Day Thirty-Five of 366.

February in Focus: Playwriting

It’s National Play Festival time at last! At the Malthouse, 22-26 February.

Yesterday was a most splendid, wonderful, interesting and exciting day! We headed from Sydney to Melbourne and, most unusually, everything went smoothly!

I was fortunate enough to meet some members of the cast and creatives as well as one of our international guests. Everyone I encountered was warm and friendly. We received the sacred privilege of being in the rehearsal space of one of the plays and to observe the cast and creatives unpick, investigate, explore, question and deliberate the play. It was such a beautiful process to watch! There was a poetic mix of young professional actors and very seasoned members of the arts community working together with strength, intelligence and vigour. I loved watching them own the space and the text. It makes me long to be back in a room like that, exploring a text like that and being on the front line rather than on the sidelines! I’ve got a lot of work to do on these upcoming auditions if I want that to happen!

Today I’ll be doing some legwork to promote the festival and get programs out to the local venues to get the word out of the festival! Tonight we have a public discussion on at The Malthouse. It forms part of our Departure Lounge series and this one is called Our Place in the World and features a panel of experts including Görkem Acaroğlu, artistic director of Melbourne Workers’ Theatre, David Greig, Scotland’s leading playwright, Peter Higgin, artistic director of the UK’s innovative promenade company Punchdrunk, and Owen Calvert-Lyons, Creative Learning Manager of London’s Arcola Theatre, who will be discussing the material world and art. Come check it out! Tickets can be booked at nationalplayfestival.org.au.

Free Double Pass Giveaway!

Because I am felling extremely generous and am obviously drunk on the splendour of this entire festival/working experience, I am offering a free double pass to see one of our Destination: Australia plays – it’s up to you which one you choose! So, if you’re in Melbourne from 22-26 February, available to see the show, get in touch with me via WordPress comment, email, Twitter with your favourite quote from a play – and the tickets are yours! Tell your friends!

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About Ildiko Susany

I am a Sydney-based actor and writer who graduated with Distinction from a Bachelor of Theatre Arts – Acting degree from the University of Southern Queensland. Since graduating, I have worked across Australia in both theatre and film and have worked internationally as a teacher and drama facilitator. This year, I produced and performed in my play, 'The Day the Galaxy Inevitably Exploded and Died' for the Sydney Fringe Festival (**Nominated for BEST OF THEATRE AWARD**). In 2013, I will be touring with Bell Shakespeare Company as part of their Education Programme, The Players. This year I participated in Griffin Theatre’s Story Lab creative development program. I have completed a theatre-making internship with Version 1.0 on their projects The Major/Minor Party and The Tender Age, a co-production with ATYP. I have also undergone a marketing internship at Playwriting Australia for their National Play Festival 2012 in Melbourne and a rehearsal room internship for their first National Script Workshop in 2012. I write reviews for Artshub and am a guest blogger on the Griffin Artist Blog. I have also live-tweeted events such as the ATYP/Fresh Ink The Voices Project film premiere. My playwriting work has been shortlisted in Queensland Theatre Company’s Young Playwright’s Program and has played at the Brisbane Powerhouse for the Backbone Youth Arts 2high Festival 2009. I am a proud member of MEAA.

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2 Responses to Day Thirty-Five of 366.

Holly Grace says:

February 16, 2012 at 11:09 am

Love the blog Ildiko!

ok, favourite quote from a play…

“We’ve got ninety-nine per cent the same genes as any other person. We’ve got ninety per cent the same as a chimpanzee. We’ve got thirty percent the same as a lettuce. Does that cheer you up at all? I love the part about the lettuce. It makes me feel I belong.”

Now give me my tickets, dammit…

Ildiko Susany says:

February 17, 2012 at 9:11 am

Thanks Holly! You have just won a double pass to see a show of your choice at the National Play Festival at the Malthouse! Check out nationalplayfestival.org.au for the line up!

We also had a great response from Tristan on Facebook with: “Nipples are like bicycles. Once you learn you never forget how.” James Mclure – Lone Star.