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IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO REGISTER AS AN ACTOR, DIRECTOR OR TECHNICAL CREW OR ENTER A PLAY FOR SHORT & SWEET MELBOURNE IN NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2005 OR SHORT & SWEET SYDNEY IN FEBRUARY-MARCH 2006 PLEASE VISIT (OR RETURN TO) THE SHORT & SWEET WEBSITE AT www.shortandsweet.org
THEN FOLLOW THE LINKS IN THE LEFT HAND COLUMN:
TO ENTER A PLAY click on SUBMIT A PLAY
TO REGISTER AS AN ACTOR, DIRECTOR OR TECHNICAL CREW click on EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
What is Short & Sweet ?
Aims of Short & Sweet
How to be Involved in Short & Sweet 2005
Write A Play
Direct a Play
Perform in Short & Sweet
Independent Theatre Companies and Theatre Makers
Short & Sweet Gala Awards Night
Short & Sweet Education Programme
Contact Us
What is Short & Sweet ?
Begun in 2001 and now entering it's 4 th year Short & Sweet is the biggest ten minute play theatre festival in the world and has already helped launched the career of countless theatre professionals.
Short & Sweet 2004, held at the Newtown Theatre and The Edge in January and February, presented 76 new ten minute theatre works from Australia and the world, directed by over 70 directors featuring over 200 performers.
For the first time Short & Sweet culminated with a Gala Finals night at the Seymour Centre in mid-February where the best ten plays were presented with Van Badham's “An Anarchist at Dinner” winning the first ever Short & Sweet Award for Best Overall Production.
Short & Sweet 2005 will be presented at the Seymour Centre Downstairs and Newtown Theatre@The Edge in January and February, 2005 with the Gala Finals night at the Seymour Centre in mid-February.
Short & Sweet 2006
Short & Sweet utilises the talents of Sydney's best young directors, actors and technical personnel to provide a great value evening of high quality theatre to match anything on stages around the world.
The main season at the Seymour Centre will feature the 40 best ten minute plays of the year from local and international writers. More intimate, experimental work will be presented as part of “The Writer's Room” at Short and Sweet's second venue, Newtown Theatre@The Edge.
As well as performances Short & Sweet also makes available a Masterclass programme to its participants with some of Australia and the world's leading theatre professionals helping educate and inspire the next generation of theatre artists.
Last year Sir Ian McKellen addressed Short & Sweeters on Acting, George Ogilvie spoke about directing and Alan Seymour discussed writing.
In another exciting development in November the Best of Short & Sweet from the first three year's of the festival will be presented at the Studio of the Sydney Opera House with plans to tour the collection to the Victorian Arts Centre and other regional and metropolitan centres.
Aims of Short & Sweet
* To showcase the best new writers, actors, directors and independent theatre companies in Australia and the world and thus give new talent an opportunity to surface
* To present a season of original short plays of 10 minutes or less that reflects quality writing, performance and production skills.
* To make theatre more accessible and affordable to a wider audience
* To inspire and educate theatre practitioners of the present and future to achieve higher levels of artistic quality.
* To encourage the production of high quality theatre works in a supportive environment.
* To encourage active participation in the theatre making by actors, writers and directors at all levels of skill and experience and thus foster growth in the theatre.
* To encourage people who have previously may not have done so to write for the theatre and thus encourage new playwrights in Australia and the world.
How to be Involved
Write A Play
We are looking for the best sixty ten minute plays from Australia and the world to be staged by some of Sydney's top directors and writers for Short & Sweet 2005.
Short & Sweet 2004 presented the work of established writers like Alan Seymour, Tobsha Learner and the late great Nick Enright as well as exciting new writers such as Van Badham, Vanessa Bates, Jane Bodie, Benito di Fonzo, Tug Dumbly and Steven Hopley.
Other writers to have plays performed at Short & Sweet include: Ben Ellis (These People, STC - S&S 2002), Daniel Keene (Half & Half, Playbox - S&S 2002), Sean O'Riordan (Mix d Drinx, Glen Street - S&S 2003) and Alex Broun (Blind City, Sydney Festival - S&S 2002/03)
No experience in writing for the stage is necessary. In fact Short & Sweet encourages those who have never written for the theatre to pick up a pen, or sit down at the computer, and write a play. Who knows you might just be the next David Mamet or Joanna Murray-Smith.
There is no limit on characters or restriction on style, theme or content. We are looking for everything from Victorian melodrama to the Theatre of the Absurd, avant-garde to kitchen sink, political theatre to gross out comedies - there is room for all in Short & Sweet.
One of our best plays in 2004 was a Nigerian play about female circumcision and rape performed by a cast of 25 women in trench coats – so anything is possible. Think short but also think BIG !
Short & Sweet is a TEN-MINUTE play Festival so the only restriction is the play MUST BE UNDER 10 (TEN) MINUTES. It can be seven minutes, five minutes – even one minute – but it MUST BE UNDER TEN MINUTES.
Entries considered longer than ten minutes WILL BE RETURNED UNREAD. So don't bother sending us a 135 page screenplay and asking us to “pick out the best bits” as (in)famously happened last year.
A regular length for a ten minute play is between 5-7 pages in standard playscript formatting (Times New Roman 12 point font) but read it with your friends before you send it in just to be sure.
Direct a Play
Short & Sweet makes use of the skills of experienced and new directors from a wide range of disciplines.
Previous directors for Short & Sweet have included established professionals like George Ogilvie, Glen McIllivray, Adam Macaulay, Alex Broun and Melissa Bruce and talented newcomers like Lee Lewis, Katy Alexander, Daniel Knight and Laurissa Polous.
For established and trained directors Short & Sweet is an opportunity to try out new ideas, while for promising newcomers it provides an opportunity to work at a higher level of technical expertise, hone skills through working with experienced theatre professionals and showcase your work.
Directors may already have a 10 minute script they would like to direct which they can suggest for Short & Sweet or we can organise a selection or scripts for them to choose from.
Directors from Short & Sweet have gone on to direct at some of Australia's top theatre companies such as the Sydney Theatre Company and Belvoir Street as well as in the theatre and film.
Perform in Short & Sweet
Auditions for Short & Sweet are open to all. Known as Sydney Independent Theatre Auditions, the Short & Sweet auditions attract casting directors and directors in film, television and the theatre who are on the look out for new talent or casting specific role.
You may come in to try out for parts in Short & Sweet and walk out with a role in a feature film.
Actors from Short & Sweet 2004 have recently appeared in plays at all major theatre companies in Sydney including the Sydney Theatre Company and Belvoir Street and have been involved in international tours or played in lead roles in a major films.
Actors to perform in the first three years of Short & Sweet include: Dean Atkinson (Alone It Stands, Australian and New Zealand tours - S&S 2002/03), Jonny Pasvolsky (Proof, STC - S&S 2002), Rupert Cox (Alone It Stands, National Tour and Major Barbara, STC - S&S 2003), Jonathon Elsom (Major Barbara, STC - S&S 2003), Russell Newman (The King and Di, National Tour - S&S 2002), Sean Kennedy (Lead role in new Australian film "Skate" - S&S 2003), Rose Bryne (Troy – S&S 2004), Annalise Phillips (The Boys – S&S 2004), Damon Herriman (Buried Child, Belvoir – S&S 2004) and Alyssa McClelland (Shape of Things, STC – S&S 2004)
To register as a performer for Short & Sweet please follow the following link:
http://www.shortandsweet.org
DISCLAIMER
PLEASE NOTE: Short & Sweet is not a co-op. Writers, actors and directors participating in Short & Sweet do so on a voluntary basis. Plays selected for Short & Sweet are not entitled to a royalty although if selected for the final writer's are eligible for various scriptwriting prizes.
Independent Theatre Companies and Theatre Makers
Short & Sweet is also keen to accept submissions from Independent Theatre Companies and Theatre makers who wish to present complete works at the Festival.
In 2004 Short & Sweet presented the work of ten Independent Theatre Companies (ITC) with the award for Best ITC going to the Parramatta based Hook, Line & Sinker for two productions – The Proverbial Closet by Wayne Tunks and Razzamatazz by Maxine Clark.
Short & Sweet is especially interested in increasing the amount of physical or non-text based theatre and group devised productions included in the festival. Short & Sweet is also more interested in live performance rather than work that includes complex audio-
Short & Sweet Gala Awards Night
For the first time in 2004 Short & Sweet climaxed with a gala awards night, held in the Everest Theatre at the Seymour Centre. This was a selection of the finest works seen over the four week festival.
Short & Sweet 2005 was also finish with a Gala Night a the Seymour centre, where the best ten plays from the festival will be presented and a panel of high profile industry judges will select the following awards:
* The Short & Sweet Award for Best Overall Production
* Best Drama
* Best Comedy
* Best Actor
* Best Actress
* Best Actor Runner-Up
* Best Actress Runner -Up
* Best Director
* Best Independent Theatre Company
* Best "Virgin Writer", first time writer
* People's Choice Award
Short & Sweet Education
In order to fulfil Short & Sweet aims of 'inspiring and educating" participants during the festival there will be Master classes conducted by some of Australia's most respected theatre practitioners.
Master classes will be held every Sunday of the festival for Directors, Writers, Actors (Movement and Voice). These Master classes will be open only to the participants of Short & Sweet and will be free.
Last year Sir Ian McKellen addressed Short & Sweeters on Acting, George Ogilvie spoke about directing and Alan Seymour discussed writing.
Contact Us
For more information or if you would like to take up one of Short & Sweet's exciting sponsorship or marketing opportunities please contact one of the following:
Short & Sweet Founder & Artistic Director Mark Cleary at mark@newtowntheatre.com.au
Short & Sweet Artistic Co-Ordinator Alex Broun at abroun@bigpond.net.au
Short & Sweet Sponsorship Manager and Publicist, Geoff Sirmai at geoff@watchdog.com.au
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