This week in the spotlight, Cicely Binford catches up with John McPherson and James Marzec, the dynamic duo behind the brand-spanking new, world premiere musical being produced in Perth called A Raging Election. These guys have taken what they learned from writing and producing their first major musical in 2012, the barely-pronounceable Lawyers and Other Communicable Diseases, and have sharpened their mighty swords (and by swords, I mean their pens, of course) to bring us an completely topical, satirical musical comedy set in a newsroom during a leadership spill. Read the full article here. Continue reading INTERVIEW: James Marzec, John McPherson and Showroom Theatre

Your company’s name is quite unique – what is its origin? I was reading a book on theatre by American performance group Goat Island and was inspired by a story they included.  It’s a lovely story, but a bit of a long one. They wrote about the Danish architect, Rem Koolhaas – quite well known for his ‘big ideas’ approach to architecture – who was asked to build a two million square foot ferry terminal in the North Sea. He replied that due to the size of the request, they needed to consider the philosophical implications of the architecture and … Continue reading INTERVIEW: Sarah McKellar and North Sea Boat Terminals

Joe Lui stands out from the crowd. Once you’ve seen or met Joe at some show in Perth, you’ll start to see him all over town. One time I stepped into an elevator in a car park under King’s Perth Hotel and there was Joe, carrying an amp on his way to a gig. I wanted to serenade him with, “Hey Joe, where you goin’ with that amp in your hand?” but then I figured he’s probably heard the “Hey Joe” reference all his life, and he probably doesn’t think it’s funny anymore. Lui stands out from the crowd, not … Continue reading INTERVIEW: Joe Lui and Renegade Productions

Twelve years ago this month New York City firefighters were called to duty for an unthinkable disaster. A third of all New York City Fire Department (FDNY) companies were dispatched to go into battle against time at the World Trade Center and 343 individual firefighters never made it back. One of the ways in which New York came to grips with this horrible tragedy was to put on a play. Anne Nelson wroteThe Guys in just nine days and it debuted off-off-Broadway at the Flea Theatre on 4 December 2001, just three months after the attacks.The two characters in the play, … Continue reading INTERVIEW: The Guys by Anne Nelson

I’d like to begin my next Spotlight by saying a few words about what it means to be an independent theatre maker in Perth and why it’s vital to get a view of the forest while still examining each of the trees. For me, the exciting thing about Perth’s independent theatre scene is that there are so many ways to go about doing what we love and are passionate about. Everyone has a different formula; each of the practitioners I talk to has the same goals, but have very different approaches to their work. So it’s the diversity and the … Continue reading INTERVIEW: Upstart Theatre Company