August 2013

Our last round of Crash Test Season One went off without a hitch on Monday. We were happy to have enough actors to cast our plays without having to double up or juggle or the like.

Kicking off the night was Alex Broun's new play "Achilles", which Nir Shelter directed. It starred David Owens, Jen Jackson and Michela Carattini. Jen was awarded Best Actress Runner Up for her performance and for her continued efforts at Crash Test.

Second up was "I Swear I'm Not Gay But...", written and directed by Craig Delahoy. This play featured a cast of Rachel Mansted as the waitress, Jay Kallaway as Nathan and Yannick Lawry as the (wo)man loving Clive. Yannick won Best Actor Runner Up for his hilarious performance. It also came equal third in the audience vote.

Third was Faith de Savigne's "The Bottom Of A High," which she both wrote and directed. David Thompson and Rosemary Ghazi starred as the law enforcers, with Ricky Klein as Graham.

Fourth was "Wrong Decision", written and directed by Felix Carlyle. Justine Keim played Jimmy, Davo Hardy played the Austrian soldier and Matt Thomson was Sargent Robertson.

After the interval was "Carraway and Gats" by Kathryn Yuen, directed by Jacque Vickers. This almost-monologue starred Lorenzo Ruru, with a cameo from Matt Thomson. It was awarded Best Play by the judge and will be back again in a week and a half at the Crash Test Finals on 19th August.

Sixth was "A Bitter Pill" by Pheona Mulligan, which Steph Sheehan directed. This ranked equal third in the Popular Vote and starred Greg Wilkin and Alan Long.

In seventh position was "Hotel Grand", written by Chris Naylor and directed by Best Director winner Jamie Livingstone. It featured a large cast of Jim Gosden, Kathy Petrakis, Nathan Hale, Amanda Mikhael and Pauline Nguyen. Kathy won Best Actress for her efforts and the play won the Popular Vote award, earning it a spot in the Finals.

Finally, we had Tim Lea's "St Peter's Off Sick Today" which Stephen Carnell directed. This play starred Bill Jordan alongside Richard Mason, who won Best Actor for the night. It was a close second in the Popular Vote.

Another great night. Thanks to all the wonderful artists who pitched in to make the show happen and we'll catch you at the Finals. For now, you can see the results below.

Pete and Georgie

Results

Con Nats stepped in at the last minute to judge again for us. As always, it was no easy task picking the winners.

Best Actor: Richard Mason

Best Actress: Kathy Petrakis

Best Actor Runner Up: Yannick Lawry

Best Actress Runner Up: Jen Jackson

Best Director: Jamie Livingstone

Best Play: "Carraway And Gats"

Popular Vote Winner: "Hotel Grand"

Playwright’s Encouragement Award: Pheona Mulligan for "A Bitter Pill"