Songs For Europe

Songs for Europe Poster

Earlier this year, John Richards (co-creator of ABC1’s Outland and doyen of podcasts Boxcutters and Splendid Chaps) asked me if I’d like to write a short play about Eurovision with him for the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Having absolutely no time to spare, as well as no real interest in Eurovision, I immediately said yes.

The true events that the story he was pitching was based upon were too extraordinary to turn down, so, before absconding to Sydney for a couple of months, I co-wrote the script with John and then left it in his capable hands.

The play we wrote forms one half of Songs For Europe: Two Short Plays About Eurovision (the other half was written solely by John), and it is produced by Ben McKenzie, directed by Lucas Testro, and features Marta Kaczmarek, Nicholas Colla, Angus Brown, Noah Moon, Jack Beeby, Chris Broadstock and Petra Elliott.

It’s a strange feeling to know exactly what will happen and yet have no idea what to expect, but that’s what I’m in for when I head along to the Melbourne Fringe Festival to see the production.

The play opens tonight, and runs until September 29, so make sure you go here to book your tickets.

And since we’re talking Fringe, I also heartily recommend you see…

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar, the first production from Proper Villains Theatre Company. One of my all-time favourite Shakespeare plays as adapted by David Lamb. Dave’s understanding and interpretation of Shakespearian texts never fails to excite me, so I’m really looking forward to this one.

Game of Themes

If you’ve never heard Adam Rudegeair play, then you’ve got to get down to Game of Themes, in which the jazz maestro reinterprets popular science fiction and fantasy themes. This one’s going to be a lot of fun.

Check out the rest of the program here.

Countdown to a Letdown

Election 2007

I wasn’t really intending to do this here, but it seems like the easiest place. We’ve finally begun putting clips from the community television iteration of The Bazura Project* back online after a temporary ABC-mandated removal, and have been linking directly to the YouTube clips on our Twitter and Facebook feeds.

With a federal election only 24 depressing hours away, this seemed like a good time to remind you that in 2007 we stepped away from movies** to make a one-hour election special that aired the night before the event. Shannon Marinko and I were joined by TV presenter Emma Race and comedian Adam Knox for what many critics described as “on television”.

The entire special is divided into many clips, and it seemed like the best thing to do would be to collate them in one easy-to-click-on place. Until we finally get around to rebuilding the Bazura website, this place here will have to do. So, cast your minds back to the time of an incumbent John Howard and a slightly-fresher-faced Kevin Rudd, and, with a clear understanding of the limitations of community TV budgets as well as 2007 era video formats, please enjoy Election 2007: Countdown to a Letdown.

How true that unavoidably prescient subtitle now seems.

The Bazura Project, n. a TV show about movies that ran for 36 episodes on Australian community television from 2006 to 2008, then for a season on ABC2 in 2011 as The Bazura Project’s Guide To Sinema. More information can be found here. Less information can be found here. Fewer information can be found here. Some information can be found here.

** Having said that, there are at least five movie references in this special. A leopard can’t change the fact that it was directed by Luchino Visconti in 1963.