Short+Sweet is the annual theatre festival that brings together hundreds of ten-minute plays. Glen Waterhouse is one of two writers, directors and actors in one of this week’s bite-sized showsWhat If?,and he took five minutes to tell us all about it.
Why theatre?
I’ve been into theatre and acting for about 8 years now. I became interested in acting after having no idea what I wanted to do with my life after finishing high school. I was watching Pirates Of The Caribbean and I thought to myself, those people got paid to fly to the Caribbean, swing around on ropes all day and pretend to be pirates. I can do that! That was 8 years ago. I still haven’t been to the Caribbean.
Why Short+Sweet?
I got my first taste of Short+Sweet in Newcastle where we came runner up overall and were selected to join the Wild Card competition in Sydney. I was trying to get some experience on stage so I was performing in anything I could, and Short+Sweet was the perfect opportunity to get up and have a go.
Tell us about your Short+Sweet play What If?.
Our play is about two people who catch the same bus every morning, at the same time, but have never spoken a word to each other. She’s from the corporate world and he definitely isn’t. But there’s chemistry there and through a beautiful twist of fate they end up sitting next to each other for the first time. Will they take the opportunity to act on that spark or will they remain oblivious to what could have been? Essentially, it’s about taking the chance to step outside of your comfort zone and experience something new. It could be the best decision you’ve ever made.
Explain the Short+Sweet process.
It’s pretty simple really. My girlfriend Sarah and I wrote a short script that we thought would be great for Short+Sweet. We jumped on the website and submitted the script as an independent theatre company because we wrote it, are directing it and are both starring in it. We then worked on the show recording dialogue and sound effects (our play happens almost entirely in our characters heads), rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, then rehearse some more and then before you know it, it’s opening night! We also had a friend of mine, Nic from Nic Mesker Photography, take some promo shots for us, which we could throw around the Internet and use as posters to promote the show. He’s awesome.
Why should we come to Short+Sweet?
People should come along because you’re seeing 10 amazing, different plays on one night for $30! (If you book early!) They say that variety is the spice of life, right? Why not come and experience something different? It could be the best decision you’ve ever made…
What If? ispart of Short+Sweet‘s top 80 sessions. It’s showingFebruary 12 – 16 atKing Street Theatre.
