See below for the latest news from the Short and Sweet Brisbane Organisers:

—————–

The first ever Short+Sweet Brisbane kicks off on Wednesday night September 2nd at the VISY Theatre of the Brisbane Powerhouse with a fun packed and varied line up of 10 minute plays featuring crowded hospital beds, superstars who can’t get any friends on Facebook, men being compared to types of sushi and strange cases of inverted nipples.

If that’s not enough there’s also tense prison dramas, hilarious comedy revue, dark political satire, a peak inside the insane world of advertising, cat fights at a funeral and – just for good measure – the entire history of the world in seven and a half minutes.

Short+Sweet Brisbane 2009 kicks off with Cause of Breath, created, devised and performed by local performance group Unfortune Cookies, which is Erina Carboni, Jess Flavin, Elizabeth Millington and Claire Pearson.

Jess is in hospital…again… But wait. There are three random women in her bed. This performance giggles at life’s misfortunes and how you choose to perceive them.

Dramturgical Assistance is provided by Melanie Wild, with the memorable costumes created by Nina Best.

Next up comes exciting new Melbourne playwright Bridgette Burton’s very funny insight into the often insane world of advertising – Vienna Syndrome.

“Advertising is the second most profitable form of writing. The first, of course, is ransom notes. Vienna Syndrome: let us take your cares away.”

The off beat laugh fest is directed by David Pawsey with a dynamic cast of Simone-Maree Dixon, Frances Marrington, Nigel Poulton and Anthony Edwards.

Then we take a trip in to the dark world of Easter Toon.

Created from the vivid imagination of Hari Jago and directed by talented young Brisbane theatre visionary Travis Dowling, Easter Toon is a crude and political satire on social and gender structure, explored through a mythological town in the middle of nowhere.

Presented by Dark Prince Productions it stars a talented young ensemble of local performers including Jago, Andrew Barclay, Lauren Dillon, David Fadden and Elizabeth Pulsford.

Next up you may need to inch forward to the edge of your seat as the tension lifts with renowned NSW playwright John A.D. Fraser’s tense prison drama Catch a falling knife.

Directed by exciting young local director Jeremy Wood and with a high quality cast of Matthew Filkins and Mercedes Porter, Fraser’s play explores what happens when Jake’s (Filkins) daughter Hannah (Porter) visits him in prison after 15 long years.

History and present are stripped bare in an exchange that alters the course of both their lives.

The strong first half ends with the hilarious “The history of the world in Seven and a half minutes.”

Written and directed by acclaimed local theatre maker Sean Dennehy, History of the World in 7 & a Half Minutes is a potted history of the world presented by the Fig Tree Pocket Amateur Dramatic Society.

A tired and somewhat bitter has- been thespian and three of his best (well he couldn’t get the best, one was doing their hair and the other two had prior commitments with pets) students pick out all the most important bits in the earth’s short existence.

Directed by: Sean Dennehy and written by Dennehy and Nick Backstrom it stars Todd Levi, the versatile Marrington (in her second performance of the evening), Krystle Rubie and Dennehy.

The laughs keep company in the second half as Australia’s golden girl gets her come-uppance in Cate Blanchett wants to be my friend on Facebook.

Written by one of the world’s leading ten minute playwrights, and the Festival’s Artistic Director Alex Broun, the quirky comedy opens the door on the often mysterious world of Facebook.

It’s a valuable “social networking” tool. But what if you haven’t got any friends? Cate Blanchett, Academy Award winning actress (She played Galadriel in Lord of the Rings 1, 2 and 3!) knows the feeling. And now she’s out to get some more. Whether Barry likes it or not. A comedy – with one very famous person…

It’s directed and stars husband and wife team Paul Osuch (director) and Cerys Neyla (as our Cate) complemented by an exciting young cast of Jack McTaggart as Barry, Tristan Barr and Belinda Raisin.

If the pre-publicity shots are anything to go by things could get messy in the Revue Factory’s production of That Old Mistake by local comedienne Liesl Hinde.

This lively and unpredictable up and coming comedy squad of Hinde, Sharna Barker, Craig I’Anson and Aaron Singfield (also directing) present a ten minute demonstration on all you need to know about war, politics and corporations, brought to you by a cow… ahem… bovine (played by Barker).

In one of the most unusual plays in Short+Sweet, in this festival or any others, comes local Brisbane writer Carmen Cuskelly’s debut play Community Chest about a rare phenomena – inverted nipples.

Directed by Brendan Glanville it features the versatile Filkins and Neyla in their second performances of the night.

Sometimes in life we spiral so far out of control we are unsure if we will ever hit rock bottom.

This play is an exploration of human relationships, and how we can want and need from our partner so much so that we can be physically close and yet miles apart. Could a new baby save them and bring them together- or will nothing save them?

Our penultimate play in Week 1 is the deliciously titled sushiwushiwoo by talented Sydney playwright Kate Toon, that re-unites three of the cast from the recent hit at Metro Arts – Holy Gaucamole – Brooke Newall, Amy Ingram and Margi Ash-Brown.

Newall and Ingram play two characters building on the ones they played in that play while Ash-Brown makes her debut in the director’s chair.

As Toon describes it sushiwushiwoo is “a fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek direct address piece which was written in around 30 minutes and was based on the many conversations I’ve had with friends over the years.”

Sitting beside a sushi train Claire and Helen debate the pros and cons of being married versus being single and the men they’ve known over the years.

Sending us off with a fitting finale for week one is Five black dresses and a lily, written by Daniel Atheron and Alexa Gordon and directed by Atherton

With a five-star cast of Charlie Wheller, Alexa Gordon, Krystle J. Rubie, Maria Mejia and Rena Clark this high energy, physical farce sees five best friends reunite for the funeral of the group’s mother figure, but old grievances soon cause mayhem and threaten to ruin the party.

With a chaotic fight, choreographed by Clark, set to break out this one is sure to send the night out on a high – if perhaps messy – note.

Top 20 Week 1 runs from next Wednesday September 2nd to Saturday September 5th at 8pm.

And on Saturday night there’s a special treat for audiences as they’ll hear which two plays have been selected by our panel of judge’s to go through to the Gala Final on Sunday night September 13th, when the nine best productions of the festival will compete for the ultimate prize of Winner of Short+Sweet Brisbane 2009.

The third finalist from Top 20 Week 1 will be chosen by our audiences through the popular People’s Choice, where audiences get to vote for their favourite play of the night.

Tickets are now available for Top 20 Week 1 and all other performances of Short+Sweet Brisbane, including the Gala Final at http://www.brisbanepowerhouse.org/events/view/short-sweet/ or call Powertix on 07 3358 8600

For a full Festival Schedule go to: http://www.shortandsweet.org/shortsweet/brisbane/festival-schedule