Toby
TOBY
Written by: Abe Pogos
Directed by: Louise Howlett
Presented by: La Mama Theatre, March 2021
Produced by: ReAction Theatre
God put you here to embody all that’s vile in the hearts of men.
Toby is a social outcast living in a dark and disturbing land. Robbed by his best friend, hounded by the authorities, and branded a gypsy, Toby traverses a difficult path, unearthing more about virtue and honesty than he anticipated.
This classic tale, by award-winning writer Abe Pogos, refocuses and sharpens our thoughts about what it is to be the other in a heartless world.
TOBY was first published in 2004 and explores some of the darker and less impressive aspects of human nature, the so-called ‘dark triad’ of traits - narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. It tells the poignant and eerily all too familiar tale of how individuals in positions of power can manipulate public perceptions and erode culture from the inside out.
Performed by: Alex Tomisich, Sam Stopforth, Pat McAuliffe, Meg McKibbin, Iris Gaillard, and Adam May
Costume designer: Jeremy Pryles
Set design: Jacob Sandom
Sound designer: Sidney Millar
Lighting designer: Shane Grant
Lighting Intern: Giovanna Yate Gonzalez
Stage Manager: Steph Young
Further information here.
Isolation In Lockdown
Actor: Hannah Ruthven
ISOLATION in LOCKDOWN
It’s Lockdown, and a Melbourne teenager is at breaking point. She retreats to the bathroom to find some isolation, forming an unlikely friendship with an unobtrusive member of the household. Together they prove that imagination can take you everywhere.
Written by Donna Hughes
Directed by Louise Howlett
Filmed, edited, and performed by Hannah Ruthven
Appropriate Kissing for all occasions
“ ...utterly brilliant.”
APPROPRIATE KISSING FOR ALL OCCASIONS by David Finnigan and Isab Martinez
Directed and produced by Louise Howlett
Melbourne Fringe - September 2017
Intimacy, love and yearning - from two very different perspectives!
For Melbourne Fringe 2017, ReAction Theatre presented two provocative short works Appropriate Kissing for All Occasions and To heat you up and cool you down by playwrights David Finnigan (Griffin Theatre Award Winner for 2017) and Isab Martinez.
These two pieces lay bare the deep desires that propel us to experience physical and emotional closeness with another human being. They are both enigmatic and transcendent, revealing something completely unique about human connection.
Appropriate Kissing for All Occasions
At long last, after waiting what feels like your whole life for help, we have the ultimate LECTURE for you on HOW TO KISS. Our intimacy coach will guide and assist you; she will arm you with tactics so that you will always be prepared. Roll up your sleeves, it’s time to get to work!
To heat you up and cool you down
Jump to a cheap café - rush hour, two waitresses take orders, make drinks, serve food, talk... but behind their conversations is a fragmented jumble of thoughts, desires, emotions and impulses. The whispering voices of their minds will sweep you into the emotional turmoil that lies beneath the mysterious laws of attraction.
CAST
Christina McLachlan
Erin Pattison
Laura McAloney
LIGHTING DESIGN: Dean Commons
PUBLICITY IMAGE: Thomas Saar
PHOTOGRAPHY: Angel Leggas
AWARDS
David Finnigan is a Churchill Fellow (2012) and an Australia Council Early Career Fellow (2014-16).
BOMB THE BASE
“‘Bomb The Base’ is a wonderfully crafted production. Howlett has indeed succeeded in ‘unpacking Alice’s weighty baggage’ by boldly exploring the multiple emotional levels of her historical journey. ”
BOMB THE BASE by Mark Andrew
Directed and produced by Louise Howlett
Melbourne Fringe Festival - October 2011
Studio 246, Brunswick
Alice is an expert in modern political history. Returning from her policy job in Washington DC for her Uncle’s funeral, will she prove as adept with family history?
During a jet-lagged re-entry to life in Melbourne, Alice realises much has altered. She spends time reconnecting with her family, picking away at the truths about the ties that bind us together. Time away from Australia has also given her a new perspective on our biggest ally – are we being swallowed whole as the 51st State?
As Alice withdraws deeper into her past, she recreates long forgotten pictures of relationships built on power and trust. If the perceptual store of early childhood forms the ‘iron capital’ of adult imagination, then for Alice it’s time to realise the whole truth.
CAST
Pilot (Voice Over): Guy May
Alice: Christina Walls
Mum: Janet Watson Kruse
Dad: Peter Taranto
Eddie: Dyllan Corbett
Professor: Charlie Schneeberger
CREW
Stage Management: Amber Hart
Assistant Stage Management: Lawrence Blakeley
Lighting and Sound Design: Richard Lyford-Pike
Photography: Filip Konikowski
proof
(Pact House Productions)
PROOF by David Auburn
Directed by Louise Howlett
Produced by Alex Upton and Natalie Gee
July 2010
Mechanics Institute Brunswick
Catherine has inherited her late father’s mathematical brilliance, but she is haunted by the fear that she might also share his debilitating mental illness. She has spent years caring for her now-deceased father, and upon his death, she feels left alone to pick up the pieces of her life without him. Caught between a new-found connection with Hal, one of her father’s former students, and the reappearance of her sister, Claire, Catherine finds both her world and her mind growing increasingly unstable. Then Hal discovers a groundbreaking proof among the 103 notebooks Catherine’s father left behind, and Catherine is forced to further question how much of her father’s genius or madness will she inherit. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, David Auburn’s Proof is a passionate, intelligent story about fathers and daughters, the nature of genius, and the power of love.
CAST
Catherine: Natalie Gee
Robert: Serge DeNardo
Hal: Alex Upton
Claire: Christina Walls
CREW
Stage Management: Andris Toppe
Assistant Stage Management: Jessica Zammit
Assistant Stage Hands: Daniel Congdon, Jordan Hallewell, Ben Howlett
CREATIVES
Set Designers: Kate Gore, Stephanie Milne
Lighting and Sound Design: Michael Jewell
Photography: Filip Konikowski
At the water's edge
“Howlett assembled a talented cast of nine to bring At the Water’s Edge to life...the actors successfully bounced off one-another and engaged the audience through both humour and drama. Having several of the cast members appear in multiple pieces contributed to the grass-roots atmosphere of the production, as audiences got a glimpse into the way in which actors move between stories and characters. ”
AT THE WATER'S EDGE
Seven short works for the Palais Theatre's 85th Anniversary Celebration
Directed and Produced by Louise Howlett
November 2012
Palais Theatre, St Kilda
Palais Theatre presents ReAction Theatre’s production of ‘At the Water’s Edge’: a collection of short plays by local and international award-winning playwrights, celebrating life by the water.
Experience the loss and heartbreak of Sarah’s shattered relationship, Walter’s joy at finding his soul mate in the most unexpected place, Fred’s pleasure at embracing his nakedness, English backpackers smizing and a sexy string of sausages! The stories will shimmer and shine with their realness and raw intimacy. As diverse as St Kilda itself, you will be taken on a roller coaster ride into the melting pot of life.
Featuring:
Buddha by Katharine Houghton - star of ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner’, niece of Katharine Hepburn, actress, playwright.
A Lonely Impulse of Delight by John Patrick Shanley – Pulitzer Prize/Tony Award winning writer of ‘Doubt: A Parable’, Director of ‘Doubt’ film starring Meryl Streep.
Natural Justice by Mark Andrew; The First Fireworks by Alex Broun; Walking Dead by David Kemp; Sausages by Rebecca Lister
and The Sunburnt Country by Camilla Maxwell.
CAST
Alicia Beckhurst
Lee Beckhurst
Josie Eberhard
Danelle Lee
Lee McClenaghan
Harriet James
Charlie Schneeberger
Brenton Wade
Zac Zavod
CREW
Stage Management: Amber Hart, Canada White
Assistant Stage Hand: Lawrence Blakeley
CREATIVES
Set Designer: Kate Ferguson
Lighting and Sound Design: Richard Lyford-Pike
Photography: Sarah Walker
Heart thy neighbour
HEART THY NEIGHBOUR by Camilla Maxwell
Melbourne Fringe Festival (2013) and Melbourne Comedy Festival (2014)
Directed and Produced by Louise Howlett
Sketch and Tulip / Metanoia Theatre
Forget 'Don’s Party,' this is Doug’s barbie. The hot new comedy from acclaimed playwright Camilla Maxwell.
It’s a glorious day for a neighbourly catch-up, but at this BBQ more than wine will be spilled. Luckily there is plenty of it, even enough to share with the unwanted, uninvited neighbours! Only the lucky ones will leave with a chop and dignity intact.
With ‘Heart Thy Neighbour’ treat yourself to a saucy, sizzling backyard BBQ like no other - one that will leave your ribs both tickled and barbequed!
CAST
Eliza: Katie Bull (Fringe) and Catherine Larcey (Comedy Festival)
Doug: Jim Koutsoukos
Rossco: Greg Pandelidis
Fitzo: Taylor James
Sarina: Arta Mucaj
CREW
Stage Management: Amber Hart (Fringe) and Kat Anastasiou-Bell (Comedy)
Assistant Stage Hand: Beth Paterson
CREATIVES
Lighting, Sound Design and Special Effects: Richard Lyford-Pike
Music Composition: Clare Fogarty, Hayden Dun, Daniel Aguiar and Natalie Jeffreys
Photography: Sarah Walker, Teri Cooper, Angel Leggas
Digital Set Design: Tony Paterson
Publicity: Teri Cooper (Scoot Communications)
Poster Design: Nathan Toovey (Studio Jack)