28 February 2020
Griffin Scratch is back in 2020 with an eclectic array of writers, performance makers and theatrical marvels. We’re inviting a new collection of exciting artists to the Stables to present snippets of bold, challenging and ambitious ideas for the stage over four nights across the year.
Join us on Friday 28 February after the performance of Family Values for a glimpse of early drafts, ideas in development and outright experiments.
Showcasing never-before-seen works from Joseph Brown, Issy Phillips, Lachlan Philpott and Cassie Workman.
It’s free so all you need to do is register yourself a spot, turn up and buckle up for an adventure with a Four Pillars gin (or two) in hand. We’ll see you there.
Friday 28 February, 9.30pm
THE WRITERS
Joseph Brown, Writer
Nobody Wears Capes Anymore
Joseph’s writing and directing credits include: for ATYP: Light on Water (part of Intersection: Chrysalis); for Melbourne Fringe: You Walk Away; for Monash Shakespeare Company: A Midsummer Night’s Dream; for MUST: Tensions: Curated Works; for MUST and La Mama: Tuck in the Corners; and for Old 505 Theatre: Love, Me and When We Get Here. In 2016, Joseph completed his Master of Fine Arts (Writing for Performance) at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts. Following on, Joseph was part of ATYP’s 2017 National Studio and then in 2018, Joseph was one of four writers to be selected as part of ATYP’s Fresh Ink Mentorship program. In the same year he was also one of Old 505 Theatre’s Resident Playwrights, where he developed the play Nobody Wears Capes Anymore.
Issy Phillips, Writer and Performer
Concrete Cowgirl
Issy Phillips is a comedian, writer and climate communicator based on Gadigal and Wangal land/Sydney. She is known for her alternative comedic style and has been described as an exciting new voice in Australian Comedy. Her debut solo sketch show ASMR Live has been critically acclaimed and performed to sell out audiences across Australia. She was named one of GQ’s three brightest millennial comics and recently gave a Ted Talk on how we can use the arts as a medium to inspire action on climate change. She is the co-founder of social enterprise Hiccup and advocates for using the arts as a medium for climate justice.
Lachlan Philpott, Writer
Fur
Lachlan’s plays include Bison; Bustown; Cake Daddy; Catapult; Colder; In 3D; Lake Disappointment; Little Emperors; Lost Boys; Michael Swordfish; M. Rock; The Pinapple War; Promiscuous/Cities; Silent Disco; The Chosen; Truck Stop; Walter; and The Trouble With Harry. His plays have been performed across Australia and internationally including at: Griffin Theatre Company; Australian Theatre for Young People; Crowded Fire Theater; Kansas State University; La Comedie Francaise; La Criee; Edinburgh Festival; Hothouse Theatre; Malthouse Theatre; Merrigong Theatre Company; Melbourne Festival; Midsumma Melbourne; Red Stitch; Sydney’s Mardi Gras Festival; Sydney Theatre Company; The American Conservatory Theatre; The Lark, New York; The Mac, Belfast; The National Theatre of Croatia; The Traverse Theatre; and Troisieme Bureau, Grenoble. Lachlan has been writer in residence at: Griffin, Keesing Studio at The International Cite des Arts Paris, La Comedie Francaise, Red Stitch Melbourne, The American Conservatory Theatre San Francisco, The Playwrights Foundation San Francisco, and was part of The Traverse Fifty at the Traverse Edinburgh. Lachlan was the inaugural Australian Professional Playwright Fulbright Scholar and Chair of the Australian Writer’s Guild Playwrights’ Committee between 2012 and 2015. He is currently creating work with Paul Mac and Kate Champion and well as with Doll House Films and ATYP.
Cassie Workman, Writer and Performer
Aberdeen
Cassie Workman is probably the most experienced newcomer to comedy in the country, owing to the fact that she previously performed under another name. She has returned to the stage after her transition and is making waves. Cassie entered the public eye after winning Triple J’s Raw Comedy national open mic competition in 2009. She performed her first full length show in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2011. The show, Humans are Beautiful won ‘Best Newcomer’ that year, and toured the country, before heading to Edinburgh Fringe. In 2012 she performed her second full length show Mercy, which toured the country and the UK, and won ‘Best Comedy’ at the Adelaide Fringe. In 2013, Cassie toured the much acclaimed full length show Ave Loretta, solidifying her position as one of Australia’s leading storyteller / stand-ups, and earning her a nomination for best show (The Barry Award) at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. After a festival hiatus in 2016, Cassie returned to the circuit in 2017, this time with a stand up show, Nothing You Do Means Anything. The show quickly achieved cult status as a subversive hit, and toured the country. Earlier in 2017, she came out as transgender, and began transitioning. After a brief absence from the stage she is now back and kicking ass. Her show Giantess debuted at Griffin’s Batch Festival, and then went onto Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Sydney Comedy Festival and London’s Soho Theatre. TV writing credits include Tractor Monkeys and Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell for the ABC; John Conway Tonight; and Aaron Chen Tonight for ABC2. Cassie Workman is known for her heartfelt and emotive storytelling, her incisive wit, and brutal deconstructions of the status quo. There is no other voice like hers in comedy today.
THE CREATIVES
Aileen Huynh
Performer, Fur
Aileen’s theatre credits include: for BodySnatchers: Gobbledygook; for Critical Stages: 4000 Miles (national tour); for Ensemble Theatre: The Big Time; for Melbourne Theatre Company: Gloria; for National Theatre of Parramatta: Flight Paths; for Performing Lines: Hello, Goodbye & Happy Birthday; and for Theatre of Image: Monkey…Journey to the West. Her television credits include: for ABC: Black Comedy 3 and Cleverman; for Network 11: Neighbours; for SBS: Better Man; and for Stan: The Commons. Her film credits include: for JoyHouse Productions: The Casting Game; and for Sony Pictures: Spin Out. Her directorial credits include: for Belvoir 25a: Skyduck: A Chinese Spy Comedy; and for NSW Education: Writers onstage/onscreen. Aileen is an acting graduate from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, and also holds a Bachelor of Creative Arts in Performance from the University of Wollongong.
Alex Packard
Performer, Nobody Wears Capes Anymore
Alex’s theatre credits include: for An Assorted Few: The Van De Maar Papers; for ATYP: All Good Things; for ATYP and Two Peas: Drift; for Bindle Brothers and Brainstorm Productions: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged; for Monkey Baa: Possum Magic; for NIDA: Lulu: A Modern Sex Tragedy; for Seymour Centre and White Box: Blackrock; and for Sydney Festival: Alice in Wonderland. Alex’s film credits include: Metroscreen and Azure Productions’: Oasis. Alex’s production credits include: for Bindle Brothers: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged; and for Catnip Productions: The Nether. Alex holds a Bachelor of Arts (Acting for Screen and Stage) from Charles Sturt University.
Nikita Waldron
Performer, Nobody Wears Capes Anymore
Nikita’s theatre credits include: for Belvoir: The Wolves, An Enemy of the People; for KXT and Manifesto Theatre Company): Youth & Destination; for The Old Fitz: The Wolves; and for Sydney Theatre Company: Lord of the Flies and Mosquitoes. Her feature film credits include: for Goalpost Pictures Australia: Top End Wedding; for Macquarie University: The Bystander Trials; and for New Town Films: Palm Beach; Her TV credits include: for Ambience Entertainment: Random and Whacky (Series 2); and for Netflix: The Letdown (Series 2); Nikita has also created, written, produced and starred in the pilot episode of a TV series Your Mates. In 2020, Nikita will perform in New Ghosts Theatre’s Girl Friend for 25A Belvoir, and in Griffin Theatre Company’s Kindness. Nikita is a graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art, completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting in 2017.
Griffin Scratch is supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation and the Griffin Studio Donors.
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