Who needs a runway when you can have a garden party? Penelope Efthimiadis invited the audience into a picture of perfection – a staged garden party inspired by the Pre-Raphaelite painting Apple Blossoms by John Everett Millais. While runways can be impersonal and distant, Exhibit by P.E managed to find a steady balance between welcoming and professional.

We walk in to see the space set up with AstroTurf, wooden outdoor chairs, fruits, drinks and snacks. Drinks are served. Music bounces off the walls. The atmosphere is buzzing, anticipatory.

When the models walk into the space, the first thing we notice is how beautifully the collection melds with the set. Collection III is the third of a series of installments of a trans-seasonal nature. Textures, colours and patterns are matched and mismatched in a playful display of the work. With the use of predominantly paler colours, Penelope Efthimiadis has managed to capture the essence of springtime lightness – closely mirroring the painting Apple Blossoms. Conversely, the more striking pieces in the collection allowed for a sense of strength and structure. As we observe the photoshoot, we are invited to go behind the scenes without feeling like intruders.

Overall, it was a beautifully constructed world that left us itching for more. By the end, the audience was still buzzing – this time with delighted discussion and pleasant satisfaction.

Exhibit by P.E was presented as part of the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival Cultural Program’s Project Series 2015.

Photo Credit: Penelope Efthimiadis

Bringing together fashion and music, the event was a beautiful display of what the art world both can be and should be: Unapologetically brilliant. Each performance was of an immensely different genre, and different designers dressed each performer and designed each room in line with their own visions. The result is a delight for the eyes and ears alike.

Featuring the likes of Preston Zly, Cass Partington, Will and Garrett Huxley, Julia Deville, Brustman + Boyd, and many more, Dress Loud brings together designers from all over and gives them free reign to design a room each. The result is magical. There is a strong sense of intimacy present in each room, thanks to the performers’ presence in the room – almost an extension of the works of art that are the rooms themselves. In some rooms, the audience’s initial awe was so palpable that no one moved or clapped at first, lest they break the atmosphere.

The sprawling mansion proved itself the perfect venue to display these amazing works. While some rooms proved a little too small for the crowds that tried to squeeze themselves in, the event was one that was immersive and open. Overall, it was a fun, lively afternoon showcasing impressive work by designers and performers in an old sprawling mansion heaving with new life.

Dress Loud was presented as part of the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival Cultural Program’s Project Series 2015. More information about the designers and performers can be found here.

Photo credit: VAMFF

The brainchild of Shirley Mason, herself a model in the 50s, the event was a wonderful appreciation of a community of people the fashion industry always seems to overlook. This was done in collaboration with the University of the Third Age (U3A), a self-help, voluntary, not-for profit organization.

The hosts, Peter Dunn and Gail Cheesman introduced every section well, and easily held the audience’s attention. The novice models were confident and well-trained, complete with a touch of attitude. The crowd was wildly supportive, contributing to the incredibly feel-good atmosphere of the afternoon.

Featuring brands such as Egret, Saks, TS Sizes 14-24, Blazer, Hush Puppies, Sock Café, Lightning Ridge Opals and The French Jewel Box, each collection was well curated. The jewellery in particular proved a stand out, with pictures of the pieces displayed on a screen behind the runway. Although the individual pieces were rather simple, they were beautifully designed and eye-catching. The sleek nature of the pieces added a very classy touch to the day.

Overall, the event was an incredibly empowering afternoon of good vibes and smiles all around. It was a pertinent wake up call to the fashion world – known for its exclusive taste in models and styles. The audience left feeling inspired and lucky to have been part of such a motivational event. In one hour, Don’t Stop Me Now managed to take the conventional idea of a runway show, turn it on its head, and challenge all the stereotypes that stood in its way. There are important conversations the fashion world needs to have and it is events like this one that begin the dialogue. If a runway can be widened to fit a wheelchair, how many more barriers can be broken?

Don’t Stop Me Now was presented as part of the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival Cultural Program’s Project Series 2015. Details here.

Photo Credit: VAMFF

Three startlingly different designers, one theme. The result is an absolute feast for the eyes. The two collections – the first by Maia Lillford, and the second a collaboration between MIMI-ZIKKI and Ana Ostrom – come together to create a fantastical world of dangerous play. Inspired and influenced by the intrinsic designs in the world of fauna, also known as bio-mimicry, both collections have a distinct, almost otherworldly feel.

Maia Lillford’s collection, Bejazzled Beetles, is incandescent. It is an awe-inspiring celebration of bright colours and strong lines topped with outlandish hairstyles. There is an undoubtedly playful side to this collection, as the luminous hues in each of the pieces bring to attention the highly inviting nature of the work. The pieces are almost overwhelmingly loud at times, but the consistency within the collection is commendable. Overall, it is a combination that is light-hearted and fun.

The second collection stands in stark contrast to the first. MIMI-ZIKKI and Ana Ostrom have come together to create a collection that is both beautiful and dark. A sleek edge to every piece, often found in the jewellery of Ana Ostrom, gives it a sense of sophistication and rootedness. The two are a well-matched pair, with each design complementing each other, and an absolute gift to the audience.

The entire event was an electric, invigorating experience, with the incredible work of three very unique designers on display. The sheer lack of overlap between the collections was astonishing and visually pleasing.

It’s a wild world out there, and for an evening, the audience was immersed in an entire universe of (wild) designs condensed into a single show.

Imprinting Wild was presented as part of the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival Cultural Program’s Project Series 2015.

Photo credit: MIMI-ZIKKI

The year is 1945 and in a bid to defend Chloe against an American serviceman and his glass of beer, Jimmy and Keith step in, all bravado and drunk excitement. The two energetic, newly recruited sailors are itching to get their feet wet and finally be part of the war effort. As the play progresses, we are shown the stark reality of wartime in the form of Les – a more experienced sailor suffering from PTSD – and Lorna. Lorna is shrouded in mystery for the young men; she is a force of nature and a fierce dose of feminism in all the right places.

From the very beginning, the audience is immersed in the world of the play. Director Wayne Harrison has done an impeccable job of inviting the audience in. We are shown to our individual tables, complete with Melbourne Bitters and lemonade, and given the chance to take in the set up. Action happens in three separate locations around the audience – the bar, the hotel room at Young & Jackson, and a hospital room, and the audience follows the actors from location to location, swiveling in their seats to keep up. An ingenious arrangement, this allows for the actors to, on occasion, interact with audience members and leaves the audience feeling like the imaginative world of the play is coming to life around them.

L-R: Jacob Machin as Jimmy, Gabrielle Scawthorn as Lorna, Charlie Cousins as Keith

And what a world! The actors, Jacob Machin as Jimmy, Charlie Cousins as Keith, Garielle Scawthorn as Lorna, and Sam Duncan as Les, were all incredible powerhouses of strong vocals and imagination, with an unmistakable camaraderie that held it all together. The juxtaposition of the naïve newly recruited sailors Jimmy and Keith, and more experienced characters Lorna and Les create for us an unusual image of wartime. Next to Jimmy and Keith’s revelry and life of abundance, we also see the horrors of war encapsulated in the incidents that Les and Lorna experienced or were aware of.

Eventually, the war comes to an end and celebration is in the air. Group dynamics are forced to change, but there is no finality there. The friendship lives on – in the play Codgers, also by Don Reid, for which this was intended as a prequel. Overall, the play was a beautiful story of 4 youths on the cusp of great change in the world. As with most youths living through a time of great change, their lives ebb and flow almost as per normal, with love and friendship playing a key role.

Time passes and much has changed. The year is 2015 and we no longer need to buy blouses from Myer with coupons, or nylon from the black market. War is no longer glamorous. PTSD is recognized and treated properly. Other things, however, remain the same. Men and women meet and bond over drinks. Young recruits will always be up for a laugh. And Chloe still watches over the bar in Young & Jackson, on the corner of Flinders Street and Swanston Street.

Jacob Machin as Jimmy

Photo credit: Young & Jackson the Play, Sarah Walker

Young & Jackson the Play is on at Fortyfivedownstairs until 22 March as part of the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival Cultural Program’s Project Series 2015. Details here.

Royals tells the story of six year-old French princess Isabella de Valois and her marriage to the thirty year-old king of England, Richard II; a marriage meant to end a war. A childlike playfulness is carried throughout the piece, lending lightness to otherwise heavy subjects like war and child brides. While definitely making the content appropriate for children, it takes the reality of the situation and completely turns it on its head, making it almost farcical at points.

The play begins with young Isabella (played by ten year-old Kalliope Rice), caught up in her own world, reveling in her childhood. We quickly discover that her parents (played by Tom Heath and Emma Hall) have agreed to wed her to the king of England to end the war between France and England. It is a bizarre world we have been introduced to, with bright costumes and larger than life characters that set the scene up very well.

Later, when Isabella has married the king (also played by Tom Heath), we find them to be quite the team – their ease with words and each other quickly outshining their competitors. There was a familial comfort in their relationship, their care and respect for one another almost tangible amidst the games and wars.

Despite the strong dynamic between the two, the set up of each scene – dictated by rules about the text in the scene – did distract from the actual content. While creating a fun environment, it did seem to detract from the world created at times when the focus of the scene was on the games instead of the plot.

However, it is not just the games that grabs the audience’s attention – actress Emma Hall is a performance in herself, doubling up as both the queen and later, the king’s cousin who plans to usurp the throne. Characters come alive in her physicality, immediately raising the energy levels and stakes within the scene.

Angourie Rice, who plays the teenage Isabella, presents an impressive performance tackling the heavy material that develops. She brings a new maturity to the character of Isabella, which allows for the seriousness of earlier issues to resurface. This marks a strong turning point in the play and forces the audience to address the heavy issues involved.

Luca Pascucci, who plays the nephew of the king, Hal, allows for calmness and softness in his performance. While still a little rough around the edges and low on energy, Luca and Angourie support each other well in their quiet scenes together. By the end of the play, while the audience is definitely on the side of the queen’s newfound self-assurance, the scenes come to a quiet close, lacking the bubbling energy of earlier scenes.

Ultimately, the tame nature of the world  that Royals inhabits doesn’t do justice to the full possibility of the concept but engages us none-the-less.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets to show.

Beautifully done and brutally honest, The Worst of Scottee has you laughing and crying within the hour. His incredible sense of humour combined with very poignant truths makes for a very engaging performance.

Set in a photobooth, Scottee offers up the all of his faults and flaws in one short hour. He begins by singing Ella Fitzgerald’s “Cry Me A River” in a larger than life persona, complete with impeccable comic timing.

As the piece progresses, the laughter is replaced with resounding silences as the audience holds their breath, never quite knowing what to expect. He isn’t afraid to put everything on the table honestly and openly – you can choose to love or hate him. Yet by the end of the piece, one cannot help but admire the strength of a man reliving his past again and again.

Scottee is both a talented actor and singer – belting out songs in between little vignettes. Each song is well chosen to fit the moment and the narration, taking the audience on a journey through sound. The photobooth allowed for the odd dichotomy of both intimacy and exposure, which is very much in line with the narration. It also created what could be seen as a faux fourth wall that could be broken and built up without much distraction to the audience.

All in all, The Worst of Scottee is a powerful piece, ready to invite audiences in – if they’re willing to listen.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets to show.
 

Tom introduces us to the situation: his mother, Amanda – still scarred by her husband’s abandonment, and desperately holding on to all she can – and his sister, Laura – uncomfortable in social situations, quiet and living in her own imaginary world. Tom is an aspiring writer stuck in a dead-end job to support his family. His mother worries about Tom leaving and Laura growing old alone. Laura keeps her head down and tries to maintain the peace. When a gentleman caller comes into the picture, he brings with him hope – and the family dynamic slowly begins to shift.

Tom (played by Nicholas Denton), is a steady guide throughout the play, moving easily between character and narrator. His ease and comfort with the text welcomes the audience into his world of memory. His mother, Amanda, (played by Julie Nihill) finds an even balance between nagging and launching into spiels about her past. Julie Nihill presentation of Amanda is done without judgment or caricature, evoking both amusement and pity.

Laura (played by Lucy Moir), on the other hand, is not the force of nature her mother is, instead preferring to spend time with her menagerie of glass animals. Quiet and shy, she carries herself as she herself were made of glass – with a strong conviction that one could see right through her. Later, the introduction of a gentleman caller (played by Jordan Fraser-Trumble) brings out more depth in her character, and the audience clearly sees her inner struggle and fear. The gentleman caller is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Laura – loud, confident and willing to take risks. He carries himself strongly and is another larger than life character, bringing a presence almost too big for the room. He is the instigator for change, but as quickly as change begins, it is taken away. Suddenly, much smaller in character and stumbling over words, he retreats – leaving in his wake a family seemingly more broken than before.

Musical accompaniment through the show was a nice touch – seemingly unnecessary at points as the presence of the musicians took up space on an already small stage. While the performances were incredibly strong and very believable, the choice to mime some props and use others was sometimes distracting and broke from the realism in the rest of the performance.

Overall, The Glass Menagerie was a delight to watch, with a talented cast and musical team. The small set created a tangible sense of intimacy between the characters – as well as between Tom and the audience, inviting us into a world not to different from our own.

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Walking in, the audience is ushered straight into the world, with chairs and decorations appropriate to that of a 19^th century manor. The stage is cluttered with props and leaves little room to move. The Princess walks in, careful not to break herself and the glass piano, piquing our interest. The audience is then plunged into a voyeuristic view of her life. It begins slowly, with the occasional German song and talk of the glass piano that becomes quite repetitive.

Numerous other characters are introduced in the course of the play – character transitions are marked by a change to red light and standing in a different place. These transitions became quite awkward as the back and forth movements in the middle of conversations constantly pulled the audience out of the imaginative world. The lack of space on the set also meant that movement was unnecessarily hindered and distracted from the scene itself. While each character was definitely very clear and defined as individual characters, the constant transitions from one character to another made it difficult for audiences to be emotionally invested.

The set itself almost seemed to exist in a separate world and was hardly used despite its almost overbearing presence. The narrative nature of the text could have benefited from more development with the props.

At the end of the play, when the princess discovers that she is in fact far less brittle than she had expected, the audience is completely on her side – and she transforms beautifully. While overall an interesting concept, the performance was not as developed as it could have been. The sounds leaking in from the café next door were also quite distracting, taking away from what could have been a much more engaging performance.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets to show.