Reviews

The Distraction morphs simple green screen trickery into ingeniously hilarious antics. David Collins and Shane Dundas, who form the renowned comic duo The Umbilical Brothers, incorporate a vast array of theatrical techniques in their show. It is not uncommon to see very inventive use of mime, puppetry, soundscapes and even slapstick in their performances. This show, however, ventures into some new territory and combines their eccentric brand of humour with special effects technology. The result is often sublime.

Ellida is a new adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s The Lady of the Sea, performed by WAAPA 3rd Year Acting students, with the creative support of WAAPA Production and Design students, and sensitively and thoughtfully directed by Will O’Mahony.

This 1888 work (nicely adapted) about marriage and freedom, still resonates today and features some excellent roles, especially for women. It is also an ideal vehicle for beautiful imagery and the production team have embraced their freedom with this wonderfully poetic work.

Geraldine Hickey is a yarn spinner.  That’s not a put-down or a diminishing of what she does so well.  In her own way (more on that in a moment), she’s part of an Australian tradition.  You can see her propping up a pub bar (‘the pub’ gets frequent references in her show) and holding an audience spellbound.  Her tales of, well, nothing all that special or out of the ordinary are rendered absorbing by her comic timing, inclusive warmth and our immediate recognition of what she describes.  She also illustrates her experiences with occasional an

This popular work by English author Aphra Behn – the first female playwright to have a play published - premiered in March 1677. Griffith University’s Class of 2021 acting students, directed by Jacqui Somerville fittingly present their performance in the same month, 344 years later.