The Victorian Drama League listed a monologue competition to give all us theatre people an opportunity to showcase our imagination and creative skills during the ongoing COVID lockdowns.
WTC decided to enter and thought even though it wasn’t necessary to have original work we asked Alaine Beek , our professional partner Essence Productions, if she would write the monologue. So ours would have been one of the few original pieces and allowed us to broaden our participation, creativity and enjoyment.
We had great fun moving furniture, props, garnering costumes and deciding we could NOT have too many candles. The challenge was keeping it to a max of 4 mins.
Alaine directed the monologue and Max Hopkins filmed and did the sound and lighting design for the monologue with assistance of Alaine and the production was filmed entirely in Josh’s drawing room of his home Muswell House in Werribee.
The awards were judged on Sunday night, 15 November with a great number of people who had entered gathered around their screens at home watching the many entries. It was a fun night.
Under the banner of Wyndham Theatre Company, our play, Benedict III, written and directed by Alaine Beek, partnered with Essence productions, took home First Place in the Adult Comedy category. We were also given an adjudicators award for ‘the remarkably well curated production elements in Benedict III. Including lavishly detailed period set and costume design plus sound design incorporating even the dog’s footsteps’.
I asked Alaine and Josh for their comments about the experience.
ALAINE
I was asked by Wyndham Theatre Company Committee member Josh Ferguson to direct him which I happily did. I ended up writing a gothic comedy using Josh’s unique characterisation and Muswell house as the backdrop - ‘Benedict III’. We are totally thrilled to win the Adjudicator’s award for best curated production and also best Adult Comedy. This was a first for the VDL and doing anything as a ‘first’ is always a challenge. It was well worth the efforts. And the most important part of this was the joy of the process. We had so much fun writing and working together, moving furniture, figuring out costumes, lighting candles, the silly portrait above the fireplace. We nearly used his actual dog Lucious, a giant beautiful animal - but controlling him added too many precious seconds we didn’t have. So, a great sound effect sufficed.
So thank you VDL for putting this on. It was a much needed breath of fresh air in this difficult year and thanks to everyone who entered and supported this amazing organisation. And well done to everyone involved, participants, judges, behind the scenes.
JOSH
This was not only a welcomed shock but an extremely proud moment for myself and Alaine to be able to win such an amazing award in 2020, all in all enjoyable and fun the whole way through, being my very 1st monologue! A special thank to the VDL for taking the plunge and putting this on and congratulations to all the other finalists and entrants in the VDL's 1st online competition.
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