SHORT AND SWEET, Sydney 2011 – HERE WE COME!
I have to say how excited I am to have 3 plays in Sydney’s SHORT AND SWEET festival this year. Last year I had 2, so it’s on the up and up.
The plays are HONEY, AMICABLE RIVALS and NORMALITY
HONEY – SHORT AND SWEET – NIDA PARADE PLAYHOUSE FEB 2011. February is going to be a busy month. Just the way I prefer it. Hope to see you at the festival :)
THE BIGGEST 10 MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD!
*AMICABLE RIVALS* – NEWTOWN THEATRE FEB 2011. Directed by William Russell. Cast: Sam Atwell, Brenda Bedewi.
*NORMALITY* – NIDA FEB 2011 (Winner of CTD finals, judges’ choice) Directed by William Russell. Cast: Clare Martin, Alastair Buchanan.
GATHERINGS – Wednesday 25th August 2010 -Playtime
Gatherings has been performed 3 times. Directed by David Farland. Cast: Sontaan Hopkins and Matt Thomson. It was performed at the World Bar, Kings Cross Sydney. 
From www.crashtestdrama.com – Featured Artist June 2010
Dona Parise
Dona has been writing for many years. She’s written over 70 scripts and has had 38 of them produced. Her passion for script writing was evident at the age of 12. She’s attended many courses ranging from Alex Broun’s playwriting weekend course, to script writing for TV and Film and Directing Intensive at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). Dona is also a qualified journalist. She now averages one play performance in Sydney each month. She writes, directs, produces and sometimes acts. Her plays have been performed in Griffith NSW, Wagga Wagga, Lithgow, Melbourne, Sydney and Los Angeles. She’s participated in four Short and Sweet festivals in Sydney, two Ten x 10 festivals in Wagga Wagga, Stage Rage, Writers Anonymous and is a regular contributor to Playtime – held monthly at the World Bar in Sydney. She has written, directed and produced short films screened at Newtown Flicks and Caught Short at the Tap Gallery also in Sydney. She enjoys directing when she gets the chance.
Her ideas stem from life and she writes character-driven scripts. She’s disciplined and extremely passionate about theatre and film. She is constantly learning how to entertain audiences and writes comedy as well as drama – monologues and casts of up to 10, short 10 minute, One act and full length plays.
AFTERNOON TEA WITH SEX AND SCONES – Playtime April 2010
AFTERNOON TEA WITH SEX AND SCONES has now had 5 productions! Not sure if it’s the scones that audiences like. Playtime is a monthly event held at the World Bar in Sydney. The play was directed by Nir Shelter, Cast: Fleur Beaupert, Mollie King, Valentino Arico. Synopsis, what happens when a partner from a happy couple wants to try something new?.. what happens when the both people in that couple are female.. and what happens when they invite a hetero male over for some scones?
A DAY AT THE OFFICE – Wagga Wagga’s Ten x 10 Festival May 2010
There's always on person who does all the work and the other gets all the credit.
Yet another play, closer to home this time, in Wagga Wagga. The festival is in it’s second year and a great night was had by all. ’A day at the office’ was directed by Margaret Bannister and Sandra was played by Jo Darby and Tom was played by Joe Nour.
The 10 plays selected showcased some extraordinary talent and other playwrights who featured were Kate Toon, Alex Broun, Dean Lundquist and Mick Radatti, to name a few.
MELODY – Playtime at World Bar, Sydney March 2010
Director Liane Norman, Actress Kate Buchanan and Me
MELODY was performed in Sydney in March 2010. The story of an elderly woman, who is terminally ill and has not family or friends left. It was very touching and was enjoyed by the audience. PLAYTIME is a monthly event and will have quite a few of my plays on show. Thank you to Kate Buchanan who played Melody and to Liane Norman for directing.
NIDA – March 2010 Gala finals and Artist Recognition Awards
Leo Domingan, Cindi Knapton, Me, Gerry Sont and Maite Carvell
Felicity Nicol and I
Me and Rhys Muldoon
The Artist recognition awards are awards presented to artists who have contributed in 3 or more Short and Sweet Festivals. A Bronze award for 3 or more festivals, Silver for 5 or more and Gold for 10 or more. The host on the night was Alex Broun, Australia’s most performed and prominent 10 minute playwright. The presenter of the awards was Rhys Muldoon. I have participated in 4 festivals and with any luck it’ll be 5 in 2011 and many more by 2014.
CATASTROPHE on at Newtown Theatre Top 100 in February.
Starring Tanya Ann Powell and Michael McCrann, directed by Come and support the cast and crew in Short + Sweet 2010!
Performances Wed Feb 3 – Sat Feb 6 @ 8:15pm and Sun Feb 7
5:15pm. Tickets from www.shortandsweet.org or on (02) 8507 3034.
Catastrophe is a comedy about a wife’s struggle with her husband’s obsession with his best friend.
The script won “Best Script” at Crash Test Drama in Sydney in June 2009, with writer Dona Parise winning a number of other awards for her writing.
Short + Sweet is the world’s largest 10minute play festival started in Sydney and now running in Melbourne, Singapore and Auckland
THE GIFT – Short film, selected to be screened in Darlinghurst.
Starring Luke Testoni and Jacinda Gugliemino
The Gift was a film I wrote and directed in 2007/2008 for Tropfest. Starring local people, filmed in my home town and had to beg and borrow (not steal) props. The film is about a workaholic husband who forgets his wife’s birthday and has to dash out to find her a present. He finds more than he realises.
It will be screened at the TAP Gallery in Darlinghurst on 3rd December 2009.
Starring Luke Testoni, Jacinda Gugliemino, Terry Moon and many others. Daniel Parise debuts as ‘Ferdinando’s' son.
Dona’s latest play, ‘Afternoon tea with sex and scones’ will have a test run at Crash Test Drama Sydney on 9th November 09. Cast to audition on the night and directed by David Farland.
A comedy about rules, rights, love, lust and scones.
Cast of three. Two females – One Male.
RESULTS: Equal 5th and Best Actress Award to Celia Kelly.
