POST SHOW Q&APOST SHOW Q&APOST SHOW Q&APOST SHOW Q&A When preparing for the Post Show

Q&A it is a good idea to:

→ Read the Program:

Director’s notes give you a nice

insight into the intention of the

piece.

This show is unique in that you can ask

questions of the writers, the actors

and the creative team.

Think about the following topic areas:

→ DEVELOPING CHARACTER

- How did the writers develop their

characters?

- Is the character in any way similar to

you as a person?

- How did the cast develop depth of

character?

- Identify two characters that stood

out in your mind? Why were they so

memorable?

- Do any of the actors identify with

the character they are playing?

Why/Why not?

→ CREATING AN ENSEMBLE

- In a show of monologues how did you

develop techniques to work as an ensemble?

- What was the rehearsal room like?

→ ACTOR_AUDIENCE RELATIONSHIP

- How did the actors prepare for making

connections to the audience?

- How do you decide whether to deliver a

monologue to one person in the audience or

the audience as a whole?

- What was the role of the audience in the

performance?

→ APPROACH TO TEXT

- How did you approach the text as an

ensemble? What did you do in the rehearsal

room to explore the text?

→ ask your questions

via twitter

@atyp_sydney

#atyp_biteme

POST SHOW Q&APOST SHOW Q&APOST SHOW Q&APOST SHOW Q&A

ELEMENTS OF ELEMENTS OF ELEMENTS OF ELEMENTS OF

DRAMADRAMADRAMADRAMA

→ SPACE

- Why did the director/ actors use the

stage space as they did?

- What did you think about the way

the space was lit? How did the

designer make choices about the

lighting?

→ MOVEMENT

- How was movement developed and

integrated into the piece?

- How e<ective was the use of

movement? Why?

→ SYMBOL

- Why was the Table used so

signi>cantly in the work? How did the

actors use the table in the

rehearsal process?

- What did the table represent in the

piece?

- Were there any other symbols used

throughout?

→ MOOD/ATMOSPHERE

How was sound created for the piece?

How did sound contribute to the

atmosphere/mood of the work?

Where were the high points in the

performance?

→ FOCUS

- How did the director draw your focus to the

action he most wanted you to see?

- How do the actors work to maintain focus

throughout the entire show?

→ THEME

- How did the writers approach the theme of

food? How did they start the writing process?

- How did the director/actors approach the

theme in the rehearsal process?

→ ask your questions

via twitter

@atyp_sydney

#atyp_biteme

WRITING REVIEWSWRITING REVIEWSWRITING REVIEWSWRITING REVIEWS

A review is an important part of theatre

criticism. It gives an account of the

production with the writer's opinion of the

success of the performance.

HOW TO WRITE A REVIEW:HOW TO WRITE A REVIEW:HOW TO WRITE A REVIEW:HOW TO WRITE A REVIEW:

You may wish to approach your review

writing by following guidelines:

− State the details of the production,

where, when, by who.

− A synopsis of the plot (without giving

away the ending!!!).

− Background of the play, importance of

the production (is it the >rst

production of the play? Has it been

performed many times before?).

− Information about the style, genre of

the piece.

− Analysis of the mood and atmosphere

created by the cast/designers.

− Analysis of the choices made by the

director.

− Analysis of the

performances by the actors.

− Analysis of set, costume,

lighting and design aspects and

how these relate to the themes

of the play.

− Your personal opinion supported by

examples to justify your opinion.

− Recommendation and / or overall

rating.

YOU HAVE A GO:YOU HAVE A GO:YOU HAVE A GO:YOU HAVE A GO:

Become an ATYPATYPATYPATYP theatre critic!

Use the sca<old opposite to write a

review of Bite MeBite MeBite MeBite Me. Send it to

adele@atyp.com.au we'll publish well

written reviews on our website.

When reviewing try to:

− Paint an accurate picture of the

production for someone who has not

been there.

− Give a personal opinion about the

success of the performance.

Remember make it concise and clear.

Try to write your review in 300 words

We look forward to receiving your

reviews!

Keep reading for more reviews of Bite MeBite MeBite MeBite Me

→ Send your reviews

to adele@atyp.com.au

we'll publish well

written reviews on our

website.

h�p://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/theatre/food-for-thought-in-tasty-showcase-20140210-32co7.html

Food for thought in tasty showcase Reviewed by Jason Blake February 11, 2014

Bite Me

ATYP Studio, Until February 22

Director Anthony Skuse and designer Gez Xavier Mans-

field have crafted a flowing, varied and physically interest-

ing showcase for the Australian Theatre for Young Peo-

ple's fourth instalment of its Voices Project. It is the best

to date.

This year's theme is ''food'' and the young writers here

approach it from several angles, most of which are novel.

Those anticipating 80 minutes of teenaged eating disor-

der monologues will be surprised by the variety on offer

and frequently impressed by the quality of the perfor-

mances.

Emily Sheehan's Eating Sunshine (a reference to a

Ukrainian man who claims to absorb all the necessary

nutrients for life from sunlight) is a gently provoking open-

er, giving voice to a schoolgirl (played by Darcie Irwin-

Simpson) in a sexual relationship with a much older mar-

ried man. The tryst is on its last legs, it seems. There's

nothing to nourish her here.

Tasnim Hossain's Sweet in the Savoury (performed by

Angelica Madani) examines cross-cultural romance

through the lens of cuisine (''cooking Italian was my rebel-

lion'', she tells us). Kyle Walmsley's Food Baby transports

us to a cheap restaurant for a break-up scene driven by

the comically gifted Julia Rorke. George (by Keir Wilkins)

is set in an environmentally ruined future and tells us,

through the voice of a teenaged boy (Paul Musemeci),

what it might be like to be forced to eat a close friend.

Joel Jackson's choreographed performance makes Jake

Brain's emotionally charged monologue Tell Me quite

riveting. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/theatre/food-for-thought-in-tasty-showcase-20140210-32co7.html#ixzz2tdADT6h8

Venue: ATYP Under The Wharf (Walsh Bay NSW), Feb 5 – 22, 2014 Director: Anthony Skuse Playwrights: Jory Anast, Jake Brain, Sophie Hardcastle, Tasnim Hossain, Julian Larnach, Zac Linford, Felicity Pickering, Emily Sheehan, Kyle Walmsley, Keir Wilkins Actors: Airlie Dodds, Darcie Irwin-Simpson, Joel Jackson, Angelica Madeni, Sam Marques, Paul Musemeci, Julia Rorke, Emily Sheehan, Kate Williams Theatre review Each year ATYP (Australian Theatre for Young People) brings together 20 young writers aged between 18 and 26 to participate in their National Studio. As part of the week, the writers are given a common theme and each creates a seven mi-nute monologue for a 17 year old actor. Bite Me presents 10 of those scripts, in an unusual format that brings them together, not as a coher-ent whole, but a visceral entity that stands alone as a singular work of theatre. The common theme in all the writing is food, but Anthony Skuse’s direction does not rely on that convenience to tie things together into one obvi-ous unit. Instead, he focuses our attention on the actors’ work and design aspects of the produc-tion, to create an experience that is dramatic, thrilling, and avant garde. Skuse is acutely aware of the audience’s senses and all the potentialities an empty space holds for addressing them. His respect for actors and all their capacities is evi-dent, and we are given the best sides of all his performers. Along with movement coach Adèle Jeffreys, Bite Me showcases a kind of image driven theatre that wonderfully imagines bodies in spaces, and pushes the boundaries of creative ty within a realm of minimalism. The cast is a young one, and while their stand-ards of performance vary, all are allowed to pre

sent their strengths, and an excellent sense of evenness is achieved in terms of stage time. Julia Rorke, in Kyle Walmsley’s Food Baby, is easily the funniest in the ensemble. Her comic timing is natural and gleeful, and her determina-tion in connecting with the audience is irresisti-ble. Paul Musumeci’s performance of Keir Wil-kins’ George is beautifully restrained. Like a caged lion, Musumeci exhibits a powerful mag-netism, one resulting from a very controlled ex-pression of a certain mysterious intensity that resides in the actor’s being. Jory Anast’s Pip Nat Georgie is performed by Airlie Dodds who deliv-ers, without the aid of makeup and costumes, a memorable depiction of an archetypal young Australian masculine character. Dodds’ feminine appearance provides the perfect juxtaposition for her character, and allows us to see the actor’s interesting work with great clarity. Set, lighting and sound design are thoughtful and exquisite. Narratives are scarce in Bite Me, but its atmospherics are dynamic and beautiful. This is a great achievement, given the minimalist ap-proach taken by all the technical components. There have been many other showings of short plays that have entertained or titillated more, but this is a production that fascinates and impress-es. It is thoroughly original.

h�p://suzygoessee.com/2014/02/07/bite-me-atyp/

Bite Me | ATYP Written by Jodi McAlister

Friday, 07 February 2014 23:10

Bite Me is a delightful picaresque performance centring on food. In his director’s note in the program, Anthony Skuse writes that the title reminds him of Alice in Wonderland, of the bottle with the label ‘drink me’ tied around its neck, an almost magical invitation to consume. “In Wonderland, food is an agent for change and transformation,” he writes. That principle is realised in this show. In the ten monologues that make up this show, food brings people to-gether, tears them apart, and is a key ingredient in the recipe that makes up the delicacy of human interaction. These ten monologues were devised at the Fresh Ink Writers’ Retreat in Bundanon in 2013. The diversity of voices in these performances is striking, and the waySkuse has blended them together to make the show a coherent whole quite remarkable: comedy becomes tragedy becomes delicate reminiscence. The only prop used in the show is a ta-ble: appropriate, given the theme. While the table was occasionally distracting and maybe a little overused – and I was a bit worried it was going to break! – the sparseness of the setting suited the piece very well. All these different voices had a place around this table. I had two favourite pieces. Food Baby by Kyle Walmsley was hysterically funny and yet surprisingly vulnerable.Julia Rorke played her role – a somewhat neurotic girl trying to convince her boyfriend not to break up with her – with great style and attack, managing to be both hilarious and heartbreaking. I also really loved Facon by Felicity Pickering, a kind of slam-poetry esque piece performed by Kate Williams, confessing her love for meat to her trendy hipster vegan boyfriend. It was funny and clever and also it rhymed, which was super impressive. Some of the pieces tended a bit too far towards the poetry end of the spectrum, such as Jake Brain’s Tell Me,which, while beautifully written, wasn’t necessarily that theatrical. Some might have been better suited to such a medium, like Emily Sheehan’s Eating Sunshine, which, while it had some beautiful moments, might have been heightened in the sparser poetic form. Also, a warning: Keir Wilkins’ piece George is wonderfully written, but it is SUPER traumatic if you are a dog person. I am, and as such found it really hard to deal with – it took me a while to recover, which made it hard to focus on some of the pieces following. And also maybe I will have nightmares and I might have to spend the next forever hugging my dogs. But overall, this was a fabulous evening. I was really impressed with the writing in all the pieces, and I look forward to seeing more works from these ten young playwrights on Sydney stages in the future. Anthony Skuse has put this production together beautifully – it flows wonderfully, with no sense of jarring. There was a lot in here that reminded me of the gorgeous play Food which was on at Belvoir a couple of years ago (which, if you read my review of that piece, you will know is high praise). Thoroughly recommended. ATYP presents BITE ME by the writers from ATYP’s Fresh Ink program Director Anthony Skuse Venue: ATYP Studio Theatre, Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay Dates: 5 – 22 February 2014 Tickets: $30 (Early Bird Tix ($20) Duration: 100 mins (no interval) Bookings: http://atyp.com.au

h�p://www.australianstage.com.au/201402076690/reviews/sydney/bite-me-%7C-atyp.html