September 27, 2010
theatre ticket giveaway - 30 double passes to be won!
When theatre is good it can last with you for a lifetime. And it's nothing to do with the size of the venue or the number of performers. I distinctly remember being entranced by a play at the Belvoir St Theatre about ten years ago. It was about a family trying to escape Iran during the revolution. The cast was small and the set makeshift, but I can still see the boy and girl climbing out the window, trying to escape. Likewise I can hear the voices of all the different players from when I watched Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood a few years earlier.
It's been a while since I've been to the theatre, but I'm going later this week to see Tori Dixon-Whittle's one-woman show, Songs For Sylvie, and I can't wait! The play has travelled from Melbourne to Sydney and will be at the Seymour Centre on Thursday 30 September, Friday 1 and Saturday 2 October. Tickets are from $24.
But as a reader of Daily Imprint, you could win one of 10 double passes for each night - that's 30 x double passes in total to be won!
All you have to do is leave a comment and I will draw the winner's names at random. But, let's make it a little fun and interesting. Tell me about one of your favourite theatre experiences.
PS I've had some people who receive the blog via email respond with their comments that way. That's fine too. Or you can email me directly at natalie[at]nataliewalton.com
PPS I'm off to see the performance tonight. For those of you who have commented please contact me via email natalie[at]nataliewalton.com so I can get your full name and contact details and ensure you get access to tickets. Thanks!
And, in case you missed it, here's the original Daily Imprint interview with Tori Dixon-Whittle...
Which five words best describe you? Determined, loving, calm, life-long-learner, energetic.
What was your first career job and what path have you taken since? This necessitates a long answer as I've walked a very varied path! Firstly, I never really had a "career" job, I've always been interested in a great many things and have sought to explore as much as I can through my work... My first job, though, I had whilst I was still at school. It was at a nursing home, starting at 6am on a Sunday morning (!!). I was responsible for bed-making, food tray delivering, dining room table setting, meal preparation & serving, dishwashing & general cleaning up for 80 patients - it was a hard slog!! But I have never been afraid of hard work. And I realise in retrospect that I've always been interested in the subtleties of human existence, the tapestry of human life & despite the mundanities of this job, it was rich in stories of life. The Russian immigrant who wrote me letters about his past in a wonderful spidery hand, inspired by the fact he had a fresh ear eager to hear his tales; the dear old thing devastated by the betrayal of her memory, slipping through her fingers day by day, unsure each morning if she had had her breakfast or not; the dribbling old-before-his-time sixty-year-old who couldn't understand why I didn't want his help to dry the dishes! I am fascinated by the human condition & here it was an endless source, in fact. Some of the other roads I have walked: I was an actor for 16 years (starting as a little girl) - film, TV & theatre; I set up, cooked in & ran Tin Cat Cafe in Adelaide; I designed & manufactured bed linen & pyjamas for my homewares stores, Hallo Home wares; I have renovated over 20 properties; I have been actively involved in sourcing & importing furniture & objects for my partner, David Bromley & my store, A Day on Earth; I have designed, manufactured & retailed children's clothing under my label Velo Rouge; I homeschooled our daughter Holly for a year; & I started writing a year ago ... from which my one-person play, Songs for Sylvie has been born. Writing allows me to explore and marry many of my passions: from the science & psychology of the human brain through to horticulture, classical literature through to business ... And finally, in amongst this I am involved in the creative whirlwind that David whips up too.
What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? Never give up! There is always a way to make it happen.
What’s your proudest career achievement? It would have to be writing my own one-person play whilst at the same time actively raising my 3 beautiful children.
What’s been your best decision? To have children.
Who inspires you? My partner David - an amazing creative genius - after 17 years together he still astounds me with what he conjures, the breadth & beauty of his vision I find truly inspiring ... and our children - so clear, so passionate, so loving.
What are you passionate about? Those dear to me, learning about & living life fully so as to make the most of my time on this earth. Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? Oh there are many people I would love to meet from lots of different fields/persuasions/arenas, from Cate Blanchett (in saying that I have briefly met her,but really its not just about saying you've met someone is it? It's about being given an opportunity to spend some time with them!), to Fiona Wood (Perth neurosurgeon with 6 children!). But I suppose if I had to pick just one, I'd go with Socrates ... and part of the deal would have to be that I went back to his time - to see how he integrated with Greek society, to observe how he dealt with people's scepticism ... to learn from how he did not allow himself to be swayed from his pursuit of the truth.
What dream do you still want to fulfil? To fully explore the possibilities within my writing and performing.
What are you reading? This is Your Brain on Music.
images courtesy of songs for sylvie