May 19 2014

Coming just two weeks after the previous round, Crash Test's third show for the year was another hit. Another eight new plays were Tested by over 20 great actors.

Opening the show was "The Awakening", written by Chrissy Clogstoun and directed by Sharlene Zeederberg. It starred Sankar Chandrasekaran, Badai Maftuh-Flynn, Shantha Viswanathan and Lina Mbirkou (what cool names!) and will be presented soon at the Vedanta 10 minute play Festival.

Second was "Making Deserts", written and directed by Deb Mulhall. We had Eric O'Beirne as Dingo, Donna Stoilova as Sun, Megan Captaine as Emu and Graham Stoney as Bobby Oppenheimer. Great to see some absurdist stuff at Crash Test and props to Deb for experimenting with style and form.

Next was Don Lacey's "My Annoying Best Friend", which Dave Farland directed. It featured great performances from James Gallaway and Robert Gadsbey, who won Best Actor for his engaging, musical performance.

After that was "They're Not Normal", written and directed by Graham Yates (Best Director). This seriously funny play starred Angela Gibson (Best Actress Runner Up), Alan Long (Best Actor Runner Up) and David Thompson. Well done team, but Graham, I think you need to check your drinking water!

Rounding up the act was "No Fark", written and directed by Chris Naylor. This exploration of one of the most versatile words in the English language was performed with great gusto by Jen Jackson and Davo Hardy.

Peter Tucker's play "They Mean Everything To Me" was up next, and despite being penalised for running in at over 11 minutes, it won the Popular Vote and a spot in the Crash Test Finals on the 14 July. Sahn Millington directed Dean Dunstone, Colleen Henry, and a well-deserved Best Actress Alice Furze. Great work!

Next was "Don't Mention It", written by Faith de Savigne and directed by Maggy Franklin. Good performances all around from Veronica Flynn, Rosemary Ghazi and Edric Hong and congrats to Faith for winning the Playwright's Encouragement Award.

Finally, Crash Test Coordinator Georgie Edwards had her play "Cabinet The Musical". Georgie did a great job as both director and script writer and Alison Chambers gave a wonderful performance as "Game Of Thrones" fan Julia Gillard. The play won the Judge's Choice and is back in the Finals on July 14.

The Results

Thanks to Crash Test Drama Sydney founder and 10 min play legend Alex Broun for judging. His choices of the winners were:

Best Actor: Robert Gadsbey

Best Actress: Alice Furze

Best Actor Runner Up: Alan Long

Best Actress Runner Up: Angela Gibson

Best Director: Graham Yates

Best Play: "Cabinet The Musical" by Georgie Edwards

Popular Vote Winner: "They Mean Everything To Me" by Peter Tucker

Popular Vote Runner Up: "Cabinet The Musical" by Georgie Edwards

Cabinet The Musical and They Mean Everything To Me have both won places in the Crash Test Finals, held on Mon 14 July 2014.

Well done to everyone involved and see you all on June 16!