May 5 2014

Our second show for the year went well, with another eight brand new plays Crash Tested by some of Sydney's finest creative talent!

Opening the show was "The VSP" by new writer Claudia Stevens, directed by Kingsley. This futuristic piece of social commentary starred Debbie Tilley as mum and newcomer Christina Hatzis as Jessie.

Second was "Life Is Sweet", written by Trish Koutrodimos and directed by Wayne Mitchell. Best Actress Runner Up Raechel Carlsen starred alongside Best Actor Runner Up Luke Middlebrook and Badai Maftuh-Flynn. This hilarious play won the Judge's Choice for Best Play and the Popular Vote and is returning in the Crash Test Finals on 14 July.

Third was a monologue called "She Who Started The Fire", written and directed by Peter Shelley. Rachel O'Reilly had the challenging job of performing alone on stage after just 90 minutes of preparation. Great effort.

Closing the act was Dave Bulmer's "Hounds Of Hell", directed by Stephen Carnell. Solid performances by Alan Long, Tim Carey and Dean Dunstone were enjoyed by all, but unfortunately the play was penalised for running over 12 mins long and ineligible for the Judge's Choice.

Next up was "Better To Beg", a beautifully staged piece starring a massive 11 actors! Isaac Owen wrote this piece and Michelle Sewell won Best Director for her efforts pulling it all together. It starred Sue Broberg, James Gallaway, Jack Wright, Caz L, Megan Captaine, Ursula Dauenhauer, Makedonka Stoilove, Matt Thomson, Clare Nightingale, Katrina Morel and Chelisse Marmont and came equal second in the Popular Vote.

Sixth was "Circumstance Of Life", written and directed by keen new theatre artist Carli Carey. It starred good performances from Mark Curry as James and Edric Hong as Brad. Well done team.

Next was "Many Apps Make Light Living", written by Bob Ballinger and directed by Kathy Petrakis. It starred Best Actor Michael Smith and Best Actress Rosemary Ghazi and was a big hit, coming runner up in both the Popular Vote and the Judge's Choice. "Many Apps Make Light Living" will be back in the Finals on 14 July.

Finally, we had Chris Parkes' "Joan Of Ark", for which Chris won the Playwright's Encouragement Award. Mila Gisbert directed Glenn Groves, David Roberts, Justine Scali, Teigan McCarty and Maite Carvell in this clever and funny script.

The Results

Our judge for the show was Graham Yates, an actor, writer and director and the founder/Coordinator of Crash Test Cronulla. His picks were:

Best Actor: Michael Smith

Best Actress: Rosemary Ghazi

Best Actor Runner Up: Luke Middlebrook

Best Actress Runner Up: Raechel Carlsen

Best Director: Michelle Sewell

Best Play: "Life Is Sweet" by Trish Koutrodimos

Best Play Runner Up: "Many Apps Make Light Living"

Popular Vote Winner: "Life Is Sweet" by Trish Koutrodimos

Popular Vote Runner Up: "Better To Beg" and "Many Apps Make Light Living"

Life Is Sweet and Many Apps Make Light Living have both won places in the Crash Test Finals, held on Mon 14 July 2014.

As always, a special thanks to Georgie Edwards, our Co-Coordinator and MC.

But most of all, thanks to all the artists for putting on the show and creating a wonderful community event for everyone to take part in!