjoy it...get over it...move on...its over...you dont have to go back there...you saw it once...the cast had to live through it for 3-5 effing months! but before i finish id like to say thankyou to the band...kate our music director was excellent...john the other keyboardist thankyou so much for doing that...andrea (i think it was) on the saxaphone...you were great...and the drummer and guitarist...im sorry i dont know your names but you guyz were brilliant...as a band you were absolutly FANTASTIC!!! Thankyou to the audience who came and im very sorry you didnt enjoy it ~xxAlyxx~

whoever has enough of their busy lives to waste by puttin up bad, dis-respectful, rude and just horrible comments about the actors and the show can go suck a fat on! being a teenager and into acting i find that there is alot of bitchyness out there, but i never new that 25 yr olds still get a kik out of doing it. how pathetic is that! i meen, do u seriously find what ur doin interesting and fun. i had fun from being involved in this production and being young i learnt alot from this aswell. to the 3rd yr NIDA student: isnt this what u started out doing?? so im sure youve done some amature theatre before and im sure youve been stuck performing bad ones too. i honestly think that we put on a great show in considertion of how many troubles we went through so to all the people who want to write rude comments, why dont you think twice before you do..... maybe u didnt enjoy and maybe it wasnt ur type of show, but seriously, how old does this make you sound? i thought 15 yr olds like myself would be doin all the bitching but instead the 15 yr old is trying to put a stop to all this! pretty sure the cast and crew doesnt give a shit what anyone else thinks so dont waste ur "precious" time by writing a review. id like to say thankyou to all the crew, cast, committee mambers and anyone else who helped out for making this show work. so to all of you who want to critisize some more..... go ahead! but its not like we're gonna care about some idiot who wants to put us down! stacey.

I suggest you put some of your "precious" time into learning to spell, or at least using spell check. If you want to make a valid point about a subject you feel passionately about then the least you can do is use the language correctly. Your credibility vanishes as soon as people think you are illiterate. If you don't give s*** about what people think of your performance then you must be up there for your own self indulgence. Respect is a two-way street respect yourself and the rest follows, if you don't respect yourself then will end up on the scrap heap. You show respect for your chosen art and it will pay dividends, ignore criticism at your peril. As a paying audience member I don't care what troubles you had and neither should I, I paid money to see a performance and I expect a performance, I know I am seeing an amateur production, but I don't expect amateur attitudes. You must do the best you can, asking no quarter and certainly expecting none. If you think these critiques are harsh, then you have a lot to learn about human nature. I hope you learn from this experience and continue with Theatre, new blood is always required. Never ask anybody to excuse a bad production, if you do then how can they respond to a good production. If you want the pat on the back you have to accept the clip round the ear.

Lol at you all. So the production wasn't as great as one might have expected it to be. Boo-hoo.