Long time, no ham.

I can't exactly say where I've been for two months. I don't even know where my mind is. This session has been a wash of rehearsals, long nights and making blood. I'm tired and there's only one week of session left.
I turn 21 in 7 days. I don't get a birthday since it resides in the middle of Roberto Zucco's production week. That means that Roberto Zucco goes up next week. It's scary how fast 13 weeks flies by.

Jack is a rhino.

Here's the booking information for Roberto Zucco. It would be lovely to have your support!

Thursday 31 May – Saturday 2 June @ 8pm
FCA Performance Space 25.168

University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong
Bookings: 02 4221 4889
Tickets: $20 full, $12 concession, $10 FCA students

This week is dedicated to Strange Attractors directed by Cath McKinnon and containing the other half of third year. 

Features the beautiful Lauren and Sol on the poster.

Here's the booking information for Strange Attractors because it's about Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe and it's going to be wonderful and you should all go! I'm seeing it on Thursday night so I might see some of you there.

Thursday 24 – Saturday 26 May @ 8:15pm
Gordon Theatre, Illawarra Performing Arts Centre
32 Burelli Street, Wollongong

Bookings: 02 4224 5999 or online at http://merrigong.com.au/
Tickets: $23 full, $16 Conc, $11 FCA students

On an unrelated note, I've been accepted into the Nothing To See Here festival for 2012! I'll be writing and directing a short work and also performing in my own installation piece throughout the night. Should be good fun. I'll keep you posted throughout the next couple of weeks.

- Alex

What happened here?

Belvoir again to see Every Breath.

• If you want to see some good writing, don't see this play.
• If you want to see actors who are totally on board with the script, don't see this play.
• If you dislike nudity, sex scenes and wank scenes, don't see this play.
• If you want to see some good theatre, don't see this play.

To give a first-time playwright (even if it is Benedict Andrews) free reign was a terrible move by Belvoir. The question is, how in God's name did Every Breath slip through the system and get put on stage in the first place?

Down by Warilla.

Last night was IPAC again to see Belvoir's Summer of the Seventeeth Doll and it was so great and I was front and centre again and Helen Thomson is a goddess and Robyn Nevin is so fierce and I loved it! Bumped into heaps of Performance people last night. There were four of us scattered all across the front row. Made it quite difficult to talk to each other during the intervals.

In other news, I'm sick and sore and have been hit with a throat infection. Things are not looking up, health wise so hopefully if I just power through classes and rehearsals, I can miss the worst of it.

Caucasian Derp Circle

Sometimes it's just really hard to look decent in rehearsals.

Acid is one hell of drug.

Our resident grizzly bears.

Francis! Acting shot! Meaningful angle!

Da band.

Caucasian Chalk Circle lives up to it's name. Hint: We're all white.

Mangerton drift!

I don't appreciate when someone gropes me on the dancefloor. Not now. Not ever. Consent, y'all!

First year party turned out a lot better than anyone was expecting it to. Some dude was a fire twirler. Don't even know. Scott and I just smelt something like gas and freaked out since we thought someone had busted the pipe. Instead, some guy was just setting himself up to look really cool.

He didn't.

I also stumbled my way over to Carriageworks to see Version 1.0's The Table of Knowledge. I enjoyed it, especially since I knew every location that was mentioned in the show. It's good to live in Wollongong. Intense and embarrassing shit goes down. Makes for good theatre.

I love the walk from the station to Carriageworks. Mainly because it's flat. And pretty.
Flat and pretty are the pros in this situation.

Skull and Crossbones

Ugggggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhh. Week three down and I'm a bit of an anti-frother at the moment. I think as soon as this dramaturgy assessment is handed in, I'll be a lot better. We've been cast. Phoebe and I guessed the majority of them because we're obviously better than everyone else. Tomorrow night is the shambles of a First Year Party that's always thrown by the second years to introduce the first years into the world of this ridiculous course. So what do we do? We dress up, get munted and form a mosh pit to Killing In The Name Of. Last year one kid went to hospital. Good year. We go hard.

I feel as though it's a bit of a shitty theme this year. It's "Character I want to play before I die". You know, a wanky actors theme, but hey, we weren't organizing it this year so it's not on us. I'm going as Wednesday Addams, not because I've wanted to play her (though Christina Ricci was THE SHIT) but because I snagged this black dress from ASOS and I'll probably never wear it for anything else. Also, my hair is long enough now to put into plaits. Sickhouse.

Finally got over my loathing of Yat and went to a class. Managed to inadvertently pass strong/free when I was supposed to be doing light/free. Over it all.

Till We Have Faces

Wollongong once again to see Till We Have Faces, a dance theatre work directed by Michelle Dawson, at uni. I had only heard good things and we were greeted by some pretty sweet lighting which I had seen a preview of beforehand. Gigantic rig, is all I can say. Gigantic. I'll be honest, I wasn't too keen to see this since it was a dance piece, but I was pleasantly surprised. Backed by a solid group of female musicians, the five performers (Actors? Dancers? Chickens? All three? Ack!) flew across the stage, at times in perfect unison, and created some beautiful moments. I can't say that the choreography was totally original or took my breath away, but the solo performed by Jordan MacKinnon, with vocals from Phoebe Graham, brought me to tears. I'm just a big fuckin' sook. But with the tears, came laughter. Yeah, sweet segue. You can use it if you like. Till We Have Faces could have very easily turned into a totally serious, wanky piece of theatre, but this was avoided through a sweet breakdown to Madonna's Like a Prayer. Froth. 

Each performer was positively rooted by the end of it. Sweat was literally dripping off each one. It's hard work flying through the air and throwing yourselves against walls. I'm pretty glad that I get to call these people my peers. 

And that's all I have to say. I'm rooted myself and battling some lumps in my throat which are jeopardizing my ability to sing 1st soprano in Carmina Burana - O Fortuna. 

Ensemble today was the worst. I could barely manage a squeak. Ugh ugh ugh.

- Alex.