This is what comes from having time on your hands...
I now have an online gallery of some of the visual art I have produced over the last ten years.
Enjoy.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Review: The Threepenny Opera
Either high school productions have improved greatly since I last saw one nearly 30 years ago, or the drama students at Koonung Secondary are exceptional. The performance I attended on Saturday evening was terrific.
The small close-knit group of students ranging from Year 8 to Year 12 were brave to have a go at this show, and they were prepared to take risks. Those risks well and truly paid off and the company can be proud of what they have achieved.
Students composed music for the shows songs, and the music was a highlight of the night's performance. Bravo. My 13 year old companion thought the soundtrack created too cheerful a mood to complement the dark material the actors were working with, but I thought it was fitting and struck the right note of melancholy.
The simple staging techniques were well executed and effective. The absence of scenery and extensive costuming exposes the actors more than usual; the mood, the scene, all has to be conveyed by the actor, as well as the dialogue. Hard going, but the Koonung students pulled it off. The cast members, many of them experienced performers, were well equipped to cope with the demands of the script.
The Threepenny Opera is a bit “out there” and heavy and despite their youth the cast members handled the material with maturity and sincerity.
My only quibble is a technical one. I had trouble hearing the soloists over the piano, and I was seated in the second row. The majority of the theatre couldn't hear those lovely singing voices well enough to truly appreciate them.
Overall, a top show. 4 stars.
The small close-knit group of students ranging from Year 8 to Year 12 were brave to have a go at this show, and they were prepared to take risks. Those risks well and truly paid off and the company can be proud of what they have achieved.
Students composed music for the shows songs, and the music was a highlight of the night's performance. Bravo. My 13 year old companion thought the soundtrack created too cheerful a mood to complement the dark material the actors were working with, but I thought it was fitting and struck the right note of melancholy.
The simple staging techniques were well executed and effective. The absence of scenery and extensive costuming exposes the actors more than usual; the mood, the scene, all has to be conveyed by the actor, as well as the dialogue. Hard going, but the Koonung students pulled it off. The cast members, many of them experienced performers, were well equipped to cope with the demands of the script.
The Threepenny Opera is a bit “out there” and heavy and despite their youth the cast members handled the material with maturity and sincerity.
My only quibble is a technical one. I had trouble hearing the soloists over the piano, and I was seated in the second row. The majority of the theatre couldn't hear those lovely singing voices well enough to truly appreciate them.
Overall, a top show. 4 stars.
The Tweetpenny Opera?
Published in the Koonung Secondary College newsletter 31st May 2011
The Tweetpenny Opera?
I heard a sample of Koonung Secondary College’s forthcoming production of Bertolt Brecht & Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera at a recent Open Night at the school, and I was so impressed by the students’ performance I jumped online and booked tickets straight away, and you should too!
But don’t just take my word for it. I asked Casey Bennetto, who starred in the joint Malthouse Theatre and Victorian Opera production of The Threepenny Opera in 2010, why the Koonung Secondary College community should see this play. Here’s the response Casey sent in a series of tweets via Twitter.
“3Penny is one of the first musicals to attempt to turn the form on its head - where musicals are normally la-di-da and implausible romance and sugary ridiculousness, 3Penny breaks out the chainsaw. Everyone is corrupt, everyone has an angle. Full of sex and violence. And the school community will be seeing this? I object in the strongest possible terms!”
So there you have it folks - an evening of debauchery awaits you! I hope to see you there.
Leanne Shingles
The Tweetpenny Opera?
I heard a sample of Koonung Secondary College’s forthcoming production of Bertolt Brecht & Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera at a recent Open Night at the school, and I was so impressed by the students’ performance I jumped online and booked tickets straight away, and you should too!
But don’t just take my word for it. I asked Casey Bennetto, who starred in the joint Malthouse Theatre and Victorian Opera production of The Threepenny Opera in 2010, why the Koonung Secondary College community should see this play. Here’s the response Casey sent in a series of tweets via Twitter.
“3Penny is one of the first musicals to attempt to turn the form on its head - where musicals are normally la-di-da and implausible romance and sugary ridiculousness, 3Penny breaks out the chainsaw. Everyone is corrupt, everyone has an angle. Full of sex and violence. And the school community will be seeing this? I object in the strongest possible terms!”
So there you have it folks - an evening of debauchery awaits you! I hope to see you there.
Leanne Shingles
Talk to the Hat podcast 1: Bec Kavanagh
After attending a session on podcasting at the Emerging Writers Festival I thought I would have a go at producing my own podcast. Here is the first attempt.
Talking to the Hat is Bec Kavanagh, Festival Director of A Thousand Words Festival.
Listen to Talk to the Hat podcat.
Talking to the Hat is Bec Kavanagh, Festival Director of A Thousand Words Festival.
Listen to Talk to the Hat podcat.
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