The club will be open at 6 and from 630 you will have a chance to play the game board of Mysterious Mysteries for the last time leading up to the dénouement of this case of murder at 730, when the killer will be revealed
Then at 830 the club will rock to the rhapsodic rhythmic riffing of the chaps from Classical Jam. Check them out here (www.classicaljam.org)
Then at ten, tongue firmly in cheek, the awards spectacular begins.
The visual artists pick of performance
Holiday
La Promenade des genes betes
Hangman
Malta
Into the Unknown
The performances pick of visual arts
Forgotten Flowers
Living Space
Shelf Life Gallery
Spider Spaces
Our Melbourne 2050
Best team
The Puppets
Trackers of Ochryinchus
Patterns of light and shade – the super 8 film festival
Holiday
It wasn’t me
Most innovative project
a novelty
Mysterious Mysteries
Shelf Life Gallery
Living Space
Talking Books
Best project starting with the letter M
The Maids
Malta
The Manor
Mysterious Mysteries
Made in a hidden space
Best interpretation of the theme Hidden Spaces
a novelty
Spider Spaces
Shelf Life Gallery
Random Reading
Living space
Most panicked appearance in the MUDFEST office
Nominees announced on the night
Best special event
Locked in the musical
Patterns of light and shade – the super 8 film festival
Hierachy
Jemmima Puddleduck
24 Hour film shoot
Project we’d like to see go on and have a further life
Holiday
Malta
Hangman
La Promenade des genes betes
Into the Unknown
Remember voting is active until 9pm tomorrow night and is done in the club
What would these walls say if they could speak? What words would they choose to express themselves? Words of Walls looks at the world more poetically. It asks the passer-by to see the stories, the poetry and the imaginary in their everyday, urban environment.
Everyday we are faced with choices, stretching from the profound “what do I want to be?” to the mundane “one sugar or two?” Hangman, billed as “a comedy…about torture”, questions the choices we choose to make important and the reasoning that goes into making these decisions.
As the audience filed in, the all male cast was already on stage in a set reminiscent of a messy 1970’s office using props such as a rusty saw, petrol can, air pump and croquet mallet to mime torture methods. A fellow audience member remarked the repetitive music made it “like a DVD title menu”.
We follow newcomer, Alphonse, (Luke McMahon) into an underground government organisation, staffed with “the best of the best” which is seemingly frozen at a point in time but at the same time transcends any particular time. Orwellian rhetoric such as “we cannot be compromised” is repeated whilst Eddy’s (Kerry Glennon) references to “the war” could apply to any conflict. Each character has different reasons for inflicting torture: duty, past experiences and personal weakness. Puccini’s Nessum Dorma is used in a similar role to Beethoven in Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange: as the cue for the torturous interrogations to begin.
Al Green’s dramatic lighting design was very effective in dividing the set and highlighting the tension in the interrogations scenes: the defensive silence maintained by the victim being interpreted by the interrogators as a threat. The Victim (Will Stanton), who silently presides over the entire play via videolink, should be commending for maintained his composure throughout the entire 60 minutes. The set was a good use of the space however non-tiered seating made front row seats very sought after.
I felt the characters of McDeath and Eddy were too forceful at times – subtlety would have been more effective. Ben Volchok as the mute Lexington Chase made good use of his movements and gestures to make his presence felt without saying a word. The timing of the ensemble was excellent and there was certainly no holding back in the more physically violent scenes. The neutral accents were also a welcome detail. Kerry Glennon looked every inch the turtle necked 70’s nerd, however, more attention to detail in make up and costumes in general would have aided the visuals. There was good use of the video link to show characters’ inner emotions
The humour was to be found in the bizarre group dynamics and ethical dilemmas faced by the characters as they approach the subject of torture. There is even a swipe at bureaucracy when the team’s interrogations are hampered by the absence of a report from another division that will never come. Alphonse’s internal dilemma of trying to retain outside values in this insane world where the enemy changes but the job description doesn’t dares the audience to make a choice and live with the consequences. Even if it means we are letting the innocent be tortured for the greater good. After all, “the only bad choice is no choice at all”. An enjoyable exploration of a confronting subject matter which far from trivialising it; leaves you with plenty to mull over.
“Akin to a life sized game of Cluedo, complete with caseboard located outside the Open Stage and suspects with alliterated names, this fun whodunit is well worth a lunchtime!”
MUDFEST11 Mud Cake Award Nominations Officially Open!!
Closing night is fast approaching which means MUDFEST artists will soon be able to revel in their glory as MUDFEST11 celebrates its night of nights with the presentation of the coveted MUDFEST11 Mud cakes!
These prestigious awards include categories such as “Best interpretation of the theme,” “Most Innovative Project” and of course the classic “Most panicked appearance in the MUDFEST office.”
The eminence of these awards means that we need as much help as we can get in making sure they go to the most deserving recipients and so we need you to tell us who you think has won the right to victory!
Categories include:
The visual artists pick of performances
and The performances pick of visual arts
At MUDFEST we whole heartedly believe in cultivating positive cross-medium relations and so we have given visual artists and performers the chance to express their love and respect for each other with this award. Please do your bit to support this great cause and nominate!
Most innovative project MUDFEST is a big believer in promoting the latest and greatest in the artistic field, in fact the raison d’être of MUDFEST is to showcase the creative spirit of Melbourne University Students. In keeping with this aim this award will recognise brave artists with pioneering spirit and the courage to explore the unknown realms of artistic creation
Best interpretation of the theme Hidden Spaces
MUDFEST11 isn’t just a random collection of acts thrown together and connected only by the MUDFEST name. The concept of Hidden Spaces has run through all of the MUDFEST events connecting each act in an intricate artistic web. We want to acknowledge those who helped to promote the noble cause of unity in diversity by best interpreting the theme of the festival.
Project we’d like to see go on and have a further life
We don’t want MUDFEST11 to end with the final drink call on closing night. Don’t give artists the chance to fall into post-MUDFEST depression, nominate them and help them to see that there is life beyond MUDFEST.
Best event
This award is pretty straightforward – which MUDFEST artist do you think has been simply the best?
Nominations are held exclusively at the Festival Club @ Open Stage Theatre, Arts Centre 7pm – 11pm, Tuesday to Saturday, all through MUDFEST – so come and voice your opinion, support your fellow artists and then chill out in a deckchair with a much deserved drink!
Children of Letterboxers present a unique interactive literature experience that meshes text and treasure hunt.
A Novelty embodies a new kind of writing in which small chapters and written fragments are hidden in urban environments for participants to collect and collate.
A Novelty has been specially created for Mudfest11, and will inhabit hidden spaces throughout the grounds of the University of Melbourne Parkville Campus from the 10th to the 29th of August, 2009.
