Tag: Campus

40 Hours of Film — A Celebration of Ingenuity and Cinema
May 20, 2025 9:17 am Comments Off on 40 Hours of Film — A Celebration of Ingenuity and Cinema
In the beginning, there was Méliès, and from Méliès, magic. That first conjuring of cinema has evolved into something astounding, a democratic art form available to anyone with a camera and a dream. The International Arts Competition, 40 Hours of Film, harnesses that spirit, asking a simple question:
What happens when each year, you give college students three prompts: a prop (an umbrella), a phrase (“Thank God it’s Friday”), and a location (a bench), and then ask them to make something over 40 sleepless hours?
In celebration of this year’s incredible films all being recently uploaded to YouTube – let’s see how this question was answered!
Yukeembruk:
Yukeembruk’s film is a kaleidoscope of ideas all stemming from a satirical talent show: a black-and-white flashback universe, a brawl choreographed like a glorious Blazing Saddles homage, an RM dressed in something best left undescribed. There’s a Red Riding Hood spoof, a Julie-Bishop-is-a-lizard-person joke, and a final beat featuring a beautiful shot of a crispy Badger bev.
But, somewhere between these wild shifts in tone, the film might be said to lose its compass. Perhaps best described as an anthology, the sound was at times frustratingly quiet, and unfortunately, the truth is that the gags didn’t all land. Still, one has to admire both the ambition and the occasional visual poetry. In film, as in life, a swing and a miss is always more memorable than never swinging at all, and Yukeembruk managed to hit the ball at least once or twice.
Glam Bots and Sandwich Shots / 10
Wright Hall:
With “The Benchwarmer”, Wright Hall delivers college comedy that not only winks at its own absurdity but embraces it like an old friend. The film opens with a lovely time-lapse of our titular benchwarmer, sidelined in every sense, until a Thursday night party spirals into surrealist sabotage.
Shot with flair — GoPros, Ferris Bueller style fourth-wall breaks, and slick lighting — the film becomes a loving tribute to sports tropes, campus antics, and hypnotising your friends into thinking they actually do ‘have that dog in them’. While the film is undoubtedly quite funny, the ending brings unexpected emotional weight: maybe sitting out isn’t so bad after all?
Maybe the Real Disc Was the Friends We Made Along the Way / 10
UniLodge:
Ninety-nine per cent of the time, a bench is just a bench. But not in UniLodge’s slasher flick, where the bench is none other than a mutated possessed killer! Think Christine meets IKEA. The film delivers its carnage with campy glee — quick cuts, low-budget stuffed animal gore, and a line destined for cult status among those spoken by genre giants: “It doesn’t have knees, bitch.”
While the Looney Tunes-style umbrella battle maybe overstays its welcome, the concept never outstays its charm. This is a film that knows its genre and plays it off just right.
No Knees / 10
Ursula:
Set in the cramped confines of Ursies, this mockumentary turns the college dining hall into a mafia battleground. The interviews are shot with surprising polish, and the humour — dark, absurd, delightfully self-aware — manages to land more often than not.
A detective in the bath under an umbrella; an intellectual classicist named Shaque Spear; and an arrest for “breaking the risk assessment management plan.” This film is rambunctious and a feast for the eyes, The Office meets Knives Out.
Not Bad From a Small Hole With Too Many Mouths to Feed / 10
Burgmann:
Burgmann’s “Thank God It’s Friday” dazzles with production value. It opens on a heartbeat, bursts into a drumbeat, and lands us inside the best-looking student talk show you’ll ever see. The colour design on set is intentional and beautiful — burnt oranges and moody blues — and the story moves with confidence, transporting us as witnesses to a great weatherman and an even greater duck migration.
There’s satire here: of morning shows, of celebrity drama, of the line between entertainment and truth. An umbrella drag performance set to Rihanna closes the film with such visual gusto that it leaves you grinning. While the plot could be viewed as a little messy at times, in light of the many, many other strengths of this production — the brilliant editing, powerful sound design, and stellar cast performances — it is no wonder that this film scored so highly among the judges.
Cumulonimbus Deserves His Own Show / 10
Wamburun:
In “Hunt for the Canberra People”, Wamburun gives us a protagonist on a pilgrimage, wandering from academic panic to spiritual awakening through interactions with the city and its weirdest inhabitants. Think of a tinfoil-hat-wearing dropout, a pint-sized political candidate, and Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ himself, who turns water into wine in the backseat of a car.
It’s funny, sweet, and surprisingly grounded for such a bizarre premise. The visuals sometimes suffer from inconsistent colour grading, but its heart never wavers, and it never fails to do the road trip genre justice. In the end, we’re reminded that sometimes the best way to survive uni is to leave, to get out of the bubble and breathe.
The Youngest Australian Political Candidate Since Will Roche / 10
Burton and Garran:
Leave it to BNG to get culturally savvy and turn the filmmaking process into both an elaborate joke and a genre exercise. Their entry is a meta-slasher-comedy-documentary hybrid, complete with stereotypes like the tortured editor and the diva actor, countdown tension, and my personal favourite, a very fun Scooby-Doo chase.
There’s a wonderful scene involving a live band, TikTok bench podcasters, and an outrageous final standoff where characters yell film clichés like spells: “Dutch angle! Dolly zoom!” It’s like that episode of Community where the study group attempts to create a commercial for the college, if it were made with all the same passion, but only 40 hours and zero budget. A little rough around the edges, nonetheless, BNG’s film this year is a great watch.
Scooby Doo Chase Scenes Are Never Boring / 10
Griffin:
In “No Time to Dry”, Griffin Hall delivers a spy spoof that’s as self-aware as it is stylish. From its opening tableau — two agents on a bench under an absurdly endearing rain effect — the film establishes itself among that canon of spy spoofs you vaguely remember watching in your childhood but will die by to this very day. The McGuffin of the hour? A humble umbrella, spirited away before our hero even realises its importance. What follows is a feverish scramble involving biometric scanners and an unintentionally spicy confrontation featuring a tie-grab worthy of a soap opera.
The comedy lands with an Uber rejection joke drawing some of the biggest laughs on the screening night, and the showdown amid Inward Bound runners — complete with a gorgeously low-budget blood spurt and a one-liner so outrageous it had me feeling like I was back in Avengers Endgame — is pure cinematic glee. Yes, the plot is maybe a little thin, but that hardly matters when it rains this much charisma.
When The Sun Shines, It Shines Like This Film / 10
Bruce:
Bruce Hall’s entry is a hypnotic, black-and-white dreamscape that marries meticulous cinematography with delicate emotional storytelling. From the first haunting piano notes and drone shots of campus choreographed like a metronome, it’s clear this is not your typical Interhall flick. The umbrellas here go beyond the prop requirement to be metaphors — for routine, for alienation, for the quiet rebellion of human connection.
The film’s lovers — divided by colour-coded umbrellas and rigid societal machinations, united by an unspoken gravitational pull — pass each other like shadows, until at last they meet in a poetic climax underscored by swelling classical music and divine choreography. Their final dance, set simultaneously by the bus stop and by Sully’s, is breathtaking. Some might call it pretentious — but it’s pretension earned. A display of brilliant craftsmanship, intention, and emotional weight — this was my favourite film of the bunch from this year.
David Lynch Would Be Proud / 10
Fenner:
Fenner’s film is all style, all swagger, all neon-drenched, motorbike-revving love story. From the opening Baby-Driver-esque one-take stroll through Fenner, to the most cinematic footage that must have ever been shot inside a Coles — yes, a Coles — this is cinema with a capital C.
The narrative? Murphy is dating Friday. Friday gets kidnapped. Murphy responds by revving up his motorcycle. The shots are stunning, and though there were some issues with the music drowning out the dialogue, when you’re watching a man throw dog food at thugs in a garage showdown choreographed like Oldboy… you tend to forgive everything. The ending, as the couple watches the sunset in warm light, feels earned and restful. Is it fair to say their gear was unfairly better than everyone else’s? Yes. Did it deserve to be crowned the best film of the bunch? In my opinion, probably not. Is it still rad as hell? Absolutely.
Shot on iPhone 16 / 10
Johns:
Disqualified? Maybe. Legendary? Definitely. Though Johns was disqualified for arriving forty minutes late, it becomes clear upon watching the film why. You simply cannot rush perfection. I feel as though I have nothing more to say on this film other than it joins the greats like Casablanca and Star Wars in the pantheon of films which changed cinema forever. The one thing I ask of you is that you go ahead and watch it for yourself.
Martin Scorsese Reaction GIF / 10
Conclusion
In the end, this year’s 40 Hours of Film Competition was an absolute triumph of creativity, technical flair, and genre-bending imagination. From Griffin’s side-splitting spy spoof with its slick shots and killer one-liners, to Bruce’s hauntingly beautiful umbrella ballet through existentialism and romance, each film carved out a distinct voice and vision. These films didn’t just show off the incredible talent bubbling under the surface of the ANU’s colleges — they proved that even with limited budgets and a tight theme, student filmmakers can produce work that is clever, moving, hilarious, and more often than not, genuinely impressive. Whether you were there for the aesthetics, the action, or the absurdity, this year’s films gave us all something to laugh about, cry over, and quote for years to come.

Emanuel Foundas
An Essay on the Environment Department
March 25, 2025 3:03 pm Comments Off on An Essay on the Environment Department
A principled justification for these changes.
ANUSA’s department structure is one of its biggest strengths when it comes to its governance. Departments are fantastic — they give historically marginalised groups autonomy within ANUSA to serve their communities through advocacy and spending money as seen fit by that autonomous group. However, all students should have an equal say on the environment — it’s not autonomous to any group. Students are all equally entitled to have their perspectives and opinions heard.
At last year’s ANUSA election, 3000 students chose their preferred direction for ANUSA. This happens every 12 months. At a general meeting, notice is very widely distributed, and a quorum of 40 ordinary students is needed to pass the budget as prepared by the elected Executive. Comparatively, the Environment Department can choose to spend money if ten ordinary students show up — this is fundamentally and principally undemocratic.
The spending of money — on a non-autonomous issue — should be determined by representatives elected by the students, that is, the Environment Officer and the Executive.
This is why the governance review proposed this change in 2024 — before there was any discussion on the Environment Department’s misconduct. This is a principled change — to ensure that students have a say over the spending of their Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) by their student union. This is a democratic change, and that’s where it comes from.
Why there is an imperative to make this change now.
However, it is imperative that this be done now. The Environment Department report — that I encourage everyone to read — details immense financial mismanagement over two years: $6,000 of student money used for Marxism and Keep Left conferences. This breaches the SSAF agreement we have with the ANU. It breaches our regulations, our Constitution, and our policies. It is severe mismanagement of student money.
I will note here that the 2025 Environment Officer claimed at SRC 1 that some of the SAlt spending happened under the 2023 Officer, who wasn’t a SAlt member. I think this is precisely why the change is so necessary. As I said above — this is a structural problem. Ten students who come to a meeting can spend money in such an egregious way, regardless of the elected Officer’s own views.
To this year’s Officer’s credit, she has and will continue to block spending in order to adhere to the regulations. But, as an association, we cannot guarantee that an officer in future will always, every single time, stand up to the Department and stop this breach. The structural way the Environment Department operates means there is considerable risk this will happen again.
We must have a system that addresses these structural problems and prevents any spending issues in the future.
To do this, the Environment Department must be removed from the department infrastructure. All departments are governed under Section 11, which entrenches and ensures autonomy (as well as explains how the departments are governed). The only way to ensure financial probity is to remove the Environment Department from this section entirely and move it to a different part of our Association. To do nothing, after being presented with clear structural problems and a clear breach of our rules and policies, would be an abrogation of our duty to the Association.
Addressing concerns, ensuring probity, and maintaining safeguards.
People have asked me, “Why can’t you just increase financial oversight?”
I say that this is precisely what we are doing. Our goal is not to change how the Officer and team do activism, but to ensure their spending aligns with the Constitution, regulations, and conflicts of interest policy. The only way to do this is to remove it from the Department governance.
The main change is that the Environment Officer won’t be able to spend autonomously anymore — we are doing this to prevent the risks of unconstitutional spending. This is also a principled change — the students vote for the Executive, who is enfranchised by these students to act in the best interests of the Association.
That is, if proposed spending by the Environment Officer is unconstitutional — they should, rightly, stop it. The Executive is accountable to the SRC and the student body, and that is why they are able to decide what spending is and is not within the Constitution, regulations, etc.
Regarding people’s concerns about the Executive overreaching and stopping activism, allow me to respond clearly and directly. There is absolutely no power for the Executive to influence the work of any officer. Only a general meeting can direct an officer of the Association, and the President cannot tell the Environment Officer what to do or what not to do. There is absolutely zero change in the powers to tell the Environment Officer what to do. I support the Environment Department’s work, and so long as it is in line with the Constitution and regulations — I will always fight to defend its right to activism.
Another concern is, “What if the Environment Officer has bad political views? Shouldn’t the Department be able to overrule them?”
In response, I refer you back to the principle I started with — that to elect the Officer last year, 1,600 students voted, and a majority selected the current Officer. Does anyone here who truly supports principles of democracy believe that ten ordinary people should be able to overrule the will of the election?
If, on principle, you think that ten random students should not be able to overrule 1,600 — then this alone should get you to vote this up at the OGM this week.
The next concern is: “What happens if an Executive gets elected wanting to defund it?”
In our Regulations for the Environment Committee, we have enshrined a minimum budget line of $2,000 — this money is always, every year, to be made accessible to the Environment Officer, and they can spend it on things within the Constitution, Regulations, and Policy — these same guardrails do exist currently, it’s just they are not followed. With the Executive approving spending now, we ensure they are followed. But, I’d also like to quote the answer I got from the 2025 Environment Officer, Sarah, when speaking to her about this issue. She told me that if this happened, then it would be the will of the students to elect the Executive that does this and democratically, that’s fine.
Regarding safeguards, here are all the things enshrined in the regulations we will pass to complement these changes to guide the new Environment Committee. I’ve mentioned a $2,000 minimum budget line to ensure the Environment Committee is funded, but these regulations also:

Provide the ability to elect co-convenors to support the Officer in their actions — this is no change from the current Department model.
Require the Committee to meet regularly — this means the Officer can’t abandon their Committee and not call meetings.
Bind the Officer to put any policies passed by the Committee to the SRC — this gives the committee power to suggest and recommend policy of ANUSA.
Force the Officer to report to the SRC every week on the actions of the Committee — this ensures transparency and accountability to the SRC, as occurs with the current Department.

I ran through these with the 2025 Environment Officer and asked for any further suggestions. The minimum budget selected was the highest point of the range that the Environment Officer recommended. The Environment Officer was happy with these regulations to help resolve her concerns and didn’t have more recommendations to add to develop them further. I am satisfied that this ensures the Committee is democratic, empowered, supportive, and effective in assisting the Environment Officer in continuing their activism.
These Regulations are guardrails to ensure environmental activism continues, while ensuring that it comes within the rules that we all must obey when spending student money.
Conclusions
I think it’s clear that the Environment Department changes make both principled and practical sense. This improves democracy within ANUSA, prevents further risks to ANUSA from unconstitutional spending, and ensures ANUSA will continue Environmental activism.
The Environment Committee will still back the Officer. The Environment Officer can still do activism. More power is in the power of all students and more students than ever before. Importantly, we protect the Association from severe mismanagement and breaches of our Constitution and Regulations.
I believe this change is incredibly positive and only strengthens our union further. I encourage everyone to go to the OGM on Wednesday, either in Marie Reay 2.02 or on Zoom, and vote in favour of these constitutional changes.
This article presents the opinion of its author and not that of Woroni.
Have an opinion you wish to share? Send it to our submissions inbox at write@woroni.com.au.

Sam Gorrie
Whose University?
March 18, 2025 2:46 pm Comments Off on Whose University?
On the ground floor of the Marie Reay Teaching Building, a mural tracks the history of student activism at ANU from the 1960s to the present. Each of these campaigns or protests (according to the website and mural) had a distinct target but references to how these protests failed or succeeded are often frustratingly vague. Though the university is happy to use the student activism of previous decades to improve its public image as a place of free speech and open debate, it’s unsurprisingly unwilling to go into much detail when free speech is directed at the university itself.
I received dozens of emails last year, particularly when the pro-Palestine encampment was active, proclaiming ANU as proud of its long history of student activism and its long-standing commitment to academic and political freedom of speech. Predictably, none of them responded to the circumstances that had led to the protest in the first place, even though the objections of the encampment and the various other pro-Palestine actions last year were mostly clear: the university has direct financial ties to companies that are facilitating a genocide and continues to cut CASS courses while introducing degrees purpose-built to meet the industry demand created by the AUKUS deal.
The apolitical language the ANU uses to describe student and staff activism frames the relationship between protestors and the institution they are fighting against as mutualistic. The university facilitates the freedom of political expression, and students and staff exercise those freedoms. The university’s ‘commitment’ to free speech enables the protests to take place and is framed as university management upholding their end of the bargain. Never mind why the protestors are there; the protest itself is political enough.
It isn’t surprising that the ANU is reluctant to translate the protest demands of students and staff members into policy or investment changes However, it’s still important that the link between activism and change is clearly drawn. The collective memory of the student body at ANU is relatively brief—an undergraduate degree is only three years, and Canberra isn’t the sort of place where most people settle down after they graduate. If we can’t learn from the campaigns of the past and demonstrate how real change is possible, we can’t be successful in the campaigns we need to fight now.
2017 Sydney College of the Arts
In 2016, the University of Sydney announced that the university’s Visual Arts school, the Sydney College of the Arts (SCA), was in deficit and would be merged with the UNSW School of Art and Design. Students, alumni and faculty rejected this move as damaging the quality of education students would receive, as well as the specific advantages associated with the use of studio spaces at the heritage-listed campus at Callan Park and the major staff and course cuts that would be inevitable should the merger go ahead. At a rally held in August 2016, SCA students announced they would occupy the school administration’s offices at the SCA campus unless student demands were met by the following week. They were ignored.
The ensuing occupation was initially expected to last less than a week, but students ended up staying in the offices of the Callan Park campus for 65 days. Until last year’s pro-Palestine encampments, it was the longest-running student occupation in Australian history.
The campaign resulted in several wins, though the Callan Park campus was closed 12 months later. The merger that would have effectively ended the SCA was quickly abandoned; there was a 50% reduction in job losses attributed to the cuts to the College, and all courses that would have been lost under the original proposal were preserved.
1994 No-Fees Chancelry Occupation
ANU has seen its own share of student protests opposing course cuts, fee increases, and other austerity measures taken by the university. In 1994, emboldened by the ALP’s recent deregulation of postgraduate course fees, the ANU introduced an upfront fee of $9000 for the Legal Workshop course, which was effectively mandatory for law students in order to graduate.
Following the announcement, the law society organised a snap meeting, which rapidly drew broad support from students from other academic disciplines who recognised that the legal clinic fee was the first step towards up-front fees for everyone. On 15 September, around 500 students stormed the Chancelry and occupied it for eight days before the police evicted them in the afternoon of 23 September. Though the short-term outcome of the No-Fees campaign and accompanying occupation was unclear, there was an immediate compromise of a $4000 reduction in the fee for the Legal Workshop course. In the longer term, it led to a significant increase in political mobilisation across the student body, which enabled an effective fight-back against up-front fees when the ANU attempted to introduce them university-wide in 1997.
2022 School of Art and Design Occupation
Campaigns employing similar strategies have also succeeded in more recent years. In 2020, due to COVID-19 staffing and social distancing limitations, Visual Arts students had their studio access hours cut by over 50%. Two years later, despite most other parts of the university returning to in-person teaching, Visual Arts students had yet to see a return to pre-COVID access hours. The delay was such that an entire cohort of Visual Arts students had nearly graduated without ever having full access to the resources they were promised when they commenced their degrees. In response, a year-long student-run campaign culminated in a four-hour occupation of the School of Art and Design Foyer in October 2022. A return to after-hours access was announced by the end of the week.
Teaching Less
Last year, the ANU announced sweeping restructures in the face of a deficit of over $200 million. The plan, optimistically termed ‘Renew ANU’, is to reconcile the deficit by cutting $250 million in operating costs by the start of 2026. $100 million of that will come from ‘salary spending’—in other words, the ANU will cut $100 million worth of staff. The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) estimates this will amount to around 638 full-time-equivalent staff. Still, since many of the staff hours cut will come from part-time and casual staff, the actual number of staff who will lose their jobs might be much higher. The ANU employs around 4700 staff, many of whom are not full-time; at a minimum, Renew ANU, as it is currently being implemented, will involve the university shedding 1 in 8.
ANU has used the same slogan to justify its austerity measures as a necessary and positive step forward since at least 2022. Leaked slides from discussions on the 2022 degree cuts to the College of Arts and Social Sciences show that the University—trademark symbol included—framed the loss of 10 specialist CASS degrees with the slogan: ‘teach less, better.’ Eerily familiar was the phrase used by the Vice Chancellor last October when formally announcing Renew ANU: ‘We will do less, but we will do it better.’
But for staff and students at a Renewed ANU, what does ‘better’ mean? Not much, for the staff that have and will lose their jobs. Similarly, for students who have to deal with increased tutorial sizes, teacher-to-staff ratios, and cut or infrequently run courses, the mechanism by which the university is going to make good on the ‘better’ is increasingly unclear.
Regardless of who leads the university, ANU’s methods for dealing with its financial problems will be driven by the same corporate logic that has driven higher education for decades, in the wake of plummeting federal higher education funding and increasing reliance on the private sector. Rounds of staff and course cuts predate Genevieve Bell’s tenure as Vice-Chancellor and will almost certainly continue whether or not she continues to occupy the position.
Neither the 1994 occupation nor the 2022 sit-in at the School of Art and Design occurred spontaneously. Both campaigns’ short and long-term successes were backed by open, democratic organising amongst the student body, in alliance with the NTEU and other unions. The concession the ANU council made last year to introduce a negative screen on investments in companies that manufacture ‘controversial weapons’ and civilian small arms—while inadequate, is recent proof that on-campus protest movements can make it more difficult for the university to implement the changes than to abandon them or seek alternatives. When we fight collectively, openly, and democratically, we can win.
Michael Reid is a member of Save Our Studies, Save Our Staff ANU.

Michael Reid
A Kambri Lawns State of Mind
March 17, 2025 11:38 am Comments Off on A Kambri Lawns State of Mind
Kambri is undoubtedly the hub of campus activity, and in 2025, this will be no different. I will continue to look to Kambri lawns to preempt the fashion trends of the semester and lean on the $5 Barley Griffin from Badger when times get rough. And yet, as much as I value what Kambri means to me in the present day, it is only with a deep appreciation of the area’s history that my relationship with the precinct can really get to the next base.
University Avenue became a pedestrian plaza in 1972. Around the same time, the ANU Union building was developed, most well-known for housing the beloved ANU Bar (and the ANU union, I guess). The bar hosted Cold Chisel in 1979. In 1990, it was Midnight Oil, and in 1992, Nirvana.
This area was more officially developed as a student space in 2001 following the redevelopment of the carpark in front of Chifley Library into a large open courtyard. Union Court was officially born.
Where the Di Riddell Building, Marie Reay, Fenner Hall and Badger currently stand, was once an expansive courtyard supervised dutifully by those watching above from Chifley Library. If you love sitting on Kambri Lawns now, imagine how great it would have been when you didn’t have to compete for a patch of grass.
The university announced the Union Court Redevelopment project in 2016, with the aim of “putting the heart back into campus” and accommodating the growing need for updated student facilities. The redevelopment was expansive and cost the university around $263 million. It included:

Relocating, repurposing, and rebuilding the Union Building (now the Di Riddell Building)
Relocating Fenner Hall from Northbourne Avenue and constructing its new residence in the precinct
Constructing a 6-storey student building with classrooms and study spaces (now, Marie Reay)
Constructing a Health and Wellbeing Centre, including pool and gym facilities, accessible to the general public

Fret not, however, as whilst it appears that next to nothing of old Union Court remains, rest assured there are survivors of the redevelopment — Chifley Library and Sushi Smith.
Demolition of the buildings in the area began in 2017, with construction of the new precinct commencing in mid-2017. The Kambri Precinct officially opened for the start of Semester 1 in 2019. The name “Kambri” was gifted to the ANU by Ngambri, Ngunnawal, and Wiradyuri elder Dr Matilda House following consultation with representatives of four ACT Indigenous groups.
The Kambri Precinct as we know it today is only six years old — but with only a quick glance at its history, it is clear that this area has been the centre of student life on campus for almost as long as the university has existed. What feels like home to us now is unrecognisable to students who graduated not long ago.
Pages and pages of old editions of Woroni hold student love letters to the courtyard that was. The Union Court redevelopment worried students about the potential gentrification of campus. In Edition 2 of Woroni 2019, Vanamali Hermans writes, “As it stands, Kambri represents only the gentrified shell of…possibility, pricing too many of us out.” She expresses concern at the practicalities of Kambri honouring its name and truly serving as a meeting place, given the influx of external businesses announced to have leases in the precinct. These concerns remain all too true in the present day, however it’s hard to really compare how much of an impact this has had on campus activity. Whether fortunately or unfortunately, today’s students will know no difference. I’ll continue to buy my lunch bowls from Urban Tiger and pretend as if the price wasn’t lower last year.
Students of the time also expressed concern that the new buildings in the area would make protests and gatherings on campus far more difficult with the reduced space available. These concerns were and continue to be very real — it’s no wonder that a university campus in the heart of the nation’s capital has a rich history of activism, one which even the ANU itself cites as making our history so unique.
In February 1989, the National Union of Students organised a campaign at the ANU against the introduction of HECS. In 2014, students protested the Liberal Government’s deregulation of university fees. In both instances, students hung banners on the bridge crossing Sullivans Creek onto North Road, then marched to the Chancellery demanding the support of the Vice Chancellor. Protests at ANU continue to follow this pattern, gathering in Kambri before confronting the Chancellery Building.
In 1992, students established “Tent City” outside Chifley Library as part of a student housing protest and against university plans to sell off housing stock. In 2024, the ANU Gaza Solidarity Encampment was established on Kambri Lawn, protesting ANU’s investment in weapons companies arming the genocide in Palestine. It followed similar student movements at universities internationally and was the longest lasting encampment across Australia, lasting for over 100 days.
This is all to say that things are not as different as they may seem — student activism is alive and well in Kambri and in familiar company. Whilst I may never experience the “culture” that students of years past tell me they miss about Union Court, I don’t feel as if I’m missing out, and it has certainly stifled nothing. While Union Court and Kambri differ in almost every regard, student passion and protest have nonetheless endured.
Next time you’re sitting on Kambri Lawns, perhaps instead of merely watching the people around you, think about all that has come before you in that very same spot.
For First-Year ANU students, Kambri may seem intimidating at times. Find solace in knowing that across the last five decades, Kambri has been hundreds of thousands of students’ backyard for but a brief point in their lives. You’re in great company.

Charlie Crawford
So you didn’t see ‘As You Like It’? What Ever Major Loser!
January 4, 2025 11:29 am Comments Off on So you didn’t see ‘As You Like It’? What Ever Major Loser!
ShakeSoc concluded its 2024 season with what seemed like a celebration of some of their veterans, putting on As You Like It in the Ralph Wilson Theatre. Reframed in the style of the 2000s Disney classic Camp Rock, India Kazakoff and Kathryn Keane brought a new life to this Shakespearean comedy.
As You Like It follows heroine Rosalind as she flees her uncle’s court alongside her cousin Celia, whilst her lover Orlando similarly flees his brother’s court. Both end up at Camp Ardern, where Rosalind, dressed as a shepherd, pretends to cure Orlando’s love for Rosalind by having him woo her. Many characters are introduced along the way, and many marriages ensue à la Shakespearean comedies. While it’s not the easiest Shakespeare plot to follow, we think he may have broken the record for the number of weddings in a singular scene.
Yet another new venue in these treacherous times (a closed Kambri Theatre), the Ralph Wilson Theatre was a decent choice. While audience capacity was on the smaller scale, the stage size was adequate with room for characters to enter and exit through multiple wings. Maybe a niche critique from us — not that ShakeSoc had any control over this — was the uncomfortable plastic chairs that left our butts numb. Overall, this venue served the purpose of this production well, with professional sound and lighting rigs.
Directors Kazakoff and Keane are no strangers to a ShakeSoc production, which was evident in their well thought-out show. Directorial changes, including name alterations to parodies of Disney actors, a baptism using a spray bottle and a saxophone serenade, brought original comedy to a classic script. However, where some modifications to the script occurred for the Camp Rock theme, certain moments required additional changes to align with the direction, most notably a wrestling scene that became a guitar battle. Overall, more unique alterations were made to this show than previous ANU recontextualizations, allowing for a production full of nostalgia and laughter.
A standout performance from an overall strong cast came from first-year Angus Murray as Jacques. Whilst Shakespeare’s ‘All the World’s A Stage’ monologue can be a daunting undertaking, Murray rose to the occasion. Whilst Jacques is the melancholic foil of this show, this 2000s emo-esque interpretation of the role brought joy and humour.
This show witnessed the return of Toby Griffiths, playing Duke Frederick. Arguably the best technical actor, with not only the widest range and clearest diction, Griffiths should be once again applauded for another strong performance.
The backbone of the production was Georgia Nolan’s Orlando, acting as a consistent presence with occasional comedic moments. Further praise should be given to Chloe Tuazon’s Rosalind, who not only had strong romantic chemistry with Nolan, but potentially an even stronger familial bond with Ellie Fintoff’s comical Celia. Overall this veteran-heavy ensemble allowed for a strong cast that were able to play with differing interpretations of this script.
Lighting Director Jessica Luff’s use of a more professional lighting rig than Kambri’s was evident throughout, with contrasting colours, spotlights and fades ensuring an interesting overall lighting design. Whilst more minimal in the first Act, the best of this design was seen in the later half, notably the interrogation scene. Complementing Luff’s lighting was Sound Designer Tom Lyle’s sound design, featuring both music and background effects. At times, strange sound levels had us questioning whether music was intended for that particular moment. A highlight was the use of The Proclaimers ‘I’m on My Way’ during the journey scene, adding a comedic element to walking across a stage.
Set for this production consisted of a few large pieces, including a tent, a blowup boat, a paddle pool, and some greenery — though these were not used in the production. While these pieces set the scene, there was potential for more interesting and integrated designs. Overall, the props were within the specified period, complementing the direction choices, with fun nods to the 2000s including a Bluetooth earpiece, a Nokia flip phone and copies of Twilight. A moment of confusion occurred when Orlando emerged holding a crutch, later revealed to be a sword. Given the number of swords used in previous ShakeSoc productions, this seemed a strange choice.
Where set and props may have been minimal, costume design by Alana Flesser and Alex McNeil served to bring to life directors Kazakoff and Keane’s Camp Rock vision. Notes from the movie were evident in Rosalind’s double-denim layered outfit with a thin overly-long scarf, alongside Phoebe’s iconic jeans adorned with a pink butterfly and diamantes. But where the others were giving Camp Rock, Celia’s costume was giving Clueless, and we were disappointed when she didn’t have a costume change, although the iconic reveal of a headband compensated for this.
On the whole, As You Like It proved to be our favourite ShakeSoc show of the year. More committed to a distinct theme, drawing out as many jokes as possible yet still true to the Bard’s work, this production was an entertaining way to end ShakeSoc’s 2024 season. Congratulations to all involved in ShakeSoc productions this year, we can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store.

Caitlin Davis
Nothing makes sense: The beautiful eeriness of Pomona
January 2, 2025 1:04 pm Comments Off on Nothing makes sense: The beautiful eeriness of Pomona
NUTS’ 2024 season concluded with the other-worldly Pomona, the first amateur production of this show in Australia. Neither of us had ever heard of this show, so we had very few expectations going into it, and upon leaving we were both taken by the complexity and hypnotic nature of this production.
This nonlinear work centres on Ollie, who is looking for her missing sister. Beyond this, much of the play is up to your own interpretation (we’re still coming up with competing theories about what it all means and how it ended).
NUTS staged Pomona at the Ralph Wilson Theatre. For a review of this space and the overall comfort of the seating, please refer to our review of As You Like It. For this production, the space served its purpose and beyond, with its multiple entry points adding to the ambience of this haunting experience.
Director Teagan Matthews should be celebrated for her ability to bring this immensely difficult script to life. From the moment you stepped foot into the theatre you were immersed in a spine-chilling experience that, due to the lack of intermission, never truly ended. It is evident Matthews not only read but consumed this script, and whether or not her understanding aligned with ours, it led to a thought-provoking show. Matthews’ use of physicality and movement was a particular highlight. In particular, the fight choreography between Isaac Sewak’s Charlie and Rory Carter’s Moe was well-executed and more realistic than most student theatre productions. The best directing by Matthews was the use of game pieces — both dice and Rubix cubes — to enhance the intensity of Ollie’s journey through the tunnels of Pomona. The direction and movement of this scene is difficult to explain in print, and can only be described as a beautifully intense triumph.
This performance featured a strong cast of seven, many of whom were fresh faces this season, all with the incredible ability to solve a Rubix cube on stage. We wonder if this was part of the audition process (Caitlin would have been cut). Sewak’s Charlie provided both comedic and dramatic moments throughout, and when acting alongside Carter, the pairing’s chemistry provided immense depth and range.
Kudos should be given to Alex Ellwood, whose stoicism never broke, contrasting the chaos of the surroundings. Ellwood was arguably challenged the most by the script’s time jumps, which necessitated various characterisations throughout the play, and Ellwood should be celebrated for a well-thought out performance. Marcelle Brosnan should also be applauded for acting as the show’s sounding board, providing some much needed clarity and mothering.
Though Malachi Bayley’s set never changed, it was adaptable, converting into an apartment, an office, a brothel, a gate and Pomona. The set featured multiple components that transformed what was otherwise a bare-boned theatre into Matthew’s mind. The creative set-up of black flats, some of which were adorned with graffiti and colourful posters, as well as a door, allowed for multiple points of entry, enhancing the mystery that is Pomona. Bayley also collated the props, which were well-integrated into the set, utilising the filing cabinet and numerous draws to allow for seamless transitions between scenes.
The costumes for this show were quite simple and not the focus. Whilst apt for purpose, they weren’t a stand-out of this production. A special nod should, however, go to the collection of nerdy shirts worn by Charlie throughout.
This show was technically exceptional. Both Paris Scharkie (sound) and Marty Kelly (lighting) were the creative glue holding this show together. Sound played a pivotal role in this show, with the consistent background noise making moments of silence all the more eerie. Kelly’s lighting design was interesting and truly utilised the entire capacity of the theatre’s set-up. The recurring motif of the kaleidoscope-like spiral when the Dungeons and Dragons game was being played was innovative and probably some clue about the meaning of this play, which we are still trying to figure out several hours later. The use of torches and hand-held lights in otherwise-darkness allowed the audience to feel involved in Ollie’s journey and the intensity of her path. Overall, both sound and lighting were extremely well-timed and rehearsed, aligning with even the most marginal of dialogue cues. Whilst often underappreciated, for this show in particular, it cannot be understated how impactful and considered the technical design was.
We hope one day to figure out the meaning of this show, but regardless loved every confusing and thought-provoking moment. Whilst attendance on the particular night we saw the production was low — a particular shame considering the incredible work and effort put in — hopefully, the reopening of Kambri (fingers crossed) in 2025 encourages more of ANU to experience student theatre.
Overall, NUTS should be congratulated for another incredible show and an impeccable season that was both cohesive and kept us on our toes. We can’t wait to see the direction NUTS goes in during 2025.

Jessica Friderich
Swarming with talent: Wright Hall bee-witches with the 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee
12:56 pm Comments Off on Swarming with talent: Wright Hall bee-witches with the 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee
When we heard that Wright Hall was making the brave choice to put on a production of The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee musical this year, we were intrigued. Despite both being avid musical theatre fans, neither of us knew much about this show.
Putting on a musical is no easy feat, and Wright certainly impressed us with their ambitious delivery of this crowd-pleasing production. The show centres around a peculiar group of six students participating in a regional spelling bee. The six tweens are accompanied by three equally eclectic staff members, and four audience members selected from the crowd on the night. Each speller is highlighted with their own unique songs and backstory, allowing the audience to understand the motivation behind competing in the bee.
As we continue to explore the theatre venues of Canberra — seriously, did anyone know there were more than three? — Wright selected the Polish White Eagle Club. What seemed like a bizarre venue turned out to be a great stage, well-adapted for this show. In saying this, the set remained unchanged throughout, and this limited backstage crossing would have made most theatres suitable. The high stage had high school assembly vibes, and the only improvement that could have been made — not that Wright had any say in this — was the lack of raised seating. Overall, surprisingly the Polish Club has amazing lighting capacity and was a smart choice.
This production was directed by second-year Elizabeth Barnes, who should be applauded for her production of an ultimately cohesive and entertaining show. Barnes’ directing certainly brought out the best in this cast, whose individual talents were showcased in their distinct characterisations of their roles. A directorial challenge for this show is preparing your cast to be versatile and continually interact with the audience members brought on stage and Barnes certainly ensured both audience and cast were comfortable and engaged. Personally for us, with this particular cast, a comedic play might have been better suited. Due to the immense acting talent on-stage, and at times weaker vocal moments, a play would have highlighted the stronger aspects of the performance.
Spelling Bee did not require an excessive amount of choreography. Despite this, the choreography that was incorporated, led by Katie Leib, proved cohesive, entertaining and dynamic. One of the few numbers featuring the entire cast was ‘Pandemonium’ which proved to be one of the strongest choreographed numbers of the show. Not only was the cast in sync, but the audience members involved on stage were helpfully led along by the rest of the cast, making for a hilarious inclusion.
Centring the cast was Amy Gottschalk’s Olive, whose quiet but consistent presence showcased her extreme depth and range. Notably, the song ‘I Love You’ proved the most heartwarming number, showcasing Gottschalk, Emma Gannon and Jeremy Arndt’s stellar voices. Arndt was further featured alongside Liam Frost as gay dads, who perfectly brought the dance mom energy to spelling bees. Further standout characterisations were Maya Gribble’s nerdy child activist nerdy Logainne, Patrick Fullilove’s socially awkward and snotty William, as well as Madeline Gailee’s energetic and loveable Leaf. All actors should be applauded for their unique interpretations of these roles.
Costuming, led by Ilise Laidlaw, was a spot-on nod to the awkwardness of being a tween, with those embarrassing fashion choices we all went through. Special acknowledgement should be made to the hilarity of Logainne’s rainbow pride accoutrements and Leaf’s distinct cape and helmet, which enhanced their roles greatly. June Atkin’s makeup was nothing short of impressive in the way it aged Douglas Panch. A strange but entertaining inclusion was Mitch’s juice box tattoo, a nod to his character presenting the eliminated contestants with a commissary juice box.
From the moment the curtains lifted you truly felt as though you were in a high school auditorium ready to watch a spelling bee. Set designer Lizzie Cao definitely made use of Wright’s artistic talents, hand-painting numerous signs and banners to adorn the wings. Overall, while simple in some ways, this set was well-executed and a stand-out for this production.
One of the biggest issues we had with this production was the sound. Unfortunately for musicals with microphones, they are often unreliable and difficult to work with. Throughout the production, different cast members’ microphones periodically turned on and off, rendering some lines inaudible. Whilst significant efforts were made to improve this throughout, at times switching to hand-held microphones, this was especially unfortunate as at times cast member’s sound levels were unable to be heard over the backing track. In saying this, we are not entirely sure what the Polish Club’s sound capacity was to start with, and sound is often temperamental and may have improved for future performances.
Where sound sometimes had its faults, the lighting design of this show by Meg Mundy was well-timed and creative. Notably, the comedic spotlighting of an audience member in the seat reserved for Olive’s absent parent was precise and appropriately awkward for the moment. Creative rainbow lighting during ‘Pandemonium’ enhanced the hectic nature of the song, complimenting the choreography nicely. Overall, Mundy should be applauded for her well thought-through lighting design which kept the audience both engaged and entertained.
Whilst neither of us were sure what to expect with this production, we were both amazed by the talent of Wright Hall. From comedic interactions to heartwarming melodies and innovative set and lighting, this college should be extremely proud of what they achieved. Kudos to Barnes and all involved, and we hope Wright continues this legacy of strong college productions in the future.

Jessica Friderich
‘THE HOUSE’: ANU’S RESIDENTIAL HALLS AS A MICROCOSM OF PARLIAMENTARY ELITISM
December 13, 2024 1:47 pm Comments Off on ‘THE HOUSE’: ANU’S RESIDENTIAL HALLS AS A MICROCOSM OF PARLIAMENTARY ELITISM
‘Is there much of an upstairs-downstairs feel in Parliament House?’
‘Yeah, we’ve got people upstairs who have probably never been down to the basement… if I wanted people to take note, I’d stop delivering coffee and toilet paper.’
These are the words of Sandy McInerney, Logistics Manager of Parliament House’s underground ‘catacombs’, in conversation with Annabel Crabb in her 2017 docuseries The House. Offhand words in one twenty-second conversation of a three-hour documentary series, which amongst all those exploring the glory and intricacies of Parliament’s ‘upstairs’ rooms, were the ones that lingered in my mind.
Parliament is a living, breathing organism of democracy, of high-level thinking, of the most important people in Australia. But McInerney’s words starkly remind us that no well-pressed suit, nor feet on immaculately steamed red and green carpet, exempt our high-calibre Parliamentarians from their human needs.
It does, however, seemingly exempt them from having to fulfil these needs themselves.
Our most important figures simply float through the halls of Parliament unaffected by such lowly considerations as where to buy their next coffee, or whether the toilet will be clean for them to use. They take blissful baths in the upstairs glory of The House, while a hidden workforce who ‘rarely sees the light of day’ weaves its way through an underground road and tunnel network, ensuring the functionality and comfort of Parliament; it’s just part of the job. The structural hierarchy – the dichotomy between the presentable and the obscured, the up and the down, the fore- and background – is built into the building itself, and subsequently built into parliamentary culture. This culture only works to perpetuate complex notions of ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ that pervade public reality: if the physical manifestation of Australian freedom and justice, representing the views and interests of the Australian people, is so plainly hierarchised, how can we expect society’s culture to reflect or embody anything else?
As I watch the flag fly atop Parliament’s glistening roof from just down the street, I contemplate the people I’m surrounded by, studying at Australia’s National University. I’ve met many a person in my eight months on campus who I could confidently say will sit in Parliament in twenty years. ANU graduates ‘go on to become leaders in government.’ I’m decidedly nestled in a culture that is fostering the minds that will fill the rooms of Parliament soon enough, and who similarly have their day-to-day needs managed in a basement that they will likely never lay eyes on.
My realisation, then, was that these future parliamentarians are, given the immense population of fellow first-year students living on campus, living their day-to-day lives now in much the same dynamic.
When I moved to Canberra, one of the biggest shocks to my system was learning that the kitchens, the bathrooms, the dining areas, and everything short of the individual rooms (unless you’re a Johns resident, if I’m to disseminate frivolous rumours) of my residential hall got cleaned not by those that used it, but by cleaning staff who have nothing to do with the dirtying of these spaces. Clogged sinks filled to the brim with ominous soup turned to sparkling silver overnight. Abandoned pots and pans and knives and forks left strewn across benches after the 7pm rush disappeared eventually. Moulding food was swept away when it got too apparent that its owner was probably not coming back for it.
I couldn’t believe it – I’d gone from being a nineteen-year-old who, despite her freeloading at home, had some semblance of responsibility for cleanliness, to a twenty-year-old who could ultimately leave whatever mess she’d like with very limited real consequences, despite likely dirty looks from others trying to use the stoves.
While having cleaning staff in itself is by no means condemnable, it highlights a crucial element of residential hall existence – that there is a certain, in-built element to this lifestyle that places our education and frankly, in many cases, our exercise of privilege in attending university, above our need to take responsibility for our everyday existence. We are being implicitly told that our intelligence and our ability to pay to live on campus – or, more commonly, to be paid for – places us above the need to engage with the mundane aspects of adult living, particularly for those living in catered residences. In this respect, we are young parliamentarians in more ways than being students of politics and law: living as if we are too important to change a toilet roll.
So many of us wouldn’t know the names of the people who mop our floors for us, and no matter how clean we keep our spaces, we therefore play a part in being the upstairs residents who would take most note of our cleaning staff if they stopped filling the paper towel dispensers and wiping the desks we study on. We can beg the question of whether living in residences, being fed and cleaned for, prepares us for the ‘real world’, but the cold truth is that, for many people, it sure does. Their real world will become the professionalised version: a workplace where they are cushioned by assurance that they need not lift a finger to feel cared for and have not since their first day at college. They will not see the insides of a maintenance cupboard nor the basement of whichever sunlit office they work in and will learn that this is what they worked for: to have the less palatable requirements of comfortable existence offloaded onto someone else.
The wake-up call here is not to drop out of college and start a commune, by any means. This lifestyle gives so many people the opportunities to pursue elements of independent living and study that they otherwise never would have dreamt possible. What lingers in my mind, though, is that this way of living is not as natural or normal as it can begin to feel when immersed in the insularity of it all. Hierarchy does not sit well in houses of any description, yet Australia’s most important House has it coursing through its veins; food for discomforting thought.
The wake-up call is, instead, to thank your cleaners, next time you see them; they are the people who underpin the lifestyle we’re lucky enough to lead, and there will never come a fictitiously constructed hierarchy that changes that.

Greta Clark-Walsh
Totally Tubular: The Comedy of Errors puts on a radical performance
September 17, 2024 10:35 am Comments Off on Totally Tubular: The Comedy of Errors puts on a radical performance
The return of student theatre in semester two was headlined by ShakeSoc’s The Comedy of Errors with a radical 80s twist. For first-time director Jessica Luff, choosing one of the Bard’s shortest works and, indeed, a comedy proved an incredibly smart choice.
The Comedy of Errors centres on the mistaken identity of not only two twin brothers separated in a shipwreck but also identical enslaved twin brothers. Following a series of unfortunate misunderstandings, including not recognising your own wife, falling in love with her sister and being arrested for stealing a gold chain, chaos in the town ensues. In the end, the pairs finally reunite, uncovering the truth behind the shipwreck that tore the family apart.
With the closure of Kambri Theatre for the remainder of the year, ShakeSoc decided to stage their production at the Canberra Theatre Centre’s Courtyard Theatre. The intimate, sparse theatre allowed for vast creative liberty, featuring well-tiered seating and extensive sound and lighting rigging, aspects generally lacking in the Kambri theatre from our experience. However, we assume that the lack of a backstage would have been troublesome for the cast and crew — although Luff’s clever direction ensured no unnecessary crossing of the stage — so we wonder how this might play out for larger productions scheduled for the Courtyard.
The Comedy of Errors is a more accessible script, meaning that for audiences who are less well-versed in Shakespeare, minor gaps in understanding were bridged by a relatively straightforward plot coupled with Luff’s extraction of every potential physical comedy element. Re-contextualisation in the 80s proved a fun choice, with distinct nods to the decade throughout the play. However, the difficulty with the re-contextualisation of Shakespeare is the extent to which you alter the script to truly commit to the time period. Here, it felt like a slight gimmick to draw in audiences, and we would have loved to see further commitment beyond the music and costuming. Overall, you can see that Luff thought through every single scene in detail, which was particularly highlighted in the cafe date-style scene, which was both well-directed and comedic. All the characters were well-utilised with clear background directing when individuals did not have lines, whilst similarly not saturating the scene with unnecessary bodies on stage. There was a slight slump in the second act, possibly due to many original ideas used in the first half. However, Luff should be applauded as continuous laughter from the audience proved their enjoyment throughout.
As an ensemble, this cast appeared to genuinely enjoy being together on stage. Our biggest stand-out from this production came from the pairing of Oscar Mikic as Antipholus of Syracuse and Ava Ferrari as Dromio of Syracuse. Both remained intensely committed to the slapstick nature of the show, acting larger-than-life at every opportunity. This dynamic was further enhanced by the chemistry between the two, something lacking in their twin counterparts. Ferrari’s ability to change accents ranging from American to Spanish showed an impressive range, with a further comedic moment occurring with dance moves timed to the door-knocking sound cues.
Although rarely appearing together, Ferrari and Julia Wedgewood-Oppenheim were an unbelievably funny twin pairing. Each mirrored the mannerisms and energy of one another, making clear that despite not looking identical, they came across as convincing brothers. While many of the characters relied on physical slapstick comedy, refreshing characterisation came from the sisters Eloise Bisley and Ella Buckley played. Both portrayed the depth of their characters, reacting well to the chaos as it ensued.
The lighting design by Steph Evans remained consistent, with particular highlights occurring with colour changing to red where Satan was mentioned and outbursts of anger arose. However, whilst sufficient, potentially greater variety throughout — especially considering the extensive rigging of the theatre — would have enhanced the production and its 80s charm. Similarly, Tom Lyle’s sound design absolutely served a clear purpose. Well-timed knocking and cartoonish-boingy throwing effects added comedy, amplifying the already slapstick scenes. A crowd-pleasing aspect of this show came from the transition music featuring 80s bops, which had the audience singing along.
Whilst there were very few major set changes, the inclusion of the popular transition music allowed for slightly slower resets without much notice. Further, the team’s commitment to the 80s theme with their period outfits and similar enthusiasm for the music added to the genuine enjoyment and camaraderie of this production.
What most illustrated the time period was the costuming, with shoulder pads, an ET graphic t-shirt, and a fluoro pink skin-tight leotard, which were just some of the nods to the iconic decade. Through innovative colour-blocking, the pairings of twins were made clear, with other characters similarly assigned their own unique aesthetic that showcased their characters’ personalities.
Turning now to the set, when we walked into the theatre, we were immediately met with the familiar comic stylings of the classic 80s music video for Take-On-Me by A-ha. Three white sheets adorned with beautifully hand-drawn locations created by Rose Kenyon and Jeremia Kim covered each third of the stage. Whilst very well designed, the location choices for the differing areas could have better mirrored the settings of the play as it unfolded, with the possibility of a police station making more sense than a dollar store.
Further, props created by Sophie Chiew were another clear nod to the decade. Attention to detail didn’t go unnoticed; small items such as a teen magazine from the 80s and small beanie babies certainly reinforced Luff’s directorial vision.
Overall, this cast and crew should be applauded for putting on a show that screamed, ‘Don’t you forget about me.’ With one final show in ShakeSoc’s 2024 season, we look forward to their upcoming production of As You Like It.

Jessica Friderich
A reminder to feed your dad: “Third Storey” debuts to packed audiences
August 20, 2024 5:50 pm Comments Off on A reminder to feed your dad: “Third Storey” debuts to packed audiences
Easily the bravest choice of NUTS’ 2024 season was their first ever full length student-written play, Third Storey, written and directed by Eli Narev and Adam Gottschalk (pictured above). We had little to no expectations walking into this show, and upon leaving could only describe it as “on crack, but in the best way.”
Third Storey follows prank influencers Jax and Gene, who have been awarded a grant to make a feature film. The play follows the chaos of their creative process as characters slowly stray from sanity in their attempts to adapt Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis into a one-woman motion picture. Locked in a three storey house, the script explores complex systems of rules, family dynamics, the hunger for perfection, and an attic full of possum shit.
The original script was witty, deeply funny, heart warming and often unexpected. Narev and Gottschalk should be commended on the multi-faceted nature of the characters they created, building an ensemble of individuals easily recognisable to a modern audience. Many of the script’s most tender moments occurred between Annabelle Hansen’s Judie and Beth Fuccilli’s Bev, where the writing touched on some of the difficulties of parenting, questioning to what extent we are all impacted by the choices our parents make. A standout writing and directorial moment in the first act came from an attempt by director-character Jax (played by Adelaide Hayes) to shoot the one-woman scene sequentially one line at a time. As the characters scrambled to perform quick changes, the comedic direction of Elizabeth Barnes’ Alison counting down by ones each time she switched personas had the audience dissolving into laughter.
While the script was excellent overall, it could have potentially benefited from further editing. The production — especially the first act — felt overlong at times. This length can be attributed to attempts to give too many characters tragic backstories, which were at times rushed, and lengthy duologues that could have been shortened or cut.
Turning now to the cast, both of our stand-out performances came from Fuccilli and Mischa Rippon as Bev and Graham, the loveable, stereotypical Aussie parents. The moment they stepped on stage they brought a refreshing lightness that cut through the length of Act One, being comedic, touching, and most importantly giving a sense of humanity to the show. The pair’s talent was further highlighted in the dramatic twist at the conclusion of the show, where despite blood pooling from his mouth Rippon, with stoic determination, refused to break character, whilst Fuccilli continued to movingly comfort her husband.
Paralleling their parents’ dynamics, the sibling duo of Hayes’ Jax and Callum Doherty’s Gene highlighted the range of these actors. In particular, Doherty’s raw, haunted expression at the end of Act Two silenced the audience. Another actor of note was Thomas Neil in his portrayal as the dorky, golden retriever boyfriend Dom who arguably had one of the more significant character developments throughout, emphasising Neil’s versatility as an actor. However other characters, like Pip and the Producer, felt a little rushed and underdeveloped.
An unconventional inclusion for this production was an original garment from Bridget Matison who created a one-of-a-kind cockroach inspired showgirl costume. This bold choice highlighted the eccentricity of the film being created, enhancing Barnes’ dramatic interpretation of Kafka’s Gregor as a cockroach. Additionally, the evening wear used for the award show scenes provided contrast to the otherwise ordinary costumes used throughout the rest of the show. Overall, the costume design led by Lara Connolly was cohesive and enhanced the portrayal of each of the characters.
The set for this production was exceptional. Credit must be given to set designer Katja Curtin and assistant set designer Grace Fletcher who managed to transform Kambri drama theatre into a convincing family home. There were two major sets, the first being the exterior of the house, with well-executed painting of black flats making the set look three-dimensional. The second set displayed the interior of the home, utilising a raised stage to highlight two of the three storeys. The set was further enhanced by the cohesion of the actors’ entrances and exits, at times circling behind the stage to illustrate the journey of travelling to the second floor. Furnished with effective props, this set is certainly a stand-out from the sets we have seen in Kambri this year.
Unfortunately, during the blackouts where set and numerous prop changes occurred the backstage crew moved at what felt like a glacial pace, with a lack of transition music, forcing the audience to hone in on the movements of the crew. Where the script was already long, this elongated the show further.
The lighting design by Jessica Peacock was effective, using spotlights and blackouts where necessary for the script. Whilst at times slightly delayed — Kambri lighting is notoriously unreliable — more creative lighting may have enhanced the script. An inclusion we might suggest would be varying the lighting when the camera was rolling to dramatically differentiate. Further, Genevieve Cox’s sound design was apt for purpose and well-timed.
Neither of us were quite prepared for the dramatic twist at the denouement of this production. All we can say from that ending for those who did not get to see the show is…remember to feed your dad. Overall, the show proved an immense success and we are excited to see what is next for the witty writing duo of Narev and Gottschalk.

Jessica Friderich