June 2015

Our final heat for Season One was a hugely successful night, with a great range of plays and a high bar in terms of quality. A very fun show indeed.

Kicking off the evening was "William At The Station", written by Crash Test regular Wayne Mitchell and directed by newcomer Matt Popp. It starred Alice Furze as the uptight racist mother, Samantha Lee as a schoolkid and Best Actor Simon Benjamin as William.

Second was "Baggage Claim", the first ever play by Carla DeLuca. This play cleaned up the awards, with Rosemary Ghazi winning Best Actress, Luke Middlebrook winning Best Actor Runner Up, and the play winning Judge's Choice for Best Play. Adrian Bitel directed. We'll be seeing the play again at the Crash Test Drama 2015 Season One Finals on Mon 6 July.

Third was "The Princess and the Scales", written and directed by Playwright's Encouragement Award winner Jacque Vickers. This play starred Ricky Klein as the narrator, Lynda Leavers as the controlling show mother Emilia and Isabella Jessup as daughter Titania.

Closing act one was Clare Burgess's "A Moment's Silence". Isaan Owen directed an ensemble cast of Jess Vince-Moin, Jay Duncan, Lidia Stojanoska, Don Lacey, Kazuyo Kitada and Davo Hardy. This play came in third in the Popular Vote.

Act two began with "Joanna", written by Coleen Henry and directed by TOAST D'Bechamel, who won Best Director for his efforts. It starred solid performances from an all-girl cast of Rebecca Godwin, Hilary Park, Angela Gibson and Jennifer Hicks. "Joanna" will be back in the Finals alongside "Baggage Claim". Don't miss it on Mon 6 July.

The sixth play for the night was "Can't Get Away From It All", written and directed by Faith de Savigne. This popular play was a narrow second in the Popular Vote. It starred Felicity Burke and Graham Yates as the drunken holidayers and Best Actress Runner Up Reich Webber-Montenegro as the put-upon hotel maid.

Finally, wrapping up the night was "Waiting For Go Dot" by Bob Ballinger, which was directed by Wayne Mitchell (who wrote the first play). It featured Jen Jackson, Katrina Morel, Daryl Hood and Alan Long.

The Results

Judging was Nir Shelter, writer, director and occasional actor.

Best Actor: Simon Benjamin

Best Actress: Rosemary Ghazi

Best Actor Runner Up: Luke Middelbrook

Best Actress Runner Up: Reich Webber-Montenegro

Best Director: TOAST D'Bechamel

Best Play: "Baggage Claim”

Popular Vote Winner: "Joanna"

Popular Vote Runner Up: “Can't Get Away From It All”

"Joanna" and "Baggage Claim" have both won places in the Crash Test Finals.

Be there on Mon 6 July. Here's the lineup: