sudsonline.org Blog

In this edition:

1. Auditions: “Triple4-Two” (Shakespeare’s Sonnets)
   
2. Auditions: Reservoir Dogs
3. Auditions: Romeo and Juliet
4. Social Event: Pirates of Penzance (MUSE)
5. Subgroup Meeting: Writers’ and Directors’ Group
6. Social Event: Coffee and Conversation Club
   
7. Plug: Pirates of Penzance (MUSE)
8. Special Opportunity: Secret Garden Festival
   
9. Special Opportunity: “Whatever!” Extras Required
10. Competition Details: Short Film Competition
11. Competition Details: University Writing Competition
    

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1. Auditions: “Triple4-Two” (Shakespeare’s Sonnets)
(from Nick Dixon-Wilmshurst, Director/Curator)
Triple4-Two is to be a performance of Shakespearean Sonnets. How we do them and where we do them will be up to the cast although I’d like to build amazing set pieces in the Cellar and also use outdoor spaces on campus.This is a great opportunity for anyone who’s never done Shakespeare before but would like to. Auditions will be held from 10am Thursday at the Cellar. Easiest thing to do is call (0401304438) or email (ndix8937@usyd.edu.au)and book a time for the next week. Please bring a sonnet you would like to perform. Also – if you’d like to be involved in a design capacity that’s great. Arrange a time to meet with me and bring a sonnet. You may not have to perform it but I’d like to discuss it. See also the Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=74815359032.

2. Auditions: Reservoir Dogs
Details are still firming about auditions for Reservoir Dogs, but exact details will be available through the SUDS Facebook Group (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=a09e8ecafa3637cc7713ce79f05f9136&gid=2215989530) very soon. However, the directors have let us know they intend to hold auditions between 11 and 1 on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. If this sounds good, come along, otherwise you can contact Neada, one of the writer/directors, on nbul2313@usyd.edu.au for details.

3. Auditions: Romeo and Juliet
(from Khym Scott, Director)
Performing: Weeks 12 & 13 (ie. 27 May – 6 June)
Rehearsal Period: (To be confirmed after casting, though this is to give a basic idea) Sporadically through Mid-Semester break, then generally Fridays after 1pm, weekends, and occasional weekday evenings, with a more intensive period closer to weeks of performance.
Crew: Those interested in production and/or design, please contact Khym to book some time in the same below audition periods to have a chat. It won’t be an audition at all, but rather a chance to recruit like-minded assistants and inform you of the vision of the show. The show will be fairly design and production-heavy, so it’s an opportunity for crew to do a large amount of work on a show during pre-production.
Auditions: We’d love to see as both new faces and old faces at auditions – we need quite a few people so don’t be put off if you haven’t done anything with SUDS before or in a while. Preparation: Please have a look at the pieces on the Facebook event (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=78808142501) from the play and be prepared to audition with them. If you don’t have access to Facebook, please email Khym on the details below for a copy. Further pieces may be given at the audition to be read unprepared.

Audition Times:
Friday 3 April 3pm-6pm
Saturday 4 April upon request (any time)
Wednesday 5 April 10am-12pm, 1pm-3pm
Thursday 6 April 10am-1pm, 2pm-3pm
Friday 7 April upon request (any time)
Saturday 8 April upon request (any time)
Monday 13 April upon request (any time)
Tuesday 14 April 4pm-6pm
Auditions will be booked in 10-15 minute slots and held on the Cottage Lawns (outside The Cellar). To book an audition please contact Khym (0410 129 181 / ksco8063@mail.usyd.edu.au), or message him through Facebook. He can also be found in the C&S Office 10am-6pm Mondays and Tuesdays if you feel like seeing him in person. If you have any questions, or can’t make one of the designated times for auditions, please let Khym know and we can find a time to schedule your audition!

4. Social Event: Pirates of Penzance (MUSE)
Our good friends at MUSE are doing their major production for Semester One this week, and we’ve organised a group to go along. Tickets to come with us will be a mere $10, and we are attending the 3.00pm matinee this Saturday April 4. If you’d like to come along, please contact our Social Secretary, Bec on rebeccasaffir@hotmail.com and she’ll organise payment and pass on more details. If you want to come with the SUDS group, you need to let us know beforehand so we can submit the appropriate event paperwork! More details below on the show itself and the rest of its run.

5. Subgroup Meeting: Writers’ and Directors’
Thursday April 9, 4.00pm – 6.00pm in the Cellar Theatre
The next meeting of the Writers’ and Directors’ Group is coming up, and will focus on the inspiration behind the writing process. In the first hour of the session, some recent student playwrights will talk about the inspiration behind their work and how they actually started putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). In the second half of the session, we will then do some stimulus writing and share the results with each other. It is designed to be a very open, friendly forum so if that sounds interesting to you, please come along and join us for an afternoon of inspiration (that was supposed to be a lame pun, but didn’t really work).

6. Social Event: Coffee and Conversation Club (CaCC)
Thursday April 9, 6.00pm, meet at the Cellar Theatre
The hotly awaited next installment of the Coffee and Conversation Club (the buzz is only slightly less than around He’s Just Not That Into You Too) is coming up next week also. With a new ‘C’ added every week, come along and have a chat about the Slot 3 performances: the plays themselves; the productions; and the process that led to them (there are a few ‘P’s involved too). Some of the actors and directors will be there to tell about their work, and if nothing else it’s a cheap cup of coffee to keep you awake during the shows – not, of course, that you’ll need it.

7. Plug: Pirates of Penzance (MUSE)
Sydney University Musical Theatre Ensemble’s 2009 production of Pirates of Penzance by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, directed by Tom Heath and music directed by Roman Benedict. The shows are at the following times:
Thursday April 2nd 8 pm (TONIGHT)
Firday April 3rd 8 pm
Saturday April 4th 3 pm
Saturday April 4th 7 pm
and tickets are $15 ACCESS Card Holders /$18 Concession and /$20 adults. It’s on at the Tom Mann Theatre in Chalmers Street, Surry Hills – see the map here: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=the+tom+mann+theatre,+surry+hills&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=34.671324,78.75&ie=UTF8&ll=-33.887143,151.208954&spn=0.008443,0.019226&z=16&iwloc=A. More details are tickets are available through the MUSE website at www.museatusyd.com/pirates.

8. Special Opportunity: Secret Garden Festival
We are still looking for SUDS Members to come along to the Secret Garden Festival this weekend (it’s on Saturday 4 April) to provide some SUDSy entertainment to the masses. If you fancy dressing up in odd clothes and making strange noises while getting free entry to the festival, or even doing some real street theatre (!), this is the opportunity for you. The Festival is all about raising money for medical research, and details about it can be found here: www.thesecretgarden09.com.au. If you’re interested, our involvement is being coordinated by the wonderful Harriet Gillies, who can be contacted via email at hcgillies@hotmail.com.

9. Special Opportunity: “Whatever!” Extras Needed
We are looking for a number of teenagers who have experience with or are interested in acting and feel comfortable with the challenge of portraying some of the more extreme experiences of teen drinking or sexual flirtations.  We also need a number of extras who are there in the background of the party but don’t take a lead role in the scene.  Younger brothers or sister, or non-acting friends may be happy to come along to make up the party.

As this is a documentary there is no budget for payments made to families or contributors, but this will be a great night for all involved and a chance for your teen to see ‘behind the scenes’ of a film shoot. This scene will not portray any of the teenagers involved in a negative light. In the context of the documentary, this segment will clearly be recognised as a ‘stylised’ recreation. It should simply be a lot of  fun!

If you want to be involved send an email to michael.oneill@essential-media.com with your phone number, age and a short message saying you are keen to be involved in the ‘house party shoot’.  If you’d like to chat further about what might be involved, please contact Michael on 0404 092 034.

10. Competition Details: Short Film Competition
Basically, all you have to do is create a 90 second book “trailer” based on one of the three yet-to-be published books listed here.  The grand prize winner will receive a massive cash prize of $6,000. Two runners-up will receive $3000 each and an online vote will determine the People’s Choice Winner who will receive a further $2000.  The shortlist will be judged by an expert panel including producer/director Bruce Beresford, film critics, Margaret Pomeranz and Marc Fennell, Don Grover from Dymocks and Margie Seale MD of Random House. Entries close 12 May 2009. The website is now live at www.bookvideoawards.com.au as well as the BVA page on Facebook. This is a brand new film competition and we are really trying to get it off the ground! (Hold down the control key to access the links, PC users!)

11. Competition Details: USyd Writing Competition
The Department of English is pleased to announce the David Harold Tribe Fiction Award for 2009. Applications are now invited for this award to be made in the sum of $11,000. Closing date: Friday 7 August, 2009 at 4 pm. Entry is Free. For Terms of the Award and the Entry Form, see the Department of English website: http://www.arts.usyd.edu.au/departs/english/prizes/prizes.shtml or phone the Department of English enquiries 9351 2349 or 9351 3251.

“I had the example of my mother. Once, when she was coming to the end of a show, I found her on stage, looking very sad and alone as she looked out at the darkness. ‘Why are you so sad?’ I said. And she said, ‘All this talent that was gathered to make this play, the director, the designers, the actors, and all this work we’ve done, it’s now going to dissipate. Theatre is so ephemeral. Thank God for films, because something will remain’.”

— Ingrid Bergman