It’s been a very long time since I actually juiced my brain grapes for the sake of blog writing. A very, very long time – to the point where I was concerned the emergent juice would have passed the stage of “good red wine” and would by now be “crappy homebrand vinegar.” And considering how long I’ve been directing people towards this blog, I’d say it’s probably due time I actually put something up!

It was great to spend a bit (read: a LOT) of time relaxing and just enjoying life after finding myself on the other end of a highly stressful degree. However, after a few months I found myself itching to be creating and making again. Having passed the six-months-out-of-university mark, I figure the best thing I can do at this point is write up a brief outline of what I’ve been up to, and hopefully in doing so, work out where I’m going from here.

Performance aid: Super Night Shot, by Gob Squad 

Working my first gig out of uni in the Sydney Opera House? Yeah – no big deal, right? Gob Squad’s non-conventional make-a-movie-in-an-hour theatre piece as a part of the 2011 Sydney Festival was so much fun to work on. An absolute inspiration that forced me to rethink the definition of theatre, the Europeans charmed the pants off everyone they encountered.

Performer: Entrelazadas, self-devised

This movement piece, Entrelazadas (or “intertwined”), was a commissioned piece as part of ACON/Young Women’s Project for the Sydney Mardi Gras 2011. The brief was to create a piece addressing mental health issues in same-sex attracted women. Myself, along with Vanessa Londono and Che Walsh-Kemp devised a movement piece involving rope, puppetry, soul singers and fight sequences.

Stage Manager: Toy Box, by subtlenuance theatre company

Working with subtlenuance was an absolute pleasure. Not only did I continue to hone my stage manager skills, but I also had the opportunity to work with one of Sydney’s most lovely independent theatre companies. Written and directed by Paul Gilchrist, Toy Box is a study in family friction and disarray, and was perfectly suited to the TAP Gallery performance space.

Stage Manager: Cold, by The Earthcrosser Company

Straight off the back of Toy Box, I launched into Cold, the premiere work of a new Sydney-based independent company led by artistic director Shy Magsalin. Cold better suited my own aesthetic sensibilities, with its stark set and precise lighting beautifully used to highlight a terrifying text about racism in Sweden. I’m very excited to see more work from Earthcrosser!

Those four projects have made the biggest impact on me since January; on top of that, I’ve ingrained myself as a part of King Street, Newtown culture in my work as a manager at “Little Mexico” as I have lovingly nicknamed it.

But, the highlight? I successfully auditioned for the PACT Ensemble program for 2011. For the last three months, we have been engrossed in vocal and movement training, in addition to intensive creative development towards one seriously cool performance piece that will hit you in the face in November/December. Currently, we are spending a week at the absolutely splendid Bundanon Trust.

But more on PACT Ensemble soon. I think this post has probably reached its limit for mindless babbling on creative pursuits. If you’ve made it this far – damn, good on you. Thanks for the good vibes and all that.

Talk soon.

Annabelle x