Rehearsal space: Thyestes at Malthouse Theatre

Friday 10 September 2010, 5:09 PM
By The Team | Posted in Events

The Greek tale of Thyestes, the deposed king whose sons were slaughtered and served as a feast to their own unwitting father, hits the Malthouse’s Tower Theatre stage next week.  Rehearsals have been in full swing ahead of next week’s opening and we were lucky enough to gain access to photos of these emerging theatre makers do their thing ahead of opening night.

Thyestes  is presented by Malthouse’s company-in-residence, The Hayloft Project, and opens Thursday 16 September as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival. It runs until 3 October.

West Side Story: cooling with a Jet

Tuesday 7 September 2010, 10:42 AM
By The Team | Posted in Events

West Side Story is playing in Melbourne until early October. This musical was ahead of its time when it first opened in New York in the 1950s, and it’s still considered a ground-breaking and extraordinary show. The songs, the dancing, the subject matter – it’s all as moving now as it was half a century ago.

Here’s what Rohan Browne has to say about the show, our city – and his fighting prowess.

Rohan, congratulations on your role as Riff, leader of the Jets, in Melbourne’s West Side Story. What is it about this musical that makes it so popular?

What the original creative team brought to the fore is something that will stand the test of time. It was originally set in New York, but it could be anywhere.

In every city of every country there are issues with violence, race, societal differences and creed. West Side Story lends itself to these different problems and everyone, at any time, can relate. 

As a born and bred Melbourne boy you must be stoked to play such a big role in your home town.

Of course I’m stoked! I mean, this role is such an incredible character and I am thrilled to be able to do this around Australia – and especially in Melbourne.

Check out what Rohan’s castmates have to say about Melbourne in our exclusive video.

Do you have any favourite hidden bars or cafes that you take your international cast members to while they’re in town?

The hard part about Melbourne is keeping up. Everywhere you turn there are new, exciting and funky places to go to. One of my favourite bars is The Golden Monkey down Hardware Lane. The Emerald Peacock is a great place to hang out, The European and Supper Club are both reliable and trusty friends. And Self Preservation makes a mean coffee.
 
(Spoiler alert) Your character features only in the first half of the musical. If you could sneak out for a while during the second half, where might we find you?

A hospital? I don’t know if you know what happens to my character but it’s pretty messy. There is blood loss. For recovery I’d need something with some iron in it, perhaps a Guinness at 3 Below. Then, if they were still in with a chance I’d maybe go and cheer on the mighty Dees [Melbourne Demons].
 
Though not sung by you in the production, one of the most-loved songs in West Side Story is America. Can you change the words of the first verse to reflect the Melbourne you love?

Melbourne
You lovely city…
City of coffee snobbery
Always the trams clattering and slowing
Always the eclectic bar scene growing
And the MCG buzzing
And the Yarra flowing…

West Side Story is playing at the Regent Theatre now.  Tickets are selling fast.

Q&A with Malthouse Theatre’s Artistic Director, Michael Kantor

Thursday 17 June 2010, 1:22 PM
By The Team | Posted in People and Places

The Malthouse Theatre’s artistic director, Michael Kantor will take a big bow at the end of 2010. After six years pumping the creative heart of one of our finest theatres, Kantor has decided to move on. Fortunately for us, he’s got one fine farewell gift for all Melburnians: six more months of sensational stage action in Malthouse’s second season this year.

What have you learnt about Melbourne audiences during your time as Artistic Director at The Malthouse?

Melbourne theatre audiences are inherently adventurous and thrill seekers – there was very little I could conjure that would really test their resilience!

What’s your earliest theatre memory?

As a seven year old, I remember being entranced by a show at the old Pram Factory, called the Smith Family Show, rambunctious-larrikin-circus-like-madness that had Max Gilles, Sue Ingleton and Evelyn Krepe. It was really my introduction to the magic of theatre.

What is it about Melbourne that nurtures creative talent?

We like things rude and cheeky, and that lack of reverence makes space for the wild and untrammeled performers of excess – we should always be careful of being seduced into thinking we should be refined and ‘tasteful’ as that would put a stop on it!

In a nutshell, what can we expect from season two at the Malthouse?

Adventurous theatre making from some of the best in the business, raking over stories old and new to find the theatrical sparks that will light up the cold Melbourne winter.

What is the highlight of the program?

There are many highlights, but if pushed, I would say that I share in the excitement building for our co-production with the Sydney Theatre Company of a new adaptation of Kafka’s The Trial, directed by the hot talent of Matt Lutton, and starring the remarkable Ewen Leslie, who has proved so luminescent in Richard III.

The season opens with Maybe Forever, an ode to failed love featuring dance duets, songs and soliloquies. Do you think Melbourne in the winter can help mend a broken heart?

Melbourne breaks hearts in winter. Our job – and Maybe Forever’s job – is to help you laugh instead of cry while you nurse your broken heart!

Do you have a favorite place in Melbourne city to harness inspiration and creativity, and to gather your thoughts?

I’ve spent many hours – maybe months – sitting under the great dome of  The State Library, researching some obscure playwright or fragment of an old Australian pantomime. I always find the shared quiet excitement of all those studious people toiling under the watchful eyes of the muses of theatre and learning that lines its vast walls, inspiring.

When season two is all over, and you finish up at the Malthouse Theatre, where are we likely to find you enjoying a celebratory drink?

The choices in Melbourne are myriad, but I’m likely to be found in the back room at Madame Brussels or taking a trip down memory lane at The Gin Palace which has seen me through many an opening night shindig! 

MALTHOUSE THEATRE SEASON TWO
23 June to 5 December

Maybe Forever
23 June to 26 June

Human Interest Story
23 July to 1 August

Sappho…in 9 fragments
30 July to 21 August

The Trial
13 August to 4 September

Thyestes
16 September to 3 October

Intimacy
1 October to 23 October

The Animals and Children took to the Streets
9 November to 28 November 28

A Woman in Berlin
16 November to 28 November

The Tell-Tale Heart
16 November to 5 December