June 2017

Crash Test Drama kicked off at 107 Projects for a new season at a new venue last Tuesday night. It was a lovely evening, with a great, friendly atmosphere as we staged six brand new plays never before held in Sydney.

Play 1 was "Gridlocked Time Travellers", written by Wayne Mitchell and directed by Ann Elbourne. This fast-paced romp through time starred a huge cast of Don Lacey, Alice Furze, Luke Thornley, Mei Bookluck, Garth Wood, Rob White, and Best Actress Runner Up Jess Davis. Wayne was given the Playwright's Encouragement Award for a fresh take on a genre - sci-fi - which isn't often tackled in theatre.

Play 2 was "The Bank Deposit" by Xeno Nemos. Brett Garland directed Isaac Owan as the movie star, Mel Day as Debbie and Lance Rice as Andy. Unfortunately, along with the other plays from Act One, "The Bank Deposit" ran overtime and was penalised in the audience vote.

Play 3 was "Just The Insults". Katharine Babatszanis directed Stephanie Williams' script, with a cast of Christine d'Rozario as Emily, Jay Duncan as the actor and Best Actress Winner Izabella Louk as Kate.

Act two kicked off with "Movies With Nani" by long-term Crash Test participant Uma Kali Shakti, with Elisa Cristallo directing. Clare Langsford played Nani - always a challenge, to tackle a monologue with around one hour's preparation. "Movies With Nani" came second in both the Popular Vote and Judge's Choice, and has won a spot in the Crash Test Drama Finals on Tue 7 November.

Play 5 was "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Theatre". Felix Carlyle directed a cast of Raj Krishnan as the angry man, Travis Bakewell as Larry, Camilla Clark as the young woman, Joan Rodd as the older woman, and Angela Morriss and Edric Hong with walk-on roles at the end.

Wrapping up the night was "The Eye Clinic", written by Darren Rich and directed by Best Director Glenn Levett. A great first effort for the writer and director - it won Judge's Choice, Popular Vote, Best Actor for Tim Tari and Best Actor Runner up for Mark Fowler. Also starring Uma Kali Shakti, "The Eye Clinic" earned itself a spot in the Finals on Tue 7 November.

The Results

Our judge for the night was playwright Sonal Moore, long-term supporter of Short+Sweet and Crash Test Drama. The following plays and artists won awards:

Best Actor: Tim Tari

Best Actress: Izabella Louk

Best Actor Runner Up: Mark Fowler

Best Actress Runner Up: Jess Davis

Best Director: Glenn Levett

Best Play: "The Eye Clinic"

Best Play Runner Up: “Movies With Nani”

Popular Vote Winner: "The Eye Clinic"

Popular Vote Runner Up: “Movies With Nani”

Playwright’s Encouragement Award: Wayne Mitchell for “Gridlocked Time Travellers”

Looking forward to seeing you again at the next show on Mon 10 July!

Pete Malicki

Coordinator, Crash Test Drama