CUT & PASTE

This kind of Cut & Paste won’t give you RSI – hopefully – and will instead hand over a mishmash night of raw theatre from Sydney’s up-and-coming stars of the stage. Phil Spencer tells us more.

What is the meaning of Cut & Paste? Here at TRS (Tamarama Rock Surfers) we came up with the idea of a night of theatrical scraps, readings and work-in-progress showings and needed a snappy title. We thought Cut & Paste worked – sort of DIY, makes it sound like you’ll need to bring scissors and glue sticks along. But actually you just bring $10 and some enthusiasm to see rough ideas for shows.

Why did Sydney need such an event? Because there are lots of very exciting independent theatre makers in Sydney making a wide range of new work and it’s good to get together and share stuff, generate dialogue and drink a beer. If you look around at any vibrant or progressive theatre community there are always places and spaces for artists to try ideas out and take a punt. Amazing plays or performance work never falls out of the sky, artists need platforms in order to take risks and experiment. In the long run the pay-off is fantastic.

The most surprising moment to date? Last Cut & Paste we had the US cult comic hero Dr Brown. I think he lost about a pint of blood. It was surprising and weird, but in a funny way.

What can we expect from #7? We’ve got seven acts all up. It’ll be jam packed with short stories, staged readings and musical comedy. I’m especially looking forward to seeing what Sarah Hodgetts and David Adlam have cooked up next, last time I saw the pair of them someone was dressed as a giant cauliflower.

May 8, 8pm, The Old Fitzory Theatre, cnr Cathedral & Dowling Sts, Woolloomooloo, $10, rocksurfers.org