BEEN THERE DONE THAT PACKED THIS: a guest blog post by Laura Naumann
September 8, 2011
doing a funny skype interview in my german house at six in the morning one day in may
sitting in front of my computer imagining people at the other side of the world rehearsing
sitting on the plane for 24 hours
seeing laura s and michael c again for the first time in two years
searching for the car in the carpark
realizing that “winter” in australia (well, in sydney) isn’t to be considered a joke
visiting an aussie town hallseeing a run of “sweet bird andsoforth” for the first time
being thrilled
being jetlaged
giving interviews
getting over the jetlag
watching them bumping in at atyp
watching them building a rake with their own hands
being impressed
seeing more runs
meeting more people
getting over the jetlag for good
starting to feel comfy
joking
adopting the fake-smoking-habit of michael and fiona
doing fake-smoking all the time
seeing the final run
seeing the opening night
learning that drinks are free on opening nights in australia
meeting more people
meeting more people
meeting more people
talking about theatre
going out in china town
going to bali
going to vietnam
going to china
going to thailand
going to korea
going to italy
going to mexico
going to crocodile pizza country
(all for food)
learning words and expressions such as “totes ma goats” and “cool as bananas” and “SICK!” and “SWEET!”
beginning to use them as often as possible
visiting manly
visiting the eastern suburbs
cruising in alex’s car
visiting an aussie outdoor-bowling-place
being interviewed in australian radio with geraldine
watching six shows of sweetbird
doing two Q&A’s
making friends and meeting friends of new friends
hanging out at clovelly beach on the last day
having a last night out with the sweet bird team
realising this is all really happening while saying goodbye
packing my bag: new vocab, new friends, kangaroo-tshirts, my play having been wonderfully staged down under (highscore!)
having a last coffee in the morning with lovely laura s
almost being killed in an airport-shuttlebus due to mad driving by mad busdriver
again sitting on the plane for 24 hours
having no seat-neighbour on the flight back (highscore 2!)
setting foot on home-ground feeling like returning from a fantasy world
asking friends how long i was gone
keep up with the sweet bird season on facebook
liking everything they post
How much fake beer can an actor drink in an hour?
September 2, 2011
The answer, is seems, is quite a lot.
Behind the scenes of Sweet Bird andsoforth a huge amount of work happens to bring the show to life every night. From watering the real grass on our set (or giving it a nice “spritz” as cast member, Michael Cutrupi refers to it), to wrapping Carlton beer labels around 14 cans every night, the Sweet Bird team does over 2 hours pre-show preparation for the show.
Some stats on the show so far:
We’ve done 14 performances.
The cast has drunk 196 cans of fake beer
They have eaten 70 spring rolls and 28 cream donuts
Geraldine Hakewill and Alex Millwood have popped 28 balloons onstage, 14 party poppers and thrown 42 handfuls of confetti
The cast have skulled 32 shots of fake vodka while playing 14 games of ‘boat’
Alex Millwood has sung onstage 32 times, Fiona Pepper has sung onstage 14 times
Michael Cutrupi has danced drunk on the toilet 14 times
Sonny Vrebac has lit a fire 14 times
Fleur Beaupert has tried to leave town 42 times
And no one has eaten a hawaiian kebab, because the shop is still shut.
We have eight shows left…so don’t miss out out, we want to share this vibrant production with you! You can book at www.atyp.com.au or go to our tickets link on this site.
Sweet Bird andsoforth gets stellar reviews!
September 1, 2011
After many sleepless nights and stomach-churning mornings the Sweet Bird team took a deep breath, and opened the paper (or the internet) to read the critics’ verdict…and….we’re pleased to say they loved the show! The Sydney Morning Herald, Artshub, Concrete Playground, The Brag and Drum have all given the production, and our fabulous cast, rave reviews. Here’s what they said:
“Staged excellently by director Laura Scrivano..the language too is excellent – rhythmic & impressive” Artshub
“Exciting writing, exciting direction, exciting performances. You’ll be seeing more from these artists in the decade to come. 4 stars.” – The Brag.
“Director Laura Scrivano’s vision captures youth perfectly…A great cast gives strong performances performances - Michael Cutrupi especially is intoxicatingly poetic..and Sonny Vrebac‘s Michael perfectly practical. Set to a fantastic soundtrack..this is the youth you wish you had” – The Drum.
Sweet Bird production photos
August 23, 2011
Photographer Grant Harvey came and shot our last dress rehearsals before our preview last Thursday night. Have a sneak peek at a few here and head to Mess Hall’s facebook page to see the full gallery.
A quick reminder that we have our ACTOR SPEAKS Q & A post show tonight, FREE when you book your ticket, so hop to it! We are also running some opening week ticket deals where you can get 2 tickets for the price of 1 when you book online, and use the promo code SOCIAL. Find yourself a hot date and it’s only $14 each!! Bargain. We can’t wait to share this show with you, so get booking before we sell out our final few weeks!
Sweet Bird post-show events!
August 13, 2011
Geraldine Hakewill in rehearsals
Our amazing playwright, Laura Naumann arrived from Germany on thursday night, and attended our final rehearsal on Friday. We are super excited to have Laura in Sydney for the world premiere of her play (thanks for our wonderful sponsors The Goethe Institut) and can’t wait to introduce Sydney audiences to her work! To celebrate this world premiere production, we are running two post-show events where you can meet Laura, the cast and the creative team behind the show. Both events are free when you book a ticket to Sweet Bird. We can’t wait to see you there!
International collaboration: A forum with playwright Laura Naumann (Germany), translator Benjamin Winspear (Australia) and director Laura Scrivano (Australia)
22nd August, 7:30pm (post-show)
FREE with a ticket to the show.
Join the key creatives of Sweet Bird andsoforth for a unique insight into the process of translation and collaboration that went into creating this world premiere production. Director Laura Scrivano will moderate a discussion between playwright Laura Naumann and translator Benjamin Winspear about the art of translation, writing, contemporary German theatre practice and its intersection with Australian theatre practice. A must for all emerging writers and artists!
Actor’s Voice: Q & A with the cast of Sweet Bird andsoforth, and playwright Laura Naumann
23rd August 8:30pm (post-show)
FREE with a ticket to the show.
Join the cast of Sweet Bird andsoforth and hear about their experiences in rehearsals, and the creative process behind the production. Moderated by director Laura Scrivano, audiences will have the opportunity to pose their burning questions about the play, the craft of acting, and the process of theatre-making!
Snaps from the Rehearsal Room
August 6, 2011
The Sweet Bird team has their second run of the show on Thursday and invited photographer Grant Harvey along for the ride. Check out some of our snaps, and get along – we can’t wait to share this show with you!
Inching towards opening night…
August 4, 2011
As we head towards opening night, we are thrilled to announce that our playwright Laura Naumann will be joining us from Germany! Whilst in Sydney, Laura will participate in a forum on translation with Benjamin Winspear on the 22nd of August and a Q and A with the cast on the 23rd August. Both of these events are FREE to audiences when you book your tickets to the show.
In the rehearsal room, we had our first run yesterday afternoon, and have another today. First runs are both exhilarating and terrifying. Certain scenes come together beautifully, you discover new moments and new breakthroughs as a group…while staring up at the steepest part of the mountain, still to be climbed. The second half of this week will be full of detailed scene work, problem solving, decision making and integrating our sound and AV into the show. It promises to be an exciting week as the disparate elements come together…we’ll be sharing further updates and pictures with you on Friday. Till then!
A short note on the music…
July 29, 2011
Sweet Bird andsoforth has a lot of music. A lot. Set at Amanda’s Farewell party, the characters sing versions of old country pop and an italian folk song…as well as bringing some serious party music! The party music will come from local Sydney bands, sourced by our sound designer Tom Hogan. Tom and Laura had their first meeting today, and we’ll keep you updated with the development of the sound design and music. And if you want to know which Sydney bands might be featured well…you’ll just have to come to the show!! Make sure you book your tickets! In the meantime you can check out one of the tunes featured in Sweet Bird below…
There is no such place as Neverland: a rehearsal update…
July 22, 2011
We’ve just finished week 3 of rehearsals for Sweet Bird with only 3 weeks to go until we hit the theatre! Last week we got to the end of the play on the floor with rough blocking, and delved deeper into character and physical work via viewpoints. This week coming will be all about breaking through the tricky text sections and locking down blocking and transitions. At times it’s been slow going as the play some days behaves like a Shakespeare or Chekhov, and on other days it feels like an episode of The Skins, with plenty of drinking and bad behaviour! The cogs are beginning to click in many scenes and the week ahead is going to full of breakthroughs and (hopefully many) moments of brilliance.
We’ll be sharing some rehearsal images with you soon…in the meantime we have a sneak peek of some costume drawings from our lovely designer Hanna Sandgren. These are mood sketches, that capture the feel of the characters and will help us source the costume elements. Enjoy!
Tiny (played by Geraldine Hakewill..also responsible for the title of today’s post!)
the Bomb (played by Alex Millwood)
Amanda (played by Fleur Beaupert)
Paulettastar (played by Fiona Pepper)
Michael (played by Sonny Vrebac)
Cute Stuff (played by Michael Cutrupi)
Sweet Bird andsoforth trailer!
July 19, 2011
A few weeks ago, the Sweet Bird team got together and made a trailer for the show. Based on the party scene in Laura Naumann’s play and filmed by Caro Wallace, check it out below! We’ll be posted an update from the rehearsal room at the end of the week, as well as an exclusive look at our costume designs. In the meantime, get booking…it’s a limited season and tickets are starting to sell fast!
