05.02.14–22.02.14

BITEMEPresented by ATYP

Writers2013 National Studio

Director Anthony Skuse

Director’s Note

We sat in a circle on the verandah overlooking the Shoalhaven River as the sun set and the mosquitoes came out. It was quite extraordinary. As night fell and bodies receded in the darkness, it was the voice and the language which drew us into these narratives. Stories hung in the air. I was surprised by the diversity of responses to the overarching theme of food. The preparing and eating of food, became the metaphor for belonging and loss, for love and sadness.

We rehearsed for a week in December reading through the texts and playing with ways we could use a table: sitting around it, lying on top of it and crawling underneath it. The table is one of those functional objects we fill our lives with - like chairs or beds. The simplicity of its form underlies the complexity of its possible meanings. In art as in life the table can stand for family, power and death. Our physical relationship with tables can be expressive of our relationship to life.

The project’s title Bite Me reminds me of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and the little bottle with the paper label tired round its neck and the words DRINK ME beautifully printed in large letters. In Wonderland food is an agent for change and transformation. Later when Alice comes across a second bottle she ruminates ‘I know something interesting is sure to happen whenever I eat or drink anything.’

We resumed rehearsals in the second week of January and slowly, almost imperceptibly, the show took shape. I was happy to use whatever skills the ensemble brought into the room – a Mozart canonetta, a guitar riff. Nearly everything has found its way into the show. The process was sweaty and joyous. I want to thank Adèle especially for being such a wonderful collaborator. My rehearsals have something in common with John Keats’ idea of negative capability; of being happy to sit in uncertainties trusting that, as long as you have all the right ingredients, something interesting is sure to happen. Bon appétit!

In July of 2013 I drove down to the National Studio Writer’s Retreat at Bundanon to hear eighteen new monologues read by the young writers.

Director’s Bio

Anthony Skuse - Director Anthony’s directing credits include: Simon Stephen’s On the Shore of the Wide World (Griffin Independent); Amy Hertzog’s 4000 Miles (Under the Wharf); Simon Stephen’s Punk Rock (Under the Wharf) which received three Sydney Theatre Awards for Best Independent Production, Best Direction and Best Actor in a Supporting Role; Letts’ Bug (Griffin Independent); Lachlan Philpott’s Ibis (Old Fitzroy Theatre); Jose Rivera’s References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot (Griffin Independent); Robert Farquhar’s Bad Jazz (Darlinghurst Theatre); Mark Ravenhill’s pool (no water) (Darlinghurst Theatre); Marius Von Mayenburg’s The Cold Child (Griffin Stablemates); Michael Gow’s Live Acts On Stage (Griffin Stablemates); The Greek project: Aischylos, Euripides and Sophocles: a special project at ATYP, for twenty women, aged nine to sixty-nine.

Introducing The Voices Project

Held at picturesque Riversdale on the Shoalhaven River. During the week the writers aged between 18 and 26 spend time learning from some of Australia’s most respected playwrights and dramaturges. As part of the week the writers are given a common theme and asked to create a seven-minute monologue specifically for a 17-year old actor. This annual collection of monologues is The Voices Project.

From the 20 monologues that are created up to twelve are chosen to be published by Currency Press. Ten are presented each year at ATYP in a production – this year titled Bite Me. Then two or three pieces are chosen each year to be turned into short films and released on-line. So far our Voices Project films have received close to a million views worldwide.

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Each year Australian Theatre for Young People brings together 20 of the country’s most exciting young writers to participate in the National Studio.

The Voices Project is creating dynamic, relevant characters suited to young Australian actors. The pieces are ideal for actors finishing high school looking to showcase their performance skills. At the same time the program showcases the best in new Australian play writing.

Running Order

Eating Sunshine by Emily Sheehan Featuring: Darcie Irwin-Simpson with Kate Williams & Joel Jackson

Something I Prepared Earlier by Julian Larnach Featuring: Paul Musumeci, Kate Williams & Emily Sheehan

Sweet in the Savoury by Tasnim Hossain Featuring: Angelica Madani with Sam Marques

Food Baby by Kyle Walmsley Featuring: Julia Rorke with Joel Jackson

Facon by Felicity Pickering Featuring: Kate Williams with Darcie Irwin-Simpson & Joel Jackson

George by Keir Wilkins Featuring: Paul Musumeci with Joel Jackson

Pip Nat Georgie by Jory Anast Featuring: Airlie Dodds with Kate Williams

Sweet Sour by Sophie Hardcastle Featuring: Sam Marques with Airlie Dodds & Paul Musumeci

Tell Me by Jake Brain Featuring: Joel Jackson

Dig In, Dean by Zac Linford

Featuring: Company Running time: 1hr 20mins (no interval)

Cast & Crew

Director Anthony Skuse

With Airlie Dodds Darcie Irwin-Simpson Joel Jackson Angelica Madani Sam Marques Paul Musumeci Julia Rorke Emily Sheehan Kate Williams

Designer Gez Xavier Mansfield

Lighting Designer Sara Swersky

Sound Designer Jed Silver

Movement Coach Adèle Jeffreys

Design Assistant Miriam Baxter

Voice Coach Kate Williams

Production Manager Juz McGuire Stage Manager Ruth Horsfall

Writers Jory Anast Jake Brain Sophie Hardcastle Tasnim Hossain Julian Larnach Zac Linford Felicity Pickering Emily Sheehan Kyle Walmsley Keir Wilkins

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Creatives

Gez Xavier Mansfield - Designer A Sydney-born and based graduate from the National Institute

of Dramatic Arts (NIDA), Gez is a full-time freelance designer in the performing arts industry. A highly trained energetic creative, he specialises in a range of unique design genre including set, costume, photography, scenic, event and graphic design. Recent work includes On the Shore of the Wide World - Griffin Theatre Company, Falsettos - Darlinghurst Theatre Company), Australian Institute of Music’s 2013 Music Showcase and Lyrebird -Tamarama Rock Surfers. Gez has also designed past shows for ATYP Under The Wharf, including 4000Miles, The Hiding Place and Punk Rock.

Sara Swersky - Lighting Designer Sara graduated from NIDA with a Bachelor of Dramatic Art (Production)

in 2011. Since then Sara has worked across Sydney as a lighting designer and programmer. Selected work includes:Griffin Independent On the Shore of the Wide World (2014), ATYP: Compass (2013), Under the Wharf: 4000 Miles (2013), Punk Rock (2012), The Hiding Place (2012) and Games in the Backyard (2011) NIDA

Independent: Set (2013), Fefu and Her Friends (2011)New Theatre; Top Girls (2013), Lord of the Flies (2012), In association with Tamarama Rock Surfers; Wrecking (2012), Lyrebird (2012) and Sprout (2011)

Jed Silver - Sound Designer Jed’s recent productions include: The Dreamer Examines His Pillow

(Unpathed Theatre Company), Namatjira (London Tour), Hip Bone Sticking Out (Canberra Centenary Festival - Big hArt) Namatjira (2012 National Tour for Big hArt), Empire, The Removalists, I Want To Sleep With Tom Stoppard (TRS), Transparency (Seymour Centre), Thursday’s Child, I Am Jack, Hitler’s Daughter (Monkey Baa Theatre For Young People); Loot, Ying Tong – A Walk With the Goons (Sydney Theatre Company); Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Stuff Happens (Belvoir St Theatre); Bad Jazz, pool (no water), How To Act Around Cops (The Darlinghurst Theatre); Boxing Day, Capture The Flag, Cross Sections, This Blasted Earth, Thrall, (TRS at the Old Fitzroy Theatre); Somewhere, Car Gods Burn (Q Theatre); Defiance (Sydney’s Quarantine Station). Jed’s Sound Operating credits include,Namatjira (Big hArt),

The Women Of Troy (STC), Measure for Measure, Keating!, The Sapphires, The Threepenny Opera (Company B). Television credits include: Kitchen Whiz, Pyramid, Magical Tales. Nominated for Best Sound Design/Score at the Sydney Theatre Awards for The Removalists (2013) and Capture The Flag (2006) and he was nominated for The Greenroom Awards for Best Sound Design for Ying Tong (2006).

Adèle Jeffreys - Movement Coach Adèle has a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Theatre/Bachelor

Education (UNSW). Her most recent projects include: The Shape of Things rehearsed reading (ATYP: Co-director), This is How the World Ends (The Place, London: Performer, co-choreographer), Heartus (The Place, London: Performer, co-choreographer). She has choreographed many works in education spheres both in Australia and the UK. Adèle is Education Manager at ATYP. She has lectured at The University of Notre Dame Sydney, worked at Arts Council England and in schools across Australia and the UK.

Ruth Horsfall - Stage Manager Ruth has been Stage Manager for Director

Anthony Skuse on: On the Shore of the Wide World, Punk Rock (Pantsguys Productions) and Julius Caesar (New Theatre).Ruth’s other Stage Management credits include: Stage Manager with Sport for Jove Theatre Company on Hamlet (2012 & 2013 seasons), Twelfth Night, Macbeth and Assistant Stage Manager for The Comedy of Errors, The Tempest and The Taming of the Shrew. Stage Manager for: From Door to Door (Moira Blumenthal Productions, Antony and Cleopatra (Bunyip Productions/King St Theatre), The Blue Angel Hotel (Old Fitz),Tarantula (Tredwood Productions/King St Theatre), The Fastest Clock in the Universe (Newtown Theatre), The God Botherers (Under The Table Productions/Darlinghurst Theatre) and Into the Woods (BLOC/Seymour Centre); and many shows at New Theatre, most recently Slutterati (2013 Sydney Fringe Festival), Jerusalem, Vernon God Little, The Farnsworth Invention, and Waiting for Godot.

Writers

Jory Anast Jory Anast is a playwright, performance poet and prose-enthusiast. An honours student at QUT

majoring in Creative Writing, Jory has had her poems, short stories and opinion articles published in numerous books, journals and magazines. She is the writer and co-director of the plays The Block, Butcher Birds, and My Struggle: The Life and Times of An Individ in a World Full of Hipsters. These pieces are currently in development for seasons in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

Jake Brain Jake Brain is a writer living in Sydney. Graduating from the UTS in 2012 with a Bachelor

of Communication majoring in Writing and Cultural Studies, he previously attended the Metroscreen ArtStart Screenwriters program in 2011 and the Fresh Ink National Studio in 2013. He has also worked for Matchbox Pictures as a Script Assistant. Bite Me being his first writing credit.

Sophie Hardcastle Sophie Hardcastle studied Fine Arts, majoring in painting for a year and a half at Sydney College

of the Arts before suspending her course to focus on her writing. She has written an autobiographical book detailing her personal health struggles which is now in editing and is currently re-writing a novel that she wrote at the age of fifteen. In 2010 she received a Mosman Literary Prize and a Premier’s Award for Excellence in 2011. Sophie has recently been published in Surfing World Magazine. The Voices Project’s production Bite Me has introduced her to the exciting world of theatre.

Tasnim Hossain Tasnim Hossain is a performance poet and playwright from Canberra. She completed

her Bachelor of Arts (International Relations) in 2013 at the Australian National University. She has worked in drama outreach programs run by the university, as well as poetry slam workshops funded by Arts ACT. She is passionate about working with young people and was one of Canberra Youth Theatre’s Associate Playwrights for 2013. She has featured at poetry slams around Canberra, as well as at Multifringe 9.2.13,and at the You Are Here festival in 2011.

Julian Larnach In 2013, Julian was Affiliate Writer at Griffin Theatre Company and was shortlisted

for Playwriting Australia’s Re-Gen Seed Commission. His play Umami was developed through an Australia Council JUMP Mentorship with Melbourne Theatre Company’s literary manager Chris Mead and was selected for a National Script Workshop through Playwriting Australia. Julian has recently completed creative developments for new works with the ATYP, Darwin’s National Youth Week Festival, NIDA Independent and Griffin Theatre. In 2014, he will be undertaking literary secondments at Melbourne Theatre Company and Belvoir as well as travelling to Europe on an Australia Council ArtStart grant.

Zac Linford Is a Geelong-based writer. He is a member of the Arts Advisory Panel and a board member for

Courthouse Arts, where he contributes to ongoing art events in Geelong. He recently participated in the Fresh Ink 4x4 playwrighting mentorship with ATYP. Influenced by misheard sayings and half-hearted conversations, Zac’s style and interests stretch to all forms of creative communication. At present he is working on several scripts and collaborations with fellow writers and

filmmakers.

Felicity Pickering Felicity Pickering has had two plays

produced: The Banquet (2011) and Neighbours (2012). In 2012, she performed in Freshly Squeezed, was an artist

in residence at the Joan Sutherland Theatre and was a Dramaturgy Intern for PlayWriting Australia. Felicity has been published in The Stonesthrow Review (SUNY, New Paltz Anthology), Picture 1000 Words (a photo-literary collaboration), The Evening Lands (2013 UTS Writers’ Anthology) and other publications. In 2013, Felicity was shortlisted for the Monash Undergrad-uate Prize for Creative Writing, leading to publication in a Penguin Special: Promise. Additionally in 2013, she finished her honours thesis focusing on poetry slams in Australasia with first class honours.

Writers Cast

Kylie Walmsley Kyle is a mover and shaker in the Northern Territory theatre scene. He is currently undergoing

an arts writing mentorship with The Thousands and Next Wave Festival. Kyle was a 2012 national finalist in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Raw Comedy Competition. He is studying acting at NIDA, and writes about all of this and more at imverytiredandcranky.blogspot.com

Keir Wilkins From Perth, WA, Keir completed his BA in Film and Performance Studies, before gaining

a Graduate Diploma in Screenwriting from AFTRS in Sydney. His short films have been recognised in both national and international film festivals and he was recently named “Best Young Australian Filmmaker” at the Shorts Film Festival and as Young WA Filmmaker of the Year at the WA Screen Awards. Keir has worked as a script attachment on Matchbox Pictures’ Underground, the Julian Assange Story and as a creative writer on Arena Media’s feature film The Turning. He is currently in development with his half hour television series Miseducation, with Hatch Entertainment, and Boy Jam, with ScreenWest.ir Wilkins

Airlie Dodds The Voices Project is Airlie’s 3rd production with ATYP after Tusk Tusk with STC (2010),

and Animal Farm(2012). She is also a part of the Atypicals committee. This year she is to be seen playing ‘Mia’ in the screen adaptation of Julia-Rose Lewis’s original monologue, This Feral Life and her debut feature film Dirt Girls, written and directed by Sara West. She will also be seen this year in the Screen Australia-funded short film Skin, and AFTRS-produced short film Daphne, The Natural Order of Things and Like Breathing.

Darcie Irwin-Simpson Credits include Fireface (Stories like These/ATYP) Punk Rock (Pantsguys Productions/ATYP),

House on Fire (ATYP), Artemisia and I’ll hear it when I see it (Short & Sweet), Radio Hysteria (NIDA Open-Program). Bikie Wars: Brother’s in Arms (Screentime/Channel 10), Thaddeus (Feature), Roe, An original idea, Vegan Action, Courtesy of the Chef, Hide and Seek, Broken Mirrors (Shorts). AWARDS - Nominated for both Best actress and Best Newcomer at the 2012 Sydney Theatre Awards for her role in the award-winning Best Independent Production Punk Rock. Darcie studied at the New York Film Academy and is the lead guitarist in Blues/Rap Rock band, She Rex.

Joel Jackson Joel Jackson graduated from NIDA in 2013. He left his desert hometown of Karratha, WA for

Sydney in 2011, and with his guitar and lyrics in tow he’s made the journey worthwhile and hasn’t thought about stopping yet. He appeared in NIDA productions Enda Walsh’s Sucking Dublin, Sam Shepard’s Lie of the A Mind, Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George and Euripides Trojan Women adapted by Jean Paul Sartre.

Angelica Madani Angelica is a 17-year old. The Voices Project 2014: Bite Me is her first production. Also an

ex-Taekwondo national champion. Recently graduated from high school and moving into studying Interior Architecture at University of New South Wales.

Sam Marques Sam began acting with the NSW Public Schools Drama Company in 2011,

under the direction of Paul Viles. He stayed on until the end of 2012, having performed in three productions (Bassett, The Grandfathers, The Miracle). With the company, Sam travelled to London to participate in the NT Connections Festival, and took part in workshops with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Court Theatre. Sam first collaborated with ATYP in 2013, in a staged reading of Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things.

Paul Musumeci Paul Musumeci is a founding member of independent theatre company Outrageous

Fortune and is an all round great guy. His theatre credits include Desiree Din and Red Forest, Animal Farm (ATYP), Life.Death.Food (Shopfront Theatre), Rope Burn (King St Theatre), Body Language (Brave New Word) and producing and acting in Dinner and a Show. He’s been pretty busy. Paul is also an accomplished improviser representing Australian twice in the Canadian Improv Games and captaining the team in the second year.

Julia Rorke At 16 Julia became heavily involved with ATYP; Tell it Like It Isn’t (2011, Lachlan Philpott/Luke

Kerridge) The One Sure Thing (2012, Tanya Goldberg), Animal Farm (2012, Netta Yaschin) and Harvest Festival 2013. She has also done work with the Rough Hewn Theatre Troupe: Shakespeare’s Complete Works (Abridged) (2012 Geoff Cartwright). Vernon God Little (New Theatre, Louise Fischer, 2012) and performed in Griffin Theatre’s Festival of New Writing (2012). Julia has partaken in contemporary monologue/scene/Shakespeare classes with Kate Gaul (Siren Theatre Co.) Shakespeare workshopping with Chris Hurrell, Physical theatre training with Scott Wit and Paul Capsis.

Emily Sheehan Emily is an actor and playwright. She has an Advanced Diploma of Arts (Stage & Screen Acting)

from the Actors College of Theatre & Television, and a Bachelor of Arts (Theatre Studies) from the University of New England.In 2013 she received a scholarship to study Improvisation and Comedy Writing at The Second City Training Centre in Chicago. Emily’s stage credits include Dance Hall Days (Q Theatre Company), This is Baby Doll (Factotum Theatre), And The Winner Is (Perform Educational

Musicals), Stage Fright (The New Theatre), Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Epicenter Theatre Co), The Merchant of Venice (Genesian). Television credits include Deadly Women, and Dark Minds (Beyond Productions). Emily was nominated for Best Actress at the Australian Webstream Awards for her role in The Drive Web Series.

Kate Williams In 2013 Kate Williams graduated from NIDA. While at NIDA Kate performed in A Lie of

the Mind directed by Rodney Fisher; Hinterland directed by Julian Merrick; Trojan Women directed by Jeff Janishevski; and Story of the Red Mountains directed by Tim Roseman. Throughout 2013 Kate also performed in both instalments of the ATYP Fresh Ink program for new writers. Since graduating Kate performed in the workshop presentation of Hienz Schweers’ new musical The Fit and the Fat, directed by MacKenzie Steel. Kate is pleased to be back at ATYP working with the generous Anthony Skuse for Bite Me.

Thank You

The Voices Project is made possible through the

generous support of the Graeme Wood Foundation.

Playwrights involved in the project: Jane Bodie, Angela Betzien and Declan Greene. The guys from Legs on The Wall - Cathy, Patrick and co for putting up with our loud lunches. Ben Lightowlers from STC.

Anthony Skuse - Director Anthony’s directing credits include: Simon Stephen’s On the Shore of the Wide World (Griffin Independent); Amy Hertzog’s 4000 Miles (Under the Wharf); Simon Stephen’s Punk Rock (Under the Wharf) which received three Sydney Theatre Awards for Best Independent Production, Best Direction and Best Actor in a Supporting Role; Letts’ Bug (Griffin Independent); Lachlan Philpott’s Ibis (Old Fitzroy Theatre); Jose Rivera’s References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot (Griffin Independent); Robert Farquhar’s Bad Jazz (Darlinghurst Theatre); Mark Ravenhill’s pool (no water) (Darlinghurst Theatre); Marius Von Mayenburg’s The Cold Child (Griffin Stablemates); Michael Gow’s Live Acts On Stage (Griffin Stablemates); The Greek project: Aischylos, Euripides and Sophocles: a special project at ATYP, for twenty women, aged nine to sixty-nine.

Australian Theatre for Young People

Address: The Wharf, Pier 4/5 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay NSW 2000 Telephone: 02 9270 2400 Email: atyp@atyp.com.au Website: atyp.com.au

Staff Artistic Director Fraser Corfield General Manager Aaron Beach Finance Manager Kate di Mattina Development Manager Andrew Deane Capital Campaign Co-ordinator Derek Minett Marketing Manager Annabel Tate Marketing Co-ordinator Sebastian Andreassen Learning Manager Adèle Jeffreys Learning Co-ordinator Lisa Mumford Workshop Manager Sarah Parsons Fresh Ink Manager Dan Prichard Writing Co-ordinator Jennifer Medway Production Manager Juz McGuire Administration Co-ordinators Elise Barton & Alice Hatton Archivist Judith Seeff

Publicist Kar Chalmers

Foundation Committee Angela Bowne SC (Chair) Antoinette Albert Michael Ihlein Carolyn Fletcher Rob Rich Olev Rahn

Board of Directors Michael Ihlein (Chair) Fraser Corfield Claire Duffy Nancy Fox Alexandra Holcomb Janine Lapworth Nick Marchand Cathy Robinson Edward Simpson Simon Webb Natasa Zunic

Photography: Zan Wimberley

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