Tuesday, November 28, 2023

New Theatre Sydney 2024 Season

In the Foyer at the New Theatre. 
Photo by Marghanita da Cruz 2023
The New Theatre launch was exciting, a theatrical performance in itself. I suggest starting a night out with an early meal in one of the cafes in King Street. Ask for a table overlooking the street and you can watch the passing parade of interesting characters. Then a drink in the foyer of the theatre.
For the launch we were each handed a colored plastic token. I wondered if there was going to be some form of audience participation, with all green tokens told to do something, and red something else. But these turned out to be free drink tokens for the opening. After some people watching in the foyer, we filled the seats in the theatre, wit the directors for next year on stage. The set was dressed for the last production of the year, THE BALLAD OF MARIA MARTEN BY BETH FLINTOFF, which finishes 16 DECEMBER and is suitably ethereal. The 2024 season opens with Homos, or Everyone in America by JORDAN SEAVEY (6 FEBRUARY,) then Atlantis by LALLY KATZ (19 MARCH), The Front Page by BEN HECHT AND CHARLES MACARTHUR (23 APRIL), Ink by JAMES GRAHAM (28 MAY), Sunset Strip by SUZIE MILLER (9 JULY), Hangmen by MARTIN MCDONAGH (13 AUGUST), Wife by SAMUEL ADAMSON (8 OCTOBER), Shakespeare in Love BASED ON THE SCREENPLAY BY MARC NORMAN & TOM STOPPARD ADAPTED FOR THE STAGE BY LEE HALL (12 NOVEMBER). That was a lot to take in. Each director was asked about the play and their approach. This is a little like asking a teacher what their star pupil is like. I wanted someone to say "It was the only play left, so I had to take it", but they didn't. Plays for the year go through a selection process, and the rights have to be available. Like looking at clouds, reading a pattern into the selection of plays says more about the viewer, than what is viewed. In this case there are two about the print media: The Front Page and Ink, which neatly bracket the golden age of newspapers from the 1920s to the 1970s. Similarly Everyone in America and Wife explore sexual identity. Normally I will try to find a movie or TV show to relate a play to, as an easy way to explain it to non-theater goers (those of us who are middle upper class but still use public transport, was we were categorized last night). This is going to be easy with the last of the season Shakespeare in Love, based on the film of the same name. That should provide the opportunity for the New Theatre to do what it does best, a big boisterous production.eet. Ask for a table overlooking the street and you can watch the passing parade of interesting characters. Then a drink in the foyer of the theatre.

The New Theatre launch was exciting, a theatrical performance in itself. I suggest starting a night out at the Net Theatre with an early meal in one of the cafes in King Street. Ask for a table overlooking the street and you can watch the passing parade of interesting characters. Then a drink in the foyer of the theatre. 

For the launch we were each handed a colored plastic token. I wondered if there was going to be some form of audience participation, with all green tokens told to do something, and red something else. But these turned out to be free drink tokens for the opening.

After some people watching in the foyer, we filled the seats in the theatre, wit the directors for next year on stage. The set was dressed for the last production of the year, THE BALLAD OF MARIA MARTEN
BY BETH FLINTOFF, which finishes 16 DECEMBER and is suitably ethereal. 

The 2024 season opens with Homos, or Everyone in America by  JORDAN SEAVEY (6 FEBRUARY,) then Atlantis by LALLY KATZ (19 MARCH), The Front Page by BEN HECHT AND CHARLES MACARTHUR (23 APRIL), Ink by JAMES GRAHAM (28 MAY),  
Sunset Strip by SUZIE MILLER (9 JULY), Hangmen by MARTIN MCDONAGH (13 AUGUST), Wife by SAMUEL ADAMSON (8 OCTOBER), Shakespeare in Love BASED ON THE SCREENPLAY BY MARC NORMAN & TOM STOPPARD ADAPTED FOR THE STAGE BY LEE HALL (12 NOVEMBER).

That was a lot to take in. Each director was asked about the play and their approach. This is a little like asking a teacher what their star pupil is like. I wanted someone to say "It was the only play left, so I had to take it", but they didn't. 

Plays for the year go through a selection process, and the rights have to be available. Like looking at clouds, reading a pattern into the selection of plays says more about the viewer, than what is viewed. In this case there are two about the print media: The Front Page and Ink, which neatly bracket the golden age of newspapers from the 1920s to the 1970s. Similarly Everyone in America and Wife explore sexual identity. 

Normally I will try to find a movie or TV show to relate a play to, as an easy way to explain it to non-theater goers (those of us who are middle upper class but still use public transport, was we were categorized last night). This is going to be easy with the last of the season Shakespeare in Love, based on the film of the same name. That should provide the opportunity for the New Theatre to do what it does best, a big boisterous production.
For the launch we were each handed a colored plastic token. I wondered if there was going to be some form of audience participation, with all green tokens told to do something, and red something else. But these turned out to be free drink tokens for the opening.

After some people watching in the foyer, we filled the seats in the theatre, wit the directors for next year on stage. The set was dressed for the last production of the year, THE BALLAD OF MARIA MARTEN
BY BETH FLINTOFF, which finishes 16 DECEMBER and is suitably ethereal.

The 2024 season opens with Homos, or Everyone in America by JORDAN SEAVEY (6 FEBRUARY,) then Atlantis by LALLY KATZ (19 MARCH), The Front Page by BEN HECHT AND CHARLES MACARTHUR (23 APRIL), Ink by JAMES GRAHAM (28 MAY),
Sunset Strip by SUZIE MILLER (9 JULY), Hangmen by MARTIN MCDONAGH (13 AUGUST), Wife by SAMUEL ADAMSON (8 OCTOBER), Shakespeare in Love BASED ON THE SCREENPLAY BY MARC NORMAN & TOM STOPPARD ADAPTED FOR THE STAGE BY LEE HALL (12 NOVEMBER).

That was a lot to take in. Each director was asked about the play and their approach. This is a little like asking a teacher what their star pupil is like. I wanted someone to say "It was the only play left, so I had to take it", but they didn't.

Plays for the year go through a selection process, and the rights have to be available. Like looking at clouds, reading a pattern into the selection of plays says more about the viewer, than what is viewed. In this case there are two about the print media: The Front Page and Ink, which neatly bracket the golden age of newspapers from the 1920s to the 1970s. Similarly Everyone in America and Wife explore sexual identity.

Normally I will try to find a movie or TV show to relate a play to, as an easy way to explain it to non-theater goers (those of us who are middle upper class but still use public transport, was we were categorized last night). This is going to be easy with the last of the season Shakespeare in Love, based on the film of the same name. That should provide the opportunity for the New Theatre to do what it does best, a big boisterous production.

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