ECDysis - Courtyard Studio - Canberra Theatre Centre

Elizabeth Cameron Dalman performing "Welcome Dance"

 

Choreographed by Elizabeth Cameron Dalman and others.

Lighting designer and technical director – Darcy Wiseman

Graphic designer and project consultant – Barbie Robinson

Audio visual consultant – Chu Christopher.

Canberra Theatre Centre Courtyard Studio, 24 – 26^th October 2025.

Opening night performance on 24^th October reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.

This extraordinary program was devised by Australian contemporary dance pioneer, Elizabeth Cameron Dalman, as a celebration of the evolution of her dance practice over six decades.

During that time, Dalman founded two dance companies, Australian Dance Theatre (ADT) in Adelaide, which this year is celebrating its 60^th anniversary, and Mirramu Dance Company which she co-founded with Vivienne Rogis in the ACT, which is also celebrating its 25^th Anniversary.

An important aspect of Dalman’s career has been the affiliations she has forged during her international travels as a performer and teacher.  Particularly significant among them being strong connections forged with Taiwanese dance artists, Christoper Chu, Ming-chu Yu, Peng Hsiao-yin (Grace), Chen Yi-Ching (Olivia) and Chen Fu-rong (Fufu); all of whom travelled to Canberra to participate in this program, along with Mirramu dancers, Vivienne Rogis, Miranda Wheen, Amanda Tutalo and Tammi Gissell.

Also special was the participation of the unstoppable nonagenarian herself, who not satisfied with recreating some of her most significant dance works, also performed in some, and shared hosting duties with Mirramu Dance co-founder, Vivienne Rogis.

To commence the program, the first part of which was devoted to works originally created for Australian Dance Theatre, Dalman performed Welcome Dance in the striking costume created for this work. Time may have robbed her of some of her dexterity, but Dalman still possesses a remarkable presence. Therefore, the opportunity to witness her perform this work, was a rare and memorable experience.

Notable also was the fact that for the ADT section of the program, the majority of the costumes were the original ones created for the works in which they were danced.

At this performance excerpts from four works created during the 1960/70’s for ADT, the first of which was This Train, a 1965 work performed to songs sung by Peter, Paul & Mary, an American vocal group who had become personal friends of Dalman.

Commencing with “Early in the Morning” danced by Miranda Wheen, Amanda Tutalo, and Peng Hsiao-Yin (Grace), the excerpt featured three songs of the seven that made up the original work and included a lovely solo by Peng Hsiao-Yin (Grace) performed to “All My Trials”.

Peng Hsiao-Yin (Grace) performing "All My Trials"

Beautifully interpreted by the dancers, who included Chen Fu-rong (Fufu), this work contained many of Dalman’s signature moves, occasionally bringing to mind the styles of Alvin Ailey and Martha Graham; and also, of Oleo Pomare with whom Dalman had collaborated.

Following this presentation, Dalman shared an amusing anecdote concerning the costume for her 1963 solo, Spiritual, created for her by Pomare. For the premiere, her costume arrived so late that Pomare had to sew her into it. Vivienne Rogis then gave an incandescent performance of that solo, wearing that very same costume.

  

Vivienne Rogis performing "Spiritual"

A 1969 work, Creation Duet, inspired by Dalman’s enduring interest in First Nation’s mythology, was remounted for, and performed by Chen Yi-Ching (Olivia) and Chen Fu-Rong (Fufu) to whom Dalman gifted the work, in honour of her connection with their Taiwanese company, Dancecology.

Chen Yi-Ching (Olivia) and Chen Fu-Rong (Fufu) performing "Creation Duet"

Excerpts from a delightfully campy 1969 work, Homage to Botticelli, inspired by a visit to Florence, commenced with the entire company costumed as figures from a Botticelli painting. However, as the work progressed, the dancers transformed into spaced-out hippies, obviously having fun bringing the work to its exuberant conclusion. Aspects of this work probably raised eyebrows in 1969, but at this performance the audience delighted at being reminded of some long-forgotten dance moves.

Performing "Homage to Botticelli"

 The second half of ECFysis was devoted to works from the Mirramu Dance Company’s repertoire, commencing with a visually spectacular work entitled Mountain Brides from a longer work, Bride in the Desert, created in 2003 in response to a visit by the company to the central desert of South Australia. Performed by Vivienne Rogis, Miranda Wheen and Amanda Tutalo, the work climaxed with an amazing costume transformation featuring billowing silk sails.

Vivienne Rogis, Miranda Wheen and Amanda Tutalo performing "Mountain Skirts" 

Several works demonstrated Mirramu Dance Company’s interest in social topics.  An excerpt from a 2009 work, River, was created as a response to concerns about the degradation of the Darling River.  An evocative solo, created and beautifully performed by Miranda Wheen for the 2006 work, Tango Lament, was responding to the closure of a university dance program, and an affecting duet, Refugee, created in Taiwan in 2018 by Dalman and performed by Amanda Tutalo and Chen Fu-Rong (Fufu) on this occasion, needed no explanation.

  

Amanda Tutalo and Chen Fu-Rong (Fufu) performing "Refugee" 

But perhaps the most remarkable performance of the evening was that of Christopher Chu as a silkworm pupa chomping its way out of a cocoon, which introduced the 2002 work Silk, inspired by Dalman’s fondness for that fabric, for which he was joined by Vivienne Rogis and Ming-chu Yu as elegant consumers of his labours.  

The final work of the program was Family Tree created by Dalman especially for this performance and performed by Dalman and members of both Mirramu Dance Company together with the five visiting Taiwanese dance artists as a celebration of the inter-cultural and cross-generational connections shared over the last twenty-five years.

Elizabeth Cameron Dalman and dancers performing "Family Tree"

                                                                    Photos by Sigo Tseng

   This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW. www.artsreview.com.au

 

DRACULA - BIG Live - Canberra Theatre.

 

Ervin Zagadullin (Dracula) and Ghosts

Choreographed by Joel Burke – Composed by Toby Alexander

Set Designed by Eric Luchen – Lighting design by Dan Sharp

Canberra Theatre October 23^rd and 24th, 2025

Opening Night performance on 23^rd October, reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.

Co-founded in 2021, by Artistic Director, Joel Burke, and Executive Director Khalid Tarabay, BIG Live has quickly established itself as a viable competitor to the major subsidised companies for the presentation of classical ballet.

With an aim of providing employment for talented local dancers, the company began building its audience by presenting national tours of International Ballet Gala’s, ostensibly featuring imported star guest artists from major ballet companies from around the world, performing virtuoso solos and pas de deux, but also including talented local dancers contracted for each tour.  

Turning its focus to the presentation of narrative-driven presentations with inventive productions of “The Nutcracker” and “Romeo and Juliet”, both choreographed by  Artistic Director, Joel Burke, BIG Live claims to be the most attended ballet company in Australian and New Zealand, and with this production of “Dracula”, also choreographed  by Burke,  now employs a full-time company of 25 dancers.

This version of “Dracula” is a Joel Burke original. Having taken his inspiration from the classic Bram Stoker novel, Burke has taken substantial liberties with his storytelling, so that careful reading of the synopsis before watching the ballet is recommended.

 As well, freed from any requirement to adhere to a classic ballet score for his inspiration, Burke has set key sections of his production to well-known classical compositions, augmented by original music composed by Toby Alexander.  

Thus,  the opening prologue in which warrior, Vlad the Impaler, athletically danced by  Ervin Zagidullin, upon hearing of his wife’s death, renounces his faith, curses the Church ,sells his soul and slays everyone in sight, in a flurry of dazzling leaps and spins, before transforming into the ageless Dracula, all to the music of Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain”.

Joel Burke and Abbey Hansen as Jonathan and Mina in "Dracula"

Midway through the ballet, Burke and ballerina, Abbey Hansen, as the young lovers Jonathan and Mina, celebrate their marriage in an ecstatic pas de deux, rich in gorgeous acrobatic lifts, to the music of Debussy’s “Clair de Lune”.  

The ballet ends with Mina, on realising that her husband Jonathan has also become a vampire, and having repulsed Dracula’s lecherous advances, takes a leaf from Vlad’s book and stabs Jonathan, Dracula and herself with a stake, in a rousing finale performed to the music of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture”.   

While the use of familiar compositions from various composers in a full-length work can be justified, it can also prove a distraction for attentive listener’s jolted out of the story, by efforts to identify the source of a particular piece of music.

Throughout the evening, the dancing by principals Zagidullin, Burke and Hansen was exceptional. Zagidullin in particular, thrilling his audience with his highly polished technique and showmanship.  

Perfectly cast as the doomed young lovers, Joel Burke and Abbey Hansen were a romantic pair, together having perfected an impressive partnership, in which their confidence in each other’s technique, allowed them to portray the joy and anguish of their relationship with impressive sincerity.

Similarly, the attractive, well drilled corps de ballet, prettily costumed and perfectly in sync, delighted with their charmingly executed dances, even if those costumes, although providing a contrast, tended to feel that they belonged in a different ballet, due to the variance in the style and period, to those in the darker, gothic sections of the ballet.

Erwin Zagidullin (Dracula) and the four ghosts.

Outstanding too were the ghostly quartet, Giselle Osborne, Rose Maloney, Mia Zanardo and Bella Collishaw who moved as one when executing Burke’s elegant choreography and scaring the wits out of Jonathan and Mina.

And while Eric Luchen’s setting provided a suitably Gothic atmosphere, a little less gloom in Dan Sharp’s lighting design, would not have gone astray.    

Nevertheless, although purists might quibble at some dramaturgical inconsistencies or some choreographic repetition in the storytelling, the cheering capacity audience at this performance could not have cared less, obviously thrilled to have experienced a full-blooded balletic interpretation of a favourite story.

                                                        Photos by Craig Ratcliffe

This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW. www.artsreview.com.au

THE WOLVES

 

 

The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe. 

Directed by Chris Baldock.  Assistant director Steph Evans.Set designer and Realisation and Sound designer Chris Baldock Stage Manager Seth Burr. Lighting design Rhiley Winnett.and Chris Baldock. Projections Rhiley Bennett. Operated by Seth Burr. Cosrumes and props. Chris Baldock, Steph Evans and then cast, Soccer coach Anto Hermida. Wig styling Annabelle Twomey.  Mockingbird Theatre Company. Belco Arts. Belconnen Arts Centre.  October 15-November 1 2025. Bookings: chris@mockingbirdtheatrics.com or 0422 293 152

 

Reviewed by Peter Wilkins

 

Under  Chris Baldock’s tightly staged direction,Sarah DeLppe’s play about a female soccer team rings with authenticity. On a soccer field in suburban America The Wolves all female team train in preparation for their matches over a period of weeks. In the intimate setting of Mockingbird Theatre Company’s  studio theatre at the Belconnen Arts Centre, the eight actors entice us into the lives of the players as they perform their training exercises and interact with each other on Baldock’s neatly compact set design of the soccer ground and the net with the image of the teams’s logo, the face of a wolf sets the scene for the action of the play..

Set in 2016, The Wolves echoes with the dramatic voice of personal experience. There is a sense of personal reflection by a playwright who has keenly observed the conversations of her teammates during training. Mockingbird’s production is played with faithful observance of the American setting  and the performances of the local actors while truthfully observing DeLappe’s time and location lend the production contemporary relevance. The conversations may refer to contemporary American historical events such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Khmer Rouge, but it takes only a small leap of the imagination to  align with Gaza, Ukraine or Sudan. Gradually the conversation shifts from the global to the personal.  The team, united in their membership of The Wolves, reveal the individual identity of the pack. DeLappe cleverly introduces each member of the team, revealing their lives, their opinions, their fears, their arguments and accusations and their cameraderie. 

Baldock has carefully allowed each actor to emerge from the team and we begin to see past the game, past the imaginary soccer ball being passed from one to the next and enter into lives that are deeply personal, individual and meaningful.  DeLappe’s dialogue, like conversation in a group leaps from one to another and at times it becomes difficult to follow the connection as each incident is linked to the chain of events that will culminate in the final team cry before going onto the field to face the competitor. With less astute direction and less impactful performance this could result in perplexity. As it is, Baldock has created a performance that is intriguing, gripping and often very moving on an emotional level, such as Chloe Smith’s heartwrenching performance as the soccer Mum who navigates the sorrow of shattered nerves at the loss of a daughter who had been a member of the team.

Ultimately, the work is an ensemble piece. In the spirit of teamswomanship. Each actor excels in drawing us into her life. Although it may be a fleeting argument over ethnicity, or a painful revelation of an abortion or a moment of shared hilarity or fearful anxiety, the actors remind us that they share a common bond, the dream of victory, not as individuals but as a pack, united in their ultimate goal.

Baldock has chosen two casts to play the team members, the Lupin Cast and the Lycan Cast. I saw the Lupin cast.  The performances were faultless, entirely convincing and true to the character. It was a delight to watch these young actors immerse themselves in DeLappe’s world and capture the very nature of their characters. There are still not enough plays with all female casts and it is a joy to see one performed with such intelligence, insight and flair.   

Mockingbird’s production enlightens us to the fact that we are all part of a complex social structure, made of individuals living very different lives and yet striving for a common goal. It is to the credit of Baldock and his cast and creatives that they could so professionally and enjoyably convey DeLappe’s  message to Canberra audiences. Don’t miss this unique and special production.

The Lupin Cast: Eleanor Graham or Grace O’Mahoney, Edith Baggoley, Asha Forno, Catherine Elias, Georgia Motto, Marcelle Brosnan, Elioza Thomson, Anneka Steel, Jo Hogan, Chloe Smith – Soccer Mum.

The Lycan Cast: Eleanor Graham, Zara Huber, Jennifer Noveski, Susan Brown, Ainslie Bull, Jayde Dowhy,Grace O’Mahony, Eva Loxley, April Teifer, Ruth Hudson – Soccer Mum 

THE LISTIES

 

The Listies   

Written and performed by The Listies.The Q. The Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre. October 24-25 2025

Reviewed by Peter Wilkins

The Listies, Richard Higgins and Matthew Kelly are the masters of “kidult”entertainment with a wacky show designed to make kids and adults laugh themselves silly. Judging by their latest show at The Q, the very young and the very old were having a fun-filled time as Higgins and Kelly served up a storm of corny jokes, silly sight gags, slapstick and the customary bum and fart jokes. Originally called The List Operators, The Listies use lists to structure their one hour comedy. The latest list includes the things one needs to get done before leaving the house on time and not be late! Each task becomes the  action of their short improvised scenes, aided and abetted by an enthusiastic audience of willing volunteers.On butcher’s paper, Rich has written 1. Get Up , 2 Have Breakfast, 3. Pack the bags, Do the chores and 4. Leave on time.

What makes this show such a laugh a minute romp is its tried and true formula for the comedy duo. It is a tradition practised to perfection by the likes of Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, Morecombe and Wise and Lano and Woodley. Rich is the straight man, practical and intent on doing the right thing. Matt is the daffy clown, exasperating, irresponsible, unpredictable with the  concentration of a jumping jack, sparking off in all directions. And yet, Matt eventually proves that you can’t judge a clown by his costume.

Higgins and Kelly have got the routines down pat. Their timing is slick, their gags come thick and fast and the young audience join in with excited response to the old “Where” question  or  jump to their feet to make the invisible pancakes for breakfast. They laugh with wicked delight at the realization that the projection of  pears and tomatoes and apples look like  a person’s behind, And the unexpected fart brings squeals of laughter. It’s all good fun but never overdone and The Listies know their audience down to a tee.

The final chore is one that every kid knows well. “Clean your room!” When it comes to the Matt cave this is no easy ask. The Snotness Monster  is a pun that like to corny gag is there to keep the adults amused. Fortunately the blow up monster soon meets its fate at the finger on the triggerof a toilet roll gun and a stage littered with reems of toilet paper. Largely improvised, the show is tight and the list keeps the action on course so that there is no time for minds to wander.  The energy explodes and the hour passes in a flash.  And Matt is not as silly as he seems.

For kidult fun, The Listies are well placed on your list of shows to see.

 

THE MUSICAL OF MUSICALS - Everyman Theatre - ACT Hub

The cast of "The Musical of Musicals" - performing the "Speakeasy" segment.
Louis Blomfield - Will Collett - Jarrad West - Nick Griffin (Piano) - Hanna Ley. 

Written by Joanne Bogart and Eric Rockwell.

Original Canberra productions directed by Duncan Ley and Duncan Driver.

Rehearsal Director: Duncan Driver – Musical Director: Nicholas Griffin

Choreographed by Hannah Ley and Jarrad West – Rehearsed by Meg Millband.

Stage Manager/Lighting/ Sound Designer: Nikki Fitzgerald – Costume designer: Fiona Leach

ACT Hub 17 – 25^th October 2025 – Performance on 22^nd Oct. reviewed by BILL STEPHENS

The Cast of "The Musical of Musicals" performing "Corn!" 
Louisa Blomfield - Hanna Ley - Will Collett - Jarrad West

Originally presented in Canberra by Everyman Theatre for sell-out seasons in 2009 and 2010, this delightful parody of Broadway musicals is given a nostalgic revival by Everyman, with most of the original cast intact.

Written by Joanne Bogart and Eric Rockwell and premiered Off-Broadway in 2003, “The Musical of Musicals” is written in five acts. The conceit being that each act is constructed as a stand-alone mini musical involving the same four characters enacting basically the same story, about the ingénue who can’t pay her rent; a dastardly villain who offers to pay her rent, but at a price; and upstanding hero who offers to pay her rent, whether or not he can afford it; and a worldly older woman to whom the heroine turns for advice.

Each mini musical is written in the style of a different Broadway composer or composing team.   

The challenge for the actors is to portray the style of the original productions while coping with the silliness of the invented storylines that include singing, dancing, clowning and endless costume changes.

None of which seemed to faze this cast, who tackle challenge brilliantly, with the help of virtuosic piano accompaniment from Nick Griffin and lightning-fast costuming solutions by Fiona Leach.  

The fun for the audience of course is testing their knowledge of Broadway musicals by recognising the source of the references, while finding time to catch a breath between guffaws.

The actor’s challenge is obviously addictive because Hanna Ley returned from England to reprise her original role as ingénue, June, (“I can’t pay the rent”). Jarrad West reprises the dastardly, Jitter, (“You must pay the rent”), Louisa Blomfield reprises her role as the kindly older woman, Abby, to whom June turns for advice, (“Follow your dream”).

Louisa Blomfield (Abby) - Will Collett (Willy) in "Corn!" a sequence in
"The Musical of Musials"

New cast member, Will Collett, returned from Korea to step into the role of the handsome hero, Willy (“I’ll pay the rent for you”), the role created in the original Canberra productions by Adrian Flor.  Original co-director, Duncan Driver was on hand to rehearse the madness, before becoming the jovial commentator, willing and able to keep the audience informed regarding any gaps in the storylines.

But perhaps the biggest challenge of all is that undertaken by Musical Director, Nicholas Griffin, who single-handedly provides the accompaniment for the entire show, while still finding time for his own costume changes and special effects.

Musical Director, Nicholas Griffin during the "Speakeasy" sequence of "The Musical of Musicals".

The show moves at breakneck speed, requiring concentration from the audience to catch all the references. Bliss for musical theatre devotees and still rewarding for those not particularly attracted to musicals, but able to appreciate the inspired clowning of this pitch-perfect cast, obviously revelling in exercising their vocal, terpsichorean and clowning skills.   

The opening act, entitled “Corn!” parodies the musicals of Rogers and Hammerstein, so watch out for references from Oklahoma, Carousel, The Sound of Music, The King and I, Cinderella, The Flower Drum Song and South Pacific. Of course, there’s a dream ballet and a happy ending.  

Stephen Sondheim receives his comeuppance with “A Little Complex”, wickedly referencing his esoteric musicals, Into the Woods, Company, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music and Sunday in the Park with George.  

An act entitled “Dear Abby” targets composer, Jerry Herman, referencing his shows Mame, Hello Dolly, La Cage aux Folles, and Dear World; while “Aspects of Junita” is a sung-through pop-opera that rifles through such shows as The Phantom of the Opera. Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, Sunset Boulevard, Cats, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Starlight Express for a storyline that would make even Andrew Lloyd Webber cringe.

Hanna Ley and Jarrad West channelling Andrew Lloyd Webber during the "Aspects of Junita" sequence of "The Musical of Musicals"

“Speakeasy” gives the cast opportunity to wear skimpy clothes, adopt outrageous fake German accents and dabble in debauchery as they plunder such musicals as Chicago, Cabaret, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Liza with a Z to parody the musicals of Kander and Ebb, before “Musical of Musical” reaches its glorious finale with an irritatingly familiar song entitled “Done” which devotees will recognise as strikingly familiar to “One” from A Chorus Line.

One of the pleasures of attending shows at the ACT Hub is marvelling at the clever ways with which the directors utilise the space for their productions. For this production, however, the design has the audience seated in a semi-tiered situation.

As a result, poor sightlines for audience members seated beyond the first couple of rows, make it almost impossible to see the actors whenever they were performing at floor level, especially if they were stooping or lying on the floor, and disappointingly, compromising the effect of the excellent choreography.

Similarly, as so much of the enjoyment of the satire is dependent in catching the brilliant satirical barbs, the decision not to amplify the actors, despite their undeniable actorly skills and experience, meant that much vocal information was lost.

Nevertheless, shows as wickedly enjoyable as “Musical of Musicals” are all too rare, so don’t miss this opportunity to see it performed by a topline cast.




                                                          Images by Michael Moore

SAMARA JOY - Canberra Theatre Centre Playhouse.

Samara Joy.

Canberra Theatre Centre Playhouse, March 20, 2025.

Reviewed by BILL STEPHENS OAM.

She is just 25 years of age, four years out of college, and already with five Grammy Awards to her name, Samara Joy has the jazz world at her feet.

Compared to the likes of Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughn and Betty Carter, Samara Joy pays tribute to all those great singers, and while she claims to be still a student, she is already her own original, who will no doubt inspire generations of singers as did those predecessors

The possessor of a warm, silky, crystalline voice, perfect pitch and an engaging personality, Joy lived up to her name and reputation, as she thrilled her audience with a stunning program of re-imagined jazz standards and original songs.

Her accompanying band consisted of seven virtuoso jazz musicians in Connor Rohrer (piano), David Mason (alto sax/flute), Kendrick McCallister (tenor Sax), Jason Charos (trumpet), Donavan Austin (trombone), Evan Sherman (drums) and Paul Sikivie (bass), who appeared to breathe with Joy as she fascinated her audiences with her own virtuosic vocal stylings embedded in meticulously wrought musical arrangements contributed by band members.

Samara Joy. 

Beginning her program with a spiritual, Joy followed with Duke Ellington’s “Come Sunday” in an arrangement by her trombonist, Donavan Austin, before moving on to Sam Coslow’s "Beware My Heart".  

Immediately striking was the attention she gave to ensuring that the intention of the lyrics remained clear through clever phrasing and diction, even during her most complex vocal stylings.

Joy introduced each of her songs with an engaging anecdote, generously standing aside to admire, with the audience, the superb instrumental solos inherent in the musical arrangements.

Re-imaginings of familiar standards like Harry Ruby and Bert Kalmar’s “Three Little Words”, Nacio Herb Brown and Gus Kahn’s “You Stepped Out of a Dream” and Carmen McRae’s “Little Things Mean A Lot” were sprinkled through the program, as well as Joy’s own composition “Now and Then” written with Barry Harris, and Thelonious Monk’s “Don’t Worry Now”.

But it was a particularly arresting arrangement of a song, “Left Alone”, written by Billie Holiday but never recorded by her, and stunningly rendered by Joy and her musicians, that will remain the most memorable highlight for this reviewer, of a concert in which every offering was a revelation of the extraordinary poise and musicianship that has already won this artist such acclaim.  

Samara Joy continues her Australian tour performing in Penrith (Oct 23), Sydney (Oct 24), Melbourne (Oct 26), and Perth (Oct 30).

  

                                                           Images provided 

  This review first published in the digital edition of CITY NEWS on 21st October 2025.

CLOTHING THE LOOP - The Vault - Dairy Road Precinct.

Green Shed Upcycled models waiting their turn to take the catwalk during the "Clothing the Loop" fashion parade.

 

Initiated and co-ordinated by Alison Plevey and Kelli Donovan.

The Vault – Dairy Road Precinct – 18^th October 2025

Reviewed by BILL STEPHENS.

A model from Harry's Clarry modelling one of their designs at "Clothing the Loop".

Promoted as a collision of fashion, art, design and activism the Clothing The Loop, Sustainable Fashion Festival, was the brainchild of Australian Dance Party Director, Alison Plevey, and sustainable fashion activist and designer, Kelli Donovan.

Inaugurated as a full day event, the morning was devoted to practical workshops among which Carol Cooke demonstrated how to turn scraps into treasure, Nikki Hogan shared some sewing machine basics, Michele Grimston demonstrated the art of turning favourite pieces of worn-out clothing into wearable statement pieces, and ever-practical Crystal Prior shared her secrets for mending and darning clothing.

In addition to all-day displays by local designers and sustainable fashion practitioners, the afternoon sessions included a variety of well-attended panel discussions and open forums during which speakers shared ideas on dealing with the challenge of over-production.

The event culminated in a spectacular evening fashion parade during which some fifty-five models paraded innovative designs, some extraordinary, others practical, some strictly for fun, but all created by ten local and national designers working in the field of sustainable fashion. 

Dancers from the Chamaeleon Collective modelling creations from the CIT design course.
Photo: Alison Plevey.

Prior to the parade, sustainable development professional, Julie Boulton, introduced Senator David Pocock, who spoke of his concern regarding over-production in the garment industry, and praising the organisers of “Clothing The Loop” for their initiative in drawing attention to this problem in such an innovative way.  

CDP Dancer Gabriel Sinclair being assisted by Kelli Donovan, to model a garment created from fifty-five discarded garments sourced from Salvo Stores.  

Highlighting Senator Pocock’s remarks the spectacular parade began with the modelling of a remarkable garment fashioned by the team from the Fashion Design Studio, TAFE NSW, created from fifty-five garments sourced from Salvo Stores, representing the average number of clothing items purchased by every Australian last year.  

Among many outstanding features of the parade were two dance creations inspired by ideas expressed throughout the event and performed by dancers from the Australian Dance Party performing within a circle of discarded jeans.

The first was a complex duet, choreographed and performed by Patricia Hayes Cavanagh and Jason Pearce, mentored by Alison Plevey and Sara Black.

ADP dancers Jason Pearce and Patricia Hayes Cavanagh performing during "Clothing The Loop"

Attached to each other by repurposed fabric, and inspired by the actual process of weaving, stitching and stretching involved in the making of garments, the two dancers performed intricate manoeuvre’s involving lifts, tugging against each other, then coming together again and finally emerging, individual and entire.

Also choreographed by Plevey in collaboration with dancers, Mia Rashid and Jahna Lugnan, the second work featured the two dancers who resembled elegant Spanish dancers as they performed in lacy flowing white costumes, designed by Kelli Donovan, who also utilised repurposed fabrics.  

ADP dancers Mia Rashid and Jahna Lugnan performing during "Clothing the Loop" 

As the work progressed however, the white fluff and frilly texture of Donovan’s whimsical designs began to conjure up images of nature, especially birds and drifting clouds, artfully reminding the audience of how much the world depends on nature for the production of every garment worn.  

ADP dancers Mia Rashid and Jahna Lugnan performing at "Clothing the Loop"

Then without pause this elegant creation was absorbed into a seemingly endless stream of models, parading outside the circle of discarded jeans, eventually forming a spectacular mass of extraordinarily clad humans celebrating the possibilities of creative solutions to perplexing challenges, as DJ Ashley Feraude turned up a pounding beat which definitely signalled party time.

 Unless marked otherwise, all images in this report by courtesy of David Jenkins -Ghetto Media.

 

THE MUSICAL OF MUSICALS

 

The Musical of Musicals   Music by Eric Rockwell Lyrics by Joanne Bogart. Book by Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart .

Creatives: Musical Director: Nick Griffin Lighting Designer & Stage Manager: Nikki Fitzgerald Set Designer: Jarrad West Costume Designer: Fiona Leach. Stage Manager and Lighting designer Nikki Fitzgerald. Original production directed by Duncan Driver and Duncan Ley   Cast Jarrad West,Louiza Blomfield, Hannah Ley, Will Collett Presented by Everyman Theatre. ACT HUB. Causeway hall.  Bookings: (02) 6210 8748

Reviewed by Peter Wilkins

 

Louiza Blomfield (Aunt Abby), Hannah Ley (June),Will Collett (Willy)

 

 

 

                                Jarrad West (Jitters) in  Everyman Theatre's The Musical of Musicals

From the cornfields of Kansas to the Speakeasy of Chicago The Musical of Musicals is a ride you won’t want to miss. The corn is as high as an elephant’s eye and there’s enough of it in Everyman’s wacky parody of musical favourites to keep you tapping and clapping and laughing and screaming through an evening of over the top send-up.  Merrily roll along in the company of superstars Louiza Blomfield, Hannah Ley, Will Collett and Jarrad West with Musical Director Nicholas Griffin at the piano and Duncan Driver doubling as the Narrator and director of this gem of a production.

 

Hannah Ley as June and Will Collett as Willy

 

For musical buffs it’s a clever game of Guess the Musical as the quartet of performers lampoon Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim Jerry Herman and Kander and Ebb. It’s all bundled together with June (Hannah Ley) having to pay the rent to Jitters (Jarrad West) only to seek the advice of Abby (Louiza Blomfield) and eventually be rescued by the dashing Will (Will Collett). 

Jarrad West as The Phantom Jitters and

 

 

 

                                            Hannah Ley as Christine June.
 

This clever montage of musical snippets with music by Eric Rockwell and Joanna Bogart and lyrics by Joanna Bogart would test any professional performers of musical theatre and  Everyman’s dazzling troupe of  acting. singing, and dancing musical stupendoes rise to the occasion. Under Nicholas Griffin’s musical direction and with  snappy original choreography  by Hannah Ley and Jarrad West, re-rehearsed by Meg Millbrand The Musical of Musicals is a must see night of musical theatre for any lover of the uplifting compositions of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Sondheim, Herman and Kander and Ebb. In the Off Broadway tradition the actors open in basic blacks and gradually assume costume add-ons by designer Fiona Leach for their singular numbers. It all makes for a sharp, snappy and rollicking good time.

Louiza Blomfield as Abby with 

 

                                            Nichols Griffin at the piano
 

Rehearsal director Duncan Driver keeps the action moving at a high energy pave., interjected by wry comments by Driver as a somewhat wry narrator. Each performer has their moments in the spot and every one of them shines. There’s Will Collet’s   affable Curly from  Oklahoma, Hannah Ley’s dizzying rendition of I’m Not Getting Married from Company, Louiza Blomfield’s Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard,, Jarrad West’s drag number I Am What I Am from La Cage Aux Folles and the company’s divinely decadent Medley from Chicago.. This is just a taste of a banquet of spoof.    The Musical of Musicals was first performed in 2003 at The Courtyard Studio with West, Blomfield and Ley in the cast, Collett is a recent addition to this music theatre melodrama. Ley makes a welcome return from her home in England with husband Duncan Ley, who with Driver directed the original and subsequent seasons. Ley, like the other veterans of the production has lost none of the vitality an pizzazz of performance over the intervening years.

 

Louiza BHlomfield and Hannah Ley

 

                                                in The Speakeasy.

So, get along to ACT HUB’s Causeway Hall for this night of fun, song, dance and frivolity. Cheer the Hero, Willy (Collett), Sigh with Heroine June (Ley), Hiss the Villain Jitters (West) and Hear! Hear! the advice of wise Abby (Blomfield). At a time when entertainment is sorely needed, The Musical of Musicals spreads a bright golden haze on the meadow. A must see production for all lovers of musical theatre and top notch performances. 

Photos by Michael Moore - Captured Moments Photography