In Episode 30 Dave and Matt attend the opening night of The 100 where the comedy and body count climb steadily together. Directed by Conor Maxwell, assistant directed and written by Hazel Brooking, for this show we talk building farce into the construction of your play, the escalation of comedy, and puns. We would like to apologise to Charlotte Atherton, a piece of our recording was lost to unknown microphone issues where we were touching on her performance opposite Nick Hall and the sweet, endearing love the two of them portrayed on stage, so her lack of presence in this episode should not in any way reflect a criticism. This small Dynamite production only has a three shows left!

In Episode 29 Mel, Matt, and Dave attend the opening night of Slip of the Tongue’s production of Titus Andronicus as directed by Pip Smith. We talk sexy performances, the role of atmospheric music, and arterial blood spray. This week we try out a new format and have one of us take a more focussed lead to express all their thoughts, in this case Dave begins the discussion by honing in on some of his specific critiques before we widen the discussion to the rest of the production. Titus is on until the 3rd of September.

In Episode 28 Mel and Matt attend the opening night of State Highway 48 at Clarence Street Theatre We talk professional productions, the role of music, and anthropomorphised depression. State Highway 48 is on in Hamilton until the 27th of August, see the links below for the relevant details.

In Episode 27 Mel and Matt are joined by Director Pip Smith, and Actors Alec Forbes and Benny Marama to talk Slip of the Tongue’s upcoming production of Titus Andronicus. If you want to learn the real reason why Titus is happening, why the floors are so sticky, how to bleed the “right” way, and how this play is going to be “sexy as hell!”, then you’ll definitely want to check out this episode. Titus opens on August 26th at the meteor.

In Episode 26 Mel & Matt (sans Dave) are joined by lovely guest host Henry Ashby to discuss Musikmakers production of Beauty and the Beast directed by John Drummond. Join us as we dive into a discussion about this stage adaptation of the Disney classic, and the wonderful occasion of Musikmakers’ 40th Anniversary. The show is on until the 20th of August. See below for more details.

In Episode 25 the trio is back together! A couple of weeks ago Mel and Matt talked community; this week we’re all talking how theatre happens. We talk about the steps along the way to realising a production; ranging from acquiring rights, to auditions, rehearsals, and hell week. We wanted to hopefully shed some light on the process, and suggest a supportive atmosphere; so for those of you who’ve thought about getting involved but haven’t yet, take Mel’s advice: Just Do It! In the vein of building community discussions we wanted to talk about some of the fundamentals that, from an audience perspective can be invisible and inscrutable. Let us know in the comments about your experiences in making theatre happen! What things surprised you the most about the process when you first started doing it? Do you have a favourite moment from being involved in making a show happen?

in Episode 24 Mel and Matt (sans Dave) head along to The Meteor's The Prince and the Pea, adapted and directed by Benny Marama, music by Henry Ashby. This "for kids" re-telling of a classic Hans Christian Anderson tale is full of life, joy, music, laughs and boos. A fun show for kids and whoever brings them, this is a perfect way to spend some of your school holidays. Especially when put in the light of supporting our local theatre community. All proceeds go towards the Save the Meteor campaign. So coming along not only means a great time, it also means you get to help ensure that the great times continue.

In episode 23 Mel and Matt take a week out from busy lives and a whirlwind of seeing shows to catch up and chat. The initial pitch for this episode was to go inside Opening Night and talk about moments of theatre-related creativity from our own personal histories, and talk a bit about why we love this art so much. While we certainly do some of that, our conversation quickly turned into an extended discussion of what it means to be "community" theatre, and how we can all be supporting theatre in Hamilton. Core topics: Matt's revolutionary primary school acting career, Mel's first day directing, the role of social-media, and the importance of speaking up as an audience.

In Episode 22 of Opening Night Matt and Dave return from the opening night of Black Box Creative’s production of Spring Awakening directed by Mel Martin. We talk musicals, lighting, and approaching issues from multiple perspectives. With strong performances across the board - vocal & acting - and only so much podcast for discussion, we hone in on our personal highlights of the evening. Fair warning, as always, we talk spoilers! So, overall, did Spring Awakening "Touch [us]"? Or did we leave “Totally Fucked” off? Tune in and find out.

(Image: Clarence St Theatre, Ray Powell, 2016)