The bestest friend I ever had...



Photo: Auckland 1991



HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BEAUTIFUL MUM

Today is all about you ♥

Our darkest hour...

I'm sharing a blog that Rebecca Sparrow has kindly posted to keep everyone updated.  I know my family and friends overseas and interstate are concerned.  I'm concerned for our city and state and my dear friends, many of whom are currently cut off and/or affected or will possibly be affected by this worsening situation.  I thought this was worth sharing...

"We are facing one of our toughest ever tests; now is not a time for panic, now is a time to stick together,’ said the Premier. “Now is the time to be reaching out to friends and offering help and where necessary, a bed for the night over the coming 2-3 days.”

Read the full article here

Midnight rambler bracing for the worst to come...

Stay safe ♥

GALA/FINAL - SHORT + SWEET THEATRE



S+S cast

 What a week it’s been and so much to share.  Firstly, Saturday 20^th November was the Finals/Gala of the Short + Sweet Theatre Festival here in BrisVegas @ the Judith Wright Centre.  I was excited beyond words to not only be an audience participant for Week 2 of the top 20 on the Friday night but again at the final/Gala Award night on Saturday.   I not only witnessed some really amazing plays but my little play,The Corpse cannot Play was in the Top Ten alongside some of the best!

We were all winners in effect, just having made it into the top 30 was something of an achievement for all of the entrants and congrats to all those who did.  It’s been a top festival and something I’m been very proud to be a part of. 

It’s great to support local theatre and all of the arts for that matter and even if I hadn’t had a play performing,  Short + Sweet  Theatre is well worth buying a ticket for.  You get bite size chunks of theatre from all different genres and no chance to get bored as none of them go longer than ten minutes and what a variety you get to see over one night.  Ten plays, all different.  Some make you laugh, others cry and maybe even shiver with excitement or creeping fear.  It’s great and I for one will be supporting this every year whether I have a play being performed or not.

It was wonderful having so many of my friends come along in support for my play but also for supporting other artists, writers, actors, and directors while being entertained.

Thanks to the awesome Short +Sweet crew, Candice Diana and Sean Dennehy and the many more who I didn’t get to meet.

And now for the winners:

Nuns Gone Wild

The Short+Sweet Award Presented to the best overall production - taking into consideration acting, directing and script - performed at the Gala Final.

Nuns Gone Wild

Writer: Leon Foo

Director: Tim Driver

Cast: Bronwyn Morrow, Barbara Chaffe, Marion Welsch

Best Comedy Presented to the writer of the Best Comedy performed at the Gala Final.

Nuns Gone Wild

Writer: Leon Foo

Director: Tim Driver

Cast: Bronwyn Morrow, Barbara Chaffe, Marion Welsch

Best Drama Presented to the writer of the Best Drama performed at the Gala Final.

The Devil’s Aftershave

Writer: Pete Malicki

Director: Matthew Filkins

Cast: Jeremy Wood.

Michelle Miall & Sean Dennehy

Best Director Presented to the Best Director of plays performed at the Gala Final.

Michelle Miall 

for

Lifetime

Writer: Angie Farrow

Sound Designer: Cameron Rollo

Cast: Dirk Hoult, Emma Che Martin.

Best Actor (male) Presented to the actor who gave the most outstanding performance throughout the festival.

Jeremy Wood

for

The Devil’s Aftershave

Writer: Pete Malicki

Director: Matthew Filkins

Cast: Jeremy Wood.

Best Actor (female) Presented to the actor who gave the most outstanding performance throughout the festival.

Bronwyn Morrow

for

Nuns Gone Wild

Writer: Leon Foo

Director: Tim Driver

Cast: Bronwyn Morrow, Barbara Chaffe, Marion Welsch

The Wildcards Winner The play judged to be the best overall production (taking into consideration acting, directing and script) performed during the Wildcards.

Queen Of De Nile

Wrought Iron Productions

Writer: Carmen Cuskelly

Director: Christopher Cherry

Cast: Carmen Cuskelly

Best New Talent Presented to an emerging writer, director or actor who performed outstandingly either at the Gala Final or during the festival.

Marion Welsch

for

Scissors. Paper. Rock.

Writer: Marion Welsch

Director: Marion Welsch

Little Black Duck Productions

and

Nuns Gone Wild

Writer: Leon Foo

Director: Tim Driver

Cast: Bronwyn Morrow, Barbara Chaffe, Marion Welsch

Best ITC Presented to the Independent Theatre Company who presented the most outstanding overall production either at the Gala Final or throughout the festival.

Testy

Wrought Iron Productions

Concept: Christopher Cherry

Writer: Carmen Cuskelly

Director: Christopher Cherry

Cast: Chris Holt, Adam Drake, Christopher Cherry, Fabienne Drake, Evie Richards.

 and

Queen Of De Nile

Wrought Iron Productions

Writer: Carmen Cuskelly

Director: Christopher Cherry

Cast: Carmen Cuskelly

People’s Choice Award For the most popular play as voted by audiences throughout the festival.

Testy

Wrought Iron Productions

Concept: Christopher Cherry

Writer: Carmen Cuskelly

Director: Christopher Cherry

Cast: Chris Holt, Adam Drake, Christopher Cherry, Fabienne Drake, Evie Richards.

Congrats to all and now can’t wait for next year :)

Midnight rambler is planning.

The Corpse cannot Play



Just some of the lovely audience...

More pix of celebration from the 'Wildcard' session of The Corspe cannot Play held at the Judith Wright Centre for the Contemporary Arts Saturday 13th November can be found here

Professionals shot of the dress rehearsal coming soon...Stay tuned

Midnight rambler contemplating writing some story beats

RETREAT NEWS...

Finally the retreat news is up...click here

Am currently working on getting some writing and travel related pictures up.  Watch this space...

Worlds + conventions + writers + bar + alcohol = good times and dancing magickal faeries armed with pixie dust…

Having just got back from AussieCon 4 (the 68th World Science Fiction Convention) held at the MCEC in Melbourne, I think it is fair to say I had a blast along with my fellow comrades from Writers on the Edge, Ladies Wot Write, and the graduates of Clarion South pre and post 2007. For the most part, most of them were present (even one from as far as the US) but perhaps not all at the one time.





My writing buddies from LWW - Moi with Jane Domagala, Rebecca Livesey and Sharon Phillips
~Photo by: Jane Domagala



 












Sean Williams, mentor, buddy and just the best guy ever and (oh, a brilliant writer) was unable to make it due to being seriously ill. He was missed big time by soooo' many people! And I know how disappointed he was to have missed it.

Fellow Edgers: Nea Beauville, Deb Kelly and Chris McMahon
~ Photo by: Jason Nahrung

Fellow Clarionite, Ben Francisco and Moi
~ Photo by: Jane Domagala

  
















I attended both the Ditmars and the Hugos and was honoured to be amongst so many talented writers. Many of the nominated were my writing buddies, mentors and peers and quite a few of them brought home awards. YAY!

The Ditmar winners can be found here
The Hugo Winners can be found here

Moi with the lovely, Jane Domagala
~ Photo by: Jane Domagala

I made a promise to myself to travel light and buy no books! Is that a dumb idea or what? Of course I had to buy books…but space was limited so I only managed five which considering my severe lack of space in my bag, that was a pretty good effort. I have had to order the rest I wanted online.

The thing with World Con (which was brilliant by the way) is that it was so spread out. There were so many people (new friends and old) that I was hankering to hang out with, but it just wasn’t always possible. Most times it was snatches of hugs, conversation and waving from the distance - still brilliant either way.



Rob Shearman reading his delightful story
'One Last Love Song'
~ Photo by: Jason Nahrung

For as many panels, book signings, book launches and readings that I attended there was equally, if not more, I missed. If I could have split myself into several pieces, I would have seen and done a lot more. But alas, there is only one of me.

It was quite fun getting kicked out of the bar at 2am on more than one occasion or not depending on how you look at it. But those of us who were kicked out (you know who you are) would all agree that it was fun :)

Oh, and I lied – there were no dancing magickal faeries except for the really drunk one dancing on the bar (ahem, you know who you are) ;)

The five days rolled around all too quickly - then depart Melbourne for BrisVegas:

• Home for one day – quick changeover of clothes and off again…
• Join me next post for Writers on the Edge annual retreat…

Midnight rambler off ‘into the wild’

And the winner is....

Listen here for Sarah Blasko who won best female artist award at the Arias last night. Her album 'As day follows night' and particularly the featured song here speaks to me in volumes and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Sarah is a brilliant artist and her album is fabulous!

I actually missed the ARia's last night as I caught up with a friend. An oldie but a goodie. We have a lot of great history and it was excellent to sit and talk about music, gigs, festivals and great musicians including how bad we play the guitar. Well I should say how badly I play the guitar. We always pick up where we left off which could be a week, months and up until recent times it was years. They are the best kind of friendships don't you think? We forgive each other for our slackness/busyness and pick up the thread like a dropped stitch. If you pick it up freely, easily and with love, these friendships never unravel.

So...back to the Aria's. I'm not sure I missed much - caught the last half hour and gorgeous Rove wore a shirt that seriously sucked and I couldn't take him seriously! Hang on! Can I ever take Rove seriously? Caught Kiwi chick 'Ladyhawke' who picked up an award for Breakthrough ARtist. She rox but needs to reconsider those panda eyes!



And what was with the presenters? Kate Ritche and Gyton Grantley, they just didn't seem to fit but then hey, I did miss practically the entire show and seeing things out of context can have detrimental results. Yes, I'm nitpicking - I guess that's the point I'm trying to make. We often criticise things especially when we see or hear snippets of conversation, whether it be TV programmes, overhearing the distressed mother or dissatisfied wife in a coffee shop and so on...

I'm sure the Aria's was fun and I'm just stoked other great bands like 'Empire of the Sun' picked up so many awards. There were so many great contenders, the lovely Lisa Mitchell, Eskimo Joe, (I was a tad disappointed they didn't pick something up) and too many others to mention here. Click the link above to visit the ARia site for more details...

Rock on to friendship, OZ music and Sarah Blasko!!


Time to stop rambling
Midnight rambler signing off...