Sage to Stage Showcase – Sun 24 March at Philharmonia Hall, Walsh Bay at 3pm
A new generation of playwrights has been discovered… literally!
Eight short plays – selected from the 164 entries to the inaugural Sage Age Short Play Competition – are set for performance in Sydney on Sunday afternoon 24 March. And leading the all-star cast is award winning actor Sandy Gore.
The competition, open exclusively to seniors, was the brainchild of Scene Theatre Sydney’s artistic director, Carol Dance (pictured right).
“This is probably the first time there has ever been a competition exclusively for people 60 and over,” says Carol. “We mounted this project to encourage older people to write plays and become involved in live theatre. And write they did! We were thrilled to receive 164 great entries from all over the country, clearly demonstrating the creativity, energy and enthusiasm of older people.”
Two of Australia’s best-known playwrights, Justin Fleming and Stephen Sewell, assessed the entries and made the difficult decision to select the eight winners.
The eight (pictured above left) are Connery Brown, (Mortdale, NSW), Paul Clarke (Brisbane), Paul Bucci (Geelong), Kerri Gay (Tasmania), Katrina Samaras (Wollongong), Steve North (Grafton), Donna Spillane (Seddon, Vic) and Sally Bartley (Copacabana, NSW).
The eight short plays will be presented as a moved reading by an impressive line-up of professional actors: Gennie Nevinson , David Lynch, Alice Livingstone and Sandy Gore.
Sandy, for instance, has had an extensive stage career including multiple credits with the Melbourne and Sydney Theatre Companies. TV credits include the hit series Prisoner and Brides of Christ.
Directing the performance is Ryan Whitworth-Jones, holder of a Masters in Fine Arts, Directing from NIDA. At the piano Victor Spiegel performs his latest compositions at this Soirée-styled event.
Sage to Stage: Sunday, March 24 at 3PM in Philharmonia Hall, Wharf 4/5, 15 Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay
For further details and booking visit https://events.humanitix.com/sage-to-stage
Media: for more information, interviews, photos, cast and playwright details, individual play briefs, review tickets and more, contact: Geoff Sirmai Arts Publicity +61 412 669 272 e: geoff@sirmai.com.au
