MKA Nominated for 11 Green Room Awards!

MKA: Theatre of New Writing has been nominated for 11 of the Melbourne based, 2012 Green Room Awards.

THE MKA NOMINEES ARE 

_________

THEATRE: INDEPENDENT
4 out of the 5 Best Female Performer Nominations
(Georgina Capper for the Unspoken Word is ‘Joe’, Whitney Boyd for sex.violence.blood.gore, Nikki Shiels for ‘the Unspoken Word is Joe’, Janine Watson for Triangle);

1 Best Set &/or Costume (Eugyeene Teh, Set for Triangle),

1 Best Lighting (Rob Sowinski for Triangle),

1 Best Sound/Music (Claudio Tokko, Sound for sex.violence.blood.gore),

2 Best Director (Tanya Olivia Dickson for Triangle, Declan Lohan for the Unspoken Word is ‘Joe’),

1 Best Production (Triangle) 

and 1 Best Writing (Glyn Roberts for Triangle)
_________

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL 11, to everyone else who contributed and anyone who came along to see these works!

See more about the Green Room Awards?
http://www.greenroom.org.au/

Good thing we bribed them, beat them, bedded and blackmailed them. MKA xxx

On the 3rd of November 2010 MKA

had the company’s first play reading at the company’s new theatre in Tanner Street, Richmond. Following a series of playwriting workshops already held in the space and the success of our first production at La Mama Theatre, The Arts+Culture Branch of the Yarra Council were pleased that MKA would be securely in Richmond, the wider theatrical community was abuzz, even the police who’d popped by for the Official Launch Party the week before had offered their congratulations and wished the company all the best, no doubt thankful it wasn’t another illegal brothel to have to accept council bribes for. The permission for place of assembly permit was underway, MKA was told it was to be completed by February and a number of key obstacles had been waived by the relevant council officers. The need for the mandatory number of carpark spaces for example, as well as the $15,000 independent sound test (one the council are obliged to perform themselves anyway) had been waived. Why? Because MKA was simply presenting a well contained 40 seat theatre in the side of an old factory; next door to a large hairdresser, ten doors down from the Moira Gallery; twenty doors from a pub, a brothel, a bike shop, two cafes, about 40 metres from one of Melbourne’s largest railway stations, a hundred metres from the Corner Hotel (capacity 900 patrons) and 600 metres from the MCG. But it was not to be so simple.

That first night, the small theatre was packed with excited theatre goers and makers. Actors waited off-stage in the kitchen for their cue, the audience comfortable in the recently fitted space and a well-known Melbourne Satirist went against the general hipster fashion trend of tight black jeans by sporting a pair of over sized frilly underwear, by all accounts a success but scarcely had the readings on that first night drawn to a close when a knock at the door signalled the entry of a council officer. Due to complaints received prior to the first reading, complaints MKA were all too well aware of as they’d appeared in the letterboxes of everyone on Tanner street, sent anonymously in hysterical red ink, complaints made by local residents averse to the idea of a theatre on their street, the council came to shut the venue down.

Under Act No. 45 of 1987 Section 126 (3) of the Planning an Environment Act 1987; namely using land for the purpose of a Place of Assembly contrary to clause clause 32.04-1 of the Yarra Planning Scheme.

The reading, which the council representative described on the night as ‘quieter than most dinner parties’. An on the spot fine of $600-$2400 was issued. More were to follow the next day when three threatening officers from building and planning arrived to confront MKA’s Roberts and Manderson-Galvin outside the premise: demanding, without warrant, that they enter the property.

The boys refused and closed the venue at once, but that night a paranoid local in pyjamas, who refused to discuss the issues with either Manderson-Galvin or Roberts, was still taking photographs of the front of the venue on a smartphone – hoping to capture an incriminating, if grainy, snap of ‘theatre’. Three days later MKA reopened the ‘Open Season’ playreading series at QV Shopping Centre in the Melbourne CBD. A smug phone call from  the representative of the complainants let the boys know in no uncertain terms that they were not to come back. MKA was ‘doing a wonderful thing!’ just ‘not around here.’

The debacle was the focus of some media attention and a flood of support emails from international theatrical, literary, artistic communities. This was to no avail however, the council were not interested in supporting the group or finding them a new space.

Since then MKA has presented work at the pop-up theatre in QV Shopping Centre, full scale works at a custom built theatre in the Prahran Mission on Chapel Street. developments of four new texts at The Melbourne Theatre Company Theatre’s VIP Rooms. toured to The Street Theatre in Canberra and presented workshops and panels at Crack Theatre Festival  (Newcastle) and the Emerging Writers Festival (Melbourne). And most recently MKA have spent the last 3 months at School House Studios, Abbotsford. We closed a week ago. The cost is something we’re happy to share, pertinent to say however is that we’ve been generously supported by the establishments at each location and the public and theatrical community who have attended the shows, written about them and assisted in their promotion.

And the cost for that one night in Richmond back in early November 2010?

MKA was unwilling to pay the initial fine of approx $600 due to what MKA considered to be a complete misrepresentation of facts in the affidavit of the Yarra Officer (an affidavit made under oath and which MKA makes freely available should anyone wish to read a script that does not meet our literary department’s standards of excellence) as well as Yarra’s unwillingness to review the matter without the involvement of the Magistrates’ Court.

Due to this the maximum fine to be leveled at MKA was

$143,340.00

For one night of playreading.

Fortunately for MKA, yesterday at around midday, an anonymous donor paid the outsanding fines owed to the City of Yarra, fortunately far less than the figure proposed above. MKA is free once again of debts but sadly the City of Yarra is still with out its theatre.

Where will we go next?

Wherever it is it is with great thanks to the anonymous donor and to all of you for your continued support of our company.

Thank you for being with us in 2011.

To many years more.

MKA Artistic Director,

Tobias Manderson-Galvin 

xx

Season One: Sleepyhead, 22 Short Plays, The Horror Face, J.A.T.O.; MKA@MTC: Rockefeller, Tuesday., Twins, The Sun Room; 22 Short Plays (Canberra); Open Season; Season Two: She’s A Little Finch, The Economist, plus Workshops and panel discussions at the Emerging Writers Festival (Melbourne), Crack Theatre Festival (Newcastle), participation in the Australian Theatre Forum, Secret shows, dramaturgy sessions and a couple of parties.

We’ll add more photos to this gallery as they appear and then get on to some discussion.

SEASON ONE – LAUNCH PARTY, SLEEPYHEAD BY NATHANIEL MONCRIEFF, 22 SHORT PLAYS BY DAVID FINNIGAN, THE HORROR FACE BY GLYN ROBERTS, J.A.T.O BY VEDRANA KLEPICA

MKA@MTC – Week long developments of four new works by four young female playwrights ROCKEFELLER BY KERITH MANDERSON-GALVIN, TUESDAY. BY LOURIS VAN DE GEER, TWINS BY ISOBEL ROBERTS-ORR, THE SUN ROOM BY ELISE HEARST

22 SHORT PLAYS – TOUR CANBERRA

MKA ABBOTSFORD SEASON:

OPEN SEASON 2011 – 15 NIGHTS SHOWCASING 15 NEW AUSTRALIAN PLAYSCRIPTS + SHE’S A LITTLE FINCH BY ELISE HEARST + THE ECONOMIST BY TOBIAS MANDERSON-GALVIN

2011 IS NOW CLOSED

See you next year.

xx

MKA 

BOOK NOW!

EXTRA SHOWS ADDED. WED14/THUR15/FRI16DEC

“Van Badham’s tight, disarmingly imaginative and superbly acted production.. script is clever..and poetic….impressive, psychologically sound and a surprisingly staid piece.”

THE AUSTRALIAN CHRIS BOYD

“incisive theatrical technique, fine ensemble performance and brilliant direction… a potent and clinically performed work.”

THE AGE CAMERON WOODHEAD

“poor theatre at it’s best…a wicked take on political delusion…Highly recommended…Get booking!”

THEATRENOTES ALISON CROGGON

“the actors run a tour de force.. the skill of Manderson-Galvin and Badham create a thrilling spectacle.” 

IL GLOBO DANIELE ZINNI

“ the kind of mind f*ck that leaves you wobbly and wanting more”

AUSSIETHEATRE.COM.AU ANNE-MARIE PEARD

“Four Stars… Zoe Dawson does a terrific job with presence and complexity…a powerful, astute piece of of theatre.” 

ARTSHUB.COM.AU LIZA DEZFOULI

‎”more interesting political theatre than anything I’ve seen in Australia in a very long time…. Something akin to The Sound of Music (in Zizek’s reading)…. a work wrapped up in multiple ironies, far and far beyond anything that was happening when David Foster Wallace was writing about irony.” 

GUERILLA SEMIOTICS JANA PERKOVIC

“Four Stars…these guys are on the money…a highly engaging, energetic piece.”

 THEATREPEOPLE ANGUS CAMERON

“masterfully directed by Van Badham…Zoe Dawson- first rate… an exceptional performance” 

INPRESS ALICE BODY

“Good theatre was once defined as work that holds a mirror up to society to reveal its flaws. By that, and any other definition, this is good theatre.” 

RHUM.ORG.AU LIAM PIEPER

“Five Stars…Pure Genius… An incredible piece of political satire.” 

RUSHCROWDS BEN GETTLER

“the play is fascinating… script poetic and thoughtful…direction keeps the whole thing moving like a freight train.”

KEITH GOW.COM KEITH GOW

“Scintilating writing…A spine tingling climax…Theatre that is bold and unique.” 

PROMPTSIDE EUGYEENE TEH

BOOK NOW!

MKA HAS BEEN SHORTLISTED FOR THE INAUGURAL ARTSHUB AWARDS! TWICE! IN THE SAME CATEGORY! 

HEAD TO THE WEBSITE USING THE BUTTON ABOVE AND VOTE FOR EITHER SEASON 1 2011 (which included four productions, Sleepyhead, 22 Short Plays, the Horror Face and J.A.T.O.) or vote specifically for J.A.T.O. by Vedrana Klepica

Congratulations to all those short listed!

THE ECONOMIST 

SEASON EXTENDED TO FRI16DEC

THE ECONOMIST BY TOBIAS MANDERSON-GALVIN; DRAMATURGY AND DIRECTION BY VAN BADHAM.

MKA’S FINAL SHOW OF 2011.

SEE THE TRAILER / BOOK NOW