Anglesea One Act Play Festival Review [review]
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Anglesea One Act Play Festival Review [review]

Anglesea Community Hall
Saturday August 16 to 17, 2014
Anglesea played host to its annual One Act Play Festival, over the weekend just gone, Saturday August 16 to 17. Held at the Anglesea Community Hall, theatre groups from all over the state attended and performed a number of short single act plays ranging from 20-45 minutes long. Participating companies included Ararat Theatre Company, Adelphi Payers, Pop Culture Theatre Inc, Here There and Everywhere Theatre Co, Torquay Theatre Troupe, The Mount Players, Dramatic Pause Theatre Company, Skin Of Our Teeth Productions and home team Anglsea Performing Arts.
Xan Coleman, the artistic director of Melbourne-based contemporary performance company A is for Atlas took over adjudicator duties. His creative career has seen him perform and direct all around the world, collecting a string of honours in the process. A great weekend was had by all – the hall proved to be the perfect setting for each of the plays, while the canteen was kept full of delicious goodies to keep everyone sustained for the two days!
First prize was awarded to ‘The Rain’, preformed by Anglesea Preforming Arts, written by Daniel Keene and co-directed and designed by Janine McKenzie and Iris Walshe-Howling. The play was staged by Iris Walshe-Howling as Hanna, Philip Besancon as A Man, Janine McKenzie as A Woman and Maddie Field as A Girl and was about an old woman who bears witness to a time past and a families response to uncertainty and terror. Philip Besancon’s performance as A Man, won him Best Supporting Actor and the play also took out Best Visual Design.
A real highlight was the final performance of the festival, titled ‘Howling at the Moon’, performed by Skin Of Our Teeth Production’s Christine Davey and Mary Stuten and took home second prize. Davey who also wrote and directed the piece, played an elderly dog, Sparkles who had lived a rather cushy life but had been left alone following the passing of its owner. Sparkles has a chance meeting with a younger, tougher pup in Rosie, played by Stuten. The pair struck up an unlikely friendship and the play follows how they both grow and change. It gets you thinking of the human condition and how our human lifestyle is relatable to the canine mentality. The piece also won Best Original Play.
Best Male Actor for the festival went to Warwick Smith of the Adelphi Players for his portrayal as Father Coady, Mick Hawkins, Jack Kearns and Tex Rickard in ‘The Les Darcy Show’. Best Female actor went to Lina Libroaperto (pictured) of Anglesea Performing Arts for her impressive role as Tara in ‘Hotel’. The Adjudicator’s award went to ‘Couples’ by Here, There & Everywhere Theatre.
By Abbey King, Photo by Mellissa Eliott