caryl churchill

Helen Morse has performed in some of the most radical and feted Australian theatre productions of the past 50 years. As she prepares to feature in the Melbourne Theatre Company production of Caryl Churchill's play Escaped Alone, Helen reflects on her five decades in Australian theatre.

Also, we hear a scene from Cactus, an acclaimed new Australian play about two teenage girls facing challenges that neither are yet prepared for, and we discuss the future of NICA, the National Institute of Circus Arts. Its parent university, Swinburne, has "paused" enrolments and is reassessing whether NICA aligns with its strategic priorities.

Caryl Churchill is one of the most enduring and radical playwrights of our time. Several of her plays are now in production around Australia. To unpack the politics and theatrical risk-taking of Caryl Churchill, we're joined by experts, creatives and performers immersed in her work.

Also, the sumptuous American musical Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 was a sensation in New York, where it was nominated for 12 Tony Awards. It's based on a tale of seduction and betrayal from Leo Tolstoy's epic novel War and Peace. It's now on at Sydney's Darlinghurst Theatre Company.

Karissa Murrell Myers (she/her) is a Filipino-American theatre artist based out of Chicago. She was also named American Theater Magazine's 2020 Roll Call: 13 Theatre Workers You Should Know for her work in casting. In our conversation, we cover the differences between NY, Hawaii, and Chicago theater scenes, why diversity is so important to her, going to college at 16 years old, beating out every white guy who auditioned for Iago in a Chicago production of The Scottish Play, playing Lady Nijo in Top Girls, not just in Chicago but also in Milwaukee, and her dream of creating a theatre company that fosters and grows artists - and how it may have come true!

Trigger Warning: discussions of weight, numbers in pounds, eating disorders, cutting, alcoholism.

Calls to Action:

Asian Americans Advancing Justice:
https://www.advancingjustice-chicago.org

Felines and Canines:
https://www.felinescanines.org

Edited by Amelia Driscoll at Summit Podcasting -  https://summitpodcasting.com/

Music by Eric Backus -  https://www.ericbackus.com/

Artwork by Meredith Montgomery -  https://www.meredithmontgomery.design/

Dan Giovannoni is a prolific writer of plays for young people and adults. His work as a playwright and as a teaching artist demonstrate his belief in how creativity can change the world. Dan has new plays at Barking Gecko and the Melbourne Theatre Company.

Also, Maree Johnson, Broadway cast member of Phantom of the Opera now performing on Sydney Harbour, shares her Top Shelf and we explore the 'repertory theatre' model that has inspired Belvoir's rep season of plays by Caryl Churchill and Alana Valentine.

This episode explores keeping it simple on stage when producing plays that are written to be performed with minimal set and costume. Plays where the words, characters and ideas create the drama and the world of the play without lavish backdrops or fancy frocks. We’ll be interviewing Fi Cotton, actor and director, to find out about her life and loves in amateur theatre, and her experience of directing plays that keep the staging simple, whilst also experimenting with form. This month, John will be going behind the scenes on the Crescent Theatre’s forthcoming ‘Studio Fortnight’ productions of A Number by Caryl Churchill, and Swallow by Stef Smith.