Catherine
at Avignon
by Paul Gilchrist
2 - 21 June 2009 Tap Gallery
With Melissa Jones, Dave Kirkham, Heidi Lupprian,
Rowan McDonald, Anna Martin, James Shoobridge
Director: Paul Gilchrist
Producer: Daniela Giorgi
Design: Emma Vine
Sound Design and Performance: Heidi Lupprian
In a world of corruption, decadence and intrigue,
a lone woman confronts
the most powerful institution of her times.
Set in fourteenth century France,
and inspired by actual events,
Catherine at Avignon is the story of an extraordinary personality.
Branded a no one by her society,
Catherine fearlessly took on kings and queens.
Avignon would be her greatest challenge.
Bawdy and bloody, exuberant and irreverent.
"a triumph of narrative construction. Like Stoppard, Gilchrist is great with words, and amply demonstrates it
in scene after scene of highly amusing and erudite verbal sparring... a superb and very playful rendition of modernist theatre...
a very poignant take on the (modern) human condition… the audience is treated to a subtle, and subtly informed, inquiry into theatre itself – as art, as entertainment, as philosophical meditation. Performances are uniformly strong…
a significant achievement in writing, direction and staging, and Paul Gilchrist is obviously a playwright worth watching.
I was very impressed with the ambition of this piece… a testament to the structure of the piece and the poise of the writer.
I urge theatre buffs in Sydney to have a look at Catherine at Avignon" Media Culture
"Catherine at Avignon... is a thought-provoking, uplifting performance that leaves the audience hopeful for a better world.
Paul Gilchrist's script is clever and engaging... The performances are brilliantly executed" Aussie Theatre
“Anna Martin is definitely the brightest star in a shimmering cast – her performance as Catherine is extremely engaging
and wholehearted. There is an intriguing array of characters, including the seductive Marguerite (Melissa Jones)
and bumbling Father Raymond (Rowan McDonald), provide comic foils to the deeply troubled leading lady.
Amidst the sin and sarcasm are startling moments of poetry, and the contrast maintains the energy of the show…
It’s a complex story, where lofty themes of spirituality, politics and sexuality are presented alongside vulgarity and swearing.
The vibrant interaction between the players brings excitement and energy to the intimate room, and the innovative way the scenes blend into each other works well… The idea of a story set in the middle ages might not appeal to everyone, but in the telling of it
this story is very modern. It’s not so much about piety and saints as it is about authority, celebrity and the way we interact with the spiritual. Sounds complicated, and it is, but what Catherine at Avignon does is akin to soaring... Four stars out five” The Brag
"P.G. Gilchrist’s newest work Catherine at Avignon is a thought-provoking piece on the importance of truth and purity of spirit
in a world gone mad... I am transported back in time via the powerful performances of the entire ensemble.
Inquiring and at times wickedly funny, I laugh out loud at many of the best lines expertly timed by Melissa Jones,
who plays the wonderfully wanton Marguertie. Anna Martin is also a standout, giving a impassioned and inspiring performance
as the headstrong religious zealot/political activist Catherine. Written by director P.G Gilchrist, the script is the real star. Both poetic and whimsical, Gilchrist seamlessly weaves olde English and 21st century language to jolt us between yesterday and today at will. The problems and the turmoil of the 14th century are clearly still relevant to today’s crazy world" Alternative Media
Before the Embrace
by Paul Gilchrist
6 - 24 October 2009 Newtown Theatre
Stuart is one of Sydney’s hottest young artists.
He makes films.
Now he’s shooting his friends.
It’s the only humane thing to do.
But when Stuart points the camera all hell breaks loose.
How do you film a life?
How do you live a life worth filming?
With Will Carter, Lyndsay Chapman, Alex Dalrymple, Daniela Giorgi, Shaun Martindale, Jo Richards
Director: Paul Gilchrist
Producer: Daniela Giorgi
Design: Emma Vine
"Before the Embrace is a thoroughly enjoyable night of mischievous satire,
however let the directionless in the audience be warned,
this is a production that really makes you sit up and examine what you’re doing with your life"
Alternative Media
"Set in modern-day Sydney, it occasionally reaches the lofty heights of subtlenuance’s last production,
Catherine at Avignon, which was set in 14th century France.
Chapman's monologue about “life being in the gaps”,
which plays out in a typical suburban fitness centre, is quite charming...
the humour and the action are professional and enjoyable....
Everyone will (hopefully) see someone they know in Before The Embrace"
The Brag
True Times Three
by Paul Gilchrist
31 July - August 17 2008 TAP Gallery
Angela and Tony are normal people.
Enter Simone and Joel.
Re-evaluate everything.
Genital torture, international scandals, partner swapping, terrorist threats, gaol breaks, swingers’ clubs, street brawls, and stolen fighter jets – and that’s just tonight.
Just a quiet night, really.
And the night’s still young……..
One part philosophy and all parts frivolity, True Times Three is an impossible explosion of comic magical realism, a mischievous musing on one helluva in ya face question –
Who do you think you are?
With Kristy Best, Daniel Felkai, Penny Hall, James Shoobridge
Director: Paul Gilchrist
Producer: Daniela Giorgi
Stage Manager, Sound Design and Performance: Heidi Lupprian
Light Design: Shaun Davies
"I can't really bring to mind the last time I laughed as loud and,
almost amidst it, felt the agony of intense, searing tragedy...
Daniel Felkai, as not-altogether-but-almost-clueless Tony, ekes out a veritable comic masterpiece,
while never faltering, in remaining empathic and compassionate with respect to his near-brilliant evocation.
James Shoobridge pumps up his small frame to be every bit the self-possessed
and obsessed Joel and, in so doing, is utterly convincing.
Kristy Best seems to revel in realising the sensuality of the hedonistic Simone; consequently, so do the rest of us.
Penny Hall lives up to the name of brand-spanking-new production company,
subtlenuance, in delivering a portrait of a mortgaged soul.
The angelic Heidi Lupprian provided haunting links in song"
Australian Stage
"From the moment Penny Hall engages the audience
as Angela she is the captivating force that drives this play...
a lot of genuine laughs and a lot of fun to be had…
a charming and fun piece of independent theatre”
Drum Media
