As part of the Lane Cove Festival the Lane Cove Theatre Company presented its inaugural 10 minute play festival entitled ‘In A Nutshell’ . It was a good night with plenty to keep one entertained.
The Theatrical Dead
Written by Bart Meehan, directed by Elysse Landsberry, starring Mark Missingham, Georgia Golledge, Anthony Slaven and Rod Stewart.
This was a fun piece to start the night off. The ghost of a Shakespearean actor comes to haunt a theatre company as it is in the final stages of getting their production of ‘Oklahoma’ up. The stage manager wants to get rid of him as the ghost goes into various famous Shakespeare monologues. Not what you want to happen when you are about to open with a classic musical! A member of the Company comes in and tries to resolve the issue. 3 out of 5 stars
Good Cop. Mad Cop
Written by Paulene Turner. Directed by Juston Buchta . Starring Laura Buxton, Taufeeq Ahmed, Nicolas Jones and Kara Cooper
Two detectives try to work out what happened when a dead body surfaces on a city riverbank. This was good for those who enjoy a bit of a police yarn. A gun is found in the pockets of the deceased .3 out of 5 stars
Roger Reconstituted
Written and directed by Wendy Crew. Featuring Nicola Read and Luke Denny.
A fun piece about what it would be like if one could remake one’s spouse, what would one choose to do? 3 stars out of 5.
Don’t feed the Lion
Written by Karina Young. Directed by Taufeeq Ahmed. Starring Rod Stewart, Bindoo Oo and Cindy Tran.
A whimsical tale about a trainee teacher who informs a Zoo guide that she has lost a group of thirty school kids. He won’t leave his post. Then another woman comes along and changes things. It was a bit unclear about the teacher’s motivation. 2 1/2 stars out of 5.
Connecting
Written and directed by David Landsberry. With Mark Massingham . and Georgia Golledge.
Two kids ‘manufacture’ a way to get their parents, who are fighting with each other, to talk again. A cute piece. Could have done with a bit of fleshing out. 3 stars out of 5.
Many apps make light living
Written by Robert Ballinger. Directed by Laura Baxton. With Anthony Slaven and Samantha Camilleri
I really enjoyed this piece. All about how we are all slaves to our mobile phone. A guy is sitting at a a park bench when an attractive young woman comes to sit down next to him. She is chirpy and starts to make conversation with him. At first he is is busy with his phone and unforthcoming but things slowly change when it clicks for him that she might be interested in him. A very cute piece. He goes through a number of apps with her to see if they are compatible. The play’s title is more than a little ironic. 4 stars out of 5
Margot’s Bench
Written by Lindsay Brown. Directed by Olga Tamara, Starring Lynda Leavers.
I really enjoyed this piece. A drama with lots of humour in it. The set is simply one park bench. A monologue featuring one middle aged woman. She has just thrown her husband over a cliff. She gives her reasons. One, that she got in first because she found out that he was trying to do her in too. The second reason was that when she had asked him whether he liked her hair style he had said. Her mantra- one should never tell a woman that you don’t like her hair! Lynda Leavers gave a very fine performance and I did like her hair style! 4 stars out of 5
Slow Dating
Written by Adam Szudrich. Directed by Megan Spindler-Smith.. Starring Nicole Smith
Another fine, very well written solo piece. Another fine solo performance by Nicole Smith. An elderly woman tries out speed dating with very low expectations and is pleasantly surprised as she meets a very nice gentleman, A nice little twist in the ending. 4 out of 5 stars.
The Interview
Written by Ian Hart. Directed by Trent Gardiner. Starring Belinda Korner, Cassie Midwater, Lochie Beh and Trent Gardiner.
Another fine piece, more in the comic vein. Well performed. Good surprise in the ending. A woman goes to an interview and is asked whether she has ever been sexually harassed. It leads to an unusual response. 4 stars out of 5.
Sportsball
Written and directed by Jonathon Emmett. Featuring Gavin Brightwell and Kris Fennessy.
A sportstar goes off the rail and his coach/manager is livid with him. Not a big fan of this piece and the ending was predictable. 3 stars out of 5.
All in all, a very enjoyable ten min ute play festival. Good on Lane Cove Theatre Company giving the ten minute genre a whirl. It gives the chance for a lot of people in the Company to get involved.
Featured image- Lynda Leavers in ‘Margot’s Bench
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