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Top acting fruits from Australia's Sunshine State

I went out of curiosity to see what an unknown (to me) university from a small town could produce and left completely touched by the actors and full of respect for the teaching staff. The first thing that struck me was the quality of the voices. Kate Wilson, the Head Teacher and voice trainer is to be applauded, for every one of the performers spoke and sang with excellent clarity, power and feeling, and foreign accents were a treat.

The stage was small and almost totally bare and there was nothing to distract the audience from the performances. This is quite a different experience from most commercial offerings. The focus of attention on the players is therefore that much greater. I found myself scrutinising the actors much more critically than I would normally. The "pure" acting I was focusing on flowed out wonderfully. That morning's experience will leave its lovely feeling with me for ages and ages. It is just a pity that the show was not made available to a wider audience.

On the hand there were many empty reserved seats - shame on those in the industry who did not bother to lend encouragement to the budding actors.

Kate and her team have done a tremendous job and the travelling showcase is certainly a great idea. Consider bringing it overseas! With quality like this class of '97, you'll kill them!

Francis Chuah

Our real writer Michael Maher was there too and he writes:
GATE FEVER...a burning desire to go beyond

Gate Fever is a frantic, joyous, sometimes sad, sometimes scary romp though the woods with a group of the most talented young Australian artists. The program consisted of twenty-one cameo performances and the pace was fast and furious, never once letting the audience lose contact with the actors.

This was the Class of '97 from USQ Theatre, performing at the Wharf Theatre in Sydney. The first tour of it's kind, Gate Fever..."showcases the talents...of actors and stage managers from the University of Southern Queensland...a kind of gate...a rite of passage in their professional life".

These students are the first from USQto showcase themselves away from home and for many it was also their first time in Sydney. Their enthusiasm both on and off stage was self evident. The program is their own, devised and produced by them. Their energy and burning passion shone through and gave each performances the edge that distinguishes something special.

In Graduation Day , Kellie Jones brought her character to life with such skill she made me think of my own sixteen year old daughter. The scene was emotional at a very personal level; these were private moments and, such was the power of the performance we were watching, that I felt uneasy at being present. Being all alone on the stage adds an extra dimension to a performance but Ms. Jones flew solo with a great deal of expertise and grace.

Another solo performance came from Maria Sendonas who delighted us in an altogether different fashion. In A Woman Alone the character was a chirpy young Greek woman ironing at an open window while she carried on a conversation with another woman across the way.
Later I asked Ms. Sendonas who she had been talking to. Her description of the little Greek lady shuffling around in her dressing gown was not too far removed from the image she had created in my mind, and I suspect, the minds of most others in the audience.

The Boys, was chilling drama about the ugly Australian. Three young men get progressively drunk and finally alienate their long suffering girlfriends. Their drunken antics are at times bitterly funny but you know it will all end in tears...and it does. When the beer is gone, the girls are gone and the car has gone with the girls, there is nothing left but anger. Brett, Stevie and Glenn leave the stage with revenge in the their minds, revenge against "women" the cause of their grief. The audience is left to speculate about just what "the boys" will do...I had no doubts and I was horrified at the thought. The Boys had a cast of six. Phil Mathers, Jason Gann, John Condon, Deborah Edwards, Susan Fenn and Alysia Taylor it was a well executed, very powerful, thought provoking piece.

Goodnight Desdemona was wonderful. Lighthearted and guaranteed to upset Shakespeare buffs. I understand that the full version of this play has never been performed in this country but that it has been very popular in the USA. In this version of Othello, a slightly kooky academic, Constance from Princeton, (I think) drops in on the action just as Iago is set to do his evil stuff. Constance point out to Othello that he is being had...big time. Great performances from Desan Padayachee as Othello and Jason Gann was a suitably sleazy Iago. Valentina Morosini was the daffy academic and Deborah Edwards was great as a not so pure Desdemona.

Other moments for me were both performances of Sure Thing. Danielle Lincoln and John Condon were hilarious as proponents/potential bedmates in the cafe scene as were AlysiaTaylor and Phil Mathers in the second act. I was moved by Desan Padayachee in Cry Freedom and Jason Gann was a chilling drunk in The Boys.

Everybody associated withGate Fever is to be congratulated, the production proved to be a great showcase for the class of '97. The show was wonderful from beginning to end and if some performances stood out for me more thanothers that is in no way a criticism.

This country has no shortage of theatrical talent and it's clear that the USQ is up there with the best when it comes to honing that talent. The important thing is that we grow the theatre in this country, that we support it, nurture it and above all value it. If we don't, talent like that ofthe class of '97 will have nowhere to go.

We at Talent Unplugged would like to congratulate the classof '97, the actors and the stage managers. You have a long hard road ahead but you have the talent to succeed and we wish you well. We also congratulate Kate Wilson and the University of Southern Queensland Department of Theatre and look forward to seeing the class of '98 strut their stuff.



Michael Maher (our theatre buff)

© editor@talentunplugged.com