04 January 2013

Dan Clarke's Midsumma musts

It's heading to 41°C in Melbourne today, so what better time to talk about the Midsumma festival.

Or even better, let's ask Daniel Clarke – winner of the SM  Everything he does rocks award for 2012 – what he's up to for Midsumma.


Theatreworks is presenting three shows and Dan's directing Gaybies. If you can only do four shows this Midsumma, consider your program chosen.

Psycho Beach Party
Little Ones Theatre, Theatre Works
11–19 Jan
book here


When people in the town are attacked in strange sado-masochistic ways, it is up to the surf-bums and a B-Grade Horror star to find the culprit and save a Gidget-esque nerd with a dream to surf from her potentially lethal sexual awakening.

Sydney couldn't get enough of this show, it's directed by Stephen Nicolazzo (sex.violence.blood.gore)  and they wiped out a species of leopardish to create the design. Miss it and you'll regret it.

Or here's Stephen and Ash chatting about it.

Here Lies Henry
TurnAround Productions, Theatre Works
22 – 27 Jan
book here


Another show that Sydney loved, Here Lies Henry challenges the conventional relationship between actor and audience and is described as provocative and uncompromising,  as elusive as it is enlightening and as profound as it is laugh-out-loud funny.

The Dead One
Vitalstatistix, Margie Fischer, Theatre Works
29 Jan – Feb 3
book here

The Dead Ones is Margie Fisher's most recent work.  Margie is a writer and performer who founded Feast, Adelaide's Queer Festival, and is described as a very funny Jewish lesbian (welcome to St Kilda, Margie).  This show's about what happened when everyone in her family died and she was left to clear out their house.

It was first produced by Adelaide's wonderful Vitalstatistix, who have been creating and supporting feminist and gender aware theatre and art since 1984, when they formed as Australia's only full-time women's theatre company, and continue to produce new Australian performance and live art that's provocative, distinctive and informed.

Gaybies
Midsumma
15–19 January

To celebrate Midsumma's 25th birthday, Dean Bryant developed a piece of verbatim theatre about gaybies: children from gay, lesbian, surrogate and all sorts of fabulous families.

With a super cast including Todd McKenney, Kate Kendall, Virginia Gay, Trevor Ashley, Christie Whelan and Alex Rathgeber, there are only six performances at the MTC's Sumner Theatre.