Play 1, 2008

Getting Betterer All the Time

by Felicity Carpenter

Directed by Rod Thompson
SEASON CLOSED

The Play

A modern fairytale, a satire about status anxiety and modern parenting

When your parents are both obsessed with self-improvement, what is a neglected five-year old child to do? Go off and become a famous international recording star of course!

Camilla and Digby are just your average couple. She – a high powered, highly paid, highly stressed executive, he – a more than competent cook and housekeeper, also highly stressed, but for very different reasons. Their home is modern and functional, but desperately needs attention to its feng shui. It is the negative vibes caused by its layout, and by the failure of the water feature to operate correctly that is causing so much tension. Their daughter Lucy (aged five) is showing signs of doing well at pre-school, and has been bringing home some quite clever short stories she has written (which have been short listed for the Booker). With such busy parents, she must, of course, be very self-reliant, but has good friends in her next-door neighbour, Shamus, and her rag doll, Molly. The world of Digby, Carmilla, Shamus and Lucy is peopled with an intimidating assortment of consultants, coaches, advisors, journalists, television personalities, the make-up lady from hell, and other con-artists. Oh – and also possums.

A biting satire on modern Australian lifestyles and the cult of celebrity.

The Playwright

Felicity Carpenter is a local Brisbane author with a varied background in theatre and television, whose work is rapidly gaining International notice. Her qualifications include a Masters degree in Playwrighting, a Bachelor of Arts degree (Creative Writing) and Certificate in Screenwriting (AFTRS) and her awards include Runner-up playwright at the Brisbane Underground Festival . She was short listed for the Australian Film Commission’s New Screenwriters’ Initiative for a comedy horror feature film script. In 2006 she was awarded development funding through the PFTCs Write Stuff Initiative for her short film script "Switching Sides" and has received a Brisbane City Council Creative Sparks grant.

Felicity has recently received the Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award from the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation at the International Emmy Awards in New York. She is curently studying at the London Film School.

The Director

Rod Thompson has been a member of the Players for 30 years, and has appeared in and directed quite a number of productions. Directions include: "Harp in the South", "Two Weeks with the Queen", "Ten Times Table", "Confusions" and "Dancing at Lughnasa". He has been seen on stage recently as the bigotted, racist, and ultimately successful prosecutor in "To Kill a Mockingbird". He was also seen as the strolling accordion player in 'Allo, 'Allo", and as Yoric in "Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliette)"

Rod collaborated with Maria Plumb to adapt and direct the classic Restoration comedy "The Busybody". This adaptation was also seen in production at The Burnside Players in November 2006.

Rod's adaptation of the Jules Verne story "Dr Ox: the Experiment" was produced by the Players in 2006.