Short + Sweet week 2 review

Reviewed by Regina Su

The Sydney Short and Sweet Festival has been labelled the “Biggest Little Play Festival in the world” and draws an international audience. For it’s 12th year running, theatres in Newtown, Marrickville and the Seymour Centre play host to this influential festival spanning over three months. This year, over 80 original plays will be performed, providing an opportunity for over 800 emerging writers and artists to gain the exposure they need to possibly jump start their professional careers.

This is an amazing opportunity for appreciative audiences, agents and curious townsfolk to come out and sit in on one of these short play nights. Each week offers a different line-up of plays, each running for no more than 10 minutes each. As the festival wears on, the people’s choice will be awarded for the most popular and wild cards will be performed for extra entertainment.

Short and Sweet is an exhibition of dramatic proportions, for writers and artists from regional Australia and as far as Malaysia and India, to showcase diverse ideas and themes while experimenting with the limits of the stage. I arrived to the festival while it had been going full steam – I began my journey in week two. The powerful acting and magnifying glass on the details of life were strong elements that captivated me in short, instantaneous bursts of imaginative insights.

Week two of the Short and Sweet festival presented a uniquely diverse range of short plays, featuring two from Jodi Cramond, winner of the regional sector; the Short and Sweet festival in Dubbo. With high calibre actors and insightful food for thought, it looks like the Short and Sweet festival is running full steam ahead!

“Disposable”, by Jodi Cramond, is borderline existentialist, as a man ponders to jump or not to jump and end his life, while two onlookers debate over the frivolity of his action. The premise of this play was a little predictable, however it was interesting to note influences from “The Importance of Being Ernest” and “Hamlet”, and the intensity of the acting really helped the performance.

Short + Sweet Week 1 Winners

Results from week one

TOP 80 WEEK 1
Judges’ Choice
3rd place – The Fox And The Hunter
2nd place – My Name Is Cine-Ma
1st place – Handyman

Handyman is the first play to be invited to the 2013 Gala Finals held at Seymour Centre in March!

People’s Choice
3rd place – Handyman
2nd place – My Name Is Cine-Ma
1st place – The Fox And The Hunter

The Fox And The Hunter has been invited to the People’s Choice Showcase at Sidetrack Theatre!

WILDCARDS 1
Judges’ Choice
3rd place – Surrender
2nd place – Lost Audition
1st place – The Coming Out

People’s Choice
3rd place – Confessional
2nd place – Clean Sweep
1st place – The Coming Out

The Coming Out wins a spot in the Wildcards Finals.

The highest-rated play which is not already in the Wildcards Finals is Clean Sweep with 14.68% of the vote.

Short and Sweet

Short and Sweet - Sydney's Short play festival, 180 plays showing from 4 January until 31 March. The Festival involves 300 writers and directors and almost 500 actors. This year is it's 11th year, it has seen amazing growth and following over those years.
The Festival starts with a call out to writers and Independent Theatre Companies to submit their works, these are then assessed and the plays for the Festival are carefully chosen. Directors are then invited to choose which play they would like to produce and finally the actors are auditioned and the rehearsals commence. Of course that sounds easy but can you image organising that many plays, with that many actors, the lighting, sound, props and staging?
Each week shows 10 plays and each night the audience is invited to pick the two which they enjoyed the most. The audience votes are tallied and the top two for the week are showcased in the Peoples Choice night.

The King Street Theatre (formerly the Newtown Theatre), Newtown was a buzz of excitement as the audience anticipated a night of mini performances; which of them would we love and which we would gladly never see again? We burst through to the stage to grab a seat and settle into the night.

Interview with Pete Malicki

Pete Malicki is the Festival Director of Short and Sweet Sydney. Short and Sweet has been running for 11 year's and is the world biggest short play festival. Each night see 10 plays each lasting 10 minutes. The Festival starts on 4 January and runs into March.

For more information and book click the title of the post.

Click here to listen

The interview took place on Triple H 100.1 fm on The Hubbub.

(please note the link will become inactive in about 3 months time, call 02 99403649 if you would like to listen)

An Interview with Maddy Butler

Maddy Butler is the Writer and Director of To The Death, currently playing at the King Street Theatre (Newtown Theatre) in Newtown. Make sure you have your tickets to see the show.

Click here to listen