Separating The Dust
2010 Victorian Drama League one act play festival circuit

Separating The Dust wowed the audiences in the Victorian Drama League 2010 one act play festival circuit around regional Victoria. Aston Elliot, Ingrid Gang and Stephen Mitchell powerfully portrayed the charactes in this captivating, disturbing and dark drama about two brothers fighting over their mother's Will and the wife who stirs the deep pot of underflowing emotions. 

Separating The Dust won Best Production in the Dandenong Ranges festival and Stephen Mitchell won the award for Best Lead Male Actor in the Anglesea festival.

Both Aston and Stephen each received Best Male Actor nominations in The Mount Players festival, Dandenong Ranges festival and the South Gippsland (FAMDA) festival. In the Anglesea festival the production was nominated for Best Original Work and received a nomination for the Adjudicator Award. 

This production was talked about before we arrived at each venue to perform, those on the circuit were talking about the play and the audiences were taken aback by this outstanding production. Either way, this play stirs something deep within each audience; reactions come from the morals the play discusses and the raw energy and dark emotion overflowing from the stage, into the auditorium.

At many festivals some audience members sat rivited to their seats, with their hands over their faces unable to watch such a powerful and dramatic production. In the Anglesea production the raw energy and forceful emotions were too much for one audience member who managed to pry herself from her seat and leave the auditorium as it was too much for her to handle (I applaud an audience to make a choice to leave if what is on stage is not something they choose to watch; similiar to changing the channel on television if the program is not to your liking).

The Adjudicator at the South Gippsland (FAMDA) festival in Foster stepped outside her jurisdiction, possibily her comments had broader implications for the conduct of community-based theatre in Victoria. She made the suggestion, Separating The Dust should not have been performed in the community-based theatre arena. To be told publicly our performance was unwelcome at the Foster venue blurred her responsibility as an Adjudicator. In short, her comments were a public ostracism.

Foster wasn't the only venue to be up-in-arms, the organisors of the Kyneton festival banned the play from being performed for being, "too racy" for their festival demographic. This wonderful decision by that committee (which is their right to ban the play) became the catalyst for Separating The Dust to receive local notarity. I think it was Noel Ferrier who said, "There is only one thing worse than being talked about, and that's not being talked about".

Separating The Dust received two front page local news stories, one page-three local news article and a local artistic critic; three radio interviews, two on local radio and one on ABC Central Radio with Fiona Parker.

The wheels of the press busily whired away, the tongues waged and all of a sudden, Separating The Dust became known as ‘that controversial play'. On the morning of 2nd August 2010, Robyn Till (Manager, Arts and Cultural Services) from the Macedon Ranges Shire Council invited us to present, Separating The Dust at the Kyneton Town Hall on Friday 6 August 2010 at 7PM, alongside the Shorter+Sweeter Australian regional tour.

After watching Separating The Dust, Alex Broun (Shorter+Sweeter producer) invited me to produce another one act play of mine (10-minute in length) at the Short + Sweet Melbourne Theatre 2010 at Chapel off Chapel, Prahran (Nov 15 to Dec 5, 2010). All this notarity from being banned at the Kyneton festival.

The newspapers and radio both agree, Separating The Dust is brilliant, raw and controversial.

Short and Sweet Festival 2010

It's that time of the year again when Festivals around the globe are seeking fresh plays. I've gone a little mad this year and have entered five new 10-minute one act plays into the Short and Sweet Festival 2010.

The gloves are off and all festivals around the world are open. I've eneterd As The Page Turns, Separating The Dust, Aunt Ethel's Death Notice, Hymenoxys and Doped Up Deal. Applications closed on 11 April 2010 and now it's a nervous wait to hear back from the Readers at the offices of Short and Sweet to see if they are going to allow any of the five entrants proceed past the first stage of being read by their panel.

Oh the nail biting wait. If accepted, the first perfomances will start in Singapore, then onto Malaysia. From there it's back to this end of the world where Short and Sweet performances will happen in Auckland, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and finally, the big one, in Sydney. Sydney runs for about a month and if my emails through Facebook are anything to go by, the updates are relentless, exciting and imformative from the Short and Sweet Fan Page. I'm addicted to them and now I wait to see if I am going to be part of the Facebook Fan Page ferver.

Wish me luck.

Shattered Reflection

Shattered Reflection played to over 200 theatre goers and to their accolades the show was a hit. In the hit and miss arena of what is the Melbourne Fringe Festival, Shattered Reflection gained audience approval with reviews as … Good show. In particular loved Ben's character. He got it spot on! … and … You obviously have a lot of talent and I really wish you well in breaking into the professional arena.

Shattered Reflection, a black comedy of edgy proportions opened on Wednesday 24 September 2008 at the Guild Theatre, Union House, University of Melbourne. Directed by Elizabeth Penny, the story focused on mental illness, male prostitution, loneliness and illicit drug addiction in the corporate sector.

Shattered Reflection was born from a newspaper article reporting on illicit drugs in the corporate sector. The article outlined the taking of illicit drugs on a regular basis was more than a problem for the disturbed youth on the streets. The article outlined this systemic problem also exists in the corporate sector amongst the most respected management and leaders of our time, in well known organisations.

Shattered Reflection will be remounted after a remodel and freshen up. Stick around and watch this space to find out when, the show will go on.

UPDATE

Shattered Reflection is under consideration for performance by Sherbrook Theatre (Victoria) and The Basin Theatre (Victoria).

The Meeting Place and Comfort Zone

As above, Shattered Reflection is under consideration by Sherbrooke Theatre (Victoria) and The Basin Theatre (Victoria). In addition to this, the full length drama, The Meeting Place is also being considered for production by The Basin Theatre (Victoria). I am particularly proud of The Meeting Place as it was my first script written and produced before I was 25 years old, a milestone if I do say so myself.

Comfort Zone, a full length comedy co-written with award winning playwright Stuart Pursell, is under consideration for production by Sherbrooke Theatre (Victoria). This play is tears away at the pretentious nosh-chowing theatrettes and their inward view of theatre production. A very comical play.

Short Film Expressions Of Interest

Experienced and responsible film production groups are asked to express their interest in filming and producing two short films, Eat Up, Tiger or/and Nomad, written by Darren Brealey. The optimal group would have their own crew and equipment, are production ready and are professional operators. Darren Brealey is seeking a group of serious artisans who follow guidelines, obey council and state laws, and understand and follow OH&S standards.