Gold Coast review - One Act Wonders: Entertaining, thought provoking theatre

By Douglas Kennedy

One Act Wonders

 Javeenbah Theatre Company

 Producer Jake Goodall

 Plays: Mothers’ Group: Uncorked by Monique Durmaine, Battle of the Boy Friends by Jack Lovett, Radio Waves by Hunter Wall, Angelique’s World by Kate Squires, Don’t Do Drugs (Unless They’re Free) by Mikayla Maree Melo.

Mothers' Group: Uncorked

Nerang’s popular little community theatre, Javeenbah, is breaking new ground with an annual celebration of homemade talent under the umbrella title, One Act Wonders.

This year five millennials earned the opportunity to have their work showcased in four performances over one weekend.

Producer Jake Goodall, who is also the company’s artistic director, put the program together. The process began following an extended writers’ group program in which their work was peer reviewed on a bi-monthly basis.

This innovative annual opportunity has seen some emerging writers producing highly entertaining, as well as thought provoking, theatre.

This year was no different with works touching on themes as diverse as women’s needs and wants, the boyfriend scene and motherhood, being gay in the ‘70s, being an alternative influencer and the risks involved in doing drugs on a park bench.

There were, however, two overriding common denominators in most of the works, humour and twists. Both slightly risky, as what’s funny is so subjective, and there’s always a chance that twists can fall flat, be too obvious or worse too confusing.

This time, however, both MOs seem to work as the scripts were all clever and the audience on the day I saw the production was receptive.

Here’s a brief breakdown of this year’s offering but, hopefully, plans are already in the pipeline for One Act Wonders 2025.

 Mothers’ Group: Uncorked by Monique Durmaine.

This 45-minute follow-up to a previous Mothers’ Group one act play centres on the issues facing women in the early stages of motherhood.

This time around the group is away on a break from child rearing duties. The piece deals with sexual identity, the consequence of losing a child and all the stress and strains of modern life. It’s funny, heart-warming and confrontational.

The Battle of the Boyfriends by Jack Lovett.

This totally over-the-top absurdist 25-minute comic romp takes the battle of the sexes into a new realm. The scenario revolves around a modern young woman dealing with the pitfalls of juggling multiple relationships.

Predictably, all the wheels fall off the theatrical wagon when the mostly young men all turn up at her place together.

If there is a serious message it’s something along the lines of, ‘what’s good for the goose is good for the gander’ in the 21st century.

Radio Waves by Hunter Wall.

Here we have the production’s most serious play. A 25-minute expose of the ugly face of Aussie intolerance towards gays in the 1970s.

As a radio conveniently left on at the side of the stage reveals the details of protesting happening in Sydney during that turbulent time, we watch a conflicted pair of male lovers coming to terms with how to live life and navigate their world.

Meanwhile, the audience hears snippets of contemporary news, which demonstrate the issues, which still face the gay community today.

Angelique’s World and Don’t Do Drugs (Unless They’re Free) by Kate Squires and Mikayla Maree Melo.

This year’s One Act Wonders was rounded off with two 10 -minute pieces which fell somewhere between one act plays and comic sketches.

They were both funny and smartly penned with the first introducing the audience to someone who enjoys a lavish and comfortable lifestyle with her man following a troubled passed. She had something of the air of the influencer. Meanwhile, the drugs piece featured two untrusting individuals on a park bench nervously contemplating a drug deal.

Both are once again well written and have entertaining twists.

This Javeenbah project is undoubtedly a great addition to the Gold Coast’s creative world and should be something other theatre companies consider.

It’s good to learn that when it comes to creativity the community theatre world here has much to offer across the board.