Theatre Notes > Top Shows 2009

Hoy Polloy made it on Alison Croggon's Top Shows 2009 on Theatre Notes.

Update > 11 Paterson Street

Due to circumstances beyond Hoy Polloy's control, we regret to announce that 11 Paterson Street by Bryan Davidson Blue has been cancelled.

Unfortunately, due to the late nature of this cancellation we have not had sufficient time to find a suitable replacement and, therefore, Hoy Polloy is unable to present a fourth play as part of Season 2009.

3CR Review > The Cat's Paw

Reviewed by Frances Devlin-Glass on Sunday, 27.09.09 for 3CR’s “Curtain Up” Sundays at 1.00pm on 855AM.

Hoy Polloy seems to exist to challenge its audiences. The Cat’s Paw is no exception. A docudrama by new and local playwright, Christine Croyden,it is in your face in terms of its subject matter. Prostitution, pimping, suicide and drugs in the dark lanes of St. Kilda. It’s a strangely hybrid play, with heavily realistic elements in a dirty realist style, but also a layer of non-naturalism.

The non-naturalism takes the form of a highly interpretable tatterdemalion angel, with a glorious Irish accent (listeners, I feel sure will allow me to indulge my enthusiasms in this small matter), who also acts as narrator at times. Stephanie Lillis spews out all sorts of religious sentimentalism, piety and idealism, which I take is intended ironically, but she cannot at all deal with the scene of horror and self-loathing that the dead streetgirl represents. The prostitutes are a powerful assemblage of drug takers, self-mutilators, suicides, sometimes naïve and sometimes exceptionally hardened women. But they all have their backgrounds and stories, and these are painful - the runaways, the cast out, the adventure-seekers who don’t fit in, those curious about their sexual power, and we feel for them. One of the mysteries and marvels of this script is that it does not compromise on reality but that does not stop it from being compassionate. One had the sense we were being given a tour of hell, by a very sympathetic guide who understood its pathologies well.

There were four main prostitutes: Brigid, Zoe Ellerton-Ashley, the main focus, played her role as seductress very compellingly – she was credibly the warm, approachable whore with a heart of gold, but equally, a hard-bitten woman who knew how to allay male anxieties and was performing in a mask for her client, a man who had been dumped by his girlfriend. Her vulnerabilities and her danger to the man were also not skimped on – her skills with a scalpel applied first to herself, and later to the client were horrifying. Her timing and poise were exceptional and at every point and in every mode, she was utterly credible. One really felt for the kid who was different and alienated. Indeed, the keyword in the play was, I think, disconnect. None of these women were able to enter into relationships, but they were often good at faking it.

Her pimp, Esther played by Kylie Bell, was a wonderful foil. A woman who masqueraded as a private investigator in order to promote the business, and acquire more clients, she did a fine line in hard-boiled ex-cop, a line of patter with words falling out the side of her mouth, to suit the role. Unlike her dependents, she dressed in short trenchcoat and adopted the body-language of the self-enclosed. Her demise was a surprise, but justified by the action of the play.

Daniel Rice as the client was open-faced and naïve about the prostitution racket and an easy prey for the pimp and Brigid, and even he was a sympathetic character. His search for comfort and his intention to make things better for the woman he was also prepared to pay for was again credible and heart-warming. He had a stunning repertoire of non-verbal responses to his situation, and also half-uttered responses. A strong and understated role.

The two support roles were also well contrasted with the ones I’ve mentioned. One of these roles played by Emma Lhyne, involved a very young child, her inexperience tagged by her bobby-sox. She had slipped into the drug scene and was doomed not to survive. Her arrival in heaven and confrontation with the somewhat mad angel was a fine climactic moment of disconnect between these two characters. Her older mentor, Cecilia Condon, was dressed brassily and spoke knowingly of the dangers of the scene, which were well exemplified in the earliest scenes of the play, but she too proved to be highly vulnerable despite the veneer of carelessness.

The set was grungy St. Kilda, complete with neon-lit devil’s head and raunchy woman, with curtains of white plastic which I think were meant to represent a degraded version of the billowy opulence of bordello interiors. I speak here with a very little knowledge, having recently seen an early morning scrub-out of such a place in Townsville’s dank redlight district, with white silky curtains billowing in the wind after a hose-out. The set was not at all elegant, however, and the playing spaces resembled caves and dugouts, chambers of hell.

An intriguing script, and a compelling and evenly cast performance. My only criticism is that it was sometimes hard to hear the actors, and they could have taken it at a slower pace. A very brave undertaking by Hoy Polloy, and one that is not for the faint-hearted. However, those called by curiosity about the St. Kilda scene and those who want a think-piece, this is a highly engaged and engaging theatre-piece.

Online Reviews > The Cat's Paw

Arts Hub > Pam Foo
AussieTheatre.com > Anne-Marie Peard
Captial Idea > John Bailey

Production Pics > The Cat's Paw

Production pics attached are available for publication:
- Please click on images to access high res images
- Credit > Fred Kroh

Pic Captions:
- Zoe Ellerton-Ashley (Brigid)
- Emma Lyhne (Monica)
- Cecilia Condon (Abagail)
- Stephanie Lillis (Angel)
- Kylie Bell (Esther)
- Zoe Ellerton-Ashley (Brigid) and Daniel Rice (Paul)

Australian Stage Feature > Christine Croyden

Please visit Australian Stage, which features an interview with Christine Croyden about her world premiere play The Cat's Paw, which opens on Thursday, 17 September 2009.

The Age > Walking the streets of darkness

Visit The Age for Robin Usher's article "Walking the streets of darkness" about The Cat's Paw written by Melbourne playwright Christine Croyden, which opens next week.

Publicity Pics > The Cat's Paw

Publicity pics attached below are available for publication.
Please click on the image for high resolution images.

Details:
- Credit > Fred Kroh
- Caption (foreground / background) > Zoe Ellerton-Ashley (Brigid) and Cecilia Condon (Abagail)















Details:
- Credit > Fred Kroh
- Caption (left to right) > Emma Lyhne (Monica), Zoe Ellerton-Ashley (Brigid) and Cecilia Condon (Abagail)

World Premiere > The Cat's Paw

Hoy Polloy presents the world premiere of

The Cat's Paw
Written by Christine Croyden

Directed by Wayne Pearn

Featuring Kylie Bell, Cecilia Condon, Zoe Ellerton-Ashley, Stephanie Lillis, Emma Lyhne and Daniel Rice

Overview
The night cats are out on the streets of St Kilda – another girl is pushed from a car. She picks herself up and staggers precariously into the dark on her four-inch heels. A mysterious woman offers her help under the gaze of an unlikely angel. A bewildered man crosses her path and struggles to connect with her. Confused and desperate, she’s forgotten everything she wants to remember and can only remember what she wants to forget. Christine Croyden’s confronting yet touching play, The Cat’s Paw, is a response to raunch culture and its biggest benefactor – the ever expanding, billion dollar sex industry.

Dates
Preview: Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Season: 17 September – 3 October 2009
Tuesday to Saturday 8.15pm
Sunday 5.00pm

Venue
Carlton Courthouse Theatre
349 Drummond Street, Carlton
Tram Route 1 or 8 to Stop 112

Tickets
• $30 Adult
• $20 Concession / Groups 10+
• $18 Tuesdays
• $15 Preview

Bookings
• 03 9016 3873
• hoypolloy@bigpond.com

Cast Announcement > The Cat's Paw

We are pleased to announce the cast of the world premiere of The Cat's Paw written by Christine Croyden:

Esther > Kylie Bell
Abagail > Cecilia Condon
Brigid > Zoe Ellerton-Ashley
Angel > Stephanie Lillis
Monica > Emma Lyhne
Paul > Daniel Rice

3CR Review > Purgatorio

Reviewed by Frances Devlin-Glass on Sunday, 16.08.09 for 3CR’s “Curtain Up” Sundays at 1.00pm on 855AM.

Ariel Dorfman’s Purgatorio is engrossing theatre, and compellingly staged. It is a modern and morality-driven reworking of Euripedes’ tragedy, Medea. It is staged in an indeterminate institution – part purgatory (a place where prayer and purification effect the kind of transformation that renders souls eligible for heaven), part mental hospital and part prison. And its focus is on redemption, forgiveness, and reconciliation. This focus makes good sense when you know that Dorfman has twice been exposed in his lifetime to excoriating civil war in Argentina and Chile, and that he served under the murdered Allende. He has known outrage and murder intimately. How do people come back to full humanity after inflicting the utmost pain on their loved ones? What does revenge do to the psyche (double harm, it seems) and can one recover from it? Unsettling questions, which in this play are not unequivocally answered. Except that redemption is hoped for. It’s not, however, achieved, though the scene in which both parties lovingly and mutually engage in gathering the pieces of a fractured vase, and the tale of the forgiving grandmother, were suggestive of what might be.

Kat Chan’s set and Tom Willis’s lighting were very imaginative and elegant. The room was symbolically black and stark white, and encircled by even more symbolism in the shape of a mobius strip in silver wire and more suggestions of the same in white strips. The inside/outside theme was continually picked up in the reverses of role that occurred throughout. Lighting was subtle but responsive to darkening moods, and in its bright light mode very reminiscent of an interrogation room.

The play required of the audience some mental agility and concentration as the doctor/invigilator types and the victims were interchanged, mobius-strip style, and did a final transformation into husband and wife. Morally the theme was deeply explored with real, as opposed to forced repentance being the focus. A very clever modern, even Christian, variation on the Medea story was the presence of an unseen third eye in the form of a cctv camera whose role was to judge proper remorse. Jim Westlake’s sound design further enhanced the sense of the brokenness of the lives being depicted, being quite modern, fractured, and both musical and drawn from commonplace sounds; it was distorted and menacing.

Given the subject matter, the script required two very powerful actors, and they did not miss a beat. Natalie Carr as the woman was a fine Medea-like character, and I really enjoyed the ways in which Dorfman had her explore in excruciating detail what it was to kill the children of one’s womb. Euripedes gives her a lot of power and sympathy, but in Dorfman’s version, he makes more of this. The woman’s speech about the children being part of both herself and the Jason-like figure was full of anguish, love and hate, though delivered rather too fast for my liking. This was a speech to savour and take very slowly. Otherwise, Natalie Carr was impressive in the role. Glen Hancox was perhaps not quite as compelling in his roles, but the script did not permit him to pull as much of the focus as it did his opposite number. He was foursquare in his outrage and self-justifications, and seemed to me to lack the edge of passion.

A wonderful production of yet another Australian premiere for Hoy Polloy. Congratulations to director Ben Starick, and another success for the daring newish fringe professional company, Hoy Polloy. Well done, Wayne Pearne and everyone connected with the show, and thanks for bringing us such challenging and relevant modern works.

Melbourne Observer Review > Purgatorio

Click on the clipping below to view Cheryl Threadgold's review on Purgatorio.

Online Reviews > Purgatorio

Theatre Alive > Pamela Lloyd
The Age > Martin Ball
Arts Hub > Revelly Robinson
tonyreck21c > Tony Reck

Production Pics > Purgatorio

Production pics attached are available for publication:
- Credit > Fred Kroh
- Caption > Natalie Carr (Woman) and Glen Hancox (Man)

Please click on images to access high res images.

Moreland Leader > The war of the wills at Brunswick’s Mechanics Institute

Visit Andre Awadalla's article "The war of the wills at Brunswick’s Mechanics Institute" in the Moreland Leader about the Australian premiere of Purgatorio.

Herald Sun > A couple of differences

Click on the article below to read the Herald Sun clipping, "A couple of differences" by Alison Barclay, about Ariel Dorfman and Hoy Polloy's next production Purgatorio, which previews tomorrow night and runs from 8 – 29 August 2009.

The Age > Dorfman's dark fight of the soul

Visit The Age article "Dorfman's dark fight of the soul" for Robin Usher's interview with Ariel Dorfman about Purgatorio, which opens this weekend.

The Australian > Emotional truth found in translation

Visit The Australian article "Emotional truth found in translation" by Rosemary Sorensen, which includes commentary from playwright Ariel Dorfman about his play Purgatorio, which opens this Saturday, 8 August 2009.

Wayne Pearn > Director: In A Dark, Dark House

Hoy Polloy artistic director, Wayne Pearn, is director of the current Red Stitch Actors Theatre production – the Australian premiere of Neil LaBute's In A Dark, Dark House. It runs until 22 August 2009.

Theatre Notes > Interview: Ariel Dorfman

Please visit Theatre Notes for Alison Croggon's fascinating interview with Ariel Dorfman, this complex and humane writer, where he shares some insights into his work.

Australian Stage Feature > Ariel Dorfman

Playwright Ariel Dorfman was recently interviewed by Anna Lozynski from Australian Stage prior to the Australian premiere of Purgatorio, which opens on Saturday, 8 August 2009.

Visit the feature at Australian Stage.

Publicity Pics > Purgatorio

Publicity pics attached are available for publication:
- Credit > Fred Kroh
- Caption > Natalie Carr (Woman) and Glen Hancox (Man)

Bridgette Burton > RE Ross Trust Playwrights' Script Development Award 2009

Hoy Polloy warmly congratulations Bridgette Burton - who, today, was a recipient of the the RE Ross Trust Playwrights' Script Development Award 2009 for her play Rhonda Is In Therapy.

Munchner Merkur > Mir ist alles wurst

German journalist, Christine Diller profiles Franz Xaver Kroetz in the article "Mir ist alles wurst" in the German newspaper Munchner Merkur, which includes details about the Australian premiere of Tom Fool, a production photograph by Tim Williamson and quotes from Hoy Polloy artistic director, Wayne Pearn.

Australian Premiere > Purgatorio

Hoy Polloy presents the Australian premiere of

Purgatorio
Written by Ariel Dorfman

Directed by Ben Starick
Featuring Natalie Carr and Glen Hancox

Overview
What if the only person who can save me is the one I have hurt the most?
Are the crimes I have committed unforgivable?
And if there is no forgiveness, how do I move on with my life?

Ariel Dorfman’s Purgatorio questions the complexities of human relationships, intention and identity. Exploring justice, vengeance and redemption, Purgatorio asks if one person can trust another and ultimately themselves. Confined in a nameless, timeless place, a man and woman confront each other with their past truths. They must come to terms with who they genuinely are and decide if their love is strong enough to overcome pain and betrayal. Both characters try to force the other to accept their guilt, but are they willing to accept their own?

Dates
Preview: Friday, 7 August 2009
Season: 8 – 29 August 2009
Tuesday to Saturday 8.15pm
Sunday 5.00pm

Venue
Mechanics Institute Performing Arts Centre, corner Sydney & Glenlyon Roads, Brunswick
Tram route 19 to stop 21

Tickets
• $30 Adult
• $20 Concession / Groups 10+
• $18 Tuesdays
• $15 Preview

Bookings
• 03 9016 3873
• hoypolloy@bigpond.com

Cast Announcement > Purgatorio

Thank you to all of those who auditioned and for your interest in the production.

We are pleased to announce the cast of the Australian premiere of Purgatorio written by Ariel Dorfman:

Woman > Natalie Carr
Man > Glen Hancox

Help save the VCA

The University of Melbourne is attempting to dissolve the Victorian College of Arts. Sign the petition here.

Hoy Polloy Stimulus Package > Tom Fool: Discounted Tickets

Hoy Polloy Stimulus Package:

10% Discount on all tickets for the remaining performances(*) of Tom Fool.

Bookings:
- hoypolloy@bigpond.com
- 03 9016 3873

Season must end Saturday, 23 May 2009.

* = excludes Tuesday performances.

Online Reviews > Tom Fool

Theatre Notes > Alison Croggon
The Age > Cameron Woodhead
On Stage (and walls) Melbourne > Michael Magnusson
AussieTheatre.com > Karla Dondio
Citysearch.com.au > Penny Wedesweiler
tonyreck21c > Tony Reck

3CR Review > Tom Fool

Reviewed by John Gunn on Sunday, 02.05.09 for 3CR’s “Curtain Up”
Sundays at 1.00pm on 855AM.

This 1978 play by Franz Xaver Kroetz is the story of an ordinary working class family, comprising of the Father, Otto, his wife Martha and their teenage son Ludwig and their day to day lives and while their life is pretty ordinary, it is not so far away from violence, breakdown and utter chaos.

Research suggests the playwright has obviously great sympathy with the working class and an equally obvious hatred of the capitalist system both of which have made him a target of the far right in the past – he was also an activist in the West German Communist Party for most of the 1970s. . In 1971, the premiere of two of his plays, Home Work and Persistent, was disrupted by neo-Nazi thugs.

Told in a series of short but focused scenes where at times characters are left speechless with long pauses so full of meaning. It is very much a play of today where families are struggling and relationships can be strained to breaking point, however as in life through all of its struggles and misery there is much humour, particularly in the first act.

Otto worries about his job security and his place in the capitalist pecking order and takes pride in his role as breadwinner. Martha seems content to keep house and tend to Otto and teenage son Ludwig.. but Martha’s role opens out during the course of the play and is symbolic of the changes in the lives of working class from the 1970’s onwards. The play suggests it is Otto who appears to not be aware of the inner feelings and frustrations of his wife and son…

To give too much away about these three people would I believe take much pleasure from seeing the play, let us just say that we can all associate ourselves with many of the issues raised.

Director Beng Oh has a wonderful ensemble of three actors who play in a very naturalistic style taking us on a roller coaster ride, his direction is tight and extremely well layered, showing us both the highs and lows objectively.
The actors are Chris Bunworth as a very powerful yet complex Otto, Liz McCall as his wife Martha, very interesting performance this, as we see the changes that gradually take place with this character and Glenn van Oosterom as their young son Ludwig, a nicely restrained and beautifully balanced performance. We believed these three characters, they were real people with many dimensions.

The stage is divided into three acting areas, kitchen, sitting room and centre stage all other places depicted, scene changes are swift never allowing us to loose the thread and compliments to a diligent stage crew.

To sum up, it is a long play at approximately 3 hours –but act two does have a couple of scenes that appear a little repetitious however it is such a great piece of theatre that you can forgive this minor glitch, one question……. why have we not seen a production if “Tom Fool’ here in Australia before this?

So it is a big thank you to Hoy Polloy and Director Beng Oh for at last bringing it to us. Tom Fool continues at the Brunswick Mechanic Institute until the 23/5 Tues, to Sun – 8.15pm week nights and 5 pm Sun. you can book on 9016 3873

It is highly recommended for those who lean towards intelligent and dramatic theatre….

mX > Life is not for Tom Foolery

Picture: Nicole Cleary

Production Pics > Tom Fool

Theatre Notes > Interview: Franz Xaver Kroetz

Please visit Theatre Notes for Alison Croggon's interview with Franz Xaver Kroetz.

The Sunday Age: M > Preview

Attached is a clipping from the Preview section in The Sunday Age: M by John Bailey previewing Tom Fool.

theage(melbourne)magazine > Box Office

Attached is a clipping from the Box Office section in the May 2009 issue of theage(melbourne)magazine by Bill Perrett previewing Tom Fool.

ABC Radio: Evening Program > Etiquette Panel

Tom Fool cast members Chris Bunworth and Liz McColl will be Derek Guille's guests on the ABC Radio: Evening Program Etiquette Panel this Monday, 27 April 2009 from 9.00pm - 10.00pm.

Visit the following links for details to tune in to listen:
- On your radio
- Online streaming

Moreland Leader > Cast set for Tom Foolery in play

Visit the Moreland Leader article "Cast set for Tom Foolery in play" by Andre Awadalla profiling our next production, the Australian premiere of Tom Fool.

Australian Stage Feature > Beng Oh

Director Beng Oh recently spoke with Simon Piening from Australian Stage about Tom Fool, which opens next week on Saturday, 2 May 2009.
Visit the feature at Australian Stage.

Seeking Crew > Tom Fool

We are seeking the following crew for our next production, the Australian premiere of Tom Fool:
- 2 x Assistant Stage Managers
- 1 x Sound Operator

Key Dates:
- Bump In > 26 – 30 April 2009
- Preview > Friday, 1 May 2009
- Season > 2 – 23 May 2009

Please send expressions of interest to Bindi Green, Production Manager:
- Mobile > 0432 275 165
- Email > bindi.green@gmail.com

Audition Notice > Purgatorio

Hoy Polloy presents the Australian premiere of

Ariel Dorfman's
Purgatorio
Directed by Ben Starick

Overview
What if the only person who can save me is the one I have hurt the most?
Are the crimes I have committed unforgivable?
And if there is no forgiveness, how do I move on with my life?
Ariel Dorfman’s Purgatorio questions the complexities of human relationships, intention and identity. Exploring justice, vengeance and redemption, Purgatorio asks if one person can trust another and ultimately themselves. Confined in a nameless, timeless place, a man and woman confront each other with their past truths. They must come to terms with who they genuinely are and decide if their love is strong enough to overcome pain and betrayal. Both characters try to force the other to accept their guilt, but are they willing to accept their own?

Audition Information
• Dates: Sunday, 17 May 2009 and Monday, 18 May 2009
• Auditions are by appointment only.
• Please send expressions of interest, CVs (PDF) and head shots (low resolution JPG) to benstarick@hotmail.com

Roles
• MAN (30-50+)
• WOMAN (30-50+)

Audition Notes
• The roles have no specific race, physical characteristics or dialect/accent.
• Actors will need to show an ability to shift from being the interrogator to the interrogated.
• Actors are encouraged to read the script prior to auditions.

Rehearsal Information
• The rehearsal period will be throughout June - July 2009
• There will be a minimum of three rehearsals scheduled per week on Tuesday evenings, Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons.

Season Information
• Venue: Mechanics Institute Performing Arts Centre, corner Sydney & Glenlyon Roads, Brunswick
• Preview: Friday, 7 August 2009
• Season: 8 – 29 August 2009
• Tuesday to Saturday 8.15pm
• Sunday 5.00pm

Beng Oh > Green Room Award Nomination 2008

Congratulations to Beng Oh (Tom Fool director) for his Green Room Award Nomination 2008 for:

THEATRE - INDEPENDENT
Direction > Porcelain (La Mama)

Family Portrait > Tom Fool

Publicity photographs for Tom Fool.
High and low resolution images available for publication.




Caption > Chris Bunworth (Otto), Glenn van Oosterom (Ludwig) and Liz McColl (Martha).

Credit > Tim Williamson.

Australian Premiere > Tom Fool

Hoy Polloy presents the Australian premiere of

Tom Fool
Written by Franz Xaver Kroetz
Translated by Estella Schmid and Anthony Vivis

Directed by Beng Oh
Featuring Chris Bunworth, Liz McColl and Glenn van Oosterom

Overview
On the surface Otto Meier’s world exudes cool German efficiency. Underneath his world is about to explode. Haunted by the minutiae of his work environment he dreams of a better life for himself and his family. A daring and compelling drama, Tom Fool focuses on the everyday lives of ordinary working-class people and takes us back to the moment when women changed the rules of the game. Tom Fool is a new translation of Franz Xaver Kroetz's superb 1978 play Mensch Meier – showing that life at its most ordinary is never far away from disruption, chaos and violence. The Scotsman described Kroetz as charting this story of breakdown with a wonderful, rich yet cold-eyed hyperrealism that is his hallmark.

Dates
Preview: Friday, 1 May 2009
Season: 2 – 23 May 2009
Tuesday to Saturday 8.15pm
Sunday 5.00pm

Venue
Mechanics Institute Performing Arts Centre, corner Sydney & Glenlyon Roads, Brunswick
Tram route 19 to stop 21

Tickets
• $30 Adult
• $20 Concession / Groups 10+
• $18 Tuesdays
• $15 Preview

Bookings
• 03 9016 3873
• hoypolloy@bigpond.com

The Age > Robin Usher's Diary

Attached is a clipping from The Age, "Robin Usher's Diary" mentioning the launch of Season 2009.

Cast Announcement > Tom Fool

Thank you to all of those who auditioned and for your interest in the production.

We are pleased to announce the cast of the Australian premiere of Tom Fool written by Franz Xaver Kroetz and translated by Estella Schmid and Anthony Vivis:

Otto > Chris Bunworth
Martha > Liz McColl
Lugwig > Glenn van Oosterom

Launch > Season 2009 Subscription Flier

Welcome to our inaugural subscription flier:
Season 2009 > We feel it's time

Please click on images below and they will appear at full size for printing.