WAAPA YEARBOOK #5

During my experience at Waapa, every year there was a big production staged that would take two performing slots to get onto it's feet. It was referred to as the Mid Year Musical.

Whilst other productions were usually smaller in scale, the Mid Year was designed to create a similar experience to the types of commercial musicals that make the big stages of the world.

Naturally this meant there would be a principal cast and an ensemble cast so both the 3rd years and 2nd years would combine to create the full cast.

The remaining 1st years, like me and my classmates, were assigned backstage jobs for the production which could be in wardrobe, staging, audio and lighting and so on.

I was placed into the backstage crew and it was still quite nerve wracking back there as a lot of the scenery and props had to be manually positioned on the stage in a very short time and that included striking what was on there in the first place. It was well drilled and well orchestrated and all happened in a systematic way.

The set itself was centred around a big block construction that had panels placed on it to for the Office scenes and the House scenes.

This was also stripped back for the raunchy Hernando's Hideaway number.

When creating the office scene the stage crew had to run up those stairs with desks and typewriters and the like as performers scuttled down to get out of the way.


But it was great to be a part of the production in some way during its run and to be given responsibilities that were completely different and virtually unknown to me prior to that experience. It was also a good way to get to work alongside the other students, not only the other performers, but across the staging people and the musicians as well.

I recall during a rehearsal, a backdrop was being lowered, and a female lead who was in discussion as she was leaving the stage walked under it. There were calls shouted out as some technical folks could see the impending disaster but it was not quick enough and the set landed right on her head. It clearly hurt her but not in a very serious way but everyone was extremely concerned. She handled the whole thing very well and did not get angry at anyone except herself and I found that pretty impressive. She continued with the rehearsal as normal but I'm sure she was in some sort of pain throughout.

I think the Mid Year was the type of show I like the most when it comes to theatre, the whole dance spectacular and the comedy and the glamour so I was looking forward to my own experiences in the next two Mid Years to come. But I really enjoyed the experience backstage and got a really good feel for that theatre and how everything all works behind the scenes.



But in all honesty, I was still the spectator at heart and I was as star struck then, backstage at Waapa, as I was in any seat of any theatre watching this thing called a Musical.

I waited to laugh at the same gags every night and found delight every time, and also listening to the audience and waiting for their similar reactions every night to the action on the stage.

I loved watching the routines and the flurry of colour from the sides as much as I usually did from the front.
I loved it all, and I was drawn to the charismatic leads like any of the Hollywood matinee idols from the great classics.

As much as I felt like I was a part of it, I still felt that I was a bit of an impostor because of that, but that was all part of the process of being there I guess.


It has been a joy to be able to go to the big theatres today and still enjoy the talents of these people.

So that was my first experience of the Mid Year and of course the moment it ended there was a big party followed by a 4 week break and so flights were booked to head back home.

Half the year was already over.

J G S

GARDEN PALACE BOOK UPDATE #17

So another whirl wind week with very little progress to report.

I have made it a priority to complete Chapter Six this week but I can report that by passing the half way point of Chapter 6 last week we are indeed half way through the rewrite!

That's very exciting and a huge effort.

But there is so much further to go and I really need to start giving Nana Sakata some inspiration to get her awesome sketches beginning to come to life.

In the current chapter titled The Chief Of Security, we see a very sudden change in this role at the Garden Palace which was held for quite a while by a very likable lady.

The decision was made by the Executive of the portfolio but what remains unclear is the actual  reasoning for it.

Officially, a breach of the code of conduct is cited, but on the surface it seems to be quite a trumped-up charge.

Nonetheless a replacement is urgently required to act in the role and one of the newest recruits in Security is chosen, Terrence Knight, which causes great disdain amongst the other men in Security.

Our hero, Max, is certain he had seen this man attend a preview at the Palace alongside the Executive doing the hiring and he senses something about it just doesn't smell right.

It's just another mystery contained within the walls of the Garden Palace.

But does Knight have the best interests of the building at heart or is this his way of being just one more step closer to achieving his ultimate plan?

One thing is for certain, there is more than meets the eye in this place.

J G S

J G S HABITAT #5

Well another week has come and gone and I must say it has been eventful to say the least.

I have been having a lot of problems with my Wifi this week and many blogs are delayed and I am trying to catch up as quick as I can.

Last weekend was a bit of a fizzer with the rain continuing to get us down in Sydney.

On Saturday I didn't really do much more than tidy up around the house before heading out to watch the Rugby at a local pub. I was very glad to see the Wallabies take it to a decider against the Lions and met some interesting people in the process.

Sunday was not all that much different as the rain was still annoying but was beginning to clear, I was just making preparations by shopping and getting organised for the week ahead.

Monday was much nicer weather suddenly and I made my usual pilgrimage to Newtown Fitness First to watch the football that night whilst ploughing through on the cross trainer.

On Tuesday I was fortunate enough to be able to catch up with a friend for dinner and was given a little gift of some different tea's to try. Will leave that till the weekend though.

Wednesday brought what was probably the biggest highlight of the week. I went back to the Opera House for their annual staff Trivia Night. I had been a participant for the past 4 or 5 years and whilst it was great to assemble a table of friends for the fun of it, we never really gave it much of a shake. One year we did finish a random 10th which won us half a dozen bottles of wine which we all got together to share at a later date.

This year my friends still on staff, Nana and Ali, organised the team and I was an invited external guest. I hadn't been back to the building since January and it was nice to walk through the back areas again. We  catered our table well with a good mix of sweet and savoury and all drinks were $5 so I had a coupe of beers during the course of the evening, which was about 4 hours in duration.

There were 28 tables this year and the game was 3 rounds of questions plus a photo sheet where you had to guess who the people were and after the first Round our table was in 1st place with only 2 incorrect answers. We were delighted naturally and whilst happy with our answers, still surprised at the outcome. But after Round Two, despite feeling equally happy with our answers we had fallen back into 2nd Place but still very happy with that.

At the end of Round Three we were not feeling very confident, we had gotten a lot of answers wrong but were confident we got 5 out of 6 points for the last question which was about Daniel Craig. They also collected the Photo sheets and we were pretty confident we had about 23/26 for that. But the third round was our poorest result of the evening.

I was still pretty confident we would be in the top 5 but you only get prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd. We were still in there though when he read out 4th and when it wasn't our name, we knew we were now Top 3 and we'd won a prize! So we were very excited.

When he read out 3rd place and it wasn't us, we knew we had either held our 2nd position or we had actually won the whole kit and caboodle. Then he read out 2nd place, and it wasn't us. We had won! My first ever trivia night victory and it was amazing. The 8 of us got to share a prize that was a voucher at the Opera Bar worth $750. Very happy with that and I think most of us intend to get back together and enjoy the prize with a good expensive meal and a few drinks. Very happy effort.

Thursday was pretty much a downer after that and I was pretty exhausted and tired after the weeks events and crashed out watching Wimbledon at home. I have been still battling this bloody cold for 2 weeks and whilst its slowly improving it still has been preventing me from having my full strength and so I still haven't gotten back to doing weights. Next week should be fine.

Finally on Friday I had a friend in town for the night and so we caught up for dinner in a cool Japanese place near Pitt Street Mall then had drinks afterwards in the bar of the Boulevard Hotel on William Street. It's on the 25th Floor and had really cool views of the district.

So all in all a pretty cool week with a highlight or two to make it interesting.

So good to see the sun back in Sydney and supplying us with such glorious wintry afternoons.

See you next week

J G S

COMICAL CORNER #5 - FUNNY CATS (ii)

Well there was just too much on the Internet for one week of Funny Cats so here's part two :-)

So we started with a very dramatic Cat last week that walked on its hind legs in fright.



This week we have a dramatic cat straight out of a soap opera.

When that dramatic music plays, that classic soapy head turn and those dramatic all-eye expressions were the key to suspense and intrigue.

DRAMATIC CAT


Now there were many who concurred that we all love Grumpy Cat who has been linked to all kinds of other entities in its Internet saturation. For example...

A Presidential Grumpy Family Photo

A Grumpy Korean Pop Star


















And my personal favourite - a very Royal Grump

But Grumpy Cat is really a female cat called Tardar Sauce - No wonder she is grumpy.

Now for video number two!




This week's final video is that amazing stationary Stealth Cat.

In this clip the spooky theme from Jaws is attached to give it that extra flair. Can you see the puss move?

STEALTH CAT



Hope you enjoyed another week of kool kitties.

But sadly sometimes a really good photo of a cat is ruined by those who can't behave properly.

See you next week for some more laughs.

J G S

GRIPE NIGHT #17 - BETRAYAL

One thing I cannot stand is witnessing or being subject to betrayal.

When trust is given to an ally or friend or family member and is not only unappreciated but actually used as a way to bring about your demise, it is one of the worst features of human nature.

Why do we betray people? Why do we take advantage of the trust given so freely to us?

Is it human nature of the common variety or are those who conduct themselves freely in this fashion just  the scum of human kind?

Whether in love, or sport or the battle, whether in the workplace or in your social circles, betrayal is only one simple action away and is always manifested in the ones we expect it from the least.

For some betrayal comes after prolonged exposure to the hatred or annoyance of another being, for others it is a reflex knee jerk reaction to a simple act.

But how do we control betrayal? How do we decide when it's time to go that extra mile and annihilate?

Betrayal or backstabbing is the breaking or violation of a presumptive contract, trust, or confidence that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organizations or between individuals and organizations. 

Often betrayal is the act of supporting a rival group, or it is a complete break from previously decided upon or presumed norms by one party from the others. 

Someone who betrays others is commonly called a traitor or betrayer.

I witnessed a very low form of betrayal today and it was an ugly side of some one's character to see. But how fortunate to see a snake's true form and live to tell the tale. 

This makes you appreciate and value the true friendship you see in those you have chosen over the years to make up your life companions.

Those who betray will get what's coming.

J G S

SYDNEY INSIGHTS #17 - STADIUM AUSTRALIA

STADIUM AUSTRALIA is the scene of some of the greatest Australian sporting events of the 21st Century.

But this name is long since forgotten for this venue as naming rights have been sold a couple of times now and it has been known better by other names.

Currently it is known as ANZ STADIUM but has also previously been known as TELSTRA STADIUM.

STADIUM AUSTRALIA is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park, west of Sydney in Homebush Bay.

The stadium was completed in March 1999 at a cost of A$690 million to host the 2000 Summer Olympics. Every year since the stadium was built, the New South Wales rugby league team's home games in the State of Origin series have been played there as well as the annual National Rugby League grand final. ANZ Stadium also hosted the 2003 Rugby World Cup finals and Bledisloe Cup matches as well as regular Sydney Swans and Greater Western Sydney Giants AFL matches.

The stadium was originally built to temporarily hold 110,000 spectators, making it the largest Olympic Stadium ever built as well as the largest stadium in Australia. In 2003 reconfiguration work was completed to shorten the north and south wings, and install movable seating. These changes reduced the capacity to 83,500 for a rectangular field and 82,500 for an oval field (making it the second largest stadium in Australia, after the Melbourne Cricket Ground). Awnings were also added over the North and South stands, which means that now most of the seating is under cover. The stadium was also engineered along sustainable lines for example with the low use of steel in the roof structure in comparison to the Olympic stadiums of Athens and Beijing.

International Cricket made its debut at the venue on 1 February 2012 with an International Twenty20 cricket match between Australia and India.

The first sporting event held at the stadium was on 6 March 1999 when a then-record rugby league football crowd of 104,583 watched the NRL first round double-header, featuring Newcastle v Manly and Parramatta v St George Illawarra Dragons. The attendance broke the old record of 102,569 set at the Odsal Stadium in Bradford, England for the 1954 Challenge Cup Final replay between Warrington and Halifax.

The first musical act held at the newly built stadium was the Bee Gees consisting of Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb in March 1999. The band had embarked on what would be their final world tour as a group before the death of Maurice, the culmination of the tour ending in the newly built Olympic Stadium. The turnout crowd was 105,000+.

The stadium was not officially opened until June 1999 when the Australian National Soccer team played the FIFA All Stars. Australia won the match 3–2 in front of a crowd of 88,101. Stadium Australia also played host to the national side's historic playoff win over Uruguay in November 2005, a victory which granted Australia FIFA World Cup qualification for only the second time in the country's history. The event attracted a virtual capacity crowd of 82,698.

The 1999 Bledisloe Cup rugby union match between the Australian Wallabies and the New Zealand All Blacks attracted a then-world record rugby union crowd of 107,042. In 2000 this was bettered when an almost capacity crowd of 109,874 witnessed the All Blacks win over the Wallabies 39–35. 

On 7 August 1999, a National Football League (American Football) exhibition game called the American Bowl was played between the Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers, bringing home former Australian Football League player Darren Bennett, the Chargers' punter. The Broncos won the game 20–17 in front of 73,811 spectators. This was Australia's first, and currently only, American Bowl game.

The 1999 National Rugby League Grand Final, played on 26 September between the Melbourne Storm and the St George Illawarra Dragons, broke the rugby league world-record crowd previously set earlier in the season when 107,999 came to watch the Storm defeat the Dragons 20–18 to win their first NRL Premiership. 

During the 2000 Olympics, the evening track and field sessions on day 11 attracted 112,524 spectators on the night that Cathy Freeman won the Olympic Gold Medal for the Women's 400 metres. 

The opening ceremony for the 2000 Summer Olympics at the stadium completely sold out all 110,000 seats, while the highest attendance ever recorded was 114,714 during the closing ceremony of the same Games.

I myself enjoy heading out there 12 times a year as a member of the Bulldogs and watch 10 home games and 2 reciprocal away games against the Eels and the Rabbits.

A quick 5 minute train journey from Lidcombe station gets us to the precinct followed by a short walk to the stadium.

This Saturday night it will host one of the greatest nights of Rugby ever to be seen when the Wallabies take on the British and Irish Lions in the series decider of their Australian tour.

It's another sold out blockbuster, but Stadium Australia is no stranger to these huge spectacles.

J G S

NRL REVIEW ROUND 16

The Knights and the Bunnies were the big winners this weekend with both posting 30 point winning margins.

The Bunnies got theirs on Friday night when they smashed the Raiders 32-2. They are now 4 points clear and I'm sure they will now get the Minor Premiership.

The Saturday games saw closer margins but still very comprehensive wins. The Tigers were brilliant in the mud at Leichhardt and brought down the Premiers Melbourne in a big way 22-4. Later the Panthers held out a struggling Dragons side 25-10.

But Sunday saw the Knights triumph over the Titans in style 46-16. The Titans had been highly fancied and the Knight have been entirely inconsistent all year yet have now nabbed 8th spot on the ladder on for and against.

In what was for me the Match of the round, the Warriors kept their winning streak alive and pulled back the lead from a wayward pass by the Broncos to run the length of the field to score the winning try. the final score was 18-16 and it was a great game to watch.

Later that night the Cowboys beat the Sharks by a surprising 20 point margin but the game was mostly close till it blew out the end to a final score of 24-4. Not ready to say the Cowboys are back though.

Then finally tonight in a much anticipated game the Roosters fought a very physical fight with Manly and won 18-12 and saw them move into outright second place on the ladder. The Eagles certainly do play a rough game this year and were very physical in defence but it was their hapless attack that kept them out of the first half. There were some hideous head clashes and I think 4 players were out of the game because of them in the end including Daniel Mortimer.

Eels and Bulldogs had a rest this week and it was nice to give the nerves a rest for a week too.

Although this is a Rugby League blog, you can't ignore the awesome display of the Wallabies too on Saturday night. An inspiring 16-15 win keeping the Lions try less. Bring on Sydney this weekend!

So now the Ladder looks like this.... notice only 5 points separates 4th from 14th!

28 RABBITS
24 ROOSTERS
23 STORM
19 SEA EAGLES
18 TITANS
18 SHARKS
18 BULLDOGS
16 KNiGHTS
16 Panthers
16 Warriors
16 Raiders
14 Broncos
14 Cowboys
14 Tigers
12 Dragons
10 Eels

J G S