Short+Sweet Sydney returns in 2024 in a new venue with scores of short, sharp, tasty new 10-minute bites of funny, thrilling drama.
The “Biggest Little Theatre Festival in the World” - Australia’s own original export now in its 21st year and in 15 cities around the world - opens 15 February in an exciting, brand new Sydney venue, thanks to a groundbreaking partnership between Short+Sweet and TAFE NSW.
And it’s all looking like 5 out of 5!
The new venue, located at Turner Hall (19 Mary Ann St, Ultimo), is just a 10-minute walk from Central Station
and will be the setting for 10 weeks of all-new 10 minute short plays – up to 10 per performance, Thursday to Sunday, a week at a time.
This year’s festival promises to showcase and reward more talented creatives than ever.
Two new awards will be handed out weekly: a Best Performer award, picked by industry judges; and a Best Original Concept award, voted by audiences. This year’s best writer’s award is sponsored by the Australian Writers’ Guild – who’ve offered the winning playwright a year’s free membership.
New Festival Director, Liviu Monsted says the newest award will encourage audiences to celebrate originality within the theatre community.
And Week 1 is jam-packed with everything you could want from a night at the theatre – laughs, romance, mystery... and mind-blowing concepts to leave you stirred, and maybe shaken!
In There’s a Fly in my Soup by Chris Naylor, directed by William Rogut, a couple eat some soup in a restaurant and end up in full blown battle with a fly.
In The Pact by Angharad Thompson Rees – directed by Lachlan McWilliam - the idealist notion of motherhood is confronted head on when childless-by-choice Jessy spits the dummy at a gender reveal baby shower. With Jody Crooks as Jessy, Emilia Kriketos as Kaz and Cris Bocchi as Jane. Picture attached.
Grace by Wendy Gough Soroka finds Kylie standing over a freshly dug open grave. She reveals to her newly returned older sister Lala all that happened after Lala fled home to escape their father’s abuse. PJ Collins directs Sarah Wrigley and Sydney Hure.
In On Queue, by Morey Norkin and directed by Kathryn Stewart, two strangers are drawn to an unexplained event, try to fill time while waiting for something, anything, to happen.
In Late for School, Lynn (India Stuart, picture attached) is being interrogated by the police but doesn't understand why. She thinks she was just late to class. Short+Sweet legend Frank Leggett directs British writer Iain Moss’ quirky thriller. India is an actor, writer, comedian and award-winning improviser. Frank has written 12 ten-minute plays that have been performed in 26 Short+Sweet festivals around the world.
His first bash at directing was at S+S Sydney 2020 where his two plays, Rentals and Now We Are Ten both made the finals. This is their second attempt to work together. In 2022, they collaborated on another until one of the actors was diagnosed with COVID. As soon as she recovered, Frank caught the virus… then the whole house of cards collapsed. India and Frank are looking forward to getting this production to the stage this year!
A serial killer and a serial romantic play a deadly game of love and peanut oil in Melissa Gravitis’ Heartbreaker, directed by Adelaide Tustian and staring Ciara Briggs, Denis Qiu and Ash Kurian.
Dining In by Jen Vandenbroek, directed by Bella Wellstead, portrays a couple struggling to entertain themselves forever in the daily cycle of marriage.
Finally, in Blossoms by Di Mifsud – winner of Crash Test Drama Cronulla - a cute couple meet at a flower store. Festival veteran Graham Yates directs.
Short+Sweet Sydney 2024 Week 1 plays Thurs 15 to Sun 18 February at 7.30pm. Week 2 from 22 February features the inaugural Short+Sweet Pride Program.
For full information and tickets, visit buytickets.at/shortsweetsydney/