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In: Plays, Playwriting, Theatre, Writing

The average play these days runs about seventy to eighty minutes. I saw a show this week, Crossing the Divide by Shock Therapy Productions, and it clocked in at just 60 minutes. The old two-act with interval malarkey is fading fast (except maybe big musical productions). “A Night at the Theatre” is no longer the grand social outing it once was as far as contemporary theatre goers are concerned. Audiences want to arrive, experience the story, and then bugger off home to contemplate the aftermath. Shorter plays suit producers too. The shorter the play, the fewer the rehearsal weeks. Fewer hours for technical crew. ShorterRead More →

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In: Theatre

After more than three decades of involvement, I have recently stepped away from my role with JUTE Theatre Company. JUTE has been a significant part of my professional life. As a founding member, former Board Chair, long-time artistic contributor, conference runner, Playwright Development program manager, and most recently Senior Creative Producer, for seven years full-time, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside extraordinary artists, staff, board members and community partners to build work that reflects the complexity and creativity of our region. Together with my JUTE colleagues, I developed pathways for emerging artists, supported new writing, created models to boost diverse voices in our productions,Read More →

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In: Writing

Standing ovations are a playwright’s GOLD. You know you’ve probably hit the sweet spot when a bunch of possibly jaded theatre-goers could be bothered getting up out of their chairs to give your show their appreciation and applause. And what’s especially nice is when an audience comes into a theatre completely cold —they do not know you, or your work, or the actors or not a single thing about the story about to be told—and within the space of a 115 minute performance they are warmed through with joy enough to bring them onto their feet with wild stomping and carry on. From Campfire toRead More →