Ending the year.

FESTIVALS ARE COMPLETE.

And so, the final Victorian One Act Play festival comes to a close. Monash is always an interesting festival - held in late September so the weather is always spectacular, it's local (for us), the hosts are gracious and never fail to make us feel welcome. But it's also the last of the year, the last time we'll see many of these plays and catch up with so many fellow performers, directors and backstagers. At least until next year.

'Yellow' was representing PCT alone this time - as the two-hander has had to sit out a couple of festivals lately - and did it let the team down? Absolutely not! A tour-de-force performance from Kaity Russell and Brett Hyland, reminding everyone that you don't need a big ensemble, crazy hijinks or big broadway numbers to move an audience. Sometimes you just need two people and some ice cream.

And so, the awards for 'Yellow' were:

Third Place Best Production
Excellence in Acting Male Lead - Brett Hyland

NOMINATIONS:
Excellence in Acting Female Lead - Kaity Russell
Excellence in Direction - Camm Williams

'Yellow' was also honoured with an Adjudicator's Award for the backstage crew's silent shuffling of the set and impressive costume changes. Congratulations to all!

OUR VISIT TO LEONGATHA.

We also took This Almost Joy on the road to Leongatha Lyric theatre to be a part of their Triple Treat +1 event and got to join in with Lyric and Tribes companies in entertaining the folks at Leongatha.

We had a great time. Our hosts were wonderful and generous and we hope we can do it again some time. Thanks so much for inviting us.

WELCOME TO THE CIRCUIT MANSFIELD.

Well that was a long drive for PCT – but more than worth it! Mansfield held their very first One Act Play Festival this weekend, and we were honoured to be a part of it. The weather was gorgeous, the people were beyond welcoming and the plays – brilliant and engaging as always. Arts Mansfield should be congratulated on hosting a fantastic festival. It was a pleasure to take “Birthin’ Baby” and “This Almost Joy” there for their final competition appearances, and meet up with so many theatre friends old and new in a new location.

And as a bonus to an already fantastic time, there are the awards…

THE AWARDS
Most Outstanding Production: “This Almost Joy”
Best Lead Actor, Male: Bruce Hardie (“This Almost Joy”)
Best Supporting Actor, Female: Katie Karandais (“Birthin’ Baby”)

THE NOMINATIONS
Best Director: Aron Toman (“This Almost Joy”)
Best Lead Actor, Female: Imogen Martin (“Birthin’ Baby”)
Best Supporting Actor, Female: Imogen Martin (“This Almost Joy”)

Congratulations to all, and thank you again to the people of Mansfield for welcoming us so graciously.

That was the end of the festival circuit for these two plays, but don’t think we’re finished yet. Join us next weekend at the Monash One Act Play festival, where “Yellow” will carry the PCT torch on its own. Of course, it’s more than up to the challenge!

ANOTHER GREAT TIME AT KYNETON.

It’s always a pleasure travelling to Kyneton for their One Act Play festival, amidst the Spring weather and the plenitudes of daffodils everywhere. This year the festival returned to the beloved Bluestone Theatre, host to so many wonderful plays in the past, and 2015 was no exception. Thank you to everyone for such a lovely time!

Kyneton also saw the final festival performance of our youth performers in “One Word Macbeth”. And as a final parting shot, they earned themselves a nice batch of awards!

Clarity of Speech and Projection: Chelsea Hyde (“One Word Macbeth”)
Best Ensemble Work: “One Word Macbeth”
Best Actress: Madeline Hardie (“One Word Macbeth”)
Runner-Up Best Play: “One Word Macbeth”

The seniors didn’t do too badly either! Unfortunately “Yellow” had to sit this festival out, but the others more than picked up the slack:

THE ADULT AWARDS
VDL Encouragement Award for Young Performer: Laura Marmion (“Birthin’ Baby”)
Best Supporting Actress: Imogen Martin (“This Almost Joy”)
Best Actor: Bruce Hardie (“This Almost Joy”)

THE NOMINATIONS
Best Support Actor: Aron Toman (“Birthin’ Baby”) and Alexander Mavor-Rauschl (“This Almost Joy”)
Best Actress: Imogen Martin (“Birthin’ Baby”)
Best Director: Aron Toman (“This Almost Joy”) and John Jennings (“Birthin’ Baby”)
Best Production (3rd place): “This Almost Joy”

Also Katie Karandais was pronounced a Daffodil Dame by the King and Queen of the Kyneton Daffodil and Arts Festival. Yes. Really. It was that sort of weekend.

Congratulations to all!

BACK FROM FOSTER.

Our third festival of the season is over – and as always, the people of Foster put on a splendid One Act Play weekend with a range of great plays to see. Unfortunately, due to a sudden emergency, “This Almost Joy” had to withdraw from the festival, to the great dismay of many. But our other plays were more than up to the challenge of wowing South Gippsland with some great theatre!

THE AWARDS
Most Outstanding Youth Production: “One Word Macbeth”
Runner-Up Most Outstanding Production: “Birthin’ Baby”
Most Outstanding Female Lead Actor: Imogen Martin (“Birthin’ Baby”)
Most Outstanding Male Lead Actor: Brett Hyland (“Yellow”)

THE NOMINATIONS
Most Outstanding Production: “Yellow”
Most Outstanding Director: John Jennings (“Birthin’ Baby”) and Camm Williams (“Yellow”)
Most Outstanding Female Lead Actor: Kaity Russell (“Yellow”)
Most Outstanding Support Actor (Male): Alexander Mavor-Rauschl (“Birthin’ Baby”)
Most Outstanding Support Actor (Female): Kaity Russell (“Birthin’ Baby”)

Congratulations to everyone, and thank you to Adjudicator Max Rackham and FAMDA for another wonderful festival. Now we at PCT are taking a few weeks off to rest and recover. Make sure you join us the first weekend in September when PCT goes to Kyneton!

GEMCO KICKS OFF THE 2015 SEASON

And we’re off! The 2015 Festival Circuit has officially begun, as always, with the Dandenong Ranges One Act Play Festival. It finished mere hours ago, but we couldn’t wait to report on how much fun we had throughout the weekend.

So many great plays on display from around Victoria – and we don’t even mean our own! One of the great things about going to the festivals is getting to see so much amazing talent. From a social commentary on the homeless to a creepy painting that comes to life, to a crazy wedding reception, to the creation of ‘Waltzing Matilda’, we were taken to so many new worlds without leaving our chairs in Emerald. How was Adjudicator Richard Keown able to choose any winners out of so much great theatre?

By giving a few awards to PCT, of course! And the results are:

THE AWARDS
Best Drama – “This Almost Joy”
Best Male Actor – Bruce Hardie (“This Almost Joy”)

THE NOMINATIONS
Best Production – “This Almost Joy”, “Birthin’ Baby” and “Yellow”
Best Director – Aron Toman (“This Almost Joy”) and John Jennings (“Birthin’ Baby”)
Best Comedy – “Birthin’ Baby” and “Yellow”
Best Ensemble – “Birthin’ Baby”
Best Original – “Birthin’ Baby” and “Yellow”
Best Female Actor – Imogen Martin (“Birthin’ Baby”) and Kaity Russell (“Yellow”)
Best Supporting Female Actor – Imogen Martin (“This Almost Joy”)
Best Supporting Male Actor – Brett Hyland (“Yellow”)
Best Youth Actor – Laura Marmion (“Birthin’ Baby”)
People’s Choice (Runner Up) – “This Almost Joy”

ADJUDICATOR AWARDS
Laura Marmion, for her enormous talent in singing the Baby Poo song in “Birthin’ Baby”
And the AC/DC award to “Birthin’ Baby” and “Yellow” as they could not make up their minds if they were a comedy, farce or drama.

And a special award was presented to Kaity Russell for her assistance to the Gemco Front of House team. Hope you like your cactus!

One festival down, four more to go. Hope you can all join us next weekend as we trek up to Macedon for the Mt Players One Act Play Festival. Bring your winter woollies!

NOTE

Due to a bit of miscommunication between us, the playwright and Gemco, it turns out This Almost Joy was not actually eligible for Best Original Script. We are therefore handing it straight back to the Gemco committee and I am sure they will be in touch with the actual winner shortly. Apologies for the mixup and congrats to whichever company will get another trophy.

Committee for 2015

MEET THE NEW COMMITTEE

Which is very similar to the old committee.

At our recent AGM the following folks were coaxed, cajoled and/or bullied into these roles:

President/Treasurer: Bruce Hardie
Secretary: Imogen Martin
AD: John Jennings
Vice President: Michelle Swann
Heir Apparent (ie vice AD): Aron Toman
Script Wrangling Team: Kaity Russell, Aron Toman, Camm Williams & John Jennings.

 

GREAT SUCCESS IN KYNETON!!

PCT had a very successful weekend at the Kyneton One Act Play Festival. Another fantastic weekend performing with and meeting old and new friends. We really liked the insight and feedback provided by first time adjudicator John Flaus. I hope he is able to step into that role again. He was very generous with his time and knew plenty about story telling, performance and writing.

It also helps that he picked us for some major awards.

Hopping the Bags was awarded Best Production. Thanks to all of this very large team that helped put this on the stage. As one of the cast I am humbled by how much assistance we have had in making this happen.

John Jennings won Best Director for Locked. Mr Flaus said this production "filled his eye" better than anything else over the weekend. There really is more to direction than motivations and blocking. Making a coherent picture for the audience is one of JJ's great strengths.

Bruce Hardie won Best Actor for Kill a Better Mousetrap. Managing the high wire act that is the role of Merbinau and apparently also catching the adjudicator's eye with his performance in Hopping the Bags.

We are all feeling very happy and excited about the last festival of the year at Mount Waverley.

Mid Season Break

4 festivals done and only 3 more performances to go.

Foster was great as usual. This year we took our Youth actors to compete in the Youth section of the festival and, once again, they performed The Sack with considerable aplomb. Young Laura won Best Actress and we are all very proud of her.

Foster was definitely the place to be this year. The Sunday session was a non stop procession of great plays and great performances. Seriously, you should have been there. It was fantastic.

Came home empty handed for the first time in ages, but we don't really mind. The audience seemed to enjoy our shows and the competition was really hot. Well done to Impact Theatre for their breakthrough win.

Almost no break and over the other side of the bay to Anglesea. I'll be honest, it's a challenging space to work in - lucky they make up for it by being so nice to hang around with. Personally I was very ill this weekend and so if I wasn't on stage I was sleeping so I could be on stage so I'm afraid I can't help you with what was good or not, but Helen won an Adjudicator's encouragement award for her work in Locked so well done her. I was nominated for Best Actor - but it was kind of a blur. I was able to keep up to certain extent through the #AOAPF tag on twitter. First festival that I can remember doing that and I think there should be more of it. Let's try and build on that.

Now we can rest and recover a bit before heading to Kyneton in the first weekend of September for the Daffodil festival that also has One Act Plays. I have done the research and I am apparently 10035 in line for the throne of the Daffodil King. Soon my friends. Soon.

Mount Players 2014

We made our debut appearance at the Mount Players Festival this weekend. We've been trying to get there for a few years now, but it has always clashed with Gemco.

Until now!

The change in dates meant we were finally able to join in and boy are we glad we did. It is a great theatre and a great group running the festival. We are definitely coming back again.

Despite 5 of the 7 cast members of our 3 plays being unwell, ranging from "a bit" to "very sick indeed", we were able to put on some good performances which the audience seemed to enjoy as much as we enjoyed performing them.

This time, our President didn't forget his lines and was fortunate enough to win Best Actor. Hopping the Bags was also the winner of Best Original Script. To be recognised in such a high quality field was a great result. 

We have a weekend off now before heading to Foster in 2 weeks.

Total KM traveled so far for festivals - 306

Dandenong Ranges OAP Festival

 

We had a great time at the DROAPF. As usual. Well done to Matt and the rest of the Gemco crew for putting another great festival.

There were some great plays put on by old friends and (hopefully) new. 

Hopping the Bags picked up Best Drama and Best Original Play came third in the People's Choice award, as well as nominations for Best Actor for Bruce, Alex and Andrew and Best Director for Michelle. The utterly amazing set won an adjudicator's award for Steve and Dave. This set has to be seen to be believed. It looks great, is completely functional, and fits into a trailer. Engineering and art all in one.

Locked had Best Actress nominations for Kaity and Helen and Kitty picked up an adjudicator's award for the "Here's Johnny" moment.

Kill a Better Mousetrap earned Sarah a nomination for Best Actress and Aron for Best Director.

The competition was strong with a lot of GREAT plays. Seriously - get to a festival. There is amazing stuff being put on this year. I've laughed and cried and had my world views challenged and I only got to see about half of them so far. I can't wait to see more.

We move straight on to the Mount Players in Macedon this weekend. I can't wait.

Showcase is done!

Another great season capped off with another great showcase.

For those of you lucky enough to catch us on the VDL festival circuit this year, and for those that supported us at the showcase, we thank you. All the work in rehearsal and all the time on the road this year came to a conclusion at the Knox Community Arts Centre on the 5th of October, where a fantastic audience saw the very final performances of our 2013 plays.

While it’s the first time in memory that a single group has presented zombies, puppets, singing, guitars and a sabre together in a single year, it certainly won’t be the last time we surprise audiences with the range of stuff we’re capable of. With a great crew behind them, our writers, directors and actors are already looking forward to next year. Although it’s hard to see how we’re going to top the excellent work with southern accents, choreography, stage effects, and routinely tearing down the fourth wall, we are certainly going to give it a try.

We’ve been very lucky to have a lot of new recruits this year, joining our veterans of mischievous theatre, and we’re sure that there are other talented folk out there looking to join a company that entertains in all sorts of ways while having a great time doing it.

Watch this space, you never know what we might do next.

Foster 2013

An amazing weekend at Foster as always. Foster seems to be the festival that the most amount of mixing between groups is really done. 

It may have to do with the unique seating arrangements that they have, which is long trestle tables set up at the front, with each companies name displayed, so you know who is at what table and it makes it easier to identify groups, so you know who to go and see 

when you want to compliment them, or ask questions or indeed both.
All I know is that performing at Foster is always an absolute joy, an audience that just wants to have a good time, they want everyone to succeed and the noise of audience at times is deafening, the applause at the start just lifts all the performers, the a laughs during the performance if you are doing a comedy are just amazing and during dramas you can just feel them all watching with intensity and taking every thing in.
Unless you have performed at the Foster One Act Play Festival you won't quite understand fully, but if you could always perform to that crowed, you would.
It was great to see the members and performances of Hartwell, Peridot, Warrandyte, FAMDA and all the usual suspects. 
The best part though was to see the first performance of a new group ARK.
The curtain opened on a simple but amazing set that set the scene perfectly. (I don't have a copy of the program with me, so please excuse my non use of names). The two actors were very well cast, gave good strong performances.
This was their first performance and all I can say, I cannot wait to see them get more and more experience. This is definitely a group to keep an eye on go forward, (and there were times that they were giving PCT a run for our money on the yelling and cheering, and we loved it)
We now have a little break, before we hit Kyenton Festival. 
Coming soon, information on our showcase performances, what we can tell you at the moment is that it will be Saturday October 5 at the Knox Community Arts Centre in Bayswater.
Stay tuned for how you can come and see our one act plays - JJ

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