The GORGE-ing has begun!

Day one of Gorge '09 went well.

The luscious Libby O'Donovan was Mistress of Ceremonies and sang the show off to a good start after downing an audience member's beer in one! Yes, you can take drinks in to Gorge '09...

Framed within a set dripping with red and strawberries, Gorge '09 artistic directors, Daisy Brown and Chris Drummond,  gave the audience the back story to Gorge, the rules the artist had to work within  and a quick summary of how the night would run - and encouraged the audience to be interactive throughout.

Led by Libby like a lamb to slaughter, Alirio, as the featured writer of the night,  joined Daisy on the red couch. In an amusing question and answer routine (including multiple choice), the audience heard a little about Alirio's background - where he began, what his worst bad habit was - and his process as a writer and writing this script for Gorge '09.

Alirio's script (Conflict Under An Australian Quilt) was read by 3 local actors, Eliza Lovell, Brendan Rock and Rory Walker, with script directions by Chris Drummond. This set up for the two amazingly different interpretations of the script presented after interval by freelance director Dan Clarke (with actors Tamara Lee, Sahil Choujar and Mondli Makhoba) and freelance choreographer Aidan Munn (with dancers José Gonzalez, Glen McCurley and Rachel Mendham).

As part of the rules of Gorge, neither artist could have contact with the writer to discuss the script or question meaning or intention. During the interactive forum at the end the audience was treated with hearing the very different ways Dan and Aidan each went about interpreting the script they were given and bringing it to life onstage.

The success of Gorge is as much in the hands of the audience as it is those on stage and last night's audience got very much into the spirit of things. Marks will be given at the end of Gorge '09 for the best/loudest/most interactive audience!

Next on the chopping block is writer, Matt Cormack! Tonight Matt's script, Like Brothers in a Bathtub, will be interpreted by Unreasonable Adults and TheimaGen.