NovemberISM Held At Surry Hill’s Old 505 Theatre

NovemberISM kicks off with a studio showing of Tahli Corin's latest work, hot on the heels of her short play The Arcade for Money Shots at Sydney Theatre Company. One For The Ugly Girls began with a conversation between actor Alice Ansara and Tahli about a life-model who was known to cry in sittings. "The minute I heard Alice's story, I knew there was a play in it. I was fascinated by this careful construction of ‘beauty' and vulnerability, and curious about what would happen when that construct is exposed." Another of ISM's writers, Rebecca Clarke says, "It's a perfect story for NovemberISM's aesthetic and message, and for the ‘artist-run' Old 505 Theatre space; raw, fun and intimate." Tahli is already in rehearsals, directing Alice Ansara (09/10 STC Resident) along with Patrick Connolly (Waiting for Godot) and Emily Rose Brennan (Underbelly Razor).

The second studio production is Kit Brookman's Heaven. Kit was inspired to write the play when he saw a book on sale called So You Wish to Be a Medium. Synchronicity, the occult, or emo zombies...Whatever you believe in and/or are truly afraid of, this story creates a space for pure and simple awe. "Heaven is a bittersweet comedy about death, growing up, and the perils of becoming an amateur medium," says Kit, who was short listed for this year's PatRick White Award. "Seeing work on the floor is essential for a playwright's growth. But it can be a hard and lengthy process. We're creating a middle-phase for ourselves, between words on the page and a whiz-bang production." Heaven stars Julia Billington (Cut Snake), Thomas Conroy (Spring Awakening), Geraldine Hakewill (Baal) and Akos Armont (Spirited), like Tahli's play, it was a winner of Playwriting Australia's Kicking Down the Doors initiative.

"Many of the festival works explore personal and professional growth, and questions about where we're ultimately heading," Rebecca says. "It's a theme that's risen through organically, both from younger and from more experienced writers."

ISM have teamed with Queen Street Studio and mentor Craig Ilott (Smoke & Mirrors), for a week-long devising process unpacking the Johnny Depp quote, "I'm not sure I'm an adult yet." The quote was plucked from Kate Crawford's Adult Themes, a book that looks at the changing face of adulthood in our contemporary world. "Seven multi-skilled artists will playfully explore the question ‘What does it mean to be ‘adult'?' and share our discoveries for NovemberISM," says ISM's JoAnna Erskine. "We've been very lucky to have QSS support this development process, through the City of Sydney."

Other late night slots include Good With Maps by Noëlle Janaczewska about how, on a trip to the Amazon, Noëlle struggled to deal with her father's journey through Parkinson's disease towards the last great unknown. The collective that Noëlle is a part of, 7-ON, will also present fresh-from-the-pen monologues, directed by Augusta Supple. Joanna says, "We're constantly inspired by 7-ON, a group that includes Donna Abela, Vanessa Bates, Hilary Bell, Verity Laughton, NEd Manning, Catherine Zimdahl and Noëlle. They show the power of what can be achieved collectively and as individuals."

NovemberISM will also feature Awful Literature is Still Literature, I Guess by Applespiel, a dynamic collective of young performers who explore the rollercoaster ride that is the relationship between fiction and reality, expectation and crappy endings.

There will also be four Sunday readings including Patricia Cornelius's multi-awarded Do Not Go Gentle..., about nursing home residents fighting ‘the dying of the light'. Kit says, "Melbourne director Julian Meyrick has described Patricia's work as being at the front line of contemporary Australian playwriting. We want to see that work on a Sydney stage. ...Many of the readings are from interstate; interesting and acclaimed work."

The festival will also include two forums Writers & Directors: when it works and when it's war and "To be a person is to have a story to tell": auto/biography in theatre, along with workshops, a free pop-up writing space for writers and special events, like a theatre based trivia night and MOvemberism, raising money for the Movember Foundation.

"NovemberISM's events are cheap, free or by donation, so everyone can dip into the program several times and just hang out; chat, connect and watch fresh work." says Tahli. "We can't wait for November!"

More details and the complete program at http://www.novemberism.com.
NovemberISM, 2 - 27 November, Old 505 Theatre, Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills

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